The Legacy of Charlie O'Rourke

• The final episode of the first season is already upon us, and I am feeling a bit sad in anticipation of the end of my notes in only 18 weeks. What a joy this has become for me. Thank you all so much for continuing to stop in and let me know you have.
• Our boys look so nice riding into town. I love how Heyes,in particular, looks on a horse. Very tall in the saddle…such a smooth rider. And Kid, bouncing along, always makes me smile.



• I think this actor playing Charlie, Billy “Green” Bush, would be very handsome without the beard. He has lovely eyes and a sweet smile.

• I appreciate that Heyes voices his disapproval to the sheriff for his attitude. Heyes has a strong will, and a social conscience, and his best weapon is always words. He doesn’t say much, but his point is made—although the sheriff doesn’t back down on his opinion that the only reason Charlie would have visitors is for the gold.



• When Heyes and Kid visit in jail, it is a sweet moment when Charlie squeezes the arm of each man, giving him what is effectively a hug from behind the bars.



• Some insight on what the significance of the match Charlie lights and writes on himself with, anyone? Was he going to draw a map to the gold?

• I feel saddened by Charlie’s predicament; I suppose because I now have first hand knowledge that all outlaws are not heartless evil-doers. It is poignant to me that our boys care about their former cohorts and feel compassion and sorrow for them when something like this befalls one of them.
• It is terribly moving to me when Charlie says, “There’s something else you could do for me, kind of a last request…” and when Kid answers, “Sure, Charlie, what is it?” he requests that Heyes and Kid be there at the hanging. He needs to see them there, for comfort and support and they are compassionate enough that we know, even though the last thing they want to do is watch their comrade die, they will be there to show him he isn’t alone. It touches me. Peter and Ben both have gentle looks on their faces in this scene that work so well…
  
• I like the back of Kid’s coat, all worn and weathered and supremely manly.
• And speaking of coats…even though it seems to me to look like a child’s jacket, I am very happy indeed that Heyes is wearing a shorter coat than his winter version. I do so enjoy watching him walk away…
• Heyes is so much more emotional by nature than the Kid. Kid is fully pragmatic…always thinking how any experience will affect him. While Heyes is still reeling emotionally from having seen Charlie and promising to be there for his hanging, Kid is more concerned about himself as he replies to Heyes’ comment that he feels terrible and wishes Ol’ Charlie had never spotted them with “It could’ve been worse. A lawman could have spotted us.” I don’t think Kid is cold-hearted, I think he is just always in defense mode—his role in the pair being to protect them. Still, it comes off very unfeeling to think anything that could happen to him could be worse than a man hanging by his neck until dead. Sometimes I wish the writers had thought some of these words, and their impact, out a bit more carefully.

• Harry Briscoe amuses me the minute I see him. J.D. Cannon did a tremendous job of making this eccentric character both distasteful and endearing. I always laugh when I notice his dual holsters, worn as if he is some skilled gunslinger. Maybe he is ambidextrous, but I doubt he is very adept at fast draw. Even though I imagine Bannerman detectives were trained in the use of firearms, Harry just seems a bit too bumbling to ever have truly mastered the art.
• Ok, I am a giddy teenager again…sue me…but damn, our boys look particularly handsome in this episode. I love the bangs on Heyes.

• Can’t you just smell the testosterone in the room when the saloon girl enters by way of the ceiling, in a cage, and sings a sweet ditty to all the drinking, randy men? And Heyes and Curry can’t even begin to wipe the grins off their faces, in sincere appreciation of the woman’s “talent”, and her apparent interest in them.




• The moment when Kid folds the note the saloon girl has dropped to their table, and clutches it to his chest when Heyes ask who the note was meant for is adorable. I think that is purely a Ben move, at least the extra little bit of possessiveness, and it tickles me. It’s fun to see the boys in a state of longing.®

• An unfortunately unflattering outfit on the saloon girl, though, as the little skirt cuts right at the widest part of her hips, not only making her appear wider, but shorter as well. An inch or two higher or lower would have made all the difference in the world.
  
