JOHNNY RINGO "Mrs. Ringo" 1960
JOHNNY RINGO was a western series that ran for 38 episodes during 1959-60. The series starred Don Durant as the title character with Karen Sharpe, Mark Goddard and Terence De Marney as series regulars. The series follows Durant, (Ringo) a former gunfighter who decides to go straight. He becomes the Sheriff in the small town of Velardi in the Arizona Territory. The series was one of several (Rifleman, Wanted Dead or Alive, Shotgun Slade etc) with a "gimmick gun". Durant carries a special LeMat revolver equipped with a shotgun barrel under the six gun barrel.
This episode is the 19th episode of the series.
This one starts with Sheriff Durant out of town for the afternoon taking a drunken rancher back home. The stage arrives in town and unloads a pretty looking woman, Mona Freeman. Miss Freeman calls on the Sheriff's office and asks for Durant. Deputy Mark Goddard asks if there is anything he can help with.
Goddard is floored when Freeman replies that she is here to take up with her "husband", Johnny Ringo (Durant). Goddard shows Freeman to the hotel and the woman moves right in to Durant's rooms. A couple of hours later Durant shows at the office. It is now the turn of Durant to get floored by the info he is hitched. Durant says it must be a gag of some sort. Karen Sharpe, who is stepping out with Durant does not take it as a gag.
Durant quickly beats the boots over to the hotel to get to the bottom of the deal. It turns out that Durant does indeed know Miss Freeman. Freeman was a dance hall girl back in Dodge City some years before. Freeman produces a marriage certificate and says the two are hitched. Durant has Goddard send off a telegram to Dodge City to prove that the marriage never happened.
Now another fly in the ointment appears. Gunman, Grant Richards shows up looking for Freeman. Richards has just finished a 7 year prison bit for a 20,000 dollar bank robbery. It also turns out that Richards and Freeman have been man and wife for years, even before Richards went to jail.
Richards is not in the least pleased with the news that Freeman had divorced him and hooked up with Durant. It also seems that the 20 large from the robbery was never recovered by the bank. It is now resting in a money belt Richards is wearing.
Needless to say, the whole thing is a ploy by Miss Freeman to have Richards killed by Sheriff Durant. Then she can lift the cash from Richards. Durant of course outdraws Richards and fatally wounds the man. Richards now figures out that Freeman has played him, and shoots the woman dead before he expires himself.
A much better episode than it might sound like. A couple of herrings of the red variety move the story along nicely. The look of the episode is quite sharp with veteran big screen cinematographer, Carl Guthrie in the director of photography chair. Guthrie was a film noir specialist with CRY WOLF, FLAXY MARTIN, BACKFIRE, CAGED, THIS SIDE OF THE LAW, UNDERCOVER GIRL, STORM WARNING, HELL BOUND and the superb, HIGHWAY 301 to his credit.
JOHNNY RINGO was a western series that ran for 38 episodes during 1959-60. The series starred Don Durant as the title character with Karen Sharpe, Mark Goddard and Terence De Marney as series regulars. The series follows Durant, (Ringo) a former gunfighter who decides to go straight. He becomes the Sheriff in the small town of Velardi in the Arizona Territory. The series was one of several (Rifleman, Wanted Dead or Alive, Shotgun Slade etc) with a "gimmick gun". Durant carries a special LeMat revolver equipped with a shotgun barrel under the six gun barrel.
This episode is the 19th episode of the series.
This one starts with Sheriff Durant out of town for the afternoon taking a drunken rancher back home. The stage arrives in town and unloads a pretty looking woman, Mona Freeman. Miss Freeman calls on the Sheriff's office and asks for Durant. Deputy Mark Goddard asks if there is anything he can help with.
Goddard is floored when Freeman replies that she is here to take up with her "husband", Johnny Ringo (Durant). Goddard shows Freeman to the hotel and the woman moves right in to Durant's rooms. A couple of hours later Durant shows at the office. It is now the turn of Durant to get floored by the info he is hitched. Durant says it must be a gag of some sort. Karen Sharpe, who is stepping out with Durant does not take it as a gag.
Durant quickly beats the boots over to the hotel to get to the bottom of the deal. It turns out that Durant does indeed know Miss Freeman. Freeman was a dance hall girl back in Dodge City some years before. Freeman produces a marriage certificate and says the two are hitched. Durant has Goddard send off a telegram to Dodge City to prove that the marriage never happened.
Now another fly in the ointment appears. Gunman, Grant Richards shows up looking for Freeman. Richards has just finished a 7 year prison bit for a 20,000 dollar bank robbery. It also turns out that Richards and Freeman have been man and wife for years, even before Richards went to jail.
Richards is not in the least pleased with the news that Freeman had divorced him and hooked up with Durant. It also seems that the 20 large from the robbery was never recovered by the bank. It is now resting in a money belt Richards is wearing.
Needless to say, the whole thing is a ploy by Miss Freeman to have Richards killed by Sheriff Durant. Then she can lift the cash from Richards. Durant of course outdraws Richards and fatally wounds the man. Richards now figures out that Freeman has played him, and shoots the woman dead before he expires himself.
A much better episode than it might sound like. A couple of herrings of the red variety move the story along nicely. The look of the episode is quite sharp with veteran big screen cinematographer, Carl Guthrie in the director of photography chair. Guthrie was a film noir specialist with CRY WOLF, FLAXY MARTIN, BACKFIRE, CAGED, THIS SIDE OF THE LAW, UNDERCOVER GIRL, STORM WARNING, HELL BOUND and the superb, HIGHWAY 301 to his credit.
