Marshal Dan Troup has received a report from Deputy Johnny McKay that two more men have been murdered by outlaws Wade Horgan and Cole Hawkins in Casper, Wyoming, and he resolves to go after them himself, alone. Out on the trail, Troup is attacked by a vicious bear and suffers a near deadly mauling from the creature, but he manages to kill the bear before it kills him. Before losing consciousness he sees a young woman, Betty Horgan, the sister of the man he's after, who witnessed the attack. She's a crack shot, and is tough, suspicious, and wary, as she's been on the run with her brother for more than a year. She's seen his badge and knows what he is, and seems ready to kill him due to her mistrust of lawmen, but Troup passes out before it happens. However Betty is moved by something she sees in Troup, and despite him being a lawman she throws away his badge and takes him to her cabin. When he awakens, he finds his many wounds bandaged and is confused as to who she is and why she didn't shoot him. Betty says maybe she should have, and she reveals her identity as Wade Horgan's sister. As she begins to nurse him back to health she tells him she hates the sight of badges and is going to tell her brother what he is, and when Wade Horgan and Cole Hawkins appear they immediately suspect Troup as either a lawman or bounty hunter and are prepared to kill him. But despite Troup being after her brother, Betty covers for him for some unknown reason, first saying he claimed to be a drover, and then that she believes he's on the dodge. Again, Troup is confused as to her motives. It's evident that Betty has seen something in Dan Troup, something that's touched her in a place deep inside, and she's drawn to him. When Wade Horgan heads out to collect meat from the dead bear for supplies he leaves dastardly Clay Hawkins behind, who's had his eye on Betty for some time, certain trouble for sure. And worse, Dan's horse is still out there, with proof of his identity in his saddlebags.
The Encounter is one of the very best episodes of Lawman, and is a must for fans of John Russell's Dan Troup. And fans of Louise Fletcher and Russell Johnson should enjoy it as well, as it's a good example of their work prior to being cast in their most famous roles. I see this episode as one of the most important entries of the series, primarily because it shows a side of Dan Troup viewers rarely saw. John Russell brought a distinct look and feel to the character of Marshal Dan Troup...grim, somewhat taciturn, almost humorless, determined, and driven. Despite being a man who shows little emotion, this episode shows much more of Dan Troup than viewers saw normally, and should not be missed by any fan of the series.
Off camera, the episode comes from two veterans of the series. Clair Huffaker delivered 18 scripts for Lawman, and The Encounter can be labelled easily as one of his best efforts. Director Stuart Heisler should also be commended, as his work proves to be one of the very best of his 27 episodes. The final result is an product of considerable depth, leaving viewers with an unmistakable sense that they've seen something much more than the typical outings the series regularly offered.
The cast is small, but is beyond excellent, and includes two very famous faces in roles that were much different than those they were best known for, including a permanent place in Science Fiction pop culture for each.
Louise Fletcher appears as Betty Horgan in her sixth credited role. She is extremely famous for her academy award winning appearance as sadistic Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, as well as a solid placement in SciFi pop culture as the evil Kai Winn in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine...she was blatantly evil in both of those roles. But many viewers may not realize just how different she was before playing those unlikable characters, nor would many know just how beautiful she was in her younger years. The truth is, she was unreal good looking with a gorgeous face and a crackerjack figure. Her portrayal of Betty Horgan was layered, with one side of her being tough, independent and defiant. But she also revealed a level of restrained emotion that was palpable, and she displayed considerable vulnerability as well. As a young woman Ms. Fletcher had deep, expressive eyes that could reach into your heart. As she fell in love with Dan Troup, viewers are swept away easily by her desperate longing for something other than the life she'd always known, and she wants Troup to take her away and give her that life. Of course, although it was common for leading men from the era to find themselves in these kind of situations, things never seemed to come to fruition. Betty Horgan was a most excellent role for Louise Fletcher, well played by the young actress who was at the time but 25 years old.
Russell Johnson appeared as Wade Horgan, and his place in pop culture is equally undiminished, from his role as erudite, resourceful Professor Roy Hinkley in 98 episodes of Gilligan's Island (and beyond), as well his appearance as Dr. Steve Carlson in the legendary SciFi classic This Island Earth. But before being typed from his role as the Professor, many fans of Gilligan's Island may not realize that Johnson had an extensive career in pictures, with many of his roles being villainous. I confess I can be included in that group, but over the years I've seen him in a good number of roles much different than the one I saw every afternoon on TV as a kid. As can be seen in this episode, Russell Johnson played villains extremely well. He was a very familiar actor from his many appearances in numerous westerns, and had became quite popular as a result in the 50's into the 60's. In an interview he claimed that he had been in discussions of starring in his own series, but after accepting what he thought would be a one off role - in a pilot that no one imagined would be picked up - a role that unfortunately turned into a years long commitment that forever altered his career, those offers were long gone. He wasn't the only cast member of that show who saw their careers upended (or at least impeded) by the unforeseen popularity of Gilligan's Island. But in this episode viewers get a great example of Russell Johnson's career prior to the character of Professor Roy HInkley.