• Our boys are so cute drinking tea as they wait for Alice to dress behind the screen. Befitting their very distinct characters, Heyes sits stiffly upright in his chair and sips his tea somewhat gingerly, while Kid drinks his like a cup of coffee, himself a bit slouched over and looking every bit the cowboy. A nice contrast between them, of their natures. I get the strong feeling in scenes such as this that they are showing themselves as two little boys, having been orphaned at 10, [:The Men That Corrupted Hadleyburg who have largely taught themselves manners, and Heyes being the more worldly because he does read books has a different instinct about how to act than the Kid does--although he has taught Kid a lot, as far as manners go.





• Besides, Kid is much too concerned with what is going on behind the screen to worry about putting on airs.
• Kid cannot stop grinning, and turning to look at the screen, and Heyes’ laughs covertly as he sips his tea and thinks of the woman behind the partition. What a sweet moment. Kid is more obvious in his appreciation, and I think Heyes is slightly giddy, like a teenage boy with lustful thoughts, and can’t quite hold back his urge to laugh. Since we have seen Heyes’ entire body become involved when he lets himself be overcome with laughter or excitement, we are made very aware he is doing a mighty good job at keeping himself in check here. (It’s just my opinion, but I think the laughing is acting, by the way—not what some feel is Peter breaking character.)
• Joan Hackett is so unique. She is not what I would consider classically attractive but she has a way about her that is very appealing. Her manner of speaking, her looks, her flirtatiousness. I would think men would find her incredibly sexy; it’s patently obvious our two lonely boys do.
  
• The whole scene of Alice visiting Charlie is heart wrenching to me. We know she is there to get knowledge of where the gold is, and yet we see her compassion and warmth toward him. She sings him “The Streets of Laredo” but doesn’t use the original words…she sings of him having to hang and his eyes fill with tears…it is just a very tender moment, and in my mind a high quality scene. Charlie eats watermelon to push back his pain and fear and that is so touching. This actor’s take on the emotions is understated, and in effect, more moving than if he had openly cried. I actually teared up. Charlie will die tomorrow, he wants comfort and consolation in his last few hours, and he gets it from Alice even if he probably realizes she wants his money. I am a sap, so I trust that even though she was partially motivated by greed, Alice meant it when she said she was there because she thought that “maybe a few songs and someone to talk to might make the night go a little easier” for him. Regardless, she did what no one else cared enough to do, she afforded a desperately alone man some comfort in his last hours of life—and maybe that is enough to make her worthy of his fortune in gold. *sniffle*



• Thank god the producers or director or writers—whoever makes this type of decision—saw fit to NOT show us anything referencing the hanging. We simply see a church steeple and then slowly become aware of the funeral taking place as we hear Alice still singing the song. And we see Heyes, Curry, and I have to assume Alice, there at the graveside, honoring Charlie O’Rourke. Very well done. What is the sheriff doing there though? It feels hugely disrespectful and he should have stayed home.
• Almost jarringly moving away from the somber mood of the last scene, the boys ride into town after the funeral and are waylaid into the livery stable by four men. It seems improbable to me that they would allow themselves to be walked into the stables. I think the beginning of the scene would have worked better had they “parked” their horses near the livery stables and been dragged, kicking and fighting, inside. But as the scene progresses we are treated to one of the few laugh out loud moments of the episode; we hear what appears to be a brawl in the barn, with lots of banging and punching and horses whinnying and a few very strange male screams…I laugh every time I hear it! And then from the stables emerge our two macho boys who have obviously kicked the asses of the pack of rabble rousers quite handily, but are now visibly angry and walk with great determination toward the saloon. I tell you, I wouldn’t want to be the one those pissed off cowboys are going looking for…



• I just noticed the sign on the livery stable: ‘HENRY’S LIVERY STABLE. THE FRIENDLIEST PLACE IN TOWN.’ Very amusing.
• Briscoe gasping for breath after Heyes and the Kid give his head some time in the trough: priceless. And as Kid pounds him on the back and the water comes out of his mouth, I laugh like a fool. Harry Briscoe was really great comedic relief in the show—it was a wise move by the powers that be to have him as a recurring character.



