Veteran western character actor Jack Elam is the whole show in the fourth season "Sugarfoot" episode "Toothy Thompson" as a ne'er-do well who creates trouble primarily because he looks so ugly. Not only is Elam's character Toothy Thompson a major asset, but this story is not strictly about him. Territorial gubernatorial candidate John Brice (John Morley) is heading off to Casa Grande and Tom Brewster (Will Hutchins) joins him. No sooner than they arrive in Casa Grande, Brice tangles with Toothy because he remembers that Brice prosecuted him for a crime that led to a two-year prison sentence. When another man enters Brice's hotel room late at night and shoots him, the town of Casa Granda is outraged. The current sheriff had to lead town and he deputized Tom Brewster to stand in for him. Since Toothy clashed with Brice, everybody leaps to conclusion to Tom has to put Toothy behind bars. A paunchy individual struggles