User Reviews

In "Stagecoach Seven," Heyes and Curry wind up prisoners during a siege at the stagecoach relay station when a gang of outlaws try to take them away from the stagecoach station defenders.

In what passes for a lightweight version of the John Wayne classic "Stagecoach" (1939) and the Tyrone Power epic "Rawhide" (1951), Heyes and Curry find themselves taking a ride on a stagecoach with a variety of characters, some friendly and others less friendly. Ultimately, our heroes wind up prisoners of the man (Keenan Wynn)who runs the stagecoach relay station after a gang of outlaws beseige the place. Although nobody dies in this episode, the characters in "Stagecoach Seven" shoot off more rounds of ammunition that you'll find any virtually any "Alias Smith & Jones" episode. Steven Inhat plays an unfriendly passenger who learns how deadly fast with a gun Kid Curry is, while Sam Peckinpah favorite heavy L.Q. Jones leads the gang trying to take Heyes and Curry prisoner. Earlier, the gang held up the stage and robbed the passengers of their valuables. The chief bad man thought that he recognized Heyes and Curry, but he was only sure after they let the stagecoach go. The characters in the stagecoach change under the tense conditions that they endure during the barrage of gunshots that riddle the station with bullet holes. Predictably, our heroes win over the hearts of their captors. Look for a young Randolph Mantooth in a minor role as well as Geoffrey Lewis as an outlaw called 'Patch.' Again, for a family friendly oater, this episode features more gunfire than most "AS&J's" shows. Like other episodes, "Stagecoach Seven" shows how single-minded our heroes are in pursuing the straight and narrow and they are rewarded for their efforts here again. Moreover, in this episode, our heroes prove how worthwhile that they are to society, so much that society turns them loose. This seems to be the guiding philosophy behind the series. Producer Roy Huggins takes special pains to remind the audience each week that Smith and Jones are worth redemption. The people at the bottom of the rung show sympathy for them, something that the governor cannot do because he isn't prepared to give them the amnesty that they so richly deserve and that every episode reinforces.