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Myron King, Waco, Texas:
Ian Cabot is shot and Peters is killed while trying to prevent the hanging of two men by a father and son, Morgan and Jethro Kane. The two men are accused of murdering Vance Kane. Ian is brought to the town of Regis, Kansas. It seems that the townsfolk are keeping a secret, and Rowdy's attempts to bring the Kanes to justice are thwarted by Sheriff Blaine.
This episode is not centered around the drive, but rather around the town of Regis. Gone are series regulars Sheb Wooley, Rocky Shahan, James Murdock, Eric Fleming, and Robert Cabal. This is a good episode, with fine perfomances by Jeff Corey, Peter Haskell and Simon Oakland.
Sutton Roley's direction is excellent, as is the camera work of Neal Beckner. Bernard Herrmann's music is greatly beneficial to the drama.
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Timothy Booher, Bristol, TN:
Note: The title credits for this season now feature facial sketches of the drovers and ation drawings that feature scenes from the drive. The first sign that new producer Ben Brady wanted to do more with the series than his predecessors, he completely went about changing everything Charles Marquis Warren had labored so hard to establish during the first three seasons.
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Timothy Booher, Bristol, TN:
Synopsis: Jed Colby talks Rowdy into hiring young con artist Danny Hawks in spite of the trail boss's reservations. Danny has a stallion that Jed wants to own. When trouble breaks out, Danny uses the stallion in a ploy to turn Jed against Rowdy.
Review: Much heralded but seldom seen actor John Drew Barrymore makes his third appearance on Rawhide, the first being a disillusioned Indian in 'Incident of the Haunted Hills' and the second in 'Corporal Dasovik.' While this episode contains a brilliant performance from Barrymore and an excellent character study of Hawks, there isn't much story here, and Hawk's motivations for being a con artist and liar seem nonexistent. A slip shod episode to say the least.
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Myron King, Waco, Texas:
Rowdy and the drovers are offered pay--providing they can get the owner's herd to Bent Fork in six weeks.
An outstanding episode with fine performances by James Gregory and R.G. Armstrong. A classic example demonstrating that the cattle drives were not always sweetness and light.
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Myron King, Waco, Texas:
Pete and Simon are trapped in a coal mine cave in. Rowdy, Jed, Ed Rankin, and his friend Jerry get explosives from a shack in an effort to free them.
This is a nice story that has plenty of suspense to keep the viewer tuned. It is well acted and directed.
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Timothy Booher, Bristol, TN:
Synopsis: With hostile Indians following the herd, Rowdy makes an unusual decision--to hire the stalking Indians as drovers.
Review: Quite an interesting premise and a good story make for a fine episode, graced by a superb guest appearance by acclaimed stage and film actor Rip Torn.
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Myron King, Waco, Texas:
Rowdy is held hostage by Ma Gufler and her family after he attempts to buy horses for the drive. It is up to the drovers to come up with a plan to save Rowdy from a hanging.
Although this story has much intrigue and is suspensful, and it contains fine performances by Mercedes McCambridge, Sharon Farrell, and Robert Blake, one question remains: how long has Rowdy been a trail boss and how long has Jed Colby been with the drive?
Unfortunately, that question is not answered. Colby makes a reference to Kiowas they encountered on the drive a year earlier. The continuity question remains a mystery and therefore puts a dent in the credibility of this episode.
Note: The music being used during the closing credits is "Beyond The Sun" by Russ Garcia and Lenny Adelson. Originally composed as an instrumental, it was heard often during the first four seasons of the series. You may recall that, during the Pitchwagon episode, Eastwood sang the lyrics written by Adelson.
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Timothy Booher, Bristol, TN:
Synopsis: Rowdy goes to the homestead of Ma Gufler and her brood of illiterate and ignorant ruffians with the intention of buying horses. He inadvertently offends the old woman, who has tried to sell him scrub horses for three times the price they are worth. Ma Gufler strongly believes that he has tried to cheat her. She decides to hold Rowdy hostage and sends one of her sons to the herd with a message for Jed Colby, to raise $3, 000 before sundown or the trail boss will hang.
