The end of this episode blatantly steals a plot line from the old James Cagney movie "Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938). In this episode of Cheyenne the Ed Byrnes character (a bad guy) is asked by Cheyenne to not make a scene of bravado at his hanging to impress his younger brother. In the Cagney movie Pat O'Brien asks Cagney to do the same thing so as to not impress younger gang members. They both refuse until the moment they are walking to their execution where they cry out in fear for their lives. I guess the writer of the Cheyenne episode thought the passage of 20 years would be enough time for the plot line to be reused.
2 Reviews
"Dyin's the only thing I got left, and I aim to do it right."-Clay Rafferty
faunafan1 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Juvenile delinquency is nothing new, but the three Rafferty siblings Cheyenne Bodie encounters when he's looking for help with his lame horse are tough even by Old West standards. He's met right away with gunfire from their cabin. When a posse shows up and the real shooting begins, the cabin catches fire and he manages to see that all three kids get out safely. Turns out the posse is after Clay, the oldest, a hotshot wise guy with gangster potential. Kat and Tad view their brother as some sort of hero, but when they meet Cheyenne Bodie, they have someone to compare him with and Clay's aura must inevitably fade. Of course, blood is thicker than water, and it takes some real-life events to help them realize that the outlaw life isn't so heroic, after all.
Cheyenne comes to town looking for an old friend and business partner and discovers, much to his dismay, that not only is his old pal dead but Clay Rafferty is the one responsible. There's a trial and Clay is sentenced to hang; justice was swift in those days. Naturally, Kat and Tad are devastated, but Tad still views his brother as a fearless champion who will go to his death just as valiantly as their father did, laughing and dancing a jig all the way to the gallows. Cheyenne appeals to Clay's love for his brother, hoping he will not leave Tad with an unrepentant tough guy image that the boy will try for the rest of his life to imitate. Whether or not Clay's heart is touched by Cheyenne's entreaty, the closer he gets to that hangman's noose, the more his bravado dwindles, and his last words will ring long in young Tad's mind: "I don't want to die!"
Sue George plays Kat Rafferty, who starts out hard and scruffy and ends up looking like a young woman any lad would like to have on his arm at the church social. In fact, we first see her in a dress at just such an event, when she shyly asks Cheyenne to dance, showing what a difference a true hero's influence can make. Not much is known about Darryl Duran, who played Tad, but he did a very good job of portraying a boy who came out of a very rough upbringing with a much better attitude, again thanks to the power of a real man's subtle guidance. Edd (Edward) Byrnes, "Kookie" to a later generation, is effective as Clay, foreshadowing the costarring role he would soon have as Yellowstone Kelly's greenhorn apprentice. For most adults, he suffers in comparison to Cheyenne Bodie and Luther Kelly, both of whom exude manliness, but it's easy to see why he captivated the hearts of adolescent girls in the 60s. Clint Walker is again the star of the show. One thing that fascinates me about him is how he can invest that rich deep voice of his with such gentleness, as in his interaction with Kat Rafferty and her brother Tad. While he maintains his insistence on justice, Cheyenne Bodie does so with kindness when the situation calls for it, and that elevates his character to a level unmatched in the tradition of Hollywood leading men.
Cheyenne comes to town looking for an old friend and business partner and discovers, much to his dismay, that not only is his old pal dead but Clay Rafferty is the one responsible. There's a trial and Clay is sentenced to hang; justice was swift in those days. Naturally, Kat and Tad are devastated, but Tad still views his brother as a fearless champion who will go to his death just as valiantly as their father did, laughing and dancing a jig all the way to the gallows. Cheyenne appeals to Clay's love for his brother, hoping he will not leave Tad with an unrepentant tough guy image that the boy will try for the rest of his life to imitate. Whether or not Clay's heart is touched by Cheyenne's entreaty, the closer he gets to that hangman's noose, the more his bravado dwindles, and his last words will ring long in young Tad's mind: "I don't want to die!"
Sue George plays Kat Rafferty, who starts out hard and scruffy and ends up looking like a young woman any lad would like to have on his arm at the church social. In fact, we first see her in a dress at just such an event, when she shyly asks Cheyenne to dance, showing what a difference a true hero's influence can make. Not much is known about Darryl Duran, who played Tad, but he did a very good job of portraying a boy who came out of a very rough upbringing with a much better attitude, again thanks to the power of a real man's subtle guidance. Edd (Edward) Byrnes, "Kookie" to a later generation, is effective as Clay, foreshadowing the costarring role he would soon have as Yellowstone Kelly's greenhorn apprentice. For most adults, he suffers in comparison to Cheyenne Bodie and Luther Kelly, both of whom exude manliness, but it's easy to see why he captivated the hearts of adolescent girls in the 60s. Clint Walker is again the star of the show. One thing that fascinates me about him is how he can invest that rich deep voice of his with such gentleness, as in his interaction with Kat Rafferty and her brother Tad. While he maintains his insistence on justice, Cheyenne Bodie does so with kindness when the situation calls for it, and that elevates his character to a level unmatched in the tradition of Hollywood leading men.
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