FIRST SEASON (1957-58)
| 09/14/57 |
Three Bells to Perdido |
Paladin is hired by rancher to bring back his daughter
and son-in-law from Mexican hole-in-the wall |
  |
Interesting series opener is a notch above ordinary 50's
western fare |
| 09/21/57 |
The Outlaw |
Paladin lets a convicted killer on way to gallows take
detour to see wife and newborn son |
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A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do |
| 09/28/57 |
The Great Mojave Chase |
Paladin bends rules, uses a camel in desert race |
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Unusual change of pace |
| 10/05/57 |
Winchester Quarantine |
Peaceful Cherokee couple is harassed by whites, and Paladin
seems to be on the Indian-haters' side |
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Solid episode about the stupidity of prejudice |
| 10/12/57 |
A Matter of Ethics |
Paladin guarantees accused murderer that he won't be lynched,
despite the best efforts of the victim's sister |
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Uneven story about mob psychology and vengeance |
| 10/19/57 |
The Bride |
Paladin sticks with mail-order bride after stagecoach drops
her off in middle of nowhere |
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Well-plotted, with a snake of a villain |
| 10/26/57 |
Strange Vendetta |
A Mexican nobleman, dying from an assassin's bullet, asks
Paladin to deliver his body back to hacienda in Mexico |
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Convincing tale includes nice surprise |
| 11/02/57 |
High Wire |
Paladin bets $3000 that a diminutive, downtrodden acrobat
can walk across canyon on wire |
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Case study of despair, self-respect and salvation |
| 11/09/57 |
Show of Force |
Paladin wins obsolete rifles in poker game, finds use for
them in range war |
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You don't bluff just at the card table |
| 11/16/57 |
The Long Night |
Wealthy rancher rounds up Paladin and two others, will
hang all three unless one admits to murder of his wife |
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Superb story and payoff |
| 11/23/57 |
The Colonel and The Lady |
Retired, rich, aristocratic and curious
colonel hires Paladin to discover fate of saloon girl at now
mined-out Nevada town |
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Answer to mystery is right under nose |
| 11/30/57 |
No Visitors |
Religious fanatic whips townsfolk into
frenzy, tries to keep out Paladin, female doctor, and
typhoid patients |
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Paladin stands up to entire town --
twice! |
| 12/07/57 |
The Englishman |
Paladin serves as guide to a (very) British heir, introduces him to his female cousin, her ranch, and the ways of the West |
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Rather boring, actually; at least it has Indians |
| 12/14/57 |
The Yuma Treasure |
Paladin accompanies cavalry major to
find and negotiate a treaty with hard-to-find Indian
chief |
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Parable of human greed features
wonderfully inscrutable Indians |
| 12/21/57 |
The Hanging Cross |
Xmas episode finds Paladin in center
of battle over embittered rancher's son stolen by Indians |
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Episode's unusual opening
"teaser" must be seen to be believed; story
itself is a bit sweet |
| 12/28/57 |
Helen of Abajinian |
Armenian winemaker hires Paladin to
retrieve lovestruck daughter, who has run away chasing a
callow, ambivalent young man |
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Award-winning teleplay has high
aspirations, but proves only mildly interesting |
| 01/04/58 |
Ella West |
Wild-west show promoter seeks Paladin's aid in making a lady out of famous female hellcat |
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Pygmalion goes west, where it doesn't belong |
| 01/11/58 |
The Reasonable Man |
Young man suffering growing pains challenges rancher who raised him (for control of cattle acreage); Paladin is hired by latter to keep them both alive |
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Only good part is Paladin's comment after "easy kill" |
| 01/18/58 |
The High Graders |
Paladin investigates after his tailor
is killed in a mining accident at his supposedly
worthless gold mine |
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Includes great shootout followed by
Paladin's analysis of outcome |
| 01/25/58 |
The Last Laugh |
Troublemaker goads huge retarded man
to put burr under saddle, then blames Paladin for
"joke" which crippled rancher's wife |
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Paladin is forced to defy town in
order to expose the truth |
