Robert J Wilke's nasty piece of work, Bob Laird, is the highlight of this rather routinely plotted episode of "Laramie", as Slim Sherman (John Smith), along with Mrs. Cooper (Spring Byington) and Mike (Dennis Holmes), are riding through when interrupted by a little girl, Kathy (Gina Gillespie), needing their help. Her mother, Norma (Jean Byron), fell into a well and is underpinned by wood, often slipping in and out of consciousness. It gets complicated as Laird leads a robbery raid on a Postal stage coach, killing one of the drivers, taking loot from it. Laird's company includes Ben and Jack Frances (Harry Lauter and Rayford Barnes). Ben has a family, Norma, his wife, Kathy, his daughter, while Jack has always been the "bad seed", always on the opposite end of the law. Ben, on the other hand, only went with Laird because Jack couldn't stay out of trouble, costing him financially. Eventually Norma and Kathy, while Ben was away to help secure loot with Laird and Jack, are kicked off the ranch/farm for failure of payment. It gets messy as Ben opposes Jack and Laird, while Slim just wants to help Norma out of the well. While Mrs. Cooper and the kids look on at all the infighting, disappointed that Ben would get involved with a man like Laird, Slim tries to coordinate a rescue. The loot is tossed in the well by Ben so that Laird can't have it, and eventually Slim descends after her. Laird's villainous antics are the highlights as he makes life miserable for all, including Jack, who sure chose the wrong man to go robbing stages with. Even when Ben has the gun and Laird is without, Laird knows how to manipulate the weakling, Jack, into getting the upper hand. Not a lot of gunfighting in this one, but plenty of fisticuffs and scuffling on the ground. Laird has that raspy voice, cold-blooded, devil-may-care attitude about shooting anyone-including an elder lady and kids-in order to have his loot. When Slim goes after Laird, and finds Jack collapsed with a gunshot in the back, that tells you all you need to know about the importance of the loot to that scoundrel. Ben's "dalliance with the darkside" before redemption is a common western trope, and certainly a literary milestone that never fails no matter the genre, or medium, whether film or television. But the plot works itself out all predictable-like. The addition of the well rescue does complement the "fight for the loot" central plotline. The swamp drowning is a nice substitute for the oft-used final gunfight showdown.
Review of Fall into Darkness
