Zane Grey Theatre (TV Series) Stage for Tucson (1956) User Reviews

Eddie Albert, Mona Freeman Fun To Watch

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 6 May 2010]

Eddie Albert ("Bide Turley") stars in this "whodunnit" (at least for the first half of the story, then we find out) and then the rest of the folks have to deal with the bank robber/killer once he shows his face.

Mona Freeman .John Ericson and Deforest Kelly are three other "name actors" who appear in here. Freeman really caught my eye as "Sandy Neal." She was wholesomely beautiful woman who had a lot of intelligence behind those eyes, or so it appeared to me. I really wasn't familiar with her but some research here on IMDb reveals that Photoplay magazine put Mona on their "12 Most Beautiful Actresses" list in 1952. She joined Rita Hayworth, Deborah Kerr, Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Ann Blyth, Linda Darnell, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Crawford, Arlene Dahl, Susan Hayward and Loretta Young. Not bad company! Mona is still alive and, hopefully, will turn 84 years old next month.

The star, however, of this "Zane Grey Theater" episode is definitely Albert, who is really good in here. Just the looks on his face, the facial inflections and naturalness of delivery all are fun to watch. I didn't realize he was this great an actor!

This turned out to be an excellent episode, start-to-finish with good characters and excellent dialog.

Good acting and efficient storytelling...

[sjeremko1 · 8/10 · 12 January 2015]

Take a good story, tight script and wonderful ensemble acting, and you have a great little fable in the ZGT "Stage for Tucson". Led by Eddie Albert, Mona Freeman and John Ericson, this story centers on ferreting out the notorious bandit / killer Bide Turley from among five stagecoach passengers who stopped for breakfast in route to Tucson. Is it likable sales drummer (Albert), the brooding Confederate veteran (Ericson), the shady doctor (Ian MacDonald) or the smooth-talking ladies' man (DeForest Kelley)?

I agree with so much of the previous commenter about this episode. I've always admired Eddie Albert as one of the finest actors working in film and TV. I really did not know as much about lovely Mona Freeman or John Ericson. Both give winning performances and their characters in this story seem well-suited for each other. I will try to catch other programs in which they appear.

Ian MacDonald is possibly most famous as Frank Miller who has one of the most famous showdowns in cinematic history versus Gary Cooper's Will Kane in the classic "High Noon". DeForest Kelley ("Star Trek's Dr. "Bones") makes the most of his role in this tale, as does his wayward lady friend Jaclynne Greene. The rest of the cast includes familiar names and faces from other TV westerns including Rusty Lane, Bing Russell (Kurt's father), Tyler McVey and Lane Chandler. As always, the introduction by Dick Powell was both informative and amusing.

Four Men get off the stagecoach

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 15 August 2015]

Some drama happens during an ordinary day at Mona Freeman's stagecoach station where the passengers and horses are given food and drink and the team of horses changed. Four male passengers are on the coach, Eddie Albert, John Ericson, Ian McDonald, and DeForest Kelley and the marshal is waiting there because one of them is reputed to be a notorious outlaw. Every one of these players has done some villainous roles so who knows.

Halfway through it's a guessing game and the other half of this half hour drama has the outlaw revealed and holding the rest hostage until his henchmen arrive.

I can't reveal who the outlaw is but I will say that you will see a complete change of personality revealing just how capable a player he is. He's someone I always thought never got his full share of credit during his career.

A topnotch drama that wastes not a minute of film from the Zane Grey Theater.

Stage for Tucson

[Prismark10 · 8/10 · 6 November 2023]

Dick Powell introduces the episode talking about traveling salesman selling his wares from a case.

In this episode Eddie Albert plays Bide Turley, a wisecracking smooth talking passenger in a stagecoach. Other passengers is an embittered civil war veteran who lost his arm. A medical man who lost his family to disease. He has quit medicine and wants to ride away elsewhere. There is a married couple who seem to have done something shady and are on the run.

At the stage stop while waiting for fresh horses. A marshall appears looking for a notorious killer and robber.

It is a case of who is it. One man can help the marshall identify them but the baddie remains one step ahead. Now they are hostages and maybe someone might step up to the plate.

A cracking little adventure, an exercise in efficient storytelling. So much is packed in the short running time.