In the episode of "Hopalong Cassidy" entitled "The Emerald Saint," Hoppy and Red follow the trail of a fugitive murderer into Mexico and the town of San Pablo where, they are told, the fugitive is a doctor who fled a malpractice charge in the U.S. and is now using his skills to care for the poor and is much respected in the village as a result. As is his wont, Hoppy's more than a little skeptical, so he decides to stick around and keep an eye on the man. Interestingly, the middle portion of the episode is devoted to the annual festival of the patron saint of San Pablo and is filled with newsreel and documentary footage of Mexican festivals completely unrelated to the action, all narrated by Hoppy.
The actors playing natives of the village all appear to be of Latino descent, led by Don Alvarado and Anna Navarro as Don Miguel Alvarez and his daughter Lola (listed as Lois in the IMDb cast list). The Mexicans with speaking parts mostly speak English, although one woman seeking the doctor's help speaks Spanish to him and he responds in kind. Early in the episode, as Hoppy questions various townspeople about the fugitive, we don't hear what language he speaks to them since the dialogue has been replaced with Hoppy's narration. By all rights, he should have been speaking Spanish to them, although we never hear him say more than "Buenos Dias" in this episode. (He does speak a little more Spanish in an earlier episode from Season 2, "Illegal Entry.") Still, this episode deserves some credit for its ethnically appropriate casting and deliberate avoidance of stereotypes. And there's a nice twist at the end involving a hint of redemption.
The actors playing natives of the village all appear to be of Latino descent, led by Don Alvarado and Anna Navarro as Don Miguel Alvarez and his daughter Lola (listed as Lois in the IMDb cast list). The Mexicans with speaking parts mostly speak English, although one woman seeking the doctor's help speaks Spanish to him and he responds in kind. Early in the episode, as Hoppy questions various townspeople about the fugitive, we don't hear what language he speaks to them since the dialogue has been replaced with Hoppy's narration. By all rights, he should have been speaking Spanish to them, although we never hear him say more than "Buenos Dias" in this episode. (He does speak a little more Spanish in an earlier episode from Season 2, "Illegal Entry.") Still, this episode deserves some credit for its ethnically appropriate casting and deliberate avoidance of stereotypes. And there's a nice twist at the end involving a hint of redemption.
