HOW TO ROB A BANK IN ONE HARD LESSON

*I have just learned how to get vidcaps for myself. Today's pictures are my first attempt at capturing them and using them in my blog. Wish me success, please! *

• I’ve never been a fan of Jack Cassidy. To me, he always seemed slick to the point of sleaziness and way too affected for my taste. Yet, in this episode, I actually quite enjoy him. He seemed to make the role his own, and I also felt a strong chemistry between Peter and him. Something strange has actually happened to me since watching the series again. Most of the guest stars I really didn’t care for the first time around seem to have grown into my favor and I have seen qualities—good qualities—I had never noticed before. Joan Hackett is an example of another costar I couldn’t stand in the seventies (in fact I remember actively disliking her) but now like very much in the second coming of Alias Smith and Jones. Possibly my tastes have matured, or I was too naïve to see those qualities when I was so much younger. But like trying a bite of something you never could stand the taste of before, I’m glad I have given these actors a second try.



• Our boys look so handsome riding into town I almost catch my breath at first glance. I love how they look around, surveying the town they are entering, and apparently come to the decision to hang around awhile.
• There is not a fraction of a second in the porch scene that isn’t absolutely superb. It’s the beautifully arrogant and lighthearted way Heyes mounts the steps; it’s the way he overtly admires the woman sitting alone on the porch with a long appreciative gaze; it’s The Kid, relaxed with hat pushed forward and his boots on the rail; it’s Heyes joining him—sitting in chairs beside and facing each other, indicative of their obvious closeness; it’s how sexy our boys look, cigars in hand, rocking in their chairs and talking. And it’s also the knowledge that Heyes does know the odds against helping two pair; it’s the look and grin they share when talking about not knowing the sheriff; it’s Heyes softly rocking with his feet now up on the rail too; it’s The Kid immediately showing concern for a woman in distress; it’s the way Heyes clamps a cigar between his teeth as he speaks; it’s that for some reason I giggle every time I hear Heyes say “we can leave the porch of course”; it’s Kid chivalrously standing up to take action against a bully bothering the woman; it’s “Now, Kid“ from Heyes as he does; it’s the look on Heyes’ face as he sits back to enjoy the show of Kid stepping in; it’s The Kid decking the bully without even removing the cigar from his mouth; and it’s Heyes letting the bully know with a shake of his head that he and his partner come as a pair, and that even alone, the Kid isn’t someone he would want to mess with. It is a brilliantly done scene, perfectly set up and laid out to flow smoothly and gently impart a sense of the deep connection these men have with each other. For me, it is an unspoken commentary on what Alias Smith and Jones is all about. And it is absolutely flawless. ®








• Joanna Barnes’ character seems too old for either of our boys. While she is an interesting actress I do sometimes question what the casting director must have been thinking with some of the guest stars he placed in roles. I do, however, think she is attractive enough and I am not surprised Heyes would pick her as a sure thing before meeting her more attractive “sister”.
• “I guess you’ll, uh, just have to ask for a bigger bonus.” Kid says with a captivating grin when Heyes asks what if the sister looks like the one “you tried to dump on me in Carson City”. It is an especially fun exchange and impeccably played by both actors.



• I have long since gotten over taking any offense whatsoever over our heroes’ sexist penchant for divvying up the female characters. It really is a cute running theme through the show that just adds a bit of twinkle to the eyes of their characters. I especially enjoy the interaction between them in this instance. The Kid having the benefit of seeing the sister come down the stairs over Heyes’ shoulder before Heyes turns to glance and realizes his mistake is delightful.

• Heyes’ reaction when Janet asks if their escorts would mind if she and her sister stopped for a little swim is absolutely priceless.

• I do enjoy the moment when Kid puts his gloved hand over Heyes’ eyes when the younger sister chides them for peeking. It seems like it may be an unscripted moment, by Peter’s reaction, but I don’t know for sure because the script I have doesn’t even have this scene.

• You know, smart men would be very aware that these women frolicking in the water, splashing each other and laughing suggestively are putting on a show for their benefit, and that they are after something. They wouldn’t know what they are after—maybe just them—but come on, guys. Smart men would know they are after something. Even smart horny men.
  
• Hearing the cocking of a shotgun and a familiar man’s voice behind them certainly must have deflated the, um, shall we say arousal the boys were no doubt sporting while watching the women put on a private show just for their gratification.
• Oh, my. If something awful happened to you in Wichita once, boys, why didn’t you come to me for comfort? I would have made sure you were taken care of…*giggle followed by sigh*
• I despise the scene where Heyes beats Harry up. It is so contrary to Heyes’ character as we have come to know it, and it is over the top as far as the acting goes. Heyes yelling “Where…where?” just deeply grates on me. I suppose to some it may show how much Heyes loves the Kid, that he would become this violent to force his whereabouts from Harry, but I find it very unsettling and disappointing. I know Heyes to be a thinking man, using his brains and not brawn to accomplish almost anything. And Peter’s acting is disappointing to me in this scene as well. It feels very exaggerated and hammy.

• Once Heyes drags Harry to the water, it seems more like what I would imagine and what I can accept from Heyes, and what I expect from Peter as an actor.



