The Judas Tree (2 Apr. 1959)

A drifter who witnesses a murder attempts to flee, but falls victim to the murderers.

Director:

William Witney

Writer:

Barry Shipman

Stars:

Rod Cameron, Jeanne Cooper, Ray Stricklyn

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Rod Cameron	...	Lt. Rod Blake
Jeanne Cooper	...	Doris Ormsby
Ray Stricklyn	...	Jeff Turner
Robert Anderson	...	Sheriff Jim Bronson (as Bob Anderson)
Bob Tetrick	...	Hobson (as Robert Tetrick)
Barry Brooks	...	Thorney

Storyline

A drifter sleeping in a hayloft is awaken when he hears two thugs beat an old farmer to death. After fleeing the scene, he reads that the wrong man was arrested for the crime and sends a note to the local newspaper with information that exonerates the accused neighbor. Blake and the local police search for the informant, but the two killers find the witness to their crime first and strangle him. Now the police have to contend with a double-homicide with little to assist their investigation.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | drifter | hitchhiker | shot in the back | tumbleweed | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Crime | Drama

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 April 1959 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revue Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Lt. Rod Blake: Oh, hello. I'm Rod Blake, chief investigator for the Nevada state troopers. This branch came from a tree that grows in Southern Nevada. There's nothing special about the tree except that it's an American variety of the tree from which Judas is supposed to have hung himself. Well, the tree this came from wasn't big enough for a hanging, but it did help us catch a couple of killers. You'll see how in a case called, "The Judas Tree".

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