Incident of the Judas Trap

Seven stars. With a little round up. These days TV is the province of the epic. Back in 1959 it was the province of the short story. That, all by itself is a great reason to watch old television. And Rawhide is a brilliant example of short-form story telling with a pre-established setting and cast of characters. It was also the launch of Clint Eastwood's career as a star. This is the material that caught Leone's eye, after all.

But about this episode: The seven-star rating is because the story is too up-front. The audience never has to wonder what's going on. Mostly, I was left wondering why so many women never caught on to what a cartoonishly obvious cad Brad Morgan was. Not enough was left to the imagination for me to really like this episode. That's too bad because the cast, both the regulars and the featured guests, did a bang-up job. Sheb Wooley, in particular, got a real chance to shine in this one. There was a stereotypic rush-to-judgement that the drovers had to face. That was a standard trope in Rawhide, driven by the 50-minute time limit. It was often handled better than it was here. On a plus-note, the footage of the "wolves" was very well done for the era. The couldn't show the animals actually getting shot, after all.

This show ran for eight seasons. An eternity in those days. Because it was so iconic, even if it now seems cliche'd. This is a good episode, if not a great one. 20 August 2024.