When the Virginian aired in the UK in the mid-1960s I must have missed the first two series. I would not have overlooked Gary Clarke as the exuberant Steve Hills, and I remember Clu Gulager only as Sheriff Ryker. Yet here he is playing a young man whose profound deafness has rendered him mute. Unable to argue verbally against the injustice his disability encourages, he uses his fists, which makes his situation worse. Steve throws Jud a lifeline in the form of a friendship as steadfast as Clarke's support of Gulager in a remarkable and affecting performance. Without uttering a word, Gulager conveys Jud's vulnerability, his innate intelligence and his generosity. The boys are nearly outshone by Gail Kobe as Ruth Ferris, proudly holding herself together after being painfully jilted and defrauded by a former beau. She is as tetchy and defensive as Jud but equally vulnerable. Kobe and Gulager have great chemistry and a good script to work with, given added strength by the fact that it does not have to be manipulated to take account of the ongoing character arcs of the regular cast.
