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Reviews
Lawman: The Hardcase (1960)
Hard Life Lessons
Trouble is brewing when a group of Trail Hands and their tough Trail Boss, played with authority by Robert Armstrong, hit The Birdcage looking to slake their thirsts. Out for a good time is local girl Beth Denning, played by Dodie Heath, and she soon draws their attention. Marshal Dan intervenes to shut things down when the revelries get out of hand and then Dan and Lily have some great moments together as they play surrogate parents to the wayward girl. However, on the way home Beth is knocked unconscious and put into a coma. Suspicion falls on the son of the Trail Boss played by Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Don Drysdale who does a creditable job as a young but respectful buck looking for a good time. Events come to a head when a group of Townsfolk and the Trail Hands confront each other outside the Marshal's Office and Dan gives them a good tongue lashing before the situation is resolved when Lily wakes Beth from her coma and she arrives to point out the real culprit. Kudos to William Challee, who played an 'Old Timer' in countless films and TV shows, and who is appealing in this episode as Beth's irresponsible father.
Lawman: The Stranger (1960)
Father Doesn't Always Know Best
A young tearaway starts hassling Lily and her patrons in The Birdcage then shoots Timmo the barman. Marshal Dan intervenes and soon the miscreant is dead. The mail brings death threats to Dan and unnoticed a kindly old man slips into town, played with plenty of nuance by talented character actor Ian Wolfe. We see him preparing to gun down Dan, leading to a confrontation where Johnny gets the father accept the truth about his no good son. As a bonus we get to see Laramie's Barber Shop where Johnny thinks back about the father he never knew and Lily gets quite a few costume changes into some top drawer outfits.
Lawman: Last Stop (1960)
Kill Bill
Richard Arlen, a distinguished actor with a career stretching back to the silent era, plays Bill Jennings who has come to Laramie to marry his sweetheart, one of Lily's girls from The Birdcage. Plans for the wedding are going well until Bill's estranged son arrives looking for revenge for Bill abandoning his wife and baby 18 years before. Gabe Jennings, the son, is played by Johnathan Gilmore who had a short acting career but as John Gilmore went on to fame and fortune as a leading Hollywood writer of true crime and fictional crime stories.
The situation in Laramie gets pretty tense, culminating in a showdown at the Wedding Chapel, where Marshal Dan resolves the situation with some fancy shooting and by revealing that when he checked the county records Bill had split up with his wife and moved to Laramie a year before Gabe was born. This is an interesting episode where Lily gets to show off her sowing skills and wear a mighty fine ensemble to the wedding in the vain hope of encouraging Marshal Dan to propose. Alas, Dan wants to keep their relationship on a flirtatious footing.
Lawman: The Hoax (1959)
How Laramie got its new church
A genial episode written by former child star Dean Reisner, where two conmen impersonate priests to fraudulently raise money for a new church. Peggie Castle as Lily gets to reprise her signature tune 'Lily of the Valley' and with information provided by a new employee played by the glamorous Paula Raymond, she helps Marshal Dan and Deputy Johnny unmask the hustlers. The repartee between the two incorrigible grifters played by character actors Willard Waterman and John Hubbard is a lot of fun. Plus, at the end of the episode Dan and Lily walk off arm in arm to the dance originally organised by the swindlers as a cover to help them quietly slip out of town.
