THE ROOT OF IT ALL

• There sit our boys, with looks of sweet appreciation, as they gaze admiringly on the attractive women sitting across from them on the stagecoach. Even the sour, elderly lady sitting between the two women doesn’t deter the men from their enjoyment of a nice view.

• I am afraid I am in complete accord with old Prudence…extracting a tooth from the mouth of your dearly beloved on the occasion of her death is just too creepy for words. My instincts tell me: Run from this man. Run fast and far…

• After making the statement that they couldn’t possibly be robbed twice in three weeks, the boys are startled to hear a gunshot…and the Kid places his hand squarely on Heyes’ knee. And he leaves his hand there until they rise to get off the stagecoach. Hmmm…I don’t quite know how to interpret this action; and maybe it is best that I don’t.
  
• The actor who plays the bandit, Mills Watson, has a name that just does not seem to fit him. To me he seems more like an Otis or a Merle.
• MYSTERY POLL: Having come to know me as well as you do by now, can you guess what we are voting on in this picture! *giggle* Go vote your answer to what you think the question is right now, please! You don't know when I might reveal the answer.

• What a lovely view of Heyes climbing back into and backing out of the stagecoach. Of course the Kid was there too, but having gone first he deprived us of a nice moving butt shot. We all know where my preference lies, so I wasn’t disappointed, but I suspect the many “Bennies” out there felt cheated somehow.

• I am quite amused by the fact that Peter cannot seem to speak to Judy Carne without a silly grin or a slathering of sarcasm that his character would have no call to use toward her character right out of the gate. The familiarity and obvious affection is sweet; it moves me. It is my hope that he really enjoyed being with her again; that he truly had fun making this episode, even if he was unhappy with the quality. And that, in the context of Peter’s life, makes me very happy.

*sigh*

• Where did Kid get a shotgun to hold to the back of the head of the older bandit? I thought all the guns were confiscated during the robbery. Why on earth would the crooks leave a high powered shotgun behind? Seems a bit misguided to me.
• Our heroes are mighty cute as they retrieve all the money and mail from the robbers. Kid always seems to stand back with the gun and Heyes takes on the more physical tasks, like rifling through the mail looking for Leslie’s letter. They each seem to know what they are expected to do in any given situation and most encounters go as smooth as satin.
• A funny running joke about not being robbed, and now recognized, twice in three weeks. Of course they were recognized! During the robbery, you could almost physically see the wheels turning in the extraordinarily round head of the bandit…



• Our poor tryin’ to do right boys…always thwarted from getting a reward they richly deserve; even if their good deeds are truly done only for their own gain. The end result is the same. And just who does this bank employee think he is to shut the teller bars in the faces of our favorite fugitives? Was that kind of affront really necessary?

• I don’t understand why Kid hands Leslie back the ring she offers the boys to secure the deal. The whole purpose of offering collateral to guarantee money is to HOLD something that belongs to the borrower until their debt is paid. Glancing at the ring does not make it collateral.

• I am always tickled and amused by the reactions Heyes has when he meets any lawman. Some are over the top; some so subtle you would miss them if not for rewind, but they are always right on the money. I am now putting forth a concerted effort to notice whether Kid reacts too, or is even in any scene, for that matter. *wink* But as is my way, I find myself mesmerized by Heyes until I later question myself, “Oh, was Kid in that scene, too?”
• I enjoy the "date" as Heyes and Leslie and Kid and Margaret go to the dining room. This is not a cheap hotel they are in; the dining room has someone who greets the two couples and leads them to a table for four. It is a very civilized outing and the first date we have seen our boys on together, I believe.

