After an unusual opening in which Milner is driving the Corvette solo (usually he's inseparable behind the wheel with Maharis in the passenger seat), we're introduced to Arlene Martel (billed here as Arlene Sax), usually cast in exotic roles (to capitalize on her offbeat beauty) as she guests in a terrific character role as Lucia, a quirky girl from Sicily visiting America to ostensibly sell the state of Oregon, which somehow she believes she owns. Milner takes her under his wing, as he and Maharis are working at a vast logging sawmill, and via director Philip Leacock's documentary photography exposing another bit of Americana as to the mill's workings.
Her entrance is cute, straight off a Greyhound bus, she runs to hide under a bridge, frightened by the sound of air raid sirens (reminiscent of the War), but in fact just the mill's precautionary fire warnings, set off periodically by the amount of moisture in the air falling below a certain benchmark -to prevent a recurrence of vast fires at the mill.
Those sirens signal the shutdown of all work at the mill, putting its operations behind schedule. John Larch, so effective earlier in this series as a no-nonsense local sheriff, has another strong character to play as the mill's manager.
Lucia's tall tale of being bequeathed ownership of Oregon's expanse of "tall trees" by an American soldier in Italy who befriended her family and died in the War is told poetically and soften men's hard hearts, including Larch who doesn't dismiss her as a kook but agrees to help her "sell" the bequested land to raise money to fabricate a new statue of the Holy Madonna for the annual holy ceremony back in Sicily.
Jay C. Flippen is perfect, playing an old hermit whose life was ruined by the war and the death of the soldier he brought up right alongside Larch like two adopted sons, and whose memory only Lucia has preserved. Will the light and reverence she carries be put out by hardened hearts? Not bloody likely.
Silliphant's script carefully and with its comedic overtones makes a strong statement for finding and carrying on traditions worth living for -the universal quest for a purpose in one's life.
As usual, the boys can't resist inserting themselves into Lucia's quest and manage somehow to penetrate Flippen's hard shell and raise the $7,800 Lucia needs to fund her Madonna statue.
It's a heartwarming, uplifting tale, giving a spiritual feel to the series, with just a brief taste of the mandatory action and Maharis' special kind of fisticuffs when a drunken Flippen picks a fight with him. And we get to see a realistic glimpse of how the topper's operate, felling tall trees in majestic fashion. The show ends with logs being processed, rather than the 'vette driving off to it next destination across America.
I've always admired Martel's work on screen, and was thrilled to see her blossom in a full-blown leading role.