An interesting story, contrasting personal loyalty and how it relates to law and order and the greater good.
After Cheyenne finds a murdered man, he is of course accused of the killing when he is caught checking the dead man's identity by the hang-happy friends of the deceased. When the men take Cheyenne prisoner, Pat Keogh (Gerald Mohr) saves him from being lynched. However, Cheyenne's loyalty to his new friend is tested when a group of townspeople - including one old friend - tell him that Keogh is suspected of a string of robberies and murders. Cheyenne must choose between the man who saved him from a lynching and the old friend who says that man is an outlaw.
The episode makes good use of Gerald Mohr's ability to play villainous characters with a smile, similar to his role in the Audie Murphy vehicle The Duel at Silver Creek. As dastardly as Keogh is, Mohr plays him as as a slick character...very suave and debonair. Mohr appeared twice in Cheyenne, and both roles were basically the same. He does get to show off his piano and vocal skills with a couple of songs in the saloon however. And there is his inimitable guffaw in abundance, one of his trademarks.
This episode is very similar to The Bounty Killers (S2, Ep 4), where Cheyenne has to choose between his loyalty to a man who saved him from a bushwhacking and a town full of people telling him that same man is a killer using a badge to commit murder. In both stories Cheyenne realizes eventually that personal loyalty must take a back seat to "doing the right thing", especially when the person he is loyal to is unquestionably a bad apple. Both episodes delay Cheyenne's eventual decision to oppose these men, despite the fact that they're bad guys isn't exactly a stretch and is shown early on.
And YES, for anyone who wondered, that is absolutely classic Three Stooges cast member EMIL SITKA in the role of the stable owner. I recognized his face and voice immediately but was denied when attempting to add him officially to the cast list. Oh, the "unable to verify" ruling from the modmins can be a confusing and frustrating thing, especially when something can be verified quite easily. Read on...
Fortunately Emil Sitka's son - Saxon Emil Sitka - hosts a website listing his father's work in detail, and there is a page dedicated to Rendezvous at Red Rock. It has some interesting bits of info, including the salary his father received for his appearance...$100. Anyone interested can visit the site at EmilSitka-dot-com.
If one compares the photo of Mr. Sitka posted on that page with a stock photo from the Stooge short "Brideless Groom", one can see easily the mole on his left cheekbone in both pictures, as well as the vertical line adjacent to the corner of his mouth.
It's absolutely him, but this is likely as close as we'll get to him being listed in the cast credits. Oh well, despite the refusal to credit Mr. Sitka, that doesn't change the fact that it IS him, undeniably. Hmmm...as to this site's claim to accuracy? Well, enough said.
A decent, very watchable episode that examines Cheyenne's character quite well. Also notable for the appearance of the legendary Emil Sitka in a bit role.