The Avengers (18 Dec. 1965)

A retired judge and his sons abduct Kitty, Festus, and Doc after Festus shoots his other son in order to defend Kitty. The judge "tries" Kitty and Festus for murder, pressing Doc into service as their defense attorney.

Director:

Vincent McEveety

Writer:

Donn Mullally

Stars:

James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake

Cast

Episode cast overview:
James Arness	...	Matt Dillon
Milburn Stone	...	Doc
Amanda Blake	...	Kitty
Ken Curtis	...	Festus
Roger Ewing	...	Thad
James Gregory	...	Judge Calvin Strom
Glenn Strange	...	Sam
Olan Soule	...	Barber
Ed McCready	...	Freight Agent
John Saxon	...	Cal Strom, Jr.
Les Brown Jr.	...	Mark Strom

Storyline

While Matt's out of town, Kitty is attacked by Richard Strom and Strom is then shot and killed by Festus when he comes to Kitty's aid. Strom's father, a judge, rides into town hoping to have Festus arrested for the murder of his son. When he isn't he decides to have a trial of his own.

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1965 (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

A show full of action and suspense

Every now and then you watch an episode after reading the plot line and you expect very little of the program. This happened to be one that I had little expectation of enjoyment but then found out that the show kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The episode was full of action and was a delight to watch.

It started off simple enough when Kitty had two cowboys, Cal and Richard Strom, at the Long Branch causing a bit of trouble. Thad goes gets Festus but before they make it to the saloon peace is restored and Sam and Kitty are getting ready to close. As Kitty enters her room, she is attacked by a man. The violent attack causes one of her window panes to break alerting Festus, Thad and Sam. When they get to her room they have to break open the door. Festus is shot in the arm but is able to return fire and kills the man. The man happens to be Richard Strom, the one that was causing trouble earlier in the evening.

A few weeks later three riders come into Dodge, Judge Calvin Strom and two of his sons from Oklahoma. Judge Strom is in town to file charges of murder on Festus and Kitty for the killing of his son. He accused the two of luring his son to Kitty's room and then killing him in cold blood.

Marshal Dillon throws the three out of town. But that will not deter Judge Strom. After having one of his sons injure Matt by shooting him in the leg, they then go are kidnap Kitty and Festus. They also kidnap Doc Adams and make him serve as attorney for the two on the charge of murder.

So outside Dodge, Judge Strom is holding court in a root-cellar that everyone knows in a mockery to the justice system. With a bad injury, Matt will do everything he can to find the Stroms before their kind of justice can be served.

James Gregory, that plays the Judge, is perfectly cast as the single minded father that wants revenge instead of the facts. Plus Amanda Blake and Ken Curtis are outstanding playing their roles when the Strom's first arrive in Dodge which heightens the suspense of the show. A true surprise that was a pleasure to watch.