SUGARFOOT – "Brannigan's Boots" – 1957 This is the pilot episode of the 1957 to 1961 western series, SUGARFOOT. The series is a television version of the 1954 film, THE BOY FROM OKLAHOMA. Will Hutchins plays a newly minted lawyer heading west to find fame and fortune.
He rides into the small town of Blue Rock. He needs to mail a letter. The local post office though is closed. There is a civic election on and everyone is at the saloon waiting for the results. Hutchins finds the postmaster, Chubby Johnson and talks him into opening the office.
The election results are now called and saloon owner, Ainslie Pryor is elected mayor again. "Drinks on me boys!" Pryor yells to the crowd.
Having mailed his letter, Hutchins signs up for the election-day horse race. A 100 dollars to the first horse around the course. Hutchins could use the prize money and joins. He ends up in a tie at the finish line with Merry Anders. They have a shoot off in-order to break the tie. Hutchins has to borrow a gun. Miss Anders hits every target while Hutchins fails to even get off a round.
The crowd gets a great laugh out of Hutchins' fumbling. The Mayor, Pryor tells Hutchins the town needs a Marshal. Would he be interested? Hutchins needs the money, so he agrees to take the job for a month. We now find out that the last Marshal had been murdered several weeks before. The killer had never been found.
Local, Arthur Hunnicutt, fills Hutchins in on all the locals. Miss Anders is the daughter of the just murdered Marshal. The Mayor, Pryor, also owns a large cattle ranch outside town. He is buying up all the surrounding places whether the owners wish to sell or not. One rancher, Jean Louis Heydt, is not playing along and a range war is looming.
Hutchins looks into the killing of the former town lawman. He discovers that several of Pryor's hired men were at the scene of the murder. The two men, Sheb Wooley and Slim Pickens, get a good laugh when the gun-less Hutchins tries to question them. Hutchins bides his time and keeps looking into the murder.
Several days later, Pryor's cousin, "Billy the Kid" rides into Blue Rock. The Kid, played by Dennis Hopper, hunts up Hutchins and challenges him to a gunfight. Hutchins refuses to rise to the bait and is branded a coward by the townspeople. Hopper says they will meet again and he will not take no for an answer.
Hutchins is far from being a coward and is actually quite handy with a six-gun. He just does not like using them. Things come to a head when Hunnicutt sends off a letter to the State Attorney General about the murder of the former Marshal. The stage is held up and the mail stolen. The postmaster is taking a few bucks from Pryor and had let him know of the letter.
Hutchins has another letter sent, but this time has a posse follow the stage at a distance. Sure enough, a group of Pryor's men, lead by Wooley and Pickens hold up the stage. Hutchins and the posse pounce and capture both Wooley and Pickens. The two admit to the murder but say it was under orders of Pryor. The former Marshal had been on the verge of reporting on Pryor's criminal activities.
Hutchins rides back to town and straps on a pair of .45 hog legs. He then heads to Pryor's saloon to arrest him. Pryor is waiting for him outside with Hopper at his side. Hutchins asks Hopper why he is doing all his cousin's dirty work. "You kill me and it is you that will hang." Hopper gives this statement a moment to ponder over, then, steps aside.
Pryor now pulls iron, but Hutchins is faster and drops Pryor with a single round.
The rest of the month goes by and Hutchins collects his pay from the town's new Mayor, Jean Louis Heydt. He is moving on down the road.
A very interesting first episode with some nice guest stars featured. You can't go wrong with Hopper, Pickens, Wooley and Anders.
The episode was directed by, Leslie H. Martinson. Martinson started in television in 1953 and worked till 1989 in the medium. He did do the odd feature film of which, PT-109, is his most well known.
The d of p was veteran b-film and television man, Ellis Carter. THE BLONDE BANDIT, EL PASO, Indian UPRISING, THE Texas RANGERS, ARROW IN THE DUST and OREGON PASSAGE are a few of the films he worked on.
The screenplay was by Frank Davis and Winston Miller. Miller supplied the story or screenplay for, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, RELENTLESS, FURY AT FURNACE CREEK, STATION WEST, ROCKY MOUNTAIN, THE LAST OUTPOST, THE BOY FROM OKLAHOMA and Carson CITY.