Donald Buka appears as the evil Cole Hawkins, and he had a modest career, mostly on the small screen. But he did play the lead in the well reviewed 1953 noir Stolen Identity, produced by Turhan Bey.
In closing I recommend The Encounter highly as one of the very best episodes of Lawman, one that absolutely should not be missed. You see things in Dan Troup that weren't normally seen, and viewers may be surprised to see Louise Fletcher and Russell Johnson in very different ways than what many fans have seen before.
The Encounter is one of the very best episodes of Lawman, and is a must for fans of John Russell's Dan Troup. And fans of Louise Fletcher and Russell Johnson should enjoy it as well, as it's a good example of their work prior to being cast in their most famous roles. I see this episode as one of the most important entries of the series, primarily because it shows a side of Dan Troup viewers rarely saw. John Russell brought a distinct look and feel to the character of Marshal Dan Troup...grim, somewhat taciturn, almost humorless, determined, and driven. Despite being a man who shows little emotion, this episode shows much more of Dan Troup than viewers saw normally, and should not be missed by any fan of the series.
Off camera, the episode comes from two veterans of the series. Clair Huffaker delivered 18 scripts for Lawman, and The Encounter can be labelled easily as one of his best efforts. Director Stuart Heisler should also be commended, as his work proves to be one of the very best of his 27 episodes. The final result is an product of considerable depth, leaving viewers with an unmistakable sense that they've seen something much more than the typical outings the series regularly offered.
The cast is small, but is beyond excellent, and includes two very famous faces in roles that were much different than those they were best known for, including a permanent place in Science Fiction pop culture for each.
Louise Fletcher appears as Betty Horgan in her sixth credited role. She is extremely famous for her academy award winning appearance as sadistic Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, as well as a solid placement in SciFi pop culture as the evil Kai Winn in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine...she was blatantly evil in both of those roles. But many viewers may not realize just how different she was before playing those unlikable characters, nor would many know just how beautiful she was in her younger years. The truth is, she was unreal good looking with a gorgeous face and a crackerjack figure. Her portrayal of Betty Horgan was layered, with one side of her being tough, independent and defiant. But she also revealed a level of restrained emotion that was palpable, and she displayed considerable vulnerability as well. As a young woman Ms. Fletcher had deep, expressive eyes that could reach into your heart. As she fell in love with Dan Troup, viewers are swept away easily by her desperate longing for something other than the life she'd always known, and she wants Troup to take her away and give her that life. Of course, although it was common for leading men from the era to find themselves in these kind of situations, things never seemed to come to fruition. Betty Horgan was a most excellent role for Louise Fletcher, well played by the young actress who was at the time but 25 years old.
Russell Johnson appeared as Wade Horgan, and his place in pop culture is equally undiminished, from his role as erudite, resourceful Professor Roy Hinkley in 98 episodes of Gilligan's Island (and beyond), as well his appearance as Dr. Steve Carlson in the legendary SciFi classic This Island Earth. But before being typed from his role as the Professor, many fans of Gilligan's Island may not realize that Johnson had an extensive career in pictures, with many of his roles being villainous. I confess I can be included in that group, but over the years I've seen him in a good number of roles much different than the one I saw every afternoon on TV as a kid. As can be seen in this episode, Russell Johnson played villains extremely well. He was a very familiar actor from his many appearances in numerous westerns, and had became quite popular as a result in the 50's into the 60's. In an interview he claimed that he had been in discussions of starring in his own series, but after accepting what he thought would be a one off role - in a pilot that no one imagined would be picked up - a role that unfortunately turned into a years long commitment that forever altered his career, those offers were long gone. He wasn't the only cast member of that show who saw their careers upended (or at least impeded) by the unforeseen popularity of Gilligan's Island. But in this episode viewers get a great example of Russell Johnson's career prior to the character of Professor Roy HInkley.
Donald Buka appears as the evil Cole Hawkins, and he had a modest career, mostly on the small screen. But he did play the lead in the well reviewed 1953 noir Stolen Identity, produced by Turhan Bey.
In closing I recommend The Encounter highly as one of the very best episodes of Lawman, one that absolutely should not be missed. You see things in Dan Troup that weren't normally seen, and viewers may be surprised to see Louise Fletcher and Russell Johnson in very different ways than what many fans have seen before.
