The Man Who Wouldn't Talk

"The Man Who Wouldn't Talk" was the second of five appearances on the series by Charles Bronson, here playing the title role of Chris Jorgenson, gunman and rancher, whose painful shyness around the opposite sex leads him to hire Paladin to teach him the basics. Living on the ranch next to Chris is the object of his affections, Maria de Castro (Grace Raynor), who lives with her grandmother from Spain (Celia Lovsky), and has been experiencing some trouble with her cattle herd. Paladin decides to motivate Chris by getting him riled up with jealousy, and also helps put an end to the cattle problems. Harry Carey Jr. plays Jorgenson's ranch boss, and 21 year old Dyan (billed as Diane) Cannon makes her first credited television appearance in the very first scene, two years before making her movie debut. Lovely Grace Raynor had an all too brief career, mostly on TV Westerns, ending by 1964. Bronson's first episode was "The Outlaw," and his next would be "A Proof of Love."

For one of the few occasions the historical time can be inferred, though is is probably just an anachronism. The opening scene takes place at the San Francisco Opera House where Rostand's play Cyrano de Bergerac is being performed. The play was written in 1897 and first performed in Paris, France on 28 December 1897, so this episode takes place later than this. However, this was probably just an oversight, one that the television audience would not have noticed. In this opening scene, Paladin is seen conversing with two attractive young ladies, neither of whom is addressed by name, but are identified in the closing credits as Fifi and Mimi. Fifi is played by Dyan Cannon, though her name is listed as Diane.

I love Charles Bronson in this episode! I'm always happy to accidentally find him playing a "nice" guy such as Chris Jorgenson. I prefer the young, clean-shaven, good-looking Charles Bronson with short hair to the tough guys for which he is famous.

"Man With A Camera" was one of my favorite TV programs as a young teenage girl in the late 1950s. I recently found the series on YouTube and watched every episode. Bronson is a freelance photographer involved in mysteries. I ended up minoring in photography in the late 1960s, so it is interesting to see his clever camera equipment and portable dark room.

... and I love the series overall. What could be more insipid than watching an adult male moon over the woman of his dreams, who needs to hire Paladin to coach him? Answer: when that male is horribly miscast Charles Bronson.