Lawman: 9:05 to North Platte (1959)
It's not about the Train
An extremely dramatic episode showing off the talents of series Director Robert Sparr, Writer Clair Huffaker, Cinematographer Warren Lynch and Editor George Luckenbacher. When Pa Jutes and his two sons, Rood and Logan, ride quietly into town under the cover of darkness, they take over Marshal Dan's office while he and Deputy Johnny are having their dinner at a local café. Grabbing Lily and town paperboy Joey as hostages the Jutes force Dan to stop the train taking another son, Lester to be hanged. There's nice use of the latest telecommunications technology by Dan to send a Telegraph message down the line to locate Lester Jutes on the train. Dan hatches a plan for Johnny to don Lester's clothes to impersonate him, drawing Pa Jutes out into the street. The ruse works long enough for Johnny to gun down Pa Jutes, while Lily swipes Logan with a spur, distracting her captors, giving Dan enough time to burst in to finish off the Jutes boys. There's also a romantic storyline to resolve as Lily, to focus attention away from Joey, had told her captors that she and Dan were engaged to be married. Dan was perplexed by this when Pa Jutes goaded him about it, leading to the episode's sweet final scene in which Lily, with an enigmatic smile, tells Dan it was all part of the ruse, or was it? Special mention must go to the very effective episode soundtrack composed and arranged by Bert Shefter, Paul Sawtell and Erma Levin, and Joey's parents played by Joann Manley and Robert Nelson who give us plenty of pathos.
Lawman: The Press (1959)
The Power of the Press
One of the best episodes of the series starts with some innocuous banter about Lily's new lace curtains but quickly turns darker when news that Lal Hoard, played with seething menace by Robert Wilke, has been paroled and is heading to Laramie. Lal has had 5 years to ponder the best way of getting even with Marshal Dan and his strategy is to set up a newspaper press, The Laramie Bulletin, and use it to destroy the reputations of Dan and Lily. After publishing stories about Dan's outlaw brother Clay and threatening to expose the criminal past of the Bank Manager Oren Slauson played by Vinton Hayworth, Lal gets enough influence with the Town Council to get Dan sacked. With Dan freed from the Marshal's code of conduct he goes to confront Lal at the newspaper but is saved from further ruining his reputation by the intervention of Slauson. Lal is taken away after shooting the Slauson who confesses he was blackmailed by Lal into getting Dan sacked. Dan is re-instated and Lily gets to tenderly pin his Marshal badge back on before Dan accepts Lily's offer to help her hang her lace curtains and they head off arm in arm to the Birdcage.
In this episode the regular stars of the series, John Russell, Peter Brown and Peggie Castle, all give their acting some oomph, relishing their dramatic screens played out with great dialogue provided by show writer Ric Hardman. One highlight is a touching scene where Lily and Dan discuss their pasts and agree that none of it matters to their current relationship. There are also some good points made about the media's power to influence public opinion and at episode's end the newspaper press is left standing in the hope that a new proprietor will come to operate it for the benefit of the town.
Lawman: The Exchange (1959)
Lily's Origin Story
Four episodes into Season 2 of Lawman, viewers were finally given some of the background story for Lily Merrill. This is a great episode for fans of Peggie Castle as she plays out dramatic scenes with Marshal Dan, her wayward husband, and her young son Tommy who she thought was safely billeted with her sister in Colorado. Lily also gets to sing her signature song 'Lily of the Valley' and use her allure to attract the attention of the Bank Manager. At episode's end, after conveniently disposing of Lily's troublesome husband, Dan gets a bit clucky as he escorts Lily and Tommy back to the Birdcage. However, it couldn't have been a strong bond as by the next episode young Tommy was sequestered back in Colorado never to be mentioned again!
Lawman: Lily (1959)
Lily Merrill
It was a fine day for viewers in TV land when Peggie Castle, star of classic genre movies such as 'I, the Jury', 'The Long Wait', 'Finger Man' and 'Back from the Dead' signed on to appear in 'Lawman' forever brightening up the lives of Marshal Dan and Deputy Johnny. As Lily Merrill she is run out of Billings, Montana and rolls into Laramie, Wyoming with her factotum Timmo McQueen played by Clancy Cooper and her risque portrait displayed on their wagon for the whole town to see. Setting up her new gambling, eating and drinking establishment, The Birdcage' Lily is quickly embroiled in everything from saving a kitten, to offering protection money to a shocked Dan, to generously rehiring the very staff that caused her the trouble in Billings. Of course, these bad seeds create more trouble before Marshal Dan intervenes to save the day. Along the way Lily does some dusting, sings a song and loses her temper for the first time at Dan but by episode's end they can share a quiet drink together to mark the start of a beautiful friendship.
