Tiger (28 Nov. 1959)

Paladin receives a bank draft for $1000 asking him to "come kill a tiger before it kills me." In his host's mind this tiger curse is warranted as he wounded a tiger while in India and it ... See full summary »

Director:

Don Taylor

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry, Herb Meadow (creator),

Stars:

Richard Boone, Parley Baer, Paul Clarke

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Richard Boone	...	Paladin
Parley Baer	...	John Ellsworth
Paul Clarke	...	Pahndu
Elsa Cárdenas	...	Lahri (as Elsa Cardenas)
Clegg Hoyt	...	Joe - Trainer
Terence de Marney	...	J. Hawkins (as Terence DeMarney)
Mickey Finn	...	Loafer
Max Slaten	...	Helper
Dennis Moore	...	1st Rancher
Ralph Neff	...	Laborer
Kam Tong	...	Hey Boy

Storyline

Paladin receives a bank draft for $1000 asking him to "come kill a tiger before it kills me." In his host's mind this tiger curse is warranted as he wounded a tiger while in India and it came back to a village only to slaughter 100 of its residents. Paladin then learns of a circus coming to town. Its main attraction - a tiger!

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 November 1959 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Television Network, Filmaster Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Have Tiger, Will Die

Paladin is summoned to Texas by a rancher named Ellsworth (Parley Baer) who is terrified he's going to be killed and eaten by a tiger. Since there aren't any tigers in Texas, Paladin figures the guy is worrying about nothing--but wants to know why.

This is one of those Gene Roddenberry scripts he'd later refine on "Star Trek" that shows "how powerful and scary the mind can be" by showing if Ellsworth is that convinced he's going to be killed by a tiger, somehow he's going to be. I found it unsatisfying at best.

There are some good moments as we learn about Paladin's trip to India where he once killed a tiger (the reason he is summoned by Ellsworth's Indian servant Pahndu--played by Paul Clarke). Mickey Finn also has a good comedy moment in town when a poster is put up about a circus coming to town. Baer himself is too comic of a figure to convince us about the tiger in his mind. A different actor might have made the difference, but somehow I doubt it. The story is just too much of a stretch.