Decision at Gunsight (23 Apr. 1957)

Cheyenne gets Wilson's livery stable instead of a debt owed. Delos Gerrard makes everyone pay insurance. When Cheyenne finds out, he turns the tables and has everyone pay it to him instead.... See full summary »

Director:

Franklin Adreon

Writers:

Burt Arthur (story), Berne Giler (teleplay)

Stars:

Clint Walker, John Carradine, Marie Windsor

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Clint Walker	...	Cheyenne Bodie
John Carradine	...	Delos Gerrard
Marie Windsor	...	Leda Brandt
Patrick McVey	...	Sheriff Dave Beaton
Mickey Simpson	...	Johnny Hines
Mike Lane	...	Chuck Welch
William Meigs	...	Woodsy
Howard Wright	...	John Waldron
William Lally	...	Jess Hummert

Storyline

Cheyenne gets Wilson's livery stable instead of a debt owed. Delos Gerrard makes everyone pay insurance. When Cheyenne finds out, he turns the tables and has everyone pay it to him instead. This riles up the citizenry enough that they all leave. This forces Gerrard to make a decision: should he deal with Bodie or leave town.

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 April 1957 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 22, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

John Carradine plays the villain

A 1957 second season episode, "Decision at Gunsight" emphasized a strong storyline that would see itself through many a feature Western. The marvelous John Carradine gets to play the main villain, Delos Gerrard, who has taken over an entire town, his pack of hired guns collecting "insurance" from the helpless citizens in exchange for protection. By collecting on a debt owed by Ray Wilson (an unbilled Dub Taylor), Cheyenne Bodie (Clint Walker) finds himself the new owner of the town's livery stable, learning of the grip Gerrard holds over the townspeople through the strongarm tactics employed by number one collector Chuck Welch (Mike Lane). After a confrontation with Gerrard himself, Cheyenne decides to strike back by charging the citizens his own protection fee, at a lower rate than Gerrard, going so far as to charge a tax on each child! His onslaught receives support from Gerrard's own wife, Leda Brandt (Marie Windsor), impressed by the courage that viewers have come to expect of Clint Walker's character. It is refreshing to see the scene-stealing Carradine play the top heavy, rather than the usual smaller roles that TV Westerns offered him, while an unbilled Harry Strang gets a fine bit as the counterman who offers coffee to the new man in town. Prime henchman Mike Lane was soon to play Boris Karloff's bandaged monster in 1958's "Frankenstein-1970."