User Reviews

Normally, I wouldn't have much interest in watching an old rerun of "Cavalcade of America". Yes, I do like old TV shows but my reason for watching this was purely out of curiosity. That's because Patty McCormack starred in this episode--the same actress that played the Satanic little girl in "The Bad Seed". Here she's back--with the same pig tailed hair--looking almost exactly as she did a year earlier. However, despite the title of the episode, "Dan Marshall's Brat", she really isn't a brat--just a very smart and precocious child who says it like it is.

The show begins with the Marshall family moving out west. Her parents, Dan and June (Russell Johnson and Barbara Eiler) have wanted to move there for years and now they have a chance to raise their daughter (McCormack) on a farm. However, you soon learn that Mrs. Marshall grew up nearby and her incredibly spiteful father (Paul Fix) not only won't see them but he dams up the river so they won't have any water. So what does the 'brat' have to do with this? See this episode and find out for yourself.

This was an enjoyable show. However, it also felt a bit too rushed and a bit too unreal to be taken as serious entertainment. But, taken on its own merits (including yet another nice performance by McCormack), it's still well worth seeing.

In 25 minutes, this TV drama presents the story of a feud between father and daughter when she leaves to marry the wrong person. Things come to a head over a hot summer when the father decides to withhold water from the daughter's land.

'Dan Marshall's Brat' puts Trudy Marshall, the grand-daughter, centre stage, and of course, allows her to bond with her estranged grandpa and save the day.

It's a routine TV story but production values are fairly high and it is reasonably well-acted, especially by Paul Fix as Barton, the grandpa, and Patty McCormack as Trudy. There's even an errant ranch-hand, a rather elderly 'kid' to add additional interest!