The timing of this X-mas,1959, episode says it all . It's an effort at creating a light-hearted 30 minutes for the holiday spirit, featuring two quarreling old eccentrics in an entry that could have been much worse than it is. The two resemble nothing so much as a couple of old maids arguing over a Bingo card. Matt's got to figure a way to bring them back together without the kind of gunplay that might spoil the spirit of the season. At least Dillon's character is not degraded in the process, though the proceedings are only vaguely amusing, at best.
Nonetheless, the show does feature two of the most unsung and exotic character actors of the period-- the gnome-like Percy Helton with his breathy delivery, and the high-domed Robert Emhardt with his obesely sinister air. Each is instantly recognizable to audiences of the time. Yet neither got the recognition due him, probably because of his usually unsavory roles (Emhardt was a most convincing degenerate, while Helton could snivel with the best of them). Still, each brought a matchless presence and character color to his role that remains riveting to this day-- you see them, you don't forget them. I only hope that somewhere in Hollywood heaven, there's a place for these unpretty people who contributed so much and received so little.