THIRD SEASON (1959-60)

09/12/59	First, Catch a Tiger	One of several hostile patrons at an inn has been hired to assassinate Paladin, but which one?		Fine tale of everlasting hatred
09/19/59	Episode in Laredo	Paladin and a famous, unbeatable gunfighter manage to like each other -- but will circumstances force a deadly showdown anyway?		One of the very best
09/26/59	Les Girls	Paladin escorts pretty French mail-order brides and their chaperone on journey to future husbands		Pretty ladies, pretty boring script
10/03/59	The Posse	On the trail, Paladin chances upon a suspicious character -- who soon frames Paladin for his own act of double-murder		Too relaxed for a man about to be hanged
10/10/59	Shot By Request	In order to put a stop to challenges by other gunmen, an aging gunfighter hires Paladin to shoot him in the hand		Easier said than done
10/17/59	Pre-empted
10/24/59	Pancho	Engaged by a Mexican lord to escort his daughter to safety in San Francisco, Paladin keeps running into young Doroteo, a revolution-minded peon lad		Guess what his compadres call him....
10/31/59	Fragile	French restauranteur hires Paladin to escort him, his wife, and a beloved plate glass window on very bumpy trip to his mining town eatery		Cracks appear early and often
11/07/59	The Unforgiven	A dying Civil War general with several axes to grind -- including one with Paladin -- asks his help in mending some fences before he passes away		Features some of the best lines Paladin has ever uttered
11/14/59	The Black Handkerchief	Paladin tries to prevent the execution of a self-absorbed, upper-class young man who fell in with murderous buffalo hunters		Includes Paladin's very interesting existential rumination
11/21/59	The Golden Toad	Paladin gets involved with a male farmer and female cattle rancher, both desperate for water and feuding over possible Indian buried treasure		Toad, frog -- what's the difference if it just doesn't hop?
11/28/59	Tiger	Pompous hunter believes he's cursed, doomed to be killed by a tiger; he's heard of Paladin's past safari prowess, hires him as anti-feline bodyguard		Decently-crafted tale of a man haunted by guilt, fear
12/05/59	Champagne Safari	Paladin is hired to help protect Britishers "on safari" in Indian country, after a member of their party is killed by an arrow		The Indians are the best part of this one
12/12/59	Charley Red Dog	Paladin helps young Indian, a correspondence school "marshal," get hired and live through first few days on job in tough town		Climactic shootout is as phony as his Indian make-up
12/19/59	The Naked Gun	Paladin makes an unwanted, unwashed, goofy friend -- a small-time cattle rustler named Monk -- then must protect him from a vicious, fast-draw, trick-holstered trailboss		Acceptable change of pace does have some action
12/26/59	One Came Back	Reformed Civil War raider released from prison hires Paladin, to escort him and a wagonload of goods to town where his brothers operate a general store		Story is only marginally convincing
01/02/60	The Prophet	The Army commissions Paladin to find a renegade Civil War colonel, now training Apaches in the art of battle -- and preparing them for war		Fairly complex character study
01/09/60	The Day of the Bad Man	Male schoolteacher from back East wants to be respected as Western tough guy, for just one day; Paladin makes his dream come true...		... and creates a nightmare for us
01/16/60	The Pledge	Paladin is hired to escort a salesman and his wagonload of trade goods to hostile Indians holding the man's wife hostage		Ten little Indians, all in a row....
01/23/60	Jenny	Paladin encounters countless counterfeiters		Simply bogus
01/30/60	Return to Fort Benjamin	Paladin is asked by Indian chief to see that his condemned son gets tribal burial rites after impending execution at U.S. fort		Complex, adult story puts current TV drama to shame
02/06/60	The Night the Town Died	Townspeople who lynched a man years ago fear that his brother, just released form prison, will soon arrive seeking vengeance; they hire Paladin to protect them -- and him!		Hokey stage-play is moribund from the start
02/13/60	The Ledge	Paladin and a diverse group of wayfarers must cooperate and risk their lives to save an unconscious man who fell down a ravine		Promising idea is badly directed, tedious
02/20/60	Lady on the Wall	Old men in ghost town cling to memories evoked by woman's portrait, then it disappears		Nonsensical story and predictable ending
02/27/60	The Misguided Father	When a friend is found murdered, Paladin takes his body back home to timber country, where he suspects a hostile timber magnate and his psychotic son		Weak script goes nowhere
03/05/60	The Hatchet Man	In San Francisco's Chinatown, Paladin helps Chinese detective marked for assassination by Chinese gang		Relentlessly tedious Oriental fare
03/12/60	Fight at Adobe Wells	Traveling by stagecoach, Paladin, his wealthy client and wife, and others, are pinned down along with a buffalo hunter by hostile Indians		Another talky stage-play
03/19/60	The Gladiators	A woman hires Paladin to stop a pistol duel between her father and another old man, but the other side then hires its own gunfighter		Nice allegory of upper-class folly
03/26/60	Love of a Bad Woman	Wealthy woman advertises in newspaper for new husband, but she already has a husband; he hires Paladin to investigate		Bad woman, good episode
04/02/60	International Affair	Various international figures search for a signet ring in the Hotel Carlton		International House of Pancakes is more interesting
04/09/60	Lady With a Gun	Paladin protects man who killed woman's brother in Civil War from her sadistic hireling, a gunman who also likes to use "fighting spurs"		Adult study of guilt, revenge and remorse
04/16/60	Never Help the Devil	Paladin is asked by a wounded small-town gunman and bully to escort him to Santa Fe before the now emboldened townspeople tear him limb from limb		Does the black knight have any choice?
04/23/60	Ambush	A psychotic Frenchman holds a shotgun on five nervous people at a ferryboat station -- including Paladin and his prisoner -- awaiting arrival of his mysterious employer		Yet another stage-play
04/30/60	Black Sheep	Young fugitive, the illegitimate son of a Virginia colonel, has been named heir to his $5 million estate; Paladin must bring the boy in for trial before he can collect		Weak acting by "the son" mars otherwise fine episode
05/07/60	Pre-empted
05/14/60	Full Circle	Paladin responds to wire, travels to see con man who once set him up, then says "forget it" to his desperate plea for help		Quite un-Paladin-like at the start
05/21/60	The Twins	Accused murderer hires Paladin to prove he was framed by identical twin brother		Even we can't tell until the very end
05/28/60	The Campaign of Billy Banjo	Old friend running for state senator asks Paladin to protect his opponent from own wife's deadly machinations		Strummin' for office
06/04/60	Ransom	Paladin and other interested parties search for mysterious, missing Mexican colonel who may have huge, hidden treasure		Engrossing philosophical tale
06/11/60	The Trial	Paladin lands in kangaroo court, on trial for his life, after bringing in the corpse of a wealthy man's son accused of murder		One of the better "courtroom" episodes
06/18/60	The Search	A dying woman asks Paladin to find her missing son of 20 years; the trail leads to a town ruled by a wealthy, murderous psychopath		Somewhat interesting, but too stagey

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