• Harry’s short little spurts of language during the beating and subsequent near drowning are quite realistic though, and add a touch of authenticity to the sometimes ridiculous scene.
• Heyes really is in a dilemma and it is portrayed so expertly by Peter in the first scene in the hotel room as he shows disapproval over Harry’s comment about the money in the bank calling out to him…”come get me, come get me…” and then walks away from Harry, biting his lip and looking around the room like he is trapped, which of course he is. Very subtly expressed, and indeed, very well done.
• What? The Kid is off his food? I never thought I’d see the day. Especially when being fed by a gorgeous woman. The only thing Kid likes more than food and women is his sleep… maybe he’s just getting drowsy…
• It amuses me that Heyes is wearing his gloves as he writes his list of supplies Harry needs to procure for the heist. Wouldn’t it just be more comfortable to write with your hands uncovered? I have never understood the reasoning behind having them leave their gloves (and quite often their coats and hats) on indoors.



• While I didn’t like the scene displaying Heyes’ violence toward Harry, I do very much like the fact that the Kid feels sure in the knowledge that his friend cares so much about him he could be pushed to extraordinary means to find him. He expresses that surety when he says to the ladies after being told that the truth is Harry doesn’t know where they are, “Oh, well it better not be, because Heyes might just kill him trying to find out.” He may be saying it partially to try to frighten the women, but he also shows a bit of pride over the fact that he is that important to his partner.
• Janet’s little speech about the Kid wanting easy money and lonely women is so unfair. After the fact, yes, the boys did go for the dangled bait like hungry coyotes, but when the Kid first stepped in to help the woman it was because it is a large part of what defines him as a man. He is simply not someone who sits back and does nothing when a woman is in distress. We have watched him before, and will see him time and time again step in to help; the Kid, by nature, is a chivalrous man.
• So Heyes, in addition to his one million other skills, is also an artist! While that three dimensional drawing of the bar spreader isn't exactly expert, it is not the work of an amateur, either.



• I think Ben is a better actor when he is in scenes without Peter. He seems stronger and more emotive. I wonder if to some degree he was slightly intimidated by Peter’s talent and pulled back a bit in scenes when they acted together.
• Harry Wagoner is obviously enjoying the whole scheme and he also enjoys Heyes. I think other than his greed, what he is really after is to make Heyes like him, to consider him a worthy compatriot. He seems awed by Heyes’ skill and defensive when Heyes suggests he might be stupid.
• I wonder where Heyes would get a tapestry needle. Well, I guess he has gone out alone a few times; he may have stopped at the Sewing Bee Nook on the corner…and of course that wouldn’t have drawn attention to the handsome stranger in town.
• WHAT THE HELL??? What is Harry Wagoner snorting from the little tin box on the dresser? And not only what is he snorting, why is he snorting it? And why is this just thrown into the mix with no explanation, no reason, no possible story connection? Are we to think Harry Wagoner is a cocaine addict? I suppose he could be. Cocaine was medicinally available in the 1880s and apparently highly regarded by the upper class for recreational “therapeutic” use. And it was still in Coca-cola in the late 1880s. But it is just so ludicrous to toss this in the scene like that, with no back story or continuation. I just gotta repeat…what the hell?
  
• A perfect moment when Harry builds up to a dramatic exit with his speech about Heyes being a mouse in a tunnel, and as he tries to open the door with a flair his grandeur falls short since the door is locked and he is reduced to asking the mouse in the tunnel for the key.

• In sharp contrast to the scene when Heyes beat up Harry, the moment of violent potential in the Kid is quite good. “My head is a lot harder than your soft, pretty face, Lorraine, and I swear I will beat you with it like a club if you don’t untie my hands…NOW!…” is beautifully done and surprisingly masculine. I would not want to see the Kid actually do as he threatened, but the warning alone is very effective.

• I love Heyes’ unbridled appreciation for the safe. We know he finds intense gratification in cracking them, and this one in particular will pose a challenge that, although he is being forced into this action, will also greatly excite him.



• God. I love a smart man. Heyes knowing the formula for creating a vacuum in the safe totally turns me on. Of course it doesn’t hurt that he is also as gorgeous as he is.
  
• The Kid’s reaction to Lorraine saying Janet is her mother is point on. Ben did some really nice acting in this episode.
• Heyes’ enjoyment at Harry’s discomfort over the danger involved really tickles me. He plays on it and purposefully adds to it to torment the man. And of course, I am all for it because there is just no one cuter than Hannibal Heyes when he is amused.



• “Know any prayers, Harry?” asks Heyes. “None that will work robbing banks.” Just perfect.
• Harry jumping at the lighting of the fuse and Heyes’ look when he does is just so perfectly done, I wonder if it was spontaneous and not rehearsed. Really top notch.



• Aw…our boys are back together! I am delighted by Kid's reaction when he knows Heyes is on his way in the door. After being perfectly quiet and behaved throughout his captivity--except the one little attack on his captor, of course--he suddenly becomes very vocal behind his gag, prompting a "what's wrong with him?" from Heyes and a beautiful couple’s moment as Heyes pushes Lorraine aside and unties Kid himself. I positively adore these reunion moments when these men can’t hide their excitement at seeing each other again.

• Very, very funny—truly laugh out loud funny—as Harry runs out of the cabin with the ticking bag and throws it toward the well and everyone hits the dirt…only to have the alarm go off instead of the bomb. And to cap the scene off perfectly, the Kid reaches over and snatches the shotgun from the ground next to Janet during the confusion. The whole thing, from start to finish, was deliciously well done!




• Another example of Peter’s superior acting ability as he barges into the sheriff’s office and speaks in a different manner as a deputy for Lom Trevors. That alone is remarkable, but when his face and mannerisms actually look entirely different as he pretends to be this country deputy, I am struck yet again by Peter’s exceptional skill.




• You know, I always understood the gesture Harry just gave the deputy to mean “shove it!” Did people say “shove it” in the 1880s?