If you had a choice between Angel's Way and Devil's Gorge, which one would you pick? Cheyenne Bodie was in a whimsical mood the day he came upon that fork in the road. He flipped a coin and took the left turn, which brought him into Devil's Gorge, where he happens upon two members of a gang of bank robbers holding everyone on Main Street at gunpoint, including the sheriff, the lady saloon owner, and a priest herding a gaggle of young boys carrying fishing poles. Cheyenne dispatches the two gunmen but the other two escape without the bank's money. Not for the first time, Cheyenne is hailed as a hero. But this day he's happened upon more than a bank robbery.
The remaining two masked robbers recognize the saloon owner, Lily Mae, as the wife of a man who is serving time in prison for a holdup, the proceeds of which they were supposed to divvy up three ways. Since she owns the saloon, they think she must have the money, and they're not in the mood to negotiate with her; so they kidnap her son from the mission. The boy doesn't know that Lily Mae is his mother or that his father, Matt Nelson, is a convicted felon. Through a bit of fancy semi-legal maneuverings and some considerable help from Cheyenne Bodie, with a side of guilt trip thrown in by the padre, the money is recovered, the kidnapers are dealt with, and Lily Mae and her son leave on the stagecoach with the prospect of being reunited with Matt in due time.
This story has enough action to keep it from being maudlin, with touches of poignancy and humor that offset the minimal amount of violence. As is usual with the series, the characters are all well-cast and believable. Richard (Dick) Reeves is pretty much his typical bad guy but is given more to do in this one than just shoot at people or beat them up, or lose to Cheyenne in a fistfight (this time it's a knife in the chest). Don Megowan's Matt is gruff, then tender; he'll make a good father someday. As his son, Robert Crawford Jr. Is a sweet, intelligent kid without being overly syrupy or an annoying wise guy. Dorothy Green's Lily Mae is appropriately hardened at first but melts into motherhood as if she's been waiting for the opportunity.
Gayla Graves, the saloon girl who is taking over from Lily Mae in what's been renamed "Kate's Place," has had her eye on Cheyenne from the get-go, and not just because he earned a $1500 reward for stopping the bank robbers. At the end when the sheriff tells Cheyenne he has to verify his identity officially before he can turn over the reward, Kate is quick to let him know that if they need more proof, she'll be glad to help identify him too. Only slightly disappointed when he tells her that the bulk of the money will go to the mission, she admits that she's still willing to help, because he's 'head and shoulders above anybody around there and not just because of his size.' Somehow Clint Walker seems to become a little more 'larger than life' with each episode as we approach the final season. Cheyenne will soon be on his way but maybe he'll remember Devil's Gorge for more reasons than that he was a hero who once again saw to it that justice prevailed.
The remaining two masked robbers recognize the saloon owner, Lily Mae, as the wife of a man who is serving time in prison for a holdup, the proceeds of which they were supposed to divvy up three ways. Since she owns the saloon, they think she must have the money, and they're not in the mood to negotiate with her; so they kidnap her son from the mission. The boy doesn't know that Lily Mae is his mother or that his father, Matt Nelson, is a convicted felon. Through a bit of fancy semi-legal maneuverings and some considerable help from Cheyenne Bodie, with a side of guilt trip thrown in by the padre, the money is recovered, the kidnapers are dealt with, and Lily Mae and her son leave on the stagecoach with the prospect of being reunited with Matt in due time.
This story has enough action to keep it from being maudlin, with touches of poignancy and humor that offset the minimal amount of violence. As is usual with the series, the characters are all well-cast and believable. Richard (Dick) Reeves is pretty much his typical bad guy but is given more to do in this one than just shoot at people or beat them up, or lose to Cheyenne in a fistfight (this time it's a knife in the chest). Don Megowan's Matt is gruff, then tender; he'll make a good father someday. As his son, Robert Crawford Jr. Is a sweet, intelligent kid without being overly syrupy or an annoying wise guy. Dorothy Green's Lily Mae is appropriately hardened at first but melts into motherhood as if she's been waiting for the opportunity.
Gayla Graves, the saloon girl who is taking over from Lily Mae in what's been renamed "Kate's Place," has had her eye on Cheyenne from the get-go, and not just because he earned a $1500 reward for stopping the bank robbers. At the end when the sheriff tells Cheyenne he has to verify his identity officially before he can turn over the reward, Kate is quick to let him know that if they need more proof, she'll be glad to help identify him too. Only slightly disappointed when he tells her that the bulk of the money will go to the mission, she admits that she's still willing to help, because he's 'head and shoulders above anybody around there and not just because of his size.' Somehow Clint Walker seems to become a little more 'larger than life' with each episode as we approach the final season. Cheyenne will soon be on his way but maybe he'll remember Devil's Gorge for more reasons than that he was a hero who once again saw to it that justice prevailed.
