Incident West of Lano

I thought this was one of the best episodes in the series. A big plus is that it starred the beautiful Martha Hyer. The story was very good.

Westerns are known, correctly, as morality tales and character studies. You often need heaps of "suspension of disbelief" to enjoy them. Here I'd like to comment on a number of implausibilities: (1) I never believed that the two sides couldn't come to peaceful terms on which one would cross the river first. The freighters said they could cross that day; Favor groused about the water bank being softened and needed 3 days to recuperate for his herd to cross. I didn't believe that, and even if so, they could wait rather than kill each other. (2) it MIGHT have helped the situation if Favor told the freighters the truth -- that their man was killed by Hyer while trying to rape her sister. Nothing to lose by trying the truth. Instead, Favor has the bad guy's body dumped on the other side of the river and refuses to say what happened. Dumb. (3) Favor and Hyer had good chemistry. Favor should have reciprocated her affection. Instead he dumbly says he has to follow the same rules as he gives his men. Dumb. He never pursued her. He could have said or done something, like meeting up later. Anything. (4) Equally dumb for Hyer to announce, after the killing and her announced affection for Favor, that she was leaving the trail drive and going off alone with her "sisters." Especially dumb and implausible that Favor would acquiesce. (5) One other thing, I don't like it when when the plot is solved by the hero simply outdrawing the bad guy. It happens too often in "Rawhide." And here Favor is just a trail boss, and the bad guy here was a professional gunslinger, at least by reputation.

Talk about telegraphing the plot..first the setup, then the intracte, then the coup de gras....this was a typical woman driven romantic scheme...meet an old flame, let him fumble around and then sink the hook...its as easy as catching fish...i'm sure patricia helfer felt way out of place trying to pretend she had a lot of personal fears...and of course there are the complications....architects want to do raw designs and writers want to write children stories....aren't they the epitome of perfection ? ....instead of watching this piece of fluff, curl up with a good book by ayn rand

Eric Fleming as trail boss usually was all about business during Rawhide's run. Get those cattle to market whatever the cost. But when four shapely women are found with a brokedown wagon and half a team on the trail, Fleming is nothing if not a southern gentlemen. The women are Abby Dalton, Jacqueline Mayo, Mary Hadley and in charge is Martha Hyer.

In addition to beauty they are a traveling act of sharpshooters. And Gil Favor finds himself looking on with favor on Hyer.

Unfortunately the trail herd comes to a river there is only a narrow crossing and on the other side is Robert Harris with several wagons of hides he wants to get to his market in Galveston. He also as gunman James Anderson to enforce his will.

I'm in agreement with the other reviewer about the climax, could have been written better.

Still I like what Eric Fleming and Martha Hyer had in the way of chemistry.