Synopsis: A four-star cast brings to life this routine hostage tale. Mercedes McCambridge gives the finest of four Rawhide performances as Ma Gufler. With her head cocked to one side and her sluggish mannerisms she appears to be the victim of a stroke, and though only in her late 40's at the time she fits the role of a haggard old woman very well. Ironically, both her first Rawhide appearance in 'Incident of the Curious Street' from season one and this, her last, were hostage stories. Also on hand is a young Robert Blake, soon to find greater fame as television's 'Baretta.' He plays her youngest son to perfection, making him out to be abnormally ignorant and funny without the corny cliches usually found in such characterizations. Warren Oates, himself already a veteran but soon to find a wider audience after working with director Sam Peckinpah in several classic films, plays the bad son who lusts after the young girl who is Ma Gufler's ward. He seems to take particular delight in taunting Rowdy when the aforementioned girl sets her eyes on the trail boss. A very noble effort but a ponderous script really drags this one down. One major change in this new "Rawhide," aside from the missing Favor and others, is the music. Frankie Laine's theme, while still there, is now much snappier and faster and is only heard once at the beginning of each episode. 'A Moment in the Sun' seems to be the main theme of the new series as it is heard over the episode introductions and at the end, and it now has a much more jazzy arrangement with horns and a saxophone. A little out of place for the old west but distinctive nonetheless.
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Myron King, Waco, Texas:
Colonel Vasquez insists on "purchasing" 200 head of cattle from the drive. The pesos are worthless. Jed tells Simon and Quince to return to the main herd north of the border. Colby goes into Guadalupe hoping to exchange the pesos, and encounters Maria Vasquez, the colonel's wife.
This is a mediocre episode at best, despite good performances from John Ireland, Carol Lawrence, and Cesar Romero. Overall, however, not that great.
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Myron King, Robinson, Texas:
Cassie Webster will not permit the cattle to go through her land. The mayor of Broken Bluff will allow Rowdy's herd to pass through provided he and the drovers vote against woman's suffrage. The movement is headed by Cassie. It seems that the mayor and sheriff are mere flunkies for a saloon owner who is opposed to the suffrage movement.
I must confess that after watching the episode I didn't know what to think of it. After some time and thought, I can say that, while the episode boasts fine performances from Warren Stevens and Nancy Gates and the rest of the cast, has some suspense and boasts a fine music score by the late great Billy May, Clash At Broken Bluff is an example of what Steve Raines was referring to when he told TV Guide that the early scripts he saw were "mediocore". In short, this is not up to par.
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Timothy Booher, Bristol, TN:
Synopsis: Jed Colby is pursued by a mystery sniper who later turns out to be US Marshal Hanson Dickinson. Colby fears the vengeful marshal, whose motivations are questionable, and tries to run. But when Dickinson uses Rowdy in his plot to capture his quarry, Jed is forced to face up to his fears and accompany Dickinson back for trial, a journey whose end he may never live long enough to see.
Review: Ralph Bellamy's second appearance on the show is distinguished by his gritty performance as steely eyed lawman Dickinson, whose hatred for Colby forces him out of retirement. A good performance by Ireland, perhaps his best on the series, sheds light on the character of Jed Colby. Otherwise the story here is rather unspectacular and dull. Still, Bellamy and Ireland strike up such professional chemistry as actors to elevate this one to a three.
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Myron King, of Waco, Texas:
Drover Rome Bedford is challenged to a duel by Del Lingman, foreman of ranch owner Mason Woodruff. Woodruff's daughter is perplexed by her father's behavior--he wants the duel to go on. Rome gets a crash course in handling a gun.
This is another intriguing episode with fine performances by Jill Haworth, Brendon Boone, Larry Gates, and Charles Bronson. Sutton Roley's distinctive direction is evident throughout. [I might mention that Roley used numerous closes ups and angles in "Encounter At Boot Hill".]
