MovieChat Forums > Have Gun - Will Travel (1957) Discussion > Gene Roddenberry episodes

Gene Roddenberry episodes

posted 6 years ago by snepts (11123)
7 replies | jump to latest

I'm very late coming to HG-WT, but I noticed Gene R wrote the episodes that appeared on MeTV last Saturday morning. Can't exactly remember the first one -- it'll come to me, I suppose -- but the second one was very odd in a very fun way.
[SPOILER]
Some rich guy out West hires Paladin to kill a Tiger for him. He's convinced he has a curse on him for wounding a tiger in India and being afraid to follow it into the jungle, and the tiger ended up killing many villagers. So he's in Southwest US fretting about getting killed by a tiger.
By happenstance, the rich guy decides to travel by horseback somewhere that just happens to be where a traveling circus will be stopping. The wagon with a tiger in it topples and the cat escapes.
The guy realizes there is a Tiger about, his horse throws him, and he tries to climb to safety.
Turns out the cat is old and docile and gets lured back into the wagon, and Paladin has a good laugh about it. Turns out, the rich guy was so panicked he ends up falling off a 200 foot cliff and dies.
That Gene R wrote the episode seems like it shows what an interesting imagination he had. It was a very entertaining and unusual story for a Western.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Yes, Roddenberry came up with good stories in the earlier years of his career.

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

HG-WT is coming on in a couple minutes. I wonder if there will be more GR eps
I get such a kick out of this show. This is the first time I've watched them.
I went through the same thing with Laramie, except they were on everyday, so I was able to see all four seasons pretty quick.

[–] twinA (4826) 6 years ago

If you get H&I, the Heroes and Icons channel, in your area through either over-the-air-antenna or cable, Have Gun - Will Travel offers two episodes from 8:00am and 8:30am weekdays and Sundays 1:00pm both schedules Eastern time.

https://www.handitv.com/shows/have-gun-will-travel

This show has aged really well, ahead of its time.

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

Just finished the second half-hour ep of Paladin. Great story of an American Indian young man who believes he is a US Marshal because he took a correspondence course, and he believes himself to be a fast gun. The whole time he comes off like a naive kid who needs to be saved from himself. (SPOILER AHEAD)
By the end of the episode, he is indeed sworn in as a Marshal and proves he IS a fast gun. Paladin says something about some people have to earn respect, and the young man replies, "And some people like you give it right away, and I thank you for that." He takes his correspondence diploma and tears it up. Paladin asks how long did know it was worthless. The Indian replies, "perhaps always, but it gave me a direction, and a young Indian needs this." Very thoughtful.
Written by Gene Roddenberry and directed by Ida Lupino.
Hey Boy !

[–] twinA (4826) 6 years ago

Sounds like the young native finally found confidence in himself. He did not need affirmation from a piece of paper. Realizing that with people like Paladin, who gives a person a fair shake, behaviors and attitudes can be bridged. Grudges and anger end allowing humanity to triumph through forgiveness.

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

That's an interesting take and thanks for the reply.
To me, it's more simply that the young man appeared to be foolishly naive, that's how he's made to appear.
But in the end, he was earnest and intelligent and always had been, we just thought he was over his head.
And even when Paladin didn't appreciate what he was doing, he let him make his own mistakes, which weren't mistakes after all.
There was a cute scene early when the "Marshal" asks Paladin for his gun, and Paladin obliges. The kid is completely vulnerable to the quick and crafty P, but Paladin doesn't disarm the young man, he just goes along with him. At some point the kid sets down Paladin's gun while they are in close proximity, and his own gun is holstered.
Paladin pointed asks the young man, "Could you take my gun out of the dirt?" The kid apologizes sheepishly, haha.

[–] twinA (4826) 6 years ago

That's a lot a trust for Paladin to give to the "Marshal", a stranger. Perhaps Paladin was once like the young man, eager to prove himself in his field but still has a lot of steps to take to grow as a person when given the opportunity and treated with dignity.

It's been a bit since I've seen the series. You really get to see Roddenberry get a feel exploring ideas that he would further pad out in his "wagon train to the stars", Star Trek.