Lawman: The Lady Belle (1960)
The Spanking New Dress
Lady Belle Smythe, engagingly played by Joan Marshall, has a gang and a fool proof con. She arrives in a new town on the Stagecoach pretending to be an innocent young widow looking to open a business. Quickly befriending the local Bank Manager, she passes on the details of the bank to her men who arrive the next day to rob it, then it's on to the next town.
With Deputy Johnny away at a Peace Officers' meeting in Cheyenne and Marshal Dan going down with a shot to the shoulder during the shootout it is left to the townsfolk of Laramie led by Slim Pickens and Doodles Weaver to successfully fight off the robbers. Peggie Castle must have loved this excellent, action-packed episode where she twice gets to break out of the lady-like Lily persona: first when she loses her temper at Dan after her new dress is insulted by Lady Belle and second when Dan is out of action, she takes down Lady Belle with a right hook and reveals the cash hidden in her travelling case.
As a bonus Peggie Castle gets to sing a song and she sure looks pretty when asking Dan to a conciliatory lunch of pig knuckles. Kudos to series writer Ric Hardman who slipped one by the censors when Lily protests to Dan that her dress is brand spanking new, he replies that spanking is what it calls for and heads off to her office.
Lawman: The Salvation of Owny O'Reilly (1960)
Is friendship better than money?
Owny O'Reilly is a tearaway kid about town who begins to reform after Deputy Johnny gets him a job at The Birdcage and Lily shows him some love and care. Meanwhile Marshal Dan and Deputy Johnny are pursuing two Stagecoach robbers one of which is Owny's older brother Jack, played by perennial baddie Donald Murphy. When Owny steals the stash of loot from the robbery his dilemma is to go with his brother who believes money is king or hand it in to his new friends.
Great to see future Academy Award winner Joel Grey in an early role, very charismatic as Owny. The character had enough appeal for series writer Ric Hardman to bring him back for episodes in seasons 3 and 4 of Lawman. Fans of the URST that permeates this show will get some relief in the episode's final scene where Dan and Lily exchange wry smiles and walk arm in arm down the hallway. Where could they be headed, for more of that coffee that acts as a metaphor for their relationship perhaps?
Lawman: Girl from Grantsville (1960)
Showdown at the Elite Chapeau Shop
Femme Fatale Jenny Miles breezes into town looking for her former beau now working the tables at Lily Merrill's gambling establishment The Birdcage. Well played by ubiquitous 60s TV actor Suzanne Lloyd, Jenny quickly ensnares Deputy Johnny's heart in her bid to get the attention of her man. Looking like concerned parents, Marshal Dan and Lily step in to stop Johnny making a big mistake. An engrossing and tightly scripted episode from series writer Clair Huffaker.
Great to see Dan and Lily having a quiet coffee together at the start of the story as the sort of good friends who do this every day. And they sure stand comfortably close together when they first meet Jenny but maybe it was just a tight camera shot. As a bonus Peggie Castle as Lily gets to mime a song and there are plenty of fancy hats to admire.
Extraordinary Extensions (2021)
Fun & Informative Property Show
I enjoyed watching this new property development show. I'd never heard of the presenter so I don't know why he is called 'Tinie' but as a host he is genial, knowledgeable & enthusiastic in just the right measures. He really has a great time viewing the properties and chatting with the couples who seem to have come up with the designs themselves. He highlights but never goes overboard on some of the questionable decisions the owners make and he has an amazing wardrobe of clothes and shoes. I hope to see more episodes soon.
Lawman: Thirty Minutes (1960)
Give Jack Elam half an hour and he'll put on a show
This is the first of six episodes that Richard Matheson of 'I am Legend' fame wrote for the show and it certainly is a taut and tense episode with plenty of close-ups and low camera angles to heighten the drama. You just know it's going to be trouble when a paranoid Jack Elam strolls into 'The Birdcage', shoots Johnny and takes Lily and the patrons hostage. In an amusing nod to the one hour that Marshal Kane had to solve his dilemma in 'High Noon', here in the condensed TV format Marshal Dan only has 30 minutes! Nor does Dan contradict Elam when he calls Lily "your girlfriend". The episode ends with a classic shot of Lily and Dan cradling a wounded Johnny.
