Showdown with Rance McGrew

Rod Serling wrote two scripts for series three that were inspired by an idea from another writer, Frederick Louis Fox. The other was the quaint but likable 'Hocus-Pocus and Frisby'. Fox was generally a writer of TV western screenplays, so unsurprisingly this one is set in the world of the then popular TV-west-that-never-was.

Rance McGrew (Larry Byden) is TV cowboy who suddenly steps out of his make-believe world and into the 'real' west where he is confronted by Jesse James.

It starts brightly with visual gags, a film crew and the ridiculousness of the sixties' TV western. However when Jesse James came in he was such an anodyne character of the TV western ilk anyway, when the show needed a dynamic and deadly, movie type like Lee Marvin ('The Grave', series three) or Martin Landau ('Mr Denton On Doomsday',series one). The rest falls very flat as there is nothing to consider remotely realistic about Jesse James, and so the story peters out badly.

Larry Blyden plays Hollywood actor and difficult western TV star Rance McGrew, who has become spoiled, lazy, and inefficient in his job as the star who plays famous Marshall Rance McGrew, who always gets his man, and survives impossible odds, until one day, while he is filming a scene involving Jesse James, the real Jesse James(played by miscast Arch Johnson) shows up from heaven, determined to punish Rance for his historical inaccuracies and phony TV persona. How will McGrew handle this bizarre dilemma? Good premise is sadly squandered in failed attempt at satire, with the "real" west being every bit as phony as the "TV" west. First real misfire of the series.

TZ was never known for its comedy which makes this episode stand out. A lot of the gags are played a little too broadly but are still fun. My favorite is the Marshall's repeated calls for "Stuntman!". Another good aspect of this episode is the high quality actors playing the director, the AD, the lead, and Jesse James. They all seem to be enjoying the ride, maybe a little too much, as the acting is a little more hammy than needed at times. It has the requisite twist ending but even it is played for laughs. So many TZ episodes seem stretched too far beyond the twist just fill the time. This episode is slightly too long but the comedic acting keeps your interest. Highly recommended.

This is one of my least favorite Twilight Zone episodes. I guess some of it has to do with the demise of the Western as a television staple. At the time this was made, TV was inundated with Westerns, from Bonanza to Gunsmoke and back again. In this one Rance McGrew, a phony baloney, uncooperative actor who has become a hero to his television audience, is accosted by his imaginary rivals. Mainly, the true personage of Jesse James. The silly byplay between Rance, the director, and the other persons on the set is so fifties and so outdated. The story is pretty much the dumb actor being thrown through windows and beaten up and having to change his image to a submissive. Anyway, it is dull, and because of the conclusion, there's no one to root for.

The spoiled star of a Western show Rance McGrew is very successful in the business despite his behavior with the fellow coworkers. While shooting the showdown of his character with Jess James, he forces the director to shoot the way he wants. Out of the blue, he is transported to the Wild West and the real Jess James is coming to him.

"Showdown with Rance McGrew" is a silly and unfunny episode of "The Twilight Zone". The lead character is a spoiled man that performs a Marshall on television, but the hard work is performed by his stunt. He likes to give his opinion in the screenplay and director, cast and crew have to accept since he is the star. And he is also clumsy, destroying many scenes. While shooting scene 71, he is transported to the Twilight Zone and his life changes. This episode is indeed a waste of time. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): Duelo com Rance McGrew" ("Duel with Rance McGrew")