Lover Boy (5 Oct. 1963)

A charming cowboy apparently is guilty only of breaking hearts until he gets to Dodge, where he finds two women who may make a killer of him.

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writer:

John Meston

Stars:

James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake

Cast

Episode cast overview:
James Arness	...	Matt Dillon
Milburn Stone	...	Doc
Amanda Blake	...	Kitty
Burt Reynolds	...	Quint
Sheree North	...	Avis
Ken Curtis	...	Kyle
Alan Baxter	...	Ab
Carol Byron	...	Terry
Richard Coogan	...	Luke
Allan Hunt	...	Boy

Storyline

Ken Curtis, who will return later in the season as Festus, appears here as Kyle Kelly, a love-'em-and-leave-'em cowboy. As the episode opens, he leaves brokenhearted a girl who had expected a marriage proposal from him. He arrives in Dodge and soon takes up with the bored wife of a homesteader. Though there's no sign that Kelly has killed before, he and the wife make plans to get rid of her husband. Meanwhile, Kelly walks into the Long Branch and improbably encounters the girl he most recently left behind, now in Dodge and employed as a saloon gal. He gets into a fight over her and is humiliated. Next day he rides out to get his revenge on the man who bettered him; then he and the homesteader's wife hatch a plan to pin the killing on her husband.

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 1963 (USA)

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arness Production Company, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Hard to image Ken Curtis as a heartthrob- but it works well

For the fans of 'Gunsmoke' this is a time where you get to see Ken Curtis play a role before being cast as the lovable Festus that we all know and love. The fine acting ability of Mr Curtis come through in this program as we, the viewer, get induced into the story that for this one hour Ken Curtis is lover boy Kyle Kelly and not the Marshal's deputy.

The episode begins as Kyle Kelly goes by to tell Ms Terry Lee that he is moving on in his life. This comes to a surprise and displeasure of Ms Lee since she thought Kyle was there to propose marriage. Kyle tells her that he can never settle down with just one woman.

Move on a few years and Kyle is in Dodge. A nice enough fellow that everyone seems to like. He runs into this young woman, Avis Fisher, that is loading the wagon. He sweet talks her until she advises that she is married to a much older Ab Fisher. Soon Kyle makes his way to the Fisher farm when Ab was in town. He puts on the charm and by the time the scene changes he has Avis in a kiss with more things on the way.

In the meantime Kyle goes into the Lone Branch and happens to see Terry Lee now working as a saloon girl. He gets into a fist fight with Luke Ryan and is knocked out. The next day he goes out to see Luke and kills him. Ab happens up on Luke and Luke says that Kyle Kelly killed him. However Ab will not tell the Marshal because he does not want to get involved.

Avis wants to run off with Kyle so they hatch a scheme where Ab thinks the Marshal is after him in Luke's death. So when the Marshal comes to visit Ab shoot at Matt. Matt, having done all he could, has to kill Ab.

Now the two can move to Colorado to start a new life. But then Kyle tells Avis the same words that he told Terry years ago, he just can't settle down with one woman. Avis takes these words much worse than Terry.

A good story that was interesting to the end. Ken Curtis was great as Kyle and even Sheree North as Avis gave a fine performance. There was other in the script seemed ill placed but overall a good show. As we are approaching the end of the show not many people will be thinking about Festus. They will be all involved with the lover boy Kyle Kelly.