The Daniel Barrister Story (16 Apr. 1958)

Faith is tested when a man's wife is injured and he refuses medical aid. When Flint rides to the nearest town to get a doctor, he finds they have their own problems: a smallpox epidemic.

Director:

Richard Bartlett

Writers:

Norman Jolley (teleplay and story), Richard Bartlett (story)

Stars:

Ward Bond, Robert Horton, Charles Bickford

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Ward Bond	...	Major Seth Adams
Robert Horton	...	Flint McCullough
Charles Bickford	...	Daniel Barrister
Roger Smith	...	Dr. Peter H. Culver
Peg Hillias	...	Jenny Barrister
Allan Lane	...	Mr. Sam Miller
Kay Cousins Johnson	...	Mrs. Miller (as Kay Cousins)
Sarah Selby	...	Mrs, Mary Snyder
Frank McGrath	...	Charlie Wooster
Terry Wilson	...	Bill Hawks
Arthur Space	...	Jim - Guard
Anthony Lawrence	...	Man

Storyline

A runaway team throws Jenny Barrister from the wagon and injures her severely. Her husband Daniel refuses medical aid for her on religious grounds and their daughter died earlier on the train for lack of medical care. The other members of the train are enraged by his actions so the Major sends Flint to a nearby settlement for a doctor while moving the train closer to the town. At the town Flint finds a smallpox epidemic has broken out but a young 25 year old doctor recently out of medical school is vaccinating the people and has it under control. Dr. Culver rides to the train but Daniel refuses his services. Dr. Culver asks the Major to move the rest of the train on and leave the Barristers in his hands. It remains to be seen if Dr. Culver has the wits to convince Daniel that he should be allowed to attend to Jenny and whether he can heal her.

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Plot Keywords:

vaccination | smallpox | doctor | character name in title

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1958 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revue Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Robert Horton sits "naked" in a washtub, taking a bath, the waistband of the swimsuit he's wearing is momentarily visible.

User Reviews

Strong Convictions

This was a strange Wagon Train episode with a character played by Charles Bickford that I could not quite come to grips with. As the title character in The Daniel Barrister Story, Bickford is a man of strong convictions and he's ready to stand by them even at the cost of his wife's life.

Among the tenets of his faith is that he does not believe in doctors and as a result of that his daughter died of an untreated illness. Now his wife is hurt in a fall and eventually it's diagnosed as a fractured rib that has punctured a lung.

It takes a physician, a young physician at that fresh from battling a smallpox epidemic there to try and move Bickford. Roger Smith as the doctor has a religious background as well and the two fling scripture quotations back at each other.

Although Ward Bond has some good scenes defending Bickford's right to his beliefs as wacky as they are, this episode presents guest stars Bickford and Smith at their best. But in a really strange and somewhat unbelievable story.