Triggers in Leash (16 Oct. 1955)

A cook tries everything she can think of to end a dispute between two gunmen who have sworn to kill each other.

Director:

Don Medford

Writers:

Richard Carr (teleplay), Allan Vaughan Elston (story)

Stars:

Gene Barry, Alfred Hitchcock, Darren McGavin

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Gene Barry	...	Dell Delaney
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Darren McGavin	...	Red Hillman
Ellen Corby	...	Maggie
Casey MacGregor	...	Ben

Storyline

Although the bad weather means that she might not have many customers to cook for, Maggie sends Ben out to do some chores. After Ben leaves, Del comes in, and begins to act strangely. When Ben returns with a load of firewood, Del suddenly draws a gun on him. Ben then goes into town, while Maggie fixes a meal for Del. Soon afterward, when Red comes in, both men prepare to draw their guns. They tell Maggie about a bitter argument during a poker game the night before, and tell her to get out of the way while they settle things. Maggie begins desperately to try to stop them from shooting at each other.

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Plot Keywords:

cook | gun | argument | gunfighter | wood | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 1955 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Maggie grabs the handles of hot items such as the skillet and coffee pot with no insulation to protect her from burns.

User Reviews

Must Have Cost 50 Bucks to Make

A rather odd third episode for a series then in the process of establishing itself. The problem is that after about 15 minutes of macho hectoring and gunfighter's crouch, the hair-trigger face- off between Barry and McGavin goes from tense to tedious. There's still a question of how the drama will end, but the dialogue and visuals have become too familiar to sustain the initial tension. As another reviewer points out, a final twist managed to salvage what looked like a really cop-out ending. In my book, the best thing about this tepid curiosity is the featured role it gives to that fine actress Ellen Corby who spent her career playing thankless menials of one type or another. There should be a special place in Hollywood heaven for such unsung stalwarts as she. Too bad I can't say the same for this episode.