On a personal note, my father saw Slim Pickens several times at various rodeos when Pickens was a rodeo clown. Every time a Pickens' film came on the tube, he would tell us about it. (B/W)
He rides into the small town of Blue Rock. He needs to mail a letter. The local post office though is closed. There is a civic election on and everyone is at the saloon waiting for the results. Hutchins finds the postmaster, Chubby Johnson and talks him into opening the office.
The election results are now called and saloon owner, Ainslie Pryor is elected mayor again. "Drinks on me boys!" Pryor yells to the crowd.
Having mailed his letter, Hutchins signs up for the election-day horse race. A 100 dollars to the first horse around the course. Hutchins could use the prize money and joins. He ends up in a tie at the finish line with Merry Anders. They have a shoot off in-order to break the tie. Hutchins has to borrow a gun. Miss Anders hits every target while Hutchins fails to even get off a round.
The crowd gets a great laugh out of Hutchins' fumbling. The Mayor, Pryor tells Hutchins the town needs a Marshal. Would he be interested? Hutchins needs the money, so he agrees to take the job for a month. We now find out that the last Marshal had been murdered several weeks before. The killer had never been found.
Local, Arthur Hunnicutt, fills Hutchins in on all the locals. Miss Anders is the daughter of the just murdered Marshal. The Mayor, Pryor, also owns a large cattle ranch outside town. He is buying up all the surrounding places whether the owners wish to sell or not. One rancher, Jean Louis Heydt, is not playing along and a range war is looming.
Hutchins looks into the killing of the former town lawman. He discovers that several of Pryor's hired men were at the scene of the murder. The two men, Sheb Wooley and Slim Pickens, get a good laugh when the gun-less Hutchins tries to question them. Hutchins bides his time and keeps looking into the murder.
Several days later, Pryor's cousin, "Billy the Kid" rides into Blue Rock. The Kid, played by Dennis Hopper, hunts up Hutchins and challenges him to a gunfight. Hutchins refuses to rise to the bait and is branded a coward by the townspeople. Hopper says they will meet again and he will not take no for an answer.
Hutchins is far from being a coward and is actually quite handy with a six-gun. He just does not like using them. Things come to a head when Hunnicutt sends off a letter to the State Attorney General about the murder of the former Marshal. The stage is held up and the mail stolen. The postmaster is taking a few bucks from Pryor and had let him know of the letter.
Hutchins has another letter sent, but this time has a posse follow the stage at a distance. Sure enough, a group of Pryor's men, lead by Wooley and Pickens hold up the stage. Hutchins and the posse pounce and capture both Wooley and Pickens. The two admit to the murder but say it was under orders of Pryor. The former Marshal had been on the verge of reporting on Pryor's criminal activities.
Hutchins rides back to town and straps on a pair of .45 hog legs. He then heads to Pryor's saloon to arrest him. Pryor is waiting for him outside with Hopper at his side. Hutchins asks Hopper why he is doing all his cousin's dirty work. "You kill me and it is you that will hang." Hopper gives this statement a moment to ponder over, then, steps aside.
Pryor now pulls iron, but Hutchins is faster and drops Pryor with a single round.
The rest of the month goes by and Hutchins collects his pay from the town's new Mayor, Jean Louis Heydt. He is moving on down the road.
A very interesting first episode with some nice guest stars featured. You can't go wrong with Hopper, Pickens, Wooley and Anders.
The episode was directed by, Leslie H. Martinson. Martinson started in television in 1953 and worked till 1989 in the medium. He did do the odd feature film of which, PT-109, is his most well known.
The d of p was veteran b-film and television man, Ellis Carter. THE BLONDE BANDIT, EL PASO, Indian UPRISING, THE Texas RANGERS, ARROW IN THE DUST and OREGON PASSAGE are a few of the films he worked on.
The screenplay was by Frank Davis and Winston Miller. Miller supplied the story or screenplay for, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, RELENTLESS, FURY AT FURNACE CREEK, STATION WEST, ROCKY MOUNTAIN, THE LAST OUTPOST, THE BOY FROM OKLAHOMA and Carson CITY.
On a personal note, my father saw Slim Pickens several times at various rodeos when Pickens was a rodeo clown. Every time a Pickens' film came on the tube, he would tell us about it. (B/W)