• Ok, the weird guy with his dead wife’s tooth hanging from his vest just broke into the girls’ room. Still smoking his cigar. Does anyone think they might notice the smell of cigar smoke when they return to their room and have some idea someone has been rummaging through their belongings?
• There goes the party of “prospectors” off to look for the $100,000 in buried money. They are all walking their horses calmly along, sitting smoothly and turbulence free in their saddles as they leave the stable to begin their journey. That is, until Ben brings up the rear, bouncing happily along in his saddle. He must just let his body go with the flow, completely loose and without any attempt to sit tight. It is just the most endearing quality about him. He was not an accomplished horseman like Peter, but he definitely had his own unique and amusing style.
• The chubby deputy Treadwell running and trying to put on his gun belt at the same time is hysterical.
• Listen, I understand working with animals can be tricky, and it might cost more money to have to re-shoot a scene in order to NOT film a horse while it is still defecating, but c‘mon…as the posse prepares to head out of town, this poor horse is trying to poop and some fool jumps on him, whips him around with his rear end to the camera and peels out on him…well, I won’t disgust you with details but suffice it to say the horse was still completing his task as he left the scene at high speed…
• There is no human being on the face of this earth that speaks as softly, innocently and without any semblance of personality as this Margaret character. My first impression of this woman? Dumb as a fence post. My second thought…no wonder Curry seems so enamored with her. And when she replies to the Kid saying he bet her father was hoping for a girl, her words, “I never knew him, he died before I was born” were as flat as a road kill squirrel. Not being prone to exaggeration in my musings, *wink* I think I can safely say we may be witnessing the worst actress to have ever worn shoe leather (to steal a phrase from the weird tooth thief Oscar Rosewood). I guess what I read somewhere about the looks of some of the female guest stars winning out over talent was true, particularly in this case.

• Boy, that Kid Curry can sleep anywhere! There he snoozes on the bunk in jail as our nervous-Nelly Heyes paces.

• Peter’s interaction with Judy Carne all throughout the episode is fun. I see glimmers--but just teeny ones--of David Willis in his delivery at times. Although I have never been taken with Judy's looks, they are a cute pair. I think the combination of their noses and dimples would have made adorable children. What a silly thought.



• I think that bandit’s round head pretty much fills up his bowler hat.
• I really find looking upward into someone’s hairy nostrils—in this case Deputy Treadwell’s as Leslie wakes him with a gun in his face—to be quite unpleasant. There are just some things I would rather not see. Maybe I am persnickety, but it would seem reasonable to me that someone might inform the actor and his makeup person before shooting such a scene and suggest some trimming might be in order.
• Need I say more?



• Out around the campfire Heyes and Leslie kiss—twice. But the camera angle is bad, and we really only see the backs of their heads. What a disappointment. I enjoy watching the boys kiss women.
• Oh, my god, Heyes’ pants (the infamous buff colored jeans) are pulled up way too high on him as the group counts out paces to find the money. I find that when the men wear their gun belts, it adds such a flair and masculinity that when they are off they seem less than macho.
• Kid, stop!! Don’t suggest a coin toss!!! Are you nuts??
• It always tickles me how much enjoyment Heyes gets out of Kid’s foibles. He takes pleasure in seeing his partner falter or look foolish. But it isn’t offensive because we know with these boys if it were something serious Kid were up against Heyes would give his life to help him, and the same can be said for Kid. No matter what, when the chips are down, they always have each others’ backs. It is an extraordinary friendship that I truly adore seeing all the tiny and meaningful nuances of.

• Too bad the water they find the treasure in wasn’t waist high. Seeing our favorite young men in clinging wet jeans would not have ruined my day.
• I wonder if there were any female stunt people on the show for fast horse riding. I could tell in Return to Devil’s Hole someone was riding for Diana Hyland when they sped out of Devil’s Hole, but I couldn’t tell if it was a woman or a man dressed as a woman. And now, I really don’t think Judy Carne is doing her own riding as she follows the gang of bandits at high speed. I wonder if it is Monty Laird in drag in either of these instances. We’ve seen he isn’t afraid of dressing in women’s clothes in the past. He really seems to be game for just about anything.
• After walking for what I would guess was miles, our abandoned four stop to cool their feet in a pond. How did Kid’s legs get so tanned in comparison to Heyes, Margaret and Sour Old Prudence? When has the Kid ever exposed his legs to any light, let alone sunlight? Ben has a tan, but Kid shouldn’t. And on the subject of legs and water, look how cute it is that Kid splashes Margaret’s bare leg with a bit of water…what a flirt! I half expect to see Margaret twirl her hair and go all coy on us. But true to her aforementioned lack of personality, she sits there with no reaction or interaction at all.
  
• I don’t like scenes where horses fall. How can we be sure they won’t be hurt?
• Am I losing my mind? I could swear I hear Kid’s voice say, “Hey look, a railroad track!” as Heyes points and turns to Kid like he is saying it. Rewind please, as you face your *chore* of rewatching the episode to go along with my notes, and tell me what you see. I see both men pointing, but I really get the feeling Heyes is meant to be speaking even though it is Kid’s voice we hear.
• Why am I conjuring up the image of Dudley Doright as our two macho boys use their strength and stamina to propel themselves and the two damsels in distress down the tracks on the railroad cart? And could they be any cuter doing it?

