1- VIEWERS CHECK THIS OUT.......
*The writers for this episode are from the thoroughly westernized and countrified world of the TV series, Gunsmoke. The cast is filled with western show stars and the whole thing takes place in the very un-San Francisco- like culture of the Rodeo circuit.
A cowboy (who likes to take a shot of strong alcohol before a bull ride - wth???) doesn't finish his bull ride and, instead, the bull finishes him. Apparently though, the rope the bull riders use during the dangerous sport was sliced almost all the way through - manually and intentionally - and this led to the riders untimely death thus bringing in the heroes of the streets, Mike Stone and Steve Keller to solve the crime and bring to justice a bad guy before the dead cowboys' father uses a rope and a tall tree somewhere for a good ol fashioned hangin.
It's interesting enough to note with only a few episodes left in the second season TSOSF is already having a hard time with sufficient stories about crimes on the streets and therefore they venture into scenarios which are mostly outside their purview. The last episode involved the world of firefighters and arson. This episode involves the entirely off-the-streets world of the rodeo. So Stone and Keller go with guns on their hips into the world of sawdust, cowboy hats, hard drinkin women and honkey tonk lovers.
*The cast for this episode has iconic actors very familiar with the landscape of the rodeo and cowboys:
+Noah Beery Jr. (Jim Rockford's dad from the Rockford Files TV show starring James Garner) plays a rodeo clown who didn't quite move fast enough when the bull rider hit the dust.
+Sam Elliott brings his deep voice, southern twang and huge belt buckle into the arena. He plays the dead bull riders brother and sometimes lothario to his brothers wife.
+Lane Bradbury brings her southern accent, beautiful long red hair and horse riding skills to the rodeo - she plays the dead mans wife.
+Jim Davis brings one of the most distinctive voices in all of Hollywood and his countless movies and TV shows where he's a southern guy with a southern drawl into the episode as the dead riders father. Jim starred for years as the patriarch in the Dallas TV show and was in a few movie westerns including at least 5 films with the king of cowboys, John Wayne.
+Harry Carey Jr. Is about one of the most distinctive cowboy actors this side of the Rio Grande. His countiess movie and TV show credits are rampant with cowboys, six shooters, horses and ranches. He was born on his parents 1000 acre ranch and the lifestyle never left him. He worked with the godfather director of westerns, John Ford and with the King of the Cowboys, John Wayne on several projects and films.
*The cast, writers and rodeo venue of this episode are almost the story itself. This easily could have been a 2 hour movie and it's really a shame they made only a 50 minute episode when they had assembled a cast and a script such as this one. The lack of time to develop the story in a longer format led to, I believe, an astoundingly weak and uninspired ending.
Final Grade: B.