• Our boys are mad all right, but hearing the words “5,000 dollars…” stops them in their tracks and they drag Briscoe, dripping and gasping, into the saloon to hear what he has to say. Very cute.
• Is Peter just particularly exquisite looking in the scene where Briscoe is telling the boys that Alice spent four hours singing gospel hymns the night before he swung, as Harry so delicately puts it, or is it just me? I may have to consider one of those very moments as a choice of photo in my next calendar…and for future swooning exercises, of course. §
  
• If gold is $333 a pound, that means they will be moving approximately 300 lbs 5.3 ounces of gold. I did that in my head. Is anyone impressed besides me? *wink*
• I am fascinated by the way a stagecoach is driven. I have watched a lot of westerns in my life and yet I never noticed before rediscovering Alias Smith and Jones that the driver has to have his right leg in what appears to be a very awkward and uncomfortable position on the brake. Those men must have been down for the count for romance after using the adductor and groin muscles like that on a long drive! Man. I have to assume there were some unsatisfied wives of stagecoach drivers in the 1880s. Oh, maybe I’m wrong. Did men have a clue or even care if their women were satisfied in the 1880s?
• The blasé sheriff leading the posse kills me. Totally deadpan and it works.
• What a blast to hear the entire Alias Smith and Jones theme song as we watch the first leg of the journey in the stagecoach.
• Ok, I am totally turned on by the fact that PETER is actually driving the stagecoach in some of the shots. What a man! I won’t comment on his inner thigh and groin muscles…Oh, my, is it hot in here…?

• There’s one of those shove-it-down-your-throat jokes I am none too fond of: “Alice, didn’t anyone ever tell you every cloud has a silver lining?” asks Heyes. Alice replies, “The last man who told me that was killed by a cloud…with a tornado in it.” I can almost hear the vaudeville drum accompaniment…kaboom...
• Poor Ben beans himself walking under the tree branch, but luckily he apparently misses his actual noggin.
  
• The flirting between Alice and the boys after they find the gold is delicious. She tells them she could fall in love with both of them…”together or separately?” Heyes wants to know. Have mercy…that could conjure up an image or two. Mmmmm….
• I love how Alice hides behind Heyes when Briscoe holds them at gunpoint. Protect herself and stroke his ego at the same time…smart woman.
  
• Heyes in an Old West doorag. Hot. Reminds me of my hippie days and my boyfriend Stephen. Sweet.

• I love when Heyes loses hope…Kid asks him if he has any last ideas and he replies, “One. We’re goners.”

  

• I’m sorry, but men just don’t look very sexy riding plow horses! Not even Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry can pull off looking alluring on big old thug horses like that.

• I have nothing to say. I simply fell in love with this picture.
  
• Sweet, adorable, tasty little kisses goodbye for each of our heroes. I will have to watch The Young Country again now because I am keyed up for a real kiss between Joan Hackett and Peter Duel, and that movie certainly has a couple worth watching!
• *sigh* A beautiful left profile moment of Peter as Heyes looks on as Alice and Kurt leave in their wagon. I simply cannot get enough of Peter at this angle. *another sigh*
  

NEVER TRUST AN HONEST MAN**

• Heyes has never been more adorable in a little boy, sweet-eyed way than he is in the opening scene. His voice is soft, his face gentle as he wakes Kid from a sound sleep on the train to tell him they have passed back into the United States and things are going well for them. Kid is startled to be awakened, though, so Heyes instinctively grabs Kid’s hand as he goes for his gun. Beautiful. These men know each other. The entire exchange between the two, with Kid sleepy and annoyed, but still conciliatory because Heyes obviously needs this moment, is really so sweet.

