This fourth episode ever of "Laramie" sees the classic series suddenly well into its stride, realising its potential and up alongside the level of the best westerns of its day, including "Rawhide" which had started just eight months before and the well established "Gunsmoke" and "Wagon Train". Beginning at the same time as "Bonanza", autumn 1959, "Laramie" beat it out for realism and in all departments except color photography. The partners John Smith (as Slim Sherman) and Robert Fuller (as Jess Harper) are fully comfortable in their characters, with Slim taking the guiding "older brother" role in the relationship and Jess the somewhat wayward, unconventional youth. While last week's appearance by guest Ernest Borgnine was something of a tour de force by the Academy Award winner, this week's guests Bert Freed and Anthony George were fully integrated into the comprehensive scheme of things as "Laramie" would continue for four years. Slim Sherman is also showing himself to be the athletic one, throwing himself around like a gymnast, and diving full length into a swollen river (reminiscent of the Tarzan movies) to save non-swimmer Jess.
3 Reviews
One personal mission
bkoganbing28 November 2017
If there was a fault Jess Harper had it was that he occasionally was rash and behaved impulsively. In this episode it was for family.
A starving and bedraggled Clu Gulagher shows up at Sherman station, he's Robert Fuller's brother-in-law and he's an army deserter who has Sergeant Bert Freed and Indian scout Anthony George on his trail and making it one personal mission.
It's a rugged trail to Canada that Gulagher wants to follow and Fuller says he'll lead Gulagher to the border. John Smith at first refuses then helps and his help is invaluable as he's surveyed the area and has drawn a trail map.
There's an exciting sequence where both Fuller and Gulagher fall into a raging river and we learn that among his other accomplishments that Jess Harper had, an ability to swim wasn't one of them.
As you can imagine all truths are learned when Freed and George catch up and we learn about Jess Harper's sister as well.
An exciting story with an across the border shootout at the climax.
A starving and bedraggled Clu Gulagher shows up at Sherman station, he's Robert Fuller's brother-in-law and he's an army deserter who has Sergeant Bert Freed and Indian scout Anthony George on his trail and making it one personal mission.
It's a rugged trail to Canada that Gulagher wants to follow and Fuller says he'll lead Gulagher to the border. John Smith at first refuses then helps and his help is invaluable as he's surveyed the area and has drawn a trail map.
There's an exciting sequence where both Fuller and Gulagher fall into a raging river and we learn that among his other accomplishments that Jess Harper had, an ability to swim wasn't one of them.
As you can imagine all truths are learned when Freed and George catch up and we learn about Jess Harper's sister as well.
An exciting story with an across the border shootout at the climax.
terrible geography
sandcrab27713 November 2020
There is no such place as lola pass or trail and going from laramie to the canadian border is relatively flat terrain and about 700 miles .... riding on horseback at 25 miles per hour would take at least 28 days to get there ... the biggest obstacle would be the ford of the missouri river in montana ... at any rate this story is totally ridiculous ... ullman and savage should have been fired for being incompetent ... bert freed plays his usual over the top role and clu gulager shows what a pathetic loser and whining crybaby he was
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