The town's richest and most popular man is convicted and sentenced to be hung for the revenge murder of his son's killer. He is undaunted by this because he is counting on no one in town be ... Read allThe town's richest and most popular man is convicted and sentenced to be hung for the revenge murder of his son's killer. He is undaunted by this because he is counting on no one in town be willing to act as executioner.The town's richest and most popular man is convicted and sentenced to be hung for the revenge murder of his son's killer. He is undaunted by this because he is counting on no one in town be willing to act as executioner.
- Toothless
- (as William Thompkins)
- Courtroom Spectator
- (uncredited)
- Courtroom Spectator
- (uncredited)
- Juror
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThree of the characters in this installment of Rawhide were all born in the same year. Broderick Crawford (Jud Hammerklein), Hugh Sanders (Deputy Ef Wiley) and Robert Middleton (Judge John Jefferson Hogan) were all born in 1911.
- GoofsIn the scene where "Hey Soos" is riding ahead of the rest his horse is spooked and he is bitten by a rattlesnake. He is leading alongside of him and his horse a white horse. This is supposed to be the mount belonging to Hannibal H. Plew. However Hannibal had earlier revealed that his mount was a white mule that he calls Henrietta. Later, while in Deadhorse Hannibal is seen with Henrietta which now is a white mule.
- Quotes
Hannibal H. Plew: Ah, you're not Henrietta
[his mule]
Hannibal H. Plew: Who can answer my questions nine? Sing ninety-nine and ninety. What is whiter than milk? What is softer than silk? Snow is whiter than milk. The wind is softer than snow. What is louder than a horn? What is sharper than a thorn? Thunder's louder than a horn. And Death is sharper than a thorn.
- SoundtracksRawhide Theme
Created and Composed by Dimitri Tiomkin
Lyrics by Ned Washington
Recorded by Frankie Laine
Nobody wanted to be the hangman of Crawford, so the Sheriff contacted the the State Supreme Court for a hangman, and Burgess Meredith got sent out to do the job.
Now this could have easily been a one hour story. Crawford did not want to hang, and his family controlled the town and lots of cowboy employees. So the entire confrontation with Gil Favor and the drovers should have been wrapped up without adding the three attempts on the life of Burgess Meredith.
First they bury him after a beating, then they whip and toss him into a ditch, then something similar gets done. Each time, the drovers happen to find him, they take him back to camp, and Wishbone heals up Meredith, and we get to hear Meredith engaging in several dramatic monologues regarding his life and death, and why it is his life's work to hang people, and why he has to do it even if he gets killed.
The drovers get dragged into it out of misplaced sympathy. I think the first time should have been enough, and if Meredith wanted to get killed, that was his problem.
Broderick Crawford and Chill Wills as guest stars do not do much in both episodes. Crawford's highlight is at the end of the second part, when he makes a dramatic speech about not wanting anyone to get killed (after numerous confrontations), and wanting to do the right thing (really late in the game).
Crawford meets his fate, and Meredith gets back on his mule with his fake bent neck and bad back, and everyone watches him ride away as they slowly realized they wasted a week or more defending a guy who could care less about anyone, including himself.
This was an episode dedicated to Burgess Meredith making a lot of dramatic pointless speeches about duty, loyalty, obligations, death, etc. Somebody at Rawhide must have owed him some big favors.
Details
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1