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THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF Wyatt Earp – "Wyatt Earp Meets General Lee" – 1955 This is episode four of the 1955-1961 western series starring Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp.

Marshal Wyatt Earp (Hugh O'Brian) is called to the office of the Ellsworth, Kansas, Judge, Richard Travis. He introduces O'Brian to Dodge City newspaperman, Don Haggerty. Haggerty has a job offer for him. Dodge City would like O'Brian to join the local Sheriff's office. More pay etc is offered. O'Brian says he will need to think the matter over.

Just then, O'Brian someone hears yelling for the law to come a running. It seems there is a full-scale brawl going on at the saloon. One of the problems of being a cattle-town is, cow-punchers letting off steam. Here, is turns out to be a bunch of Texas boys at it. They are all ex- Confederate soldiers who took a dislike to a few Yankee types in the bar.

O'Brian rounds up the offenders and slaps them in jail. The damages to the bar add up to $1500. Judge Travis charges the men that amount in fines. Then back in the cells they go. Later that afternoon, the boss of the Texicans comes calling. The man, Steve Darrell, demands the fines be dropped and his men released. O'Brian responds with a not likely comment.

A furious Darrell says there will be hell to pay now. He tells O'Brian that he will return and burn the town to the ground. He then returns to his camp. O'Brian though, has a plan to deal with Darrell.

The next morning, Darrell rides in with a dozen or so armed men. Meeting him, is O'Brian, who is standing alone in the street. Behind him is a picture of Confederate General, Robert E. Lee. Stretched across the street is a banner wishing Lee a "Happy Birthday". Being a good southern gentleman, Darrell figures that maybe he is over-reacting a tad. He makes peace with O'Brian, pays the fines and takes his men with him.

O'Brian decides that he will take the job in Dodge City after all. The railhead is moving there and Ellsworth will just become a quiet little burg.

I also like westerns; as a matter of fact, I love westerns. There are just a few concerns that I have, One of the othe reviewers mentioned Wyatt taking the marshal's job in Dodge, when it was actually Wichita that he was offered a lawman's job in this episode. The other reviewer observed that there were a lot of lessons in human behavior that were given in this episode. True. we sometimes forget, that in these golden days of television, programs like this were not just supposed to entertain, but also to show the right and wrong of an event. I agree with the point, but, at the same time, these episodes were part of the "Lost Cause" following that was part of the social makeup of the time. The fact is, that smart or not, if an event like this were to have taken place in Ellsworth, the Kansans in that part of their state would have no doubt remembered what happened in Lawrence (look it up), and Wyatt notwithstanding, the fight would have been on, with an entirely different result than the former. Further, this program keeps bringing up Brocious and Ringo, and there is zero evidence that they were involved in any conflict with the Earps until Tombstone. It really wouldn't have cost anything to stick a little closer to history. Another small point is that Wyatt was never a marshal, he was a deputy marshal. Having blabbed on this long, let me finish by saying that this program was a work of fiction, and there is a thing called poetic license. I realize it, and just dream of more reality. This one's an 8.

I am a huuuuge Western fan..Wyatt Earp, The Rifleman, Cheyenne, Maverick, Death Valley Days, Gunsmoke, Wanted: Dead Or Alive. They really don't make them like that anymore.

One of the things you notice, along with the great characterizations and how an entire world is introduced to you with fully fleshed out characters in just 30 or 60 minutes, is just how much you can learn from these Westerns.

The show and the episode that really made me think about this was The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp and the episode was Marshal Earp Meets General Lee. Wyatt is offered a local Sheriff's office in Wichita. While he is thinking this over, he hears a woman scream for his help. The woman is a saloon owner, Mrs. Mary Donagher, and her saloon has just been destroyed by ex-Confederate soldiers who don't take to kindly to the fact that she has "turned Yankee" (her husband was a Confederate soldier) and has relegated General Lee's framed picture to the back room of the saloon.

Wyatt breaks the fight up and informs the men that they were supposed to check their guns in when they entered Ellsworth and that they are under arrest for destroying the saloon. Mrs. Mary estimates the damages at $1500 and Wyatt advises the men that they will be held in jail until they can pay the damages.

Steve Darrell, the leader of the posse of men who are in jail, rides into town and demands that they be released without paying the $1500. Wyatt flatly refuses. Darrell then advises there will be hell to pay and that he and his men will be back the next day to burn Ellsworth to the ground.

Marsh Murdock, who has traveled from Wichita to offer Wyatt the local sheriff's job, advises Wyatt that they will need at least 100 armed men to stop Darrell and his men, and if they don't have that level of back up, Ellsworth will be burned to the ground. Wyatt says he doesn't think that level of force will be necessary and Murdock advises that he would hate to see Wyatt permanently injured or worse, killed, especially when he is on the brink of getting such a huge promotion to the Wichita posting.

This is where the learning things about life from Westerns comes in. The stage has been set: the men in jail have even crazier, more Confederate-pride obsessed men coming to the town, to burn down and destroy it. Wyatt is risking his health, his reputation, his career and his very life. So, what does he do? Does he take Murdock's advice and get the women and children out of town and round up 100 armed men and turn this into a bloodbath, that he may not get out of?

Wyatt is too smart, and more importantly, sly to do that. He has the wherewithal to remember that the day of the attack is General Lee's birthday. He takes the framed portrait down from Mrs. Mary's saloon and sets it up with decorations and a banner wishing the General happy birthday. Darrell rides into the town with a dozen of his men as promised and is confused when he sees the set up. Wyatt assures him that he knows what today is and this is for General Lee's birthday. Darrell says he is surprised that a blue blooded Yankee would even know anything about General Lee, much less what his birthday is. Wyatt responds that he knows this and that he respects him. Darrell steps forward towards the portrait and away from his men to pay his respect and asks Wyatt to do the same and Wyatt complies, removing his hat. The two are then standing mano e mano. Wyatt then drops his rifle and says that now they are squaring off evenly, just like General Lee would want it, since Lee was a man of honor. Darrell then rethinks his position and rides off, after having his men also pay his respects to General Lee.

There was so much taught in 30 minutes of this episode. When to fight and when to stand down. When to hold to your convictions, even unto death. What things are truly worth dying for and giving your life? When does courage turn into bravado for bravado's sake? When can a situation be solved without violence and when does it absolutely require one? When is standing down not looked at as being unmanly and cowardly but as the right thing to do? When is it the right time to use your brains over your brawn and your weapon?

Wyatt said he understood that the South had a lot of hurt pride and that they were certainly entitled to those feelings given how the Union treated them after the War. What was called for wasn't 100 armed men and the evacuation of the women and children of Ellsworth. What was called for was a little compassion, a lot of smarts, a bit of slyness and knowing what the current time was calling for - was it a time to kill? Or a time to heal?

All delivered within 30 minutes.