The Third Rider

This episode starts out simply enough with Bart Maverick gettin accosted on the road and having to have a man ride double on his horse. The soon to be deceased and his partner Frank Faylen are fleeing a posse where a third robber has been killed.

Problem is when sheriff Dick Foran catches up with only Jack Kelly and a dead robber he assumes he's the third man. Further problems ensue when bartender Michael Dante and saloon singer Barbara Nichols decide to cut themselves in on the loot and they assume Bart is the third rider.

The Maverick gift of gab and quick thinking aid Jack Kelly as he moves from one crisis to another. Hats off to Barbara Nichols who was one of many Marilyn Monroe imitators of the time. She's greedy but dumb and Kelly plays her like a piccolo.

Barbara Nichols is always reason to watch something.

Bart is tested in Nevada. The sheriff believes he was in on a bank robbery and takes him into custody. Bart pulls a fast one and gets away. Next, he is tormented by two couples. Dolly and Red are the first. Blanche and Turk are the second. Blanche is Barbara Nichols, a sexpot in her day. I recall her on TV with Johnny Carson. She was apparently drunk and a bit obnoxious. Anyway, Turk and Blanche break Bart out of jail because they think he knows where the $80,000 is. Alone with Blanche, Bart turns her against Turk. Bart is sly, and Blanche is dumb and greedy. Did they really bury money in those days? I wonder, too, how these cowpokes can pick up each other's trails in the middle of nowhere.

Bart tangles with a bunch of people trying to get the loot from a robbery, while Bart just wants to escape the hangman's noose.

You may need a scorecard to keep up with all the characters in this episode. It's an average one at best. There really are too many plot complications to provide a good narrative. Then too, the staging, when not cheap (poorly done exterior sets and obvious studio backlot), is too static (people just standing around delivering their lines). Kelly (Bart) tries to liven it up with typical Maverick tongue-in-cheek, but can't overcome the stolid pace.

On the other hand, it's a good chance to catch one of the decade's trademark "dumb blondes" (Nichols) in a rare non-dumb blonde role. Her shapely figure just doesn't match that cartoonish voice, but once you see her, you don't forget her. Also, good to see veteran actors like Foran (the sheriff) and Faylen (Red) picking up a payday. Nonetheless, despite a few good moments, this early entry is still a long way from classic Maverick.