  

  

• Wow! That is some grab of Kid’s inner thigh as you hoist yourself up onto the rail cart, Leslie. About one inch higher and we may have had a real show!
• Margaret surprises the Kid when she takes the initiative and kisses him at the railroad station. I like seeing him taken a bit off guard. They kiss again, and for a second there I thought I sensed a whisper of involvement from Margaret. But on second take: nope.

• Margaret has been kissed by one man, and now she is suddenly an independent woman. She tells Leslie “I can get along fine on my own. Now.” Never saw a worse kiss be such a life changing experience. Too bad it didn’t change this woman’s acting skills also. I wonder what member of the production staff she was related to…
• I love Kid’s laugh as our sexist heroes prepare to flip a coin for a woman. Knowing Kid’s history with coin tosses, it seems obvious that Heyes gets the girl, which is, of course, fitting.

*tsk tsk*

The Mystery Poll question we were voting on was:

"Who Looks Best From Behind in This Picture?"

THE MAN WHO MURDERED HIMSELF

• A nice bit of comedy begins the episode as Heyes gingerly climbs into the wagon, loaded down with explosives, gently snaps the reins and whispers “giddy-up”. Classic Heyes, and classic deadpan Curry. ®



• After all of Kid’s bravado about there being nothing to worry about with the job, his natural instincts betray him as he grabs hold of the side of the seat when Heyes delicately urges the horses to begin the journey and the wagon lurches forward. It is a great cap to the scene and no matter how often I see it, I laugh. Perfect. ®



• It defies logic why the boys would leave one box of TNT sitting at an angle like that. They have carefully packed and tied down everything else in the wagon, and yet they leave one box of explosives at an odd angle, ready to topple over at any moment. Ok, it adds tension to the situation for the benefit of the show, I guess, but that doesn’t give an explanation to the viewers as to how these two intelligent, street smart men could suddenly become so brainless.
• I have to wonder about Ben’s (or maybe Roy Huggins’) motivation behind having Kid suddenly sound incredibly dim-witted while talking about earning more money with the job as guide. Lips moving as he tries to add two plus three… "Fi hunred dallers to split, instead of two.” And big childlike eyes and grin. What up, bro? This is the 10th episode. You have counted money, you have made change, you have played poker. You know how to count to five without being stupid about it.
• It is so imaginative how there is no segue between flipping the coin to see who continues the trip with the explosives and who gets to go back and take the job as guide. We just hear Heyes say, “Call it!” and next see Kid driving the wagon…with a very pleasing camera angle as a bonus. *giggle*

• A good line, and a quick comeback from Heyes when he and his potential employer meet. Alexander: “Mr. Smith, this might appear rude of me, but you seem rather young to be a guide.” One point for our quick witted boy, Heyes, as he replies, “There’s nothing rude about that. In fact, I was just thinking you are rather tall to be an Englishman.” I love the logic behind the example he used. We know Englishmen are no shorter or taller than anyone else, so it makes clear to us, and to Alexander as well, just how absurd Heyes found his reasoning that he is too young to be a guide.



• Actors must be very comfortable in their own skin, it seems to me. I often marvel at the fact that they can be in such close proximity to each other and not appear uncomfortable. In real life, people just don’t stand nearly nose to nose to talk, as Heyes and Mr. Alexander do as they discuss Heyes taking the job. They would fidget, and look away and seem shy and nervous if forced to be so deeply in each others’ personal space. Being claustrophobic, a scene like this both fascinates and disturbs me. I feel uncomfortable for the actors and usually it is best for me to look away and just listen to the scene, or the next thing I know I have to get out onto the deck for some air!
• If Peter is going to wear his hair slicked back, I like it better as it is now, while he is drawing the map of Devil’s Hole. It is parted more toward the center and less harshly brushed straight back, as we have often seen it before. His hair being loose is so much more flattering on him; it seems a pity to diminish his amazing looks with a hairstyle that is less than appealing. Of course, it is Pete Duel we are talking about. I find him attractive every single moment I see him, so even on bad hair days, in my opinion, he is far more beautiful than the average Joe. Am I right, ladies? *laugh*
• Why should we assume Heyes is a poor shot, simply because Kid is an exceptional one? Heyes hits the can—twice—to prove his skill and the myth is dispelled. Heyes can shoot just fine. He just doesn’t need to very often because he has Kid to protect him.



