They were soon to know just who Cheyenne Bodie is. In town to see his old friend Jim O'Neil, Cheyenne is shocked to learn that Jim's in jail, scheduled to be hanged the next day for shooting a U. S. Marshal in the back and refusing to defend himself against the charges. Jim is immediately overjoyed to see Cheyenne but then begs him to take any one of the four roads out of town. He should have known better. Has Cheyenne Bodie ever turned his back on a friend in need?
He's almost immediately attacked by two of rancher Duke Ryan's obnoxious cowhands, Billy Bob and Burt Flowers (a misnomer if ever there was one), who intentionally break the doll Cheyenne bought for Jim's young daughter, Susie. Ruffians generally have no respect for little girls' toys, but that's pushing Cheyenne Bodie too far so both louts end up on the floor. Anyway, that doesn't stop Cheyenne from giving Susie a sweet little music box, not knowing that it will eventually save her daddy's life.
As he often has, Cheyenne turns detective, especially after the sympathetic judge tells him that more is coming across the Rio Grande than cattle. "Pretty little dreams...opium." So some things never change. Another thing that doesn't change is how appearances can be deceiving. Duke Ryan and Ike Thompson are rancher neighbors of Jim's Circle N who play a pivotal role in the events that follow, one a shady but outwardly law-abiding character and the other an apparently upstanding citizen with secrets. Only Jim O'Neil can save himself, but to save his family he remains silent. As noon approaches, the town gathers, the saloon piano player launches into a perky version of "Camptown Races," and a forlorn church bell begins to chime the hour. Just before the noose is place around Jim's neck, Cheyenne saves Susie as he promised and Jim is finally able to "name the name." Rather than dissolve into grateful tears and hugs, Jim's wry parting words to his buddy are, "Funny what a man'll do to save himself the price of a black necktie." Susie steals a kiss and the happy family climb into a buggy to go back to the Circle N to resume their bucolic life.
This is another satisfying tale of friendship with an underlying air of mystery, although along the way the principle bad guys more or less identify themselves. There's tension, intrigue, some action, a modicum of violence, and even a dash of humor, pretty much the recipe for many episodes of "Cheyenne." But it works. All the parts are well-cast and competently played, with special mention going to Roy Glenn as the O'Neil's faithful retainer, Lonzo, and Stanley Farrar as the accommodating Judge McHenry. Nancy Kulp's 2-minute turn is a gem as a waitress who, when Cheyenne asks if she has a lemon, calls the entire town a "lemon" and then pats Cheyenne on the cheek and goes off to get him a glass of lemonade. Clint Walker is, as usual, the magnet that draws it all together. As first season director Richard L. Bare said in an interview, "Cheyenne" was "a hit right from the get-go" because of its star.
He's almost immediately attacked by two of rancher Duke Ryan's obnoxious cowhands, Billy Bob and Burt Flowers (a misnomer if ever there was one), who intentionally break the doll Cheyenne bought for Jim's young daughter, Susie. Ruffians generally have no respect for little girls' toys, but that's pushing Cheyenne Bodie too far so both louts end up on the floor. Anyway, that doesn't stop Cheyenne from giving Susie a sweet little music box, not knowing that it will eventually save her daddy's life.
As he often has, Cheyenne turns detective, especially after the sympathetic judge tells him that more is coming across the Rio Grande than cattle. "Pretty little dreams...opium." So some things never change. Another thing that doesn't change is how appearances can be deceiving. Duke Ryan and Ike Thompson are rancher neighbors of Jim's Circle N who play a pivotal role in the events that follow, one a shady but outwardly law-abiding character and the other an apparently upstanding citizen with secrets. Only Jim O'Neil can save himself, but to save his family he remains silent. As noon approaches, the town gathers, the saloon piano player launches into a perky version of "Camptown Races," and a forlorn church bell begins to chime the hour. Just before the noose is place around Jim's neck, Cheyenne saves Susie as he promised and Jim is finally able to "name the name." Rather than dissolve into grateful tears and hugs, Jim's wry parting words to his buddy are, "Funny what a man'll do to save himself the price of a black necktie." Susie steals a kiss and the happy family climb into a buggy to go back to the Circle N to resume their bucolic life.
This is another satisfying tale of friendship with an underlying air of mystery, although along the way the principle bad guys more or less identify themselves. There's tension, intrigue, some action, a modicum of violence, and even a dash of humor, pretty much the recipe for many episodes of "Cheyenne." But it works. All the parts are well-cast and competently played, with special mention going to Roy Glenn as the O'Neil's faithful retainer, Lonzo, and Stanley Farrar as the accommodating Judge McHenry. Nancy Kulp's 2-minute turn is a gem as a waitress who, when Cheyenne asks if she has a lemon, calls the entire town a "lemon" and then pats Cheyenne on the cheek and goes off to get him a glass of lemonade. Clint Walker is, as usual, the magnet that draws it all together. As first season director Richard L. Bare said in an interview, "Cheyenne" was "a hit right from the get-go" because of its star.