Lawman: Reunion in Laramie (1960)
Don't Shoot the Piano Player.
Lily hires a new piano player she knew from her San Francisco days, played by ubiquitous TV actor William Schallert. He is down on his luck because he cannot shake the guilt that during the Civil War he ran from an ambush where his men were killed. Dan who was a Captain during the conflict knows the story and it is further complicated when a Civil War Vet whose brother was killed in the ambush rolls into town. The Vet played by Murvyn Vye, well known from dramatic rolls such as in 'Pick-up on South Street', wants the piano player dead. Dan knows he must intervene to save the day. This episode has many great scenes set in and outside 'The Birdcage' and in one Lily gets to accompany the pianist for a sultry song. Both Lily and Dan get to deliver moving soliloquies from the pen of episode writer William F. Leicester about the nature of courage, and Dan shows a surprising soft spot for the music of Chopin.
Lawman: The Truce (1960)
A promise is a promise.
A wounded outlaw, played by Robert McQueeney, stumbles into Marshal Dan Troop's office and asks to be taken to see the State Governor as he believes he owes him a favour for sparing his life during the Civil War. There's a posse on the outlaw's tail so Dan hides him in Lily's boudoir. While Dan rides out of town in the outlaw's clothes to distract the posse, Lily makes a dash in her carriage with the outlaw in tow. They all arrive at the Governor's house where we find out if he will honour his debt. Kudos to Lily who has to undertake all this action in her nightgown.
Lawman: The Thimblerigger (1960)
A Deadly Test of Character.
An episode set largely in 'The Birdcage' saloon where a game of chance pits head to head two Sci-Fi & Western acting veterans: Gerald Mohr and DeForest Kelley. There are character actors aplenty among the spectators at the saloon including Richard Reeves, Fred Sherman & Doodles Weaver. Lily has a song to sing and gets in a few choice digs at Dan over his aversion to joining the 'Laramie Bachelors' Rod, Gun and Glee Club'.
Lawman: The Thimblerigger (1960)
A Deadly Test of Character.
An episode set largely in 'The Birdcage' saloon where a game of chance pits head to head two Sci-Fi & Western acting veterans: Gerald Mohr and DeForest Kelley. There are character actors aplenty among the spectators at the saloon including Richard Reeves, Fred Sherman & Doodles Weaver. Lily has a song to sing and gets in a few choice digs at Dan over his aversion to joining the 'Laramie Bachelors' Rod, Gun and Glee Club'.
Lawman: The Kids (1960)
The kids aren't alright.
Three unaccompanied minors ride into town and cause trouble till rounded up by Marshal Dan Troop and Johnny. Lily lends hand when the kids prove too much to handle then things get serious when their outlaw father turns up to claim them. Fortunately their Quaker Uncle Lou arrives on the Stagecoach to talk everyone round with his philosophy of non-violence. There's even a bit of amusing URST at the end as Lily & Dan discuss raising children. Another engaging episode from the in-house series team of Director Robert Sparr and Writer Ric Hardman.
Lawman: The Ugly Man (1960)
The perils of online dating Western style
Great episode that centres on life in 'The Birdcage' saloon when Marshall Troop and Johnny must protect Lily from a stalker dubbed 'The Ugly Man' played by Ted Knight. As a bonus Lily sings two songs and we get to meet Sam the depressed watchdog.
Lawman: To Capture the West (1960)
Top episode of a great Western series.
Warren Stevens, well known from 'Forbidden Planet', plays an artist wandering the West capturing its romanticism for posterity. His life's work seems complete and he has a strange death wish, giving this episode a melancholy feel unusual for TV Westerns of the time. There are guest stars galore as Henry Brandon, George Kennedy, Mickey Simpson, Fred Aldrich & Clancy Cooper support the regular cast. Peggie Castle, perfect as an artist's Muse, gets plenty of screen time and a new portrait for behind the bar at 'The Birdcage'.