• Peter’s eyes seem particularly brown and luminous in the sheriff’s office. Like rich maple syrup; warm and fluid. It must be the lighting. I’ve always been a sucker for a dark haired, dark eyed man; I imagine my love for one Hannibal Heyes in my early adolescence had a bit to do with shaping my lifelong preference. *sigh* ® §

*sigh*

• I always have the same reaction when I see the doctor come into the sheriff’s office: I wonder if he is related to Milburn Stone, the guy who played the doctor on Gunsmoke. I finally researched it a bit, and he is not related. Maybe it is just the suit he is wearing that reminds me of old Doc Adams.
• It is perfect comic timing when Heyes circles the chair and sits back down, when instructed to do so by the sheriff. ®





• I sure am glad there are HIPAA laws in this country now, making it illegal for doctors to disclose any patient information. It seems Doc Wilson would have been more than happy to tell Heyes everything he knew about Mrs. Finney’s health. These days a doctor could lose his license simply for disclosing to an uninvolved party he has even examined her.
• Slim Pickens never does a role a disservice. While his voice is quite unique, it is not so overpowering as to make it distracting.
• The scenes of poor Kid fighting with the wagon are so well done. They are funny and yet tense, creating a bit of anxiety that the wagon may blow sky high, taking our Kid Curry with it.
• I have never seen someone look as uncomfortable or unsure riding a horse as Mr. Parker as Heyes leads his team into Devil’s Hole. He is all over the saddle, leaning oddly forward presumably to propel his horse forward. Just a guess, but I'd say this is the first time this actor has ridden a horse.
• For me, one of the best scenes in the episode is when Heyes meets up with Kyle and a few of the other Devil’s Hole gang. Kyle pretends to be mad at Heyes and when Heyes says he did it for Kyle’s own good, Kyle does this incredible laugh that starts with a tiny hee hee hee and culminates in a grotesque guffaw. Lobo slaps Kyle on the back and the dust just billows out of his jacket. The horse Kyle is on even moves in perfect comic harmony with the actors. It couldn’t have worked better. It is just such an unblemished scene, completed by Lobo saying the gang is happy to have Wheat back, because Big Jim’s ideas were too gran-di-oose. Perfect.



• Man, those are some butt ugly horses poor Kid has pulling that wagon. But he is nice to them, and tells them “thanks fellas” when they look down at him after he has been thrown from the wagon.
• Heyes is a friendly man. I don’t really understand why he is off by himself eating his dinner. It doesn’t seem to fit his character. Maybe he is being aloof to give himself an opportunity to observe the others.
• I do so appreciate the buff colored jeans episodes.
• Heyes certainly appears to enjoy watching Julia remove her boots and stockings. I imagine in the 1880s it wasn’t a common occurrence to see a woman’s naked legs. Heyes obviously gets a bit of a stirring from it, since it seems both he and Julia are very close to embracing when he helps her after she slips in the water.



• Poor Kid. Out there risking his life for $200, while Heyes has all the fun. When will Kid learn not to agree to a coin toss? He is focused on his job, though, and you have to give him points for having a work ethic.
• A very personal thank you to the camera man who did the filming of Heyes reclining on the log. *giggle followed by deep sigh* ® §



• I love when Julia gets up to leave the log, and Heyes darts under the huge tree branch and ends up in front of her. Very suave.



• Finally it is time for the kiss…and what a joy it is when it arrives. Heyes with his sweet, tiny first kisses, two by my count, and then that penetrating gaze into Julia’s eyes that makes me feel like I am witnessing something so intimate I really shouldn’t be looking, and finally a powerful kiss—have mercy—moving Julia backward. The only place to go from there is to a full recline. Do you think they actually….?? ®®!







