Richard Boone's powerful, literally dominating performance sparks the premiere episode of his ambitious repertory company TV series, which followed on the heels of his great hit "Have Gun -Will Travel". I was addicted to both shows and 60 years later (wow!) still lament the lack of popular success for his novel format.
Perhaps that's because even when very young, I enjoyed the anthology approach, ranging from Douglas Fairbanks Jr.'s show to the fantasy series ("Outer Limits", "Twilight Zone" and "Thriller") and even more mainstream shows like "Kraft Suspense Theater". But Boone's concept of repertory, to have a recurring cast but always new characters/story lines, was brilliant.
He plays off here two of his fabulous cast's leading femmes. Jeanette Nolan in a single scene as wife of his hard-driving, tyrannical district attorney, is brilliant in portraying the submissive, beleaguered wife. And in a memorable confrontation, Bethel Leslie as the "axe murderer" of a wife, whose life has been drained out of her by the tyrannical husband she killed, is sympathetic as all get-out even as we hear her pour out what sounds like cold-blooded murder, but is clearly a dramatic expression of what hurt a male chauvinist culture can do to women. Writer E. Jack Neuman does a near-perfect job of crystallizing tough-to-face ideas, with a subtle but potent creation of the parallels or echos between her marriage and Boone's, leading to a crucial if fanciful plot twist wherein Boone's character desperately turns on a dime, and the power balance between oppressor and oppressed briefly reverses itself in a most impressive climax. As directed by the underrated Lamont Johnson, there's no flab in this unrelenting 50-minute drama.
The supporting players make modest but helpful contributions: Warren Stevens as local sheriff who tries to stand up to Boone but is easily crushed; Harry Morgan as a deputy only looking to capitalize in his own interest by sucking up to Boone, and immediately getting his comeuppance; Lloyd Bochner who gives Boone a well-deserved hard time as an uppity reporter and Ford Rainey as Boone's right-hand man unwilling to confront his boss.
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