As foreman, Cheyenne Bodie introduces the ranch's new owner, Ben Gentry, to the assembled hands, then announces he'll be leaving. Gentry doesn't take the news well; he wants only the best for his sprawling ranch and knows that Cheyenne Bodie is the best. In fact, everybody in the valley wants Cheyenne to be their top hand, but he's tired of all the in-fighting among the three largest ranches and can't wait to shake the dust of that valley off his feet. Before he's able to do that, one of the ranchers, George Lambert, offers him the top hand job at his ranch; Cheyenne declines. Not five minutes later, he has to intervene when a brash young Clay Conover challenges Lambert's foreman, Barlow, who is known to be quick with a gun; Clay doesn't appreciate the help. Then Clay's tough-as-nails sister, Marie, tries to talk Cheyenne into coming to work for her; again, he declines. He decides to leave town immediately but is ambushed by Barlow and two others, severely beaten 'to teach him a lesson,' then tied to his horse and he wakes up the next morning on the ground in danger of being dragged to his death. Marie Conover and Clay rescue him and he ends up accepting her offer to be their top hand, not exactly the lesson Barlow was teaching.
Gentry means to own the rest of the valley, but his bid to lease the Conovers' land and Lambert's have met with inflexible resistance, so he uses a dam as leverage. They give in or he'll cut off the water supply to everyone in the valley; even though it's illegal, it will take years to settle in court and by then their land will be a parched desert. At the end, there's a shootout between the valley's ranchers and Gentry's men, but they manage to blow up the dam without shedding too much blood. Cheyenne even saves Barlow's life and everyone ends up on good terms because Clay Conover has stood up to defend his inheritance. When Lambert says that Marie will be very proud of her brother, a defeated Gentry replies that she'll be surprised, too, to find out "he's the man she thought she was."
I like happy endings, and this one comes as close as almost any episode of "Cheyenne" to qualify. Long-standing feuds and secret romances are resolved with a minimum of bloodshed. There's even a touch of humor here and there, as there is in most episodes; after all, humor was one of Cheyenne Bodie's inherent characteristics. When Marie opens the door to a shirtless Cheyenne's hotel room uninvited, after a few seconds of staring at each other he points out that she's had time to figure out she's in the wrong room. She thanks him for saving Clay from being killed in a gunfight with Barlow and he suggests that maybe it's time she let Clay grow up. Her reply is that Clay's a kid who needs a man to look after him, "and you seem to qualify." That scene is watchable, and not just because of Clint Walker's manly physique and handsome face. It demonstrates that his timing and line delivery, not to mention his facial expressions and overall demeanor, were among the best of any Western tv star; he was simply a natural. This episode has a lot of good moments and, as usual, it's fun to see how Cheyenne Bodie helps the locals protect their own. Jeanne Cooper is convincing as a woman whose hard-boiled exterior is just waiting to be cracked by the right man. Peter Brown is credible as her hotheaded brother; it's a wonder Clay made it as far as he did, though, with his quick temper and resistance to help even when it's to his advantage. The entire cast is good, and the production values hold true, with the expert blending of stock footage for the action scenes. As usual, Clint Walker is the mainstay, always a delight to watch, both in the times of onscreen conflict and in the quiet moments. No one has ever melded the two better than Clint Walker.
Gentry means to own the rest of the valley, but his bid to lease the Conovers' land and Lambert's have met with inflexible resistance, so he uses a dam as leverage. They give in or he'll cut off the water supply to everyone in the valley; even though it's illegal, it will take years to settle in court and by then their land will be a parched desert. At the end, there's a shootout between the valley's ranchers and Gentry's men, but they manage to blow up the dam without shedding too much blood. Cheyenne even saves Barlow's life and everyone ends up on good terms because Clay Conover has stood up to defend his inheritance. When Lambert says that Marie will be very proud of her brother, a defeated Gentry replies that she'll be surprised, too, to find out "he's the man she thought she was."
I like happy endings, and this one comes as close as almost any episode of "Cheyenne" to qualify. Long-standing feuds and secret romances are resolved with a minimum of bloodshed. There's even a touch of humor here and there, as there is in most episodes; after all, humor was one of Cheyenne Bodie's inherent characteristics. When Marie opens the door to a shirtless Cheyenne's hotel room uninvited, after a few seconds of staring at each other he points out that she's had time to figure out she's in the wrong room. She thanks him for saving Clay from being killed in a gunfight with Barlow and he suggests that maybe it's time she let Clay grow up. Her reply is that Clay's a kid who needs a man to look after him, "and you seem to qualify." That scene is watchable, and not just because of Clint Walker's manly physique and handsome face. It demonstrates that his timing and line delivery, not to mention his facial expressions and overall demeanor, were among the best of any Western tv star; he was simply a natural. This episode has a lot of good moments and, as usual, it's fun to see how Cheyenne Bodie helps the locals protect their own. Jeanne Cooper is convincing as a woman whose hard-boiled exterior is just waiting to be cracked by the right man. Peter Brown is credible as her hotheaded brother; it's a wonder Clay made it as far as he did, though, with his quick temper and resistance to help even when it's to his advantage. The entire cast is good, and the production values hold true, with the expert blending of stock footage for the action scenes. As usual, Clint Walker is the mainstay, always a delight to watch, both in the times of onscreen conflict and in the quiet moments. No one has ever melded the two better than Clint Walker.