• Every time I watch that scene (and I admit to many viewings) the song “This Kiss” by Faith Hill reverberates in my brain. ♪ It’s the way you love me... It’s a feeling like this...It’s centrifugal motion...It’s perpetual bliss...It’s that pivotal moment...It’s subliminal. ♪ This kiss, this kiss (It’s Criminal) This kiss, this kiss...♪
• I admit to never once having watched this episode without rewinding the kissing scene at least once. I suspect most of my readers could make the same confession. *wink*
• I don’t ever understand why, when one of our heroes has a love interest, there is only one passionate moment between them and they don’t kiss again until our love-‘em-n-leave-‘em boys, one or the other, sees the woman off at the train station. I don’t know about anyone else, but whenever I have experienced the excitement of a new relationship it seems like we were makin’ out every moment we were alone.
• I enjoy Heyes’ moments of boyish exuberance. His bursts of childlike laughter always amuse and delight me.



• On a somewhat morbid note, I have dressed dead people. Putting a boot on a dead person’s foot, either before or after rigor mortis has set in, is not an easy feat. It would not go as easily as it appears to for Mr. Alexander. Just a point to ponder.
• Wow. A pretty gruesome task as Heyes seems to be digging the bullet out of Parker’s flesh. Heyes couldn’t know what type of rifle the bullet came from without actually examining the bullet itself, I wouldn’t think. And considering where Parker appears to have been shot for the bullet to have mortally wounded him, I would say Heyes had to dig pretty deep.
• And now with all this morbidity going on around her, Julia decides it is the perfect time for a meal while there is a shrouded dead guy lying there and the others go through Mr. Parker’s belongings. That’s just a little over the top on the nonchalance scale, don’t you think, Julia?



• Ah ha! Now that I hear that Mr. Parker was shot in the back, I retract my theory that Heyes would have to dig deep for the bullet. If Parker were shot in the back and Heyes is looking for the bullet at the front of the body it would have to be very near the surface for Heyes to even have a clue where to dig. In order for Heyes to know it was a bullet from a Henry rifle the bullet could not have left the body. Unless, of course a huge side story, entirely hidden from the audience, was playing out while Julia ate…that the men were searching for and finding a spent bullet somewhere within, say 100 yards of the body. I don’t think so.
• The descriptions of Mr. Alexander and Mr. Parker would NOT have sounded very much like the same man. Their height, weight and coloring were NOT alike. They may have been around the same age, but other than that, the only thing that was the same about the two was that they were both male. If these two could be described the same, so could Heyes and Curry. Only our boys would actually be more alike because their height was roughly the same, whereas Mr. Parker appeared at least one and a half to two inches taller than Mr. Alexander.



• I adore the hug goodbye between Heyes and Julia almost as much as the kiss. It is a hug of genuine affection and warmth; I love seeing Heyes’ face and not Julia’s during it, showing he is as involved in it as she is, with his eyes closed and a sweet smile on his face. I think given the right circumstances, Heyes could be an extraordinarily affectionate man, and that is a very appealing idea.





