Chain Gang (12 Dec. 1959)

Director:

Thomas Carr

Writer:

Robert Leslie Bellem

Stars:

Steve McQueen, Dave Willock, Ted de Corsia

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Steve McQueen	...	Josh Randall
Dave Willock	...	Jethro Dane
Ted de Corsia	...	George Winters (as Ted DeCorsia)
Laurie Mitchell	...	Belle Colter
Chris Alcaide	...	Cree Colter
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Charlie Martin
James Burke	...	Sheriff Blore
William Schallert	...	Link Damon
Than Wyenn	...	Gib Rafford
Richard Reeves	...	Jenks (as Richard J. Reeves)

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

forced labor | bare chested male | street shootout

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 1959 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Four Star Productions, Malcolm Enterprises, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

26 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Per the title, a chain gain is a group of prisoners that are chained together most likely by the legs to perform menial hard labor together as a punishment and to reduce the chance of a successful escape. The practice was mainly used in Southern states and has not been used since the 1950s.

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Quotes

Jenks: You've got a big mouth, Randall. If you don't keep it shut, you're gonna wind up with no teeth in it.

User Reviews

A Tough, Film Noir-Like Story

Boy, there are some nasty dudes in this story, and it's a very intense episode with good photography, too. The bad guys begin with "Cree Colter" (Chris Alcaide), a thug who knocks down our hero twice early on while he's defenseless, and then brings him to his boss who is running a chain gang, of all things. He's using the prisoners to help with his silver mine and, of course, his assistants - like "Cree" - are all sadistic punks.

It looked like a scene out of "I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang."

How does Josh get out of this prison? Well, it's not easy, especially when most of the prisoners are so scared of failing and having their "sentence" added on. They won't help him, is what I'm saying. In fact, in one scene they help the guards and Josh pays for it.

I enjoyed the closeup photography. There are a number of interesting (and familiar) faces in here. This is simply a well-done, very strong episode that has the look and feel of tough film noir. The villains aren't just nasty; they're smart, too. It's not a pleasant story, but it will get you emotionally involved.