Point Blank (29 Sep. 1957)

Kicked out of one town, jailed for running a con in the next, Bret's luck turns when a sultry waitress eases him out of stir to work as a spotter in a casino. A cattle drive's heading to ... See full summary »

Director:

Budd Boetticher

Writers:

Roy Huggins (teleplay), Howard Browne (based on a screenplay by)

Stars:

James Garner, Karen Steele, Mike Connors

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
James Garner	...	Bret Maverick
Karen Steele	...	Molly Gleason
Mike Connors	...	Ralph Jordan (as Michael Connors)
Richard Garland	...	Wes Corwin
Benny Baker	...	Mike Brill
Robert Foulk	...	Moose Horton
John Harmon	...	Nelson
Peter Brown	...	Chris Semple
Zon Murray	...	Fletcher
Mitchell Kowall	...	Fred Callahan (as Mitchell Kowal)

Storyline

Kicked out of one town, jailed for running a con in the next, Bret's luck turns when a sultry waitress eases him out of stir to work as a spotter in a casino. A cattle drive's heading to Bent Fork, so the casino's soon jammed with drunken cowpokes raring to cheat at cards and start shooting. Bret's sharp benefactor Molly proves an alluring mystery: why's she staying in the hottest, driest town in the West, since she has two quick-tempered suitors already, the straight-arrow sheriff and a bank clerk?

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Plot Keywords:

bank robbery | con game | practical joke | cheating at cards | crooked gambling

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Genres:

Action | Western | Adventure | Comedy

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 1957 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 22, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title is based on the firearms' term "blank blank range" which is the minimum effective range for a firearm or in forensics a shot that is fired at about three feet or one meter with the firearm not in physical contact with its target.

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Quotes

Bret Maverick: Now, you boys say I cost you a lot of money. All right, maybe I did, but I can show how you can get it back - and a lot more to keep it company. Interested?

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Soundtracks

"Sweet Betsy from Pike"
(uncredited)
Written by John A. Stone
Whistled by James Garner

User Reviews

Nothing Special

Had the series continued in the vein of this episode, it might have lasted two or three years and then been forgotten. It plays like a hundred other horse operas of the day, as Garner plays Bret Maverick in straight style, even twirling his gun at one point, something the later Maverick would never do. In this second entry, Bret's not yet a professional gambler, but a self-described drifter dressed all in black without the trademark vest. The familiar tongue- in-cheek character has yet to evolve.

Nonetheless, a step on the way to the later series style does occur here. According to Buddy Boetticher, the director, he decided to experiment with one scene, where Bret gets into a fist- fight in the woods. Now, instead of staging the fight in conventional fashion, Boetticher decided to film the action as occurring behind a bush, hidden from audience view. This, he considered, had comedic potential and as a result encouraged him to suggest a lighter approach to the producers. At least that's a version of what I read about the show's evolution, and, after all, it's that sort of style that turned the series into a classic.

The plot in this entry is pretty routine, nothing special. Bret hooks up with the fetching Karen Steele, thinking she has an eye for him. However, she's got more than romance on her mind as he eventually finds out. The acting from Steele and the sheriff (Richard Garland) is pretty bad at times. All in all, there's nothing to recommend here besides the one scene which itself is unremarkable, but did help point the series in a whole different direction.