• Kid finally pulls into town…safe after a horrible, long, dirty and dangerous trip. Heyes runs to him and greets him. Grabs him by the shoulder and tugs on his lapel and nearly hugs him, but not quite. It is a wonderful couple’s moment. I love these boys. They love each other.
• The honeymoon doesn’t even last a minute though as Heyes is forced to admit, with a shamed look and nod only, that he didn’t get paid. Poor Kid, angry at Heyes and on his last nerve, heads for the saloon, where we hear Heyes say, “All right, if it’ll make you feel any better, hit me.” I wonder if Heyes looked as good sliding down this saloon wall as he did sliding down Big Jim’s wall.
  

~~~~~~

STAGECOACH SEVEN

• Man, I just detest bullies. Especially the arrogant, sexist pig type. Harry Downs is one such bully and our boy Curry resolutely puts him in his place. I wouldn’t have minded if the Kid had shot him dead right there at the stagecoach door…but as is his way, Kid tries a bit of reason, a bit of a threat, and finally shuts the fool up with his demonstration of skill at the fast draw. Heyes breaks out in a pride-filled grin, and another crisis is averted.



(ok, you "Bennies"~calm down!)

• I am engrossed with Peter’s skill at communication without words. During the entire encounter between Downs and the Kid, I realized that while I was listening intently to what Kid was saying, I was mesmerized by Heyes’ face through the whole thing. Peter’s facial expressions are as actively involved in the scene as Ben’s monologue is. Just watch other actors sometime. Most often, if they are not the one speaking, they are just standing there doing nothing…waiting for their next line. But Peter is fully involved in every scene he is in by using his face or his body to stay alive and connected with what is happening for the other actors. It is something very special in his acting style that makes him more than a good actor. He is extremely charismatic on the screen and it is partially because he is fully engaged every moment we see him.

• When Heyes turns and asks the woman sitting between The Kid and him if she wouldn’t rather sit next to her husband, I want to scream, “ARE YOU NUTS?” Why would any woman in her right mind choose not to sit scrunched in behind the shoulders of two truly gorgeous men, who no doubt smell of leather and sweet whiskey and aftershave? Ooooh…I got my pulse a bit elevated there for a minute. Oh, my.



• Hey! Wait a minute! Isn’t that gang up in that clearing the same gang who were accomplices for Sarah Blaine and Agent Daley in “Wrong Train to Brimstone”? Hey, isn’t that the same clearing? Not again! Not another stock footage deception!
• How is it possible Heyes looks so adorable doing something as mundane as turning his head to look out the window of the stagecoach as it comes to a stop at gunpoint? And how is it possible no Pete Duel sites have a vid cap of that gorgeous moment?
• Gee, Kid. Wasn’t saying “It appears we’re being held up” after everyone has been commanded by the strangely styled first bandit to exit the stagecoach with their hands up just a bit unnecessary? The look Heyes’ throws you after you say it is evidence enough for me.



• What’s up with the lead bandit’s stampede strings all braided up and tight across the front of his chin like that? It is a hot day; I see sweat on his face. Wouldn’t there be chafing?



• There’s Hal Frizzell, looking much too unassuming to be a bad guy.



• Oooohhh, I just saw Heyes twirl his gun. Hot. ®
• Ugh….I just saw Heyes in those brown synthetic slacks. Cold.
• I just can’t get past that bandit’s stampede strings. Unless they are braided directly into his moustache, they sure aren’t going to be very useful at keeping his hat on his head.
• A very young Randolph Mantooth looks very innocent and nearly Amish in his round-brimmed, pushed-back-on-his-head hat. It is fun to see some actors I recognize from the future after Alias Smith and Jones and some from before the show even began. So many familiar faces from so many shows I loved.



• In the scene where Heyes and Kid discuss whether the outlaw recognized them, there’s Peter’s beautiful left profile for me to admire. And in two nearly still shots. Plenty of time to look closely. And savor. §



• I never noticed before that Ben is slightly bowlegged. As Kid and Heyes walk toward the station house for coffee it is quite apparent. He has a very cool 70s way of carrying himself that I like, though. Both men have distinctive gaits and like everything else about them, they are quite diverse.
• Harry Downs is beyond creepy, with his lecherous gaze as young Mrs. Loomis discretely nurses her baby. What a disgusting guy.



• That Keenan Wynn is a hoot. He seems to shout every line! And could his too-short, too-baggy pants be any goofier looking?
• I have known loud-mouthed complainers like Mr. Bowers and my feeling has always been that I’d like to slap them silly. And there sits his mouse of a long suffering wife, meekly tolerating his blustering and abuse.
• For just the most fleeting of moments, I thought old Hannah Utley was reaching for garlic to use as tethers to bind our boys!



• The braided bandit, as I now refer to him, has just given the people in the station three minutes to send out Heyes and Curry. He underscores the threat by saying they’ll start shooting, “…and it ain’t just two of us, it’s seven.” My photographic memory does a quick double-take and I conjure up the image of nine bandits on the hill in the clearing. Was there a black hole between the clearing and the stagecoach that two of the gang disappeared into? Did anyone involved with the production of this show know how to count? I mean, presumably everyone on the production staff had ten fingers. And even those missing a finger could still work this equation. How hard could it be to tell the difference between 7 and 9? I knew there was some numerically challenged staff from the get go, when in the Pilot Wheat smiled at the idea of the end to seven sorry lives of crime…when he could only be talking about either six or eight sorry lives of crime, depending on whether he was including Heyes and Curry.



• Joe seems to have only one single facial expression. The only variance is whether his mouth is open or closed. It is weird and slightly disconcerting.



• Hitting the deck while tied in their chairs is pretty darn cute. I am glad they only showed the expressions on their faces and the actual tip-overs a couple of times, though. It would have easily lost its sweetness if they had run it into the ground.

• To signal his gang to pause shooting, the braided bandit raises his hand to his mouth to whistle, and I can’t help but wonder about the interesting adornment on his wrist. I wonder if this actor went to rehearse with a punk rock band after he left the set each evening. Oh, wait. I don’t remember there being punk rock bands in 1971. Maybe he just went to leather bars. *wink*
• It always amazes me that the boys call each other Heyes and Kid in front of people so frequently. As they lie on the floor, tied to their chairs, Heyes says “Why bother, Kid? You’ll just have to do it again in a minute or two.” as Kid struggles to sit up. Not admitting they are Heyes and Curry, of course, he pretty much confirmed it just now, don’t you think?
• I laugh when Heyes looks up from the floor and asks Dan Loomis, ”Would you mind?” and then grins broadly at him. I just gotta marvel at the fact that Peter is even adorable sideways. *giggle*



• Heyes is such a natural caregiver. As Dan Loomis rights the Kid’s chair, Heyes reaches out to assist. Just a bit of a touch of Kid’s arm is all he can manage, but the intent is there, and oh my, what a man this is...
• Winifred Bowers is a very caring person. First we see her shielding Mrs. Loomis and the baby behind the table and then at considerable risk to herself, she leaves the shelter of the table while shots are still being fired to care for Joe, who has been cold cocked by that creep Harry Downs. Her husband doesn’t know how good he has it. Fool.
• MONTY LAIRD is a member of the outlaw gang too?? He and Hal are two of the most kindly looking people I have ever seen. But I guess that would be a pretty advantageous trait to have if you are a murdering outlaw, come to think of it.
• Because I so love finding moments of what I believe to be purely Peter, a very special scene to me is the shot just after Dan Loomis tackles the bully, Harry Downs. There stands Heyes with his hands on his hips. But it is a pose I have seen Peter in many times, not only as Heyes, but as other characters and in pictures of his private life as well; [: Picturing Pete Duel, and others] his hands on his hips in his own very distinct way. Front two fingers straight, forming a peace sign, with the other two fingers tucked under. No director told him to do this, no camera angle made it a part of Heyes, no stand-in was used for his hands. I cherish glimpsing a bit of Peter that is solely him. *sigh*



• I love how Heyes looks after going for the rifle on the floor. His hair is messy and loose and he is, in my assessment, absolutely perfect looking with the boyish smile and playful stance. The look is so reminiscent of Peter’s character in Cannon for Cordoba—which I consider a miserably unfortunate movie with one brilliant and exceedingly sexy actor in it.
• I wonder if Ben suffered from allergies. He looks awfully puffy-eyed in this episode.



• I see the bloopers in all the episodes…like just now when Heyes’ hair is loose and disheveled as he walks to the chair and slicked back and combed when he sits. I have just decided not to comment on most of them, because I am sure there is plenty of discussion of such things out there in fandom and I really don’t find the bloopers as interesting as other things I notice.
• Harry Downs is dead. Awww. Well, he lasted a lot longer than I would have allowed him to live.



• HEADLINE: OPPRESSED WOMAN STANDS UP TO BULLYING HUSBAND In a scene where you can almost hear the snip, snip of castration, Winifred Bowers expresses her distaste for her husband quite vividly, and in front of his male counterparts, no less. Funny thing though, once she took him down a notch, he actually seemed to grow some gonads and step up as a man. Good job, Winnie.



• I have called our boys ‘our heroes’ since my very first notes. In this episode I think they showed it. I don’t get the feeling they were bluffing about volunteering to surrender to the braided bandit and his gang. I think time and time again these characters exhibit their cores of benevolence, and it is very attractive, indeed.



• After hearing the number of people defending the station has jumped to seven, one of the outlaws says to Clint: “Hey, what’s he got in there? They must be breedin’ like rabbits.” GREAT LINE!
• I wonder who all those hands loading the guns and shooting in the close-ups belong to, considering they are all connected to bare arms…and there is not a man (or woman for that matter) in short sleeves in the whole group inside.
• Old Charlie Utley tells Heyes and Curry that he thinks they were willing to give themselves up to the gang because they knew there were “two ladies and a baby in danger in there”. Oh, c'mon, Charlie! What is your wife, chopped liver? Do yourself a favor, my man, and read the Vagina Monologues.
• The episode of sevens. Seven original passengers, not counting the infant in arms. Seven outlaws robbing the stagecoach, after the loss of two in the black hole between the clearing and the stagecoach. Seven people standing up to be counted as shooters against the outlaw gang. Seven posse members who take out after the retreating gang. [:anitaw Stage coach number seven. Did anyone ever count Roy Huggins’ fingers?