The People's Friend

Although it seems like this place that Bart Maverick has landed has some really free and easy election law rules it sure doesn't interfere with the comedy in this episode. In fact at first you would think that a Maverick with their gift of gab would be naturals at politics.

Not however when you are running as the "Reform" candidate for State Senator which Jack Kelly is doing after deflecting an assassin's bullet causing candidate John Litel to be only wounded. The assassin is killed however so nothing can be learned from him. Kelly who is new in town is now a local hero and he's drafted to run in Litel's place. They have some loose residency requirements.

R.G. Armstrong is in this as well as the opposition and he oozes corruption from every pore. Litel's daughter and biggest supporter is Merry Anders who is persuasive in getting Kelly to run. But as a Reformer he has to give up saloons and gambling. That's really cramping a Maverick's style.

Of course we know Bart Maverick did not go to the State Senate. See how that came about. Might have been interesting if he had though.

Bart enters politics! Can you imagine a Maverick holding public office? But he runs for the State Senate against an unscrupulous politician named Cosgrove. When he draws a mustache on Cosgrove's poster, the sheriff confiscates his marker. Bart's speech and humor wins votes, but he just wants to play poker. Merry Anders as Penelope has to remind him that he represents the Reform Party. She allows him one vice. They kiss and probably do more. When the election ends in a tie, Bart's vote will decide it. He votes for Penelope's father. Jack Kelly became a real politician, serving on the Huntington Beach city council. James Garner joked that Kelly owned half of Orange County.

One of my favorites of the series, this episode showcases Jack Kelly's fine comedic acting along with one of the most beautiful women to grace the television screen, Merry Anders.

Although the plot is a tad hokey, the writing is clever and Kelly's facial reactions to some of the knottier situations are priceless, particularly the one in which his character, the unrepentant gambler Bart Maverick, discovers he is running for state senator as the Reform Ticket candidate.

This episode features a rare running gag in which Bart is constantly stymied in his attempts to play poker by the repeated interruptions of Anders' character, the prudish but delectable Penelope.

Overall, a really good episode.