• I am struck by Ben’s acting in this scene…he seems so natural in the half-asleep mode. I appreciate his skill in this scene. Now that I think of it, another scene from another episode where I thought Ben did a particularly good job is in Everything Else You Can Steal, and involved him falling asleep as he is speaking…I wonder if maybe I just like Kid sleepy. *giggle*
• Here we see another example of Heyes’ strong desire to look directly into people’s eyes; which to me translates into his need for deep communication. As Kid begins to wake, Heyes’ searches his face, watching for the Kid’s response to “Hey, Kid, you awake?” Getting a reply from Kid in the negative doesn’t deter him, because he has looked into Kid’s eyes and knowing he is alert enough to understand, Heyes simply ignores him and begins talking…
• There is something that has happened in several episodes that absolutely fascinates me. Peter, again demonstrating the depth of his amazing acting talent, actually changes his voice in scenes where he and the Kid are speaking privately. The changes are small, almost imperceptible, until we hear him speak to someone else in his normal tone. In this case, the variance is almost jarring as Heyes uses his sweet, couple’s moment voice with softened tones and almost childlike cadence as he wakes Kid and then abruptly changes back to his own very male baritone as he responds to James Quirt’s invitation to join Mr. Harlingen for some poker. It is interesting to listen to this scene with ones eyes closed; the variance in Heyes’ voice seems enormous when we only hear it. In this scene and others in which he uses his private voice, we see that Heyes’ gentle way of speaking is reserved only for intimate exchanges with his partner. It is like two entirely different men speaking and it is reflective of the unique relationship these two heterosexual men have with each other. It says more to express feelings than any words spoken in the scene. And it moves me every time I witness it. This exquisite nuance in his acting seems to me to be another example of what made Peter much more than merely a good actor.
• What is with that vest on Quirt…is it Halloween?

• It drives me nuts that the boys are basically railroaded *heehee* into joining Mr. Harlingen and the oddly dressed Quirt for a game of poker. First of all when Quirt condescendingly says, “you boys don’t seem to understand” I want to throttle him. You see, there is absolutely nothing to understand if you have not given any clue to what the hell you are actually talking about. I am already in aggravation mode from that faux pas, when Kid says they really can’t afford to play poker with the owner of a railroad, and Quirt comes back with, “You can’t afford not to”, flashing the most arrogant look at the boys. WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, they can’t afford not to? Is the idiot railroad owner going to throw two paying customers off his nearly empty train for not playing poker with him? Will they be fined, or thrown into jail for turning down a poker game? Someone tell me, please, what would they have lost had they not played poker; what could they not afford???
• A rather nice butt shot of Kid, if you like a rounder butt, and a piss-poor butt shot of Heyes, as the ugly bag pushes its way between Peter and the camera. It’s ok though, we didn’t really miss much. I see Heyes is back in those brown synthetic slacks. What a shame.
• The first several times I watched this episode I thought Harlingen was saying “Heyes bets…” and I just couldn’t understand it. Being of sharp mind, it only took me 15 viewings or so to think to turn on the closed captioning, where I discovered he is actually saying “Ace bets”. That obviously makes more sense but confuses me as to what type of poker they would be playing where a leading card means you bet first. See? Just like I said. You can’t understand something if you have not been given any clue to what the hell they are talking about…
• Several breathtaking close ups on Heyes as the opening credits roll…just sitting there playing poker and looking beautiful. These have become some of my favorite pictures of Peter, as I have now discovered I am not only fixated on his hands and arms, but have developed a full-fledged lust for his freckles. I found, when enlarging pictures for calendars I am making, that he has the most beautiful smattering of them all over his face, his neck, and even on his lips. *sigh* They are the kind that aren’t very evident unless looked for and just give his skin a wonderfully warm tone. He seems to be in less makeup for this episode and I greatly appreciate seeing him in a more natural state. I could just gaze all day…®§ and then ®§ again. *satisfied sigh*

• Mr. Harlingen’s nose enhancement is creepy, with an apparent loosening of the glue around the left nostril. I thought for a minute there we might witness a weird nose meltdown a’ la Michael Jackson, but mercifully, we were spared from that happening and only see a glimpse of the bizarre discoloration and disconnection of the prosthesis from the actor’s real nose.

