The Virginian (TV Series) Jed (1968) User Reviews

One nasty potential range war

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 4 July 2019]

In this Virginian episode John McIntire tries to be a voice of reason as a usual cattle trail is now blocked by a new crop of homesteaders who've been told they could farm. Another trail is some 50 miles longer and some ranchers like Walter Coy aren't having it.

A real sneak of a top hand of Coy's played by Stuart Margolin locates an old friend, a fast gun played by Steve Ihnat and hires him on for Coy. But when Ihnat arrives in town he meets up with Doug McClure with whom he has history. He goes to work for Shiloh instead as Margolin decides he might best be used as a spy.

What complicates things for Ihnat besides Trampas is brother and sister Sammy Jackson and Brenda Scott. Ihnat falls for Brenda.

I think you have an idea where this is going, but this episode belongs to both Ihnat and Margolin. Ihnat carries such an air of sadness about him in the story. Great use of body language. As for Margolin he's best known for being Angel Martin in The Rockford Files where he's the sneak's sneak. There it's for comic effect, here he's quite the rat.

A good Virginian episode which also marks John McIntire's debut in the series.

Put on Your Soap Opera Hat

[CaptWinkie · 1 December 2023]

These shows are called "horse operas" anyway, but Jed is especially so. Things happen at the pace of real life, but people talk about it or react to it at the pace of a soap opera.

We have nesters blocking a path near water that has been used for years by cattlemen driving herds to market after the big roundup. This year, they have to go around--about 50 miles out of their way; but if they do it this year, the railroad may make a spur available by next roundup... Many cattlemen would rather just punch through, follow normal routine, and nesters be damned. Grainger isn't one of them, but Tallman (Walter Coy) is - and he has a little (Stuart Margolin) bird in his ear whispering how it can be done.

Enter Steve Ihnat as the titular Jed, the guy who rawhided Trampas apparently 8 years ago. Jed calls him 'Cowboy'.

Margolin, playing Yeager, knew Jed before too and traveled some distance to hire him for Tallman's 'drive' in Medicine Bow. Jed didn't know Trampas was in Medicine Bow and Yeager didn't know Jed knew him, but once the information is known, Yeager with Tallman's approval pays Jed more money to hire on at Shiloh as a double-agent. He agrees.

Good thing you're wearing your soap opera hat.

It's more difficult to get out of something, usually, than it is to get in it, and you'll see this story is no different. What's different about the western sand in this hourglass, however, is the love Jed has both for Trampas and for Ron's (Sammy Jackson) little sister Abby (Brenda Scott)--which is reciprocated by them both. That much love usually demonstrates itself, but Trampas and Abby are quick to see Jed is holding back, he's struggling against something and can't say what it is. So, as normally happens under this hat, other people say it for him--and at just the right time(s) too.

All at once then, everything gets turned on its ear. The sky had opened up enough to let you peek into Jed's possible life of kids, cattle and good friends enjoying a wide safe range of river-fed grassland before dark clouds settled back into their usual positions and destroyed it. Hey, but maybe it could be fixed. That's why these stories are so popular, see?

This has the feel of a story carried by a guest star, but Ihnat isn't really in that category- he's more like a regular player that stepped up into a guest star position and killed it. If he could only have lived, he would have been at least another John Malcovich imo. He never made it through his demons tho and passed away at age 37 in France in the Spring of 1972.

Extra star for the roundup sequences built into the storyline. Watch and have fun. Don't forget your hat.