The Medicine Man (23 Nov. 1960)

Director:

Richard Donner

Writer:

Norman Katkov

Stars:

Steve McQueen, Cloris Leachman, J. Pat O'Malley

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Steve McQueen	...	Josh Randall
Cloris Leachman	...	Ann Barchester
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Doc
John Baer	...	Jim Lansing
Ted de Corsia	...	Arthur Barchester (as Ted DeCorsia)
Richard Bartell	...	Man
Ben Morris	...	Sheriff
James Parnell	...	Bartender
Ric Applewhite	...	2nd Man

Storyline

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 1960 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Four Star Productions, Malcolm Enterprises, CBS Television Network

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Another Original Story, A Few Familiar Faces & A Big Surprise Ending

Ten episodes into the third and final season, the writers continue to come up with very original stories, as this episode testifies. We have a snake-oil salesman (a man selling fake bottles of medicine) and we have a bank robber who is made to look totally innocent. We have Josh in the middle along with the banker and his wife, both of whom have opposite feelings on the crime.

To make it more interesting, we have some familiar faces actors/faces playing some of the roles. Those include Cloris Leachman, J. Pat O'Malley and Ted de Corsia. O'Malley is a dead ringer for the better-known William Frawley. De Corsia seemed to play a lot of rough guys and Leachman gained big fame on the Mary Tyler Moore TV show.

Is the guy really innocent? If not, is the wife in on the deal? Is the medicine man somehow involved? Will the banker, who beat up Josh with the aid of someone else pinning his arms behind his back, get a licking in return? Those and other questions were still in my mind with five minutes left in the show. It was good that way; the story kept you guessing and prompted thought.

The ending, however, is a total shocker, which makes this a memorable episode.