En route to Salem, Daniel is waylaid and robbed of his furs by a trio of con artists pulling the fake distress scam; he rounds them up and attempts to bring them into town for the meting of justice.
The foil tonight is another larcenous family, one of several which will show up during the series. This one - the common law Hanks clan - is less than threatening, being led by gravel-voiced character actor Lloyd Nolan, brunette vixen Myrna Fahey, and Kurt Russell in his second of five DB roles. Russell is still confined to the cute-kid Disney rut here, but its fun to see him develop into the more experienced leading man we know in 2023.
Very little to discuss here; its mostly banter between Dan and the Hanks brood, with the occasional grabbing of a musket. Its clear that NBC gave marching orders that this was to be a low-budget night. Some more formidable baddies show up late in the hour to liven things up, but the beer is pretty flat by then. Plus, as in the previous hour, outdoor night scenes are hopelessly muddied in the black and white format.
Likewise, nothing much on the history front. Danger from the Chippewa is alluded to, but their range at the time extended through Ontario to Minnesota, no explanation given as to why they might want to stalk the Cumberland Gap area. For the first time in Salem we see a colonial-era stagecoach - if such were 1870's Wells Fargo coaches painted black.
Lots of who-will-get-drop-on-who here, always evidence of Westerns writers' block. The script would have played a lot better as a radio drama, and this one is mainly of interest to fans who cannot get enough Kurt Russell.