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George Coan, South Carolina:
Clint Eastwood, John Ireland, Raymond St. Jacques, Paul Brinegar. Guest cast Richard Carlson, Robert Middleton, Skip Homeier, Tim McIntire, Harry Lauter and Robert Sorrells. Excellent episode as Rowdy and his crew buy in with Richard Carlson's herd for a combined drive to the railhead. Impressive performances by Homeier and McIntire. Middleton and his men don't want the herd moved. Most interesting story that had some action as well as acting. One of the best of the last season.
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Myron King, of Waco, Texas:
An arrogant Army officer tries to requesition cattle from the herd. Rowdy wounds the so-called officer. This causes Jed to quit the drive. Rowdy goes to the Army station and he soon learns that the officer in question is a cattle-rustler posing as an Army officer. His brother, also posing as an Army officer, is in cahoots with him.
This is a good episode, but not great. Burt Brinkerhoff and Rory Calhoun give excellent performances. The script was written by John and Ward Hawkins, who wrote many fine episodes of Bonanza. Gerd Oswald directed this effort.
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Myron King, Waco, Texas:
Rowdy has a problem: he's got to get the herd across the river before storms occur. Unfortunately, his new scout is a drunk and unreliable man.
I think CBS was wise to make this the last first-run episode broadcast, although it was filmed early on in season eight. While it boasts good performances by Albert Dekker and Johnny Crawford, as well as a superb musical score by Lyn Murray, it contains a major continuity error in the epilogue. Rowdy tells Aaron Bolt (Crawford) that he does not know the whereabouts of his father (Dan Yates). But, as we have seen in Rio Salado, the older Yates was killed. The error mars the episode's credibility.
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Timothy Booher, Bristol, TN:
Note: This final episode of Rawhide is directed by Richard Whorf. Seven years earlier Whorf had helmed 'Incident of the Tumbleweed', giving him the distinction of having directed both the first and last episodes of the series.
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Rawhide: 1959-65 (CBS)
Eric Fleming as Gil Favor
Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates
Sheb Wooley as Pete Nolan
Paul Brinegar as Wishbone
James Murdock as Mushy
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Theme performed by Frankie Laine
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Eric Fleming movies
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 The Glass Bottom Boat
Doris Day mistaken as a spy! Sounds like a light-hearted 60's romp to me. In addition to our man Eric Fleming, the movie also features Arthur Godfrey (by the way, am I the only one who can sing about dotting the "i" for the inventors?), Paul Lynde, Dick Martin, and Dom DeLuise.
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 Curse of the Undead
Eric Fleming stars as Preacher Dan Young in this, yes, vampire western. How cool is that?
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 Queen of Outer Space
Eric stars with Zsa Zsa Gabor, dahling, in this hilarious sci-fi flick. A reviewer at the Internet Movie Database says the movie "reeks of cardboard sets, silly dialogue, and more phallic symbols, hot babes, and sexual innuendo than you can wave a stick (or laser gun) at."
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 Conquest of Space
Eric stars as Captain Barney Merritt in this story about the first manned expedition to Mars. A reviewer at amazon.com numbers among the movie's merits its inclusion of: "MST3K ready dialog! The obligitory accidental weightlessness scene! ... The first ever burial in space! The first ever snowfall on Mars!" In other words, you can't lose!
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The Rawhide theme
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 Rockin'/Hell Bent for Leather
Head 'em up, move 'em out! Frankie Laine performed the rousing song played over the opening credits of Rawhide. The Rawhide theme is among the 24 tracks on this CD.
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Sheb Wooley Sings
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 The Purple People Eater
31 tracks including the classic title song
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 Wild and Wooley, Big Unruly Me
29 tracks
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 Rawhide/How the West was Won
24 tracks including Sheb's version of the Rawhide theme (this is not the version performed in the opening credits of the show!)
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 That's My Pa
Four box set totaling 47 tracks
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