User Reviews

Regan Moore (actress Barbara Stanwyck) is married to Jed Moore who constantly reminds her of how he saved her from her past as a dance hall girl. They're rich – she lives on a large ranch in a nice house with servants. But she's miserable because of how her husband treats her. He says he forgives people for what they've done in the past, and believes that anyone can turn their life around, but he always reminds them of their past sins and he likes to put temptation in their way to test them. When Regan encounters Dix Porter (actor David Janssen), he's being chased by a search party. They think he's a rustler – that he's stolen cattle. She helps him.

This is the second of two Zane Greys that Barbara Stanwyck and David Janssen did together. They paired well together the first time but the seduction factor is way higher in this episode. Barbara Stanwyck plays a provocative housewife who wishes her husband were dead - hmmm, sound familiar? She seems a bit old for the part - indeed she's about twice Janssen's age during the shoot - but she's still effective. Janssen's character is happy to be seduced by her. He's no innocent either and he suspects she can't be trusted.

Will Dix go along with Regan's plan to shoot an unarmed man? Will Regan double cross Dix? Does Jed know the plans that are being hatched to get rid of him? It's worth the wait to find out.

Barbara Stanwyck plays a version of one of her best known roles, a variation of Phyllis Diedrichson in this Zane Grey Theater western. But the real star of this teleplay is Paul Richards who plays such an infinitely good man.

I can fully understand Stanwyck's motives for wanting to get rid of Richards. But unlike Double Indemnity where the motive was a big insurance payoff, this man gets under her skin with his forgiving nature and the fact he reminds people of it every day. Richards believes he's some kind of saint, but saints can sometimes be not such fun to live with.

She picks as her trigger man David Janssen a drifter with a criminal record. Will Janssen prove to be the putt Fred MacMurray was?

For you to watch and find out.

It was just last season that Barbara Stanwyck and David Janssen teamed up when Ms Stanwyck's husband was killed and she befriended by Janssen to ride down Mexico way. In this offering, Stanwyck and Janssen couples-up as Regan Moore (Stanwyck) and former outlaw, Dix Porter (Janssen), become close friends but there is something in the way of Regan's happiness.

Regan is unhappily married to wealthy, respectable man named Jeb. At first when the former outlaw, that is accused of rustling cattle, rides up to the Moore's ranch- they hire him as an extra hand. That is where Regan gets comfy with the young outlaw and plots killing her husband. But she does not want to do the dirty work. She wants Dix to fulfill her dreams and let her escape the life that she chose. But there is more to this plan than meets the eyes.

Last season's show was rather disappointing. But in this entertaining story, Stanwyck does an excellent job of playing wounded wife that has everything- but wants more. This proves that an interesting script and nice actors goes a long way in making an episode enjoyable. Not only the two previous mentioned stars do nice job of acting but the episode also featured Paul Richards that brings realism to any script. Excellent show.

Character Dix Porter (actor David Janssen) must be looking at the money, the house, and the ranch. Because Barbara Stanwyck (age 52 at the time this was filmed) is simply too old to appeal to then 28-year old Janssen.

This series - Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater - made a similar mistake in another episode, "Rebel Range", which tries to romantically pair 54 year old actress Joan Crawford with 40 year old Scott Forbes. Ms. Crawford looks particularly old in that episode; she comes across as a cradle-robber when she cozies up to Mr. Forbes.

The plot of "Hang the Heart High" is good; actor Paul Richards plays the role of Jed Moore quite well. Actress Margarita Cordova is perfect as the sympathetic character Serafina. But Casting should have chosen someone else for the part of Regan Moore, and used Barbara Stanwyck in another episode.