• I don’t know why exactly, but I have a feeling the little laugh and interaction between Peter and the actor playing Mr. Harlingen right before he says “You gentlemen said you were getting off at Bountiful” was a natural occurrence between the two actors and not the two characters. For some reason I have an instinctive feeling that Peter and Severn Darden enjoyed each other.
• Kid seemed almost non-existent in the opening poker scenes. I am bound to wonder why he had no lines to speak of and basically just filled a chair.
• There is the handsome Heyes, resting with his eyes closed as Kid shaves…to me, as someone who examines every finite detail of movement or expression of Peter Duel, there is an intimacy, a privacy, about it and the way he speaks, half asleep, that is very special to me. It is silly, but it stirs me.

• Kid looks pretty good with his shirt off. Ben’s upper body is quite pleasant to look at, with the beautifully tanned skin and strong chest, arms and back. Not bad. But I am put off by a couple of glimpses I catch of him looking at himself in the mirror…it seems just a bit too self-appreciative for my taste.

• Ok, why is Kid flicking his own nipple? A thought to ponder.

• Heyes is predictably charming as he sees what is in “his” bag and comes fully awake, sits straight up and says, “where’d you get those?” Perfect.

• I love the whole exchange between Kid and Heyes about the bag. Kid obviously realizes this is someone else’s bag, yet Heyes feels the need to clarify “this is not my bag” as Kid continues to tease him…until, that is, Heyes pulls something from the bag…”ooh, a bible,” he says, somewhat reverently. “Now I’m convinced. It ain’t your bag...” says Kid. One of the best lines in the series. Really excellent. ®

• I laugh at the comment “everybody has my bag” from Heyes. I believe this is the fifth episode we have seen it in. I suspect this won’t be the last time we see it either.
• I absolutely love how Heyes’ entire body succumbs to his laugh as the boys talk about the fortune they have just found. He is all little boy and giddiness until he pulls himself in and the mature and responsible Hannibal Heyes takes over. It always astounds me that as an actor, Peter uses his body as adeptly as his words in expressing so many different emotions. What an exceptional actor he was. *sigh*®
• Seriously. What’s up with Quirt’s peculiar fashion sense? We already know he is a bit odd, having seen the garish orange and black vest. Now, on his mission to find Smith and Jones for Mr. Harlingen, he comes gallivanting out of the mansion with a girly-man silk scarf around his neck and an absurdly ill- fitting hat on his head.

• I like that Heyes mispronounces the word 'suite' as he points out what he believes to be Miss McNeice’s room in Harlingen’s house. I think it would be very accurate for a man who hasn’t had much formal education but who loves to read to pronounce it just as he does. My idea of the back story of his childhood and early adult life would support the idea that he sounds out unfamiliar words, as he would as a child because he had the basic teaching as a boy, but in all probability is primarily a self-taught man.

• A great scene as Heyes climbs in Miss McNeice’s window and spies her undressing behind a provocatively lit curtain. I don’t believe for a minute Heyes would look away to speak to Kid, below him. I have to say the filming was pretty suggestive; the shadows reveal no semblance of clothing on the woman. It’s my kind of humor, as Heyes tells the Kid “Considering why we’re here, maybe she won’t be too upset, but she’s gonna be surprised” followed by Miss McNeice seeing Heyes and then only hearing the crash of breaking glass as she falls into a dead faint. Flawless.

• Kid says, after getting a whiff of the perfume Heyes is holding under Miss McNeice’s nose to rouse her, “I think it’s getting to me, too…” hinting at sexual arousal, and Heyes reprimands him, “Kid you are beginning to show an amazing lack of character”. I couldn’t agree more…I mean, geez Kid, this is an unconscious woman. Get a grip.

• I adore ‘Speak to me Miss McNeice, speak to me’ and as she gets ready to scream, ‘No! Don’t speak to me!’ and the gloved hand covering her mouth. Absolutely delightful.