| 02/01/58 |
The Bostonian |
Paladin protects Easterner and wife
who bought prime land from under nose of dangerous Nevada
rancher |
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And he does it with hardly any
violence |
| 02/08/58 |
The Singer |
Paladin is hired to provide jilted man
with ten minutes of time to speak to former fianceé, now
married to wealthy rancher |
|
Varied action successfully moves from
"wild west" outdoor setting to San Francisco |
| 02/15/58 |
Bitter Wine |
Italian winemaker hires Paladin to stop Irish oil-driller and his waste products from polluting his vinyard |
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Features the most idiotic gun battle in TV history |
| 02/22/58 |
The Girl From Piccadilly |
A wealthy old man, having learned of his son's death, hires Paladin to find and bring back the daughter-in-law he's never even met |
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Pleasant episode works well |
| 03/01/58 |
The O'Hare Story |
While protecting a town's water
supply, Paladin takes a liking to the leader of "the
enemy" -- a feisty, middle-aged engineer |
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Interesting switcheroo |
| 03/08/58 |
Birds of a Feather |
Paladin tries to settle a right-of-way
dispute between two railroads, save dying town from
gunfighters |
|
Credible parable of ruling and working
classes |
| 03/15/58 |
The Teacher |
Paladin protects schoolmarm from former Civil War raiders who don't like what she's been teaching about them |
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The price of freedom has always been high
|
| 03/22/58 |
Killer's Widow |
Paladin must both find $30,000 in missing loot and salve his conscience -- for having created a new widow the last time he was in town. |
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Despite the obviousness of the "surprise," still a well-crafted tale. |
| 03/29/58 |
Gun Shy |
On the trail of Hey Boy's uncle's stolen chess set, Paladin finds himself at an isolated Montana inn, third-wheel in a struggling romance |
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The activity at a Holiday Inn would be more interesting |
| 04/05/58 |
The Prize Fight Story |
Paladin accompanies boxing-promoter buddy and his charge to small town, steps into ring with British heavyweight |
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Too much silliness TKO's this one |
| 04/12/58 |
Hey Boy's Revenge |
When a Chinese acquaintance of Hey Boy's is
murdered, he enlists Paladin's aid to bring the Caucasian killer to
justice |
|
Merely okay change of pace; cited by TV
Guide as one of 100 Greatest |
| 04/19/58 |
24 Hours at North Fork |
Paladin aids peaceful Mennonites, about to be driven out
of town by venal merchant and henchman |
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Despite its flaws, quite powerful |
| 04/26/58 |
The Five Books of Owen Deaver |
Young, idealistic sheriff's regime is
too strict; Paladin's an old family friend who tries to
help him loosen up |
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A boy with a badge can be so annoying |
| 05/03/58 |
The Silver Queen |
Lonely old man meets dreamgirl, wills her half-ownership
in mine, drops dead; his venal partner wants all the silver for himself |
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Script attempts far too much for a mere half-hour |
| 05/10/58 |
Three Sons |
Paladin lets newlyweds use his hotel suite, then defends
groom's quirky father from charges of senility |
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Even last-minute gunfight can't save this one from Alzheimer's
|
| 05/17/58 |
Return of Dr. Thackeray |
Paladin helps female physician friend
from No Visitors deal with unruly cowhands at
ranch under smallpox quarantine |
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Situation too confining |
| 05/24/58 |
Deliver the Body |
Forced to kill his quarry, Paladin is
accused by entire town of murdering him; then his angry
brothers show up |
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Superb study of "one against the
mob" |
| 05/31/58 |
Silver Convoy |
A prosperous Mexican gentleman uses convicted criminals for slave-labor in his silver mine -- who always disappear before release. Paladin decides to end it. |
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Good tale with class-war undertones |
| 06/07/58 |
The Man Hunter |
Paladin goes after the alleged killer of a town's sheriff,
then sticks around to get him a lawyer and ensure a fair trial |
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Satisfying standard story |
| 06/14/58 |
The Statue of San Sebastian |
Paladin tries to retrieve a church's
holy relic from a penurious rancher |
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Uninspired first season finale |
