"Have Gun - Will Travel" The Hanging Cross (1957)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (written by)
Herb Meadow (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Have Gun - Will Travel" (1957)

Original Air Date:

21 December 1957 (Season 1, Episode 15)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Christmas proves a dangerous time when a rancher chooses family over peace and violence over negotiation. |

Plot Keywords:

Gunfighter | Cult Western | Cult Favorite | Cult TV

Cast

Richard Boone	...	Paladin
Ed Binns	...	Nathaniel Beecher (as Edward Binns)
Abraham Sofaer	...	Cah-la-te
Don Beddoe	...	Tater
Johnny Crawford	...	Robbie
Mary Adams	...	Maggie
Frances Osborne	...	Maudie
Nira Monsour	...	Tia (as Nyra Monsour)
Buck Young	...	Pete
Mitchell Kowall	...	Jesse (as Mitchell Kowal)
James Gavin	...	Cowboy

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:G

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Quotes:

Paladin: Well, this is the night when some people pretend there is no evil in the world.

Have Christmas, Will Celebrate

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This Christmas episode features images very rarely seen on TV these days--a cross, people singing hymns and mentioning God rather than Santa Claus. The episode begins instead of the usual way, with Paladin directly addressing the camera about his Christmas gift to the audience as he hangs up his gun. When next we see him, he's arriving on the ranch of Nathaniel Beecher (Edward Binns), a cold hearted rancher who sent for Paladin to help find his son who had been stolen by the Apaches years ago. Since he already has recovered the boy (Johnny Crawford) Beecher plans to stiff Paladin of his fee (and we get an idea how much $1,000 is in those days when we hear Beecher talk about hiring Paldin as a hand for $25 a month!). But then Beecher needs Paladin's services after all when the Shoshoni tribe Beecher got the boy from comes to get him back on Christmas Eve.

Boone has several nice moments in this along with Shoshoni Chief Cah-la-te (Abraham Sofarr) and the ranch foreman Tater (Don Beddoe in the first of his four appearances). In general this is a anti-prejudice feel good kind of an episode without a lot of action, but that works nicely as a Christmas story.