• It is cute that when given cigars by Mr. Harlingen, neither of our boys knows what to do with the bit they bite off the stogies, and they kind of surreptitiously toss the bits behind their backs…What a poor host Mr. Harlingen is though, to not offer the boys some means of disposal…

• Of course, Mr. Harlingen saying he can’t be expected to pay for the boys’ mistake, “…after all, you picked up the wrong bag” makes me crazy. Anyone who leaves a bag containing 5 million dollars worth of rare gems lying around where anyone could accidentally pick it up and wander away with it either has his head up his butt or deserves to have the gems taken and never returned…or both.
• A perfect reaction from the Kid to Heyes’ comment, “You already know that my partner and me are men of integrity”. Excellent job, Ben!
• Here is another example of one of my favorite intricacies about Heyes, or maybe Peter’s acting. It is the beloved disarming smile, get your victim to agree with you, drop the bomb ploy and it works beautifully each and every time. Smiling slightly, Heyes says, “I think we’d like to earn a thousand dollars…” Harlingen agrees…and Heyes, now tight lipped and without even a glimmer of a smile in his eyes, says “for each of us.” Mighty fine, indeed. ®



• Ewww…Harlingen has very feminine, small hands…and wow, what a creepy guy to have played TWO creepy characters. I can certainly understand Miss McNeice’s repulsion by him. The actor is quite skilled though and does a magnificent job of making the two characters feel very different.
• Ugh…I am almost unable to watch the scene as lecherous Alan tries to steal a kiss from Miss McNeice. The poor man is so unappealing, and even more so when he is engulfed in this pathetic display of yearning.

• I can’t figure out where it is that Logan and the Preacher meet to discuss the job. At first it felt like a jail cell to me, but Preacher certainly wouldn’t have a bottle of booze with him in jail. It doesn’t appear to be a home. Is he homeless and drinking in an alley when Logan finds him? I suppose that is the most likely of scenarios.

• Is Richard Anderson reading cue-cards as he tells the boys his plan to let them escape? I can’t figure out why else he would be looking to his left like that when speaking to people directly in front of him unless he is needing some help with his lines. I have seen Peter fleetingly reading his script in a couple of instances in other episodes, I believe, but he is much more discreet and capable at it.
• Don’t look for sympathy from me. Quirt deserved to get shot off his horse and break his neck just for the woman's scarf and goofy looking hat he was wearing.
• A very slick scene when we first see Preacher, standing on the rocks, all in black a’ la Johnny Cash, after he shoots Quirt. “Bless ya, boys…”

• Ok, that is some divine camera work, as we see Heyes, from knee to chest only, walk across Harlingen’s bedroom after climbing in the window. If that beautiful slice of hu-man belongs to a stand-in and is not Peter Duel, I DO NOT WANT ANYONE TO TELL ME. ®§
• I have truly gone off the deep end. I realized that during most of the scenes with Heyes talking to Mr. Harlingen on his bed, when the camera is on Harlingen I am focused on Heyes’ shadow, which is vastly more interesting and attractive than Mr. Harlingen. *embarrassed giggle* ↓

• You don't want to make Kid's finger twitch, Mr. Harlingen. Trust me.

• Heyes is a natural nurturer…he thoughtfully hands Harlingen a glass of water from his night table so he can take his pill…then places it back when Harlingen is done. Ok, let’s make a list: beautiful looking, strongly built, smart, masculine, sexual, funny, loving, sensitive, gentle, sexy, intuitive, nurturing…Oh, my. Some genius has gone and made the perfect man… *huge sigh*
  
• Ford Rainey and Marj Dusay do an excellent job portraying the shamed father and disillusioned daughter in the scene in the old man’s kitchen. Quite nice.

• A giant triple ewww…Miss McNeice is now cozied up to Alan…she is obviously a gold-digger. There is no explaining the alliance otherwise.
• Remuneration. Wow.

• This is number three on my list of favorite comedy episodes. Really good from start to finish.