Bret fetches a tough old broad's brother from Saratoga Springs. He meets Kathleen Crowley as Melanie Blake. Bret feigns a southern accent and passes himself off as Colonel Maverick, a wealthy Texan. When the brother loses his half of the family ranch, Bret devises a scheme to get it back. Bart participates. The brothers practised what we tody call situational ethics. In other words, they only swindled swindlers. The best shows were the ones that featured both Bret and Bart. Their characters were similar, but it was James Garner who got the more humorous roles. It was always cool when one or the other quoted their old pappy. Pappyism: "If you're gonna drop names, drop 'em hard."
4 Reviews
Unsung Classic - Not Mentioned Much
Gislef26 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This episode has poker and a Maverick con game. Which isn't a common combination on the show up to "now" in season 3. The show originally started as Bart or Bret wandering into the Town of the Week, doing some gambling, and getting into trouble. Later on, 'Maverick' developed into more a a con game type of show: check out "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" for a pure con game episode. "Maverick Springs" mixes in both, and the resulting curveballs make for a pleasant change.
The episode starts with Bret being thrown into jail, and a local tough-as-nails female rancher bailing him out and basically extorting Bret to pry her Easternized brother Mark out of the grips of both a seductive woman (Melanie Blake) and the con man/poker player that she has partnered with. Said player trying to take Mark for everything he has in crooked poker. The fact the guy is a blatant cheat (would anyone fall for the "mirror in the chandelier above the poker table" routine, much less not ruin the hotel's reputation by reporting it to the authorities?) is a weak spot in the episode.
Bret goes in posing as a Texas colonel, which attracts Melanie. Melanie doesn't have much to do, although the running gag of her hitting on any man with apparent money is cute. James Garner saunters through the first half of the episode with a broad Texas accent while claiming to be a rich Texas rancher. Then he loses at poker and vows revenge, and thus begins the second part of the episode. Bret and Mark (who seems oddly comfortable with helping Bret out on the con) convince the player Flannery that they're investing in 'Maverick Springs': a plot of swamp land that they convince Flannery they have investors. Bret calls in Brother Bart to pose as the nephew of one would-be investor. Jack Kelly doesn't have a whole lot to do this episode, but he's Garner's comedic equal despite supposedly being the less funny of the two actors.
The brothers eventually con Flannery into buying the entire plot of land, but then they drill into a natural gas pocket. Then the sister Kate turns up and there's a "last five minutes" resolution where she buys back the land from Flannery. Which satisfies Flannery, even though Kate makes a fortune on the natural gas pocket. Bart's "uncle" arrives unexpectedly, but he knows Kate and that doesn't really go anywhere. In a nice piece of writing, Flanney concedes that he's lost and literally tips his hat to the Maverick brothers. Melanie hits on the uncle, and Brothers Bart and Bret share a chuckle.
As noted by another reviewer, the fight at the drill head when the natural gas comes up is a bit out of left field: if the workers are so loyal to Flannery that they'll fight for him, why are they working for the Mavericks in the first place? But watching everyone ride off as the stink of the natural gas fills the area is good.
Overall, "Maverick Springs" is a good con episode that is up there in the pantheon of top 'Maverick' episodes, and is a worthy rival to modern-day con shows like 'Leverage'. But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?
The episode starts with Bret being thrown into jail, and a local tough-as-nails female rancher bailing him out and basically extorting Bret to pry her Easternized brother Mark out of the grips of both a seductive woman (Melanie Blake) and the con man/poker player that she has partnered with. Said player trying to take Mark for everything he has in crooked poker. The fact the guy is a blatant cheat (would anyone fall for the "mirror in the chandelier above the poker table" routine, much less not ruin the hotel's reputation by reporting it to the authorities?) is a weak spot in the episode.
Bret goes in posing as a Texas colonel, which attracts Melanie. Melanie doesn't have much to do, although the running gag of her hitting on any man with apparent money is cute. James Garner saunters through the first half of the episode with a broad Texas accent while claiming to be a rich Texas rancher. Then he loses at poker and vows revenge, and thus begins the second part of the episode. Bret and Mark (who seems oddly comfortable with helping Bret out on the con) convince the player Flannery that they're investing in 'Maverick Springs': a plot of swamp land that they convince Flannery they have investors. Bret calls in Brother Bart to pose as the nephew of one would-be investor. Jack Kelly doesn't have a whole lot to do this episode, but he's Garner's comedic equal despite supposedly being the less funny of the two actors.
The brothers eventually con Flannery into buying the entire plot of land, but then they drill into a natural gas pocket. Then the sister Kate turns up and there's a "last five minutes" resolution where she buys back the land from Flannery. Which satisfies Flannery, even though Kate makes a fortune on the natural gas pocket. Bart's "uncle" arrives unexpectedly, but he knows Kate and that doesn't really go anywhere. In a nice piece of writing, Flanney concedes that he's lost and literally tips his hat to the Maverick brothers. Melanie hits on the uncle, and Brothers Bart and Bret share a chuckle.
As noted by another reviewer, the fight at the drill head when the natural gas comes up is a bit out of left field: if the workers are so loyal to Flannery that they'll fight for him, why are they working for the Mavericks in the first place? But watching everyone ride off as the stink of the natural gas fills the area is good.
Overall, "Maverick Springs" is a good con episode that is up there in the pantheon of top 'Maverick' episodes, and is a worthy rival to modern-day con shows like 'Leverage'. But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?
Let's See, Is That Stuff Water or Gas!
dougdoepke6 November 2008
Classic Maverick. Bret's blackmailed by tyrannical old Kate Dawson (Doris Packer) into wrenching her wastrel brother Mark (King Donovan) from scheming clutches of the beauteous Melanie Blake (Kathleen Crowley). So Bret gets to play his favorite alter ego-- the rich Texan. Naturally there are complications, especially when Melanie's partner in crime the imperious John Flannery (Tol Avery) cheats the hapless Mark out of his share of the family ranch. Now Bret has to concoct his own scheme for getting Mark's share back. And it's an engaging one, involving brother Bart and the phony Professor Kronkhite (a hilarious Sig Ruman). The ploys fly fast and furious as the two sides try to outwit one another.
Clever script with just right amount of tongue-in-cheek-- watch Crowley's many priceless expressions as she deploys her little seduction kit. Also, fine work from Avery, a popular player of the time, in one of his many portly, unsavory roles. The only blemish-- in my book, at least-- lies with the brawl at the drill site. Seems unnecessary to me, but I guess the producers figured they needed a battle of fists to speed up the battle of wits. Anyway, all the ingredients of classic Maverick are present in this delightful 60 minutes.
Clever script with just right amount of tongue-in-cheek-- watch Crowley's many priceless expressions as she deploys her little seduction kit. Also, fine work from Avery, a popular player of the time, in one of his many portly, unsavory roles. The only blemish-- in my book, at least-- lies with the brawl at the drill site. Seems unnecessary to me, but I guess the producers figured they needed a battle of fists to speed up the battle of wits. Anyway, all the ingredients of classic Maverick are present in this delightful 60 minutes.
Maverick in Saratoga
bkoganbing23 September 2018
This episode has Bret Maverick being hired by Doris Packer to pull her idiot
brother King Donovan away from the clutches of con artists Tol Avery and
Kathleen Crowley. She's sized James Garner up and decided he's just enough of
a scam artist to do the job.
It turns out he's not to be, at least the first go around. When they get half of Packer's cattle ranch and clean Garner out it's time to send for reinforcements.
Where they're doing it is at America's premier resort spa back in the day, Saratoga. Brother Bart arrives and its as a wealthy heir and Sig Ruman having a ball with the part of a fake geologist who has made a 'big discovery' on some swamp land and a new resort called Maverick Springs is to be developed.
Let's just say the con works only too well and in the end on themselves.
I'd love to rate this one higher, but when Garner sees the con only too late at the poker game, well it's an obvious con that a professional like Garner would have spotted immediately.
It turns out he's not to be, at least the first go around. When they get half of Packer's cattle ranch and clean Garner out it's time to send for reinforcements.
Where they're doing it is at America's premier resort spa back in the day, Saratoga. Brother Bart arrives and its as a wealthy heir and Sig Ruman having a ball with the part of a fake geologist who has made a 'big discovery' on some swamp land and a new resort called Maverick Springs is to be developed.
Let's just say the con works only too well and in the end on themselves.
I'd love to rate this one higher, but when Garner sees the con only too late at the poker game, well it's an obvious con that a professional like Garner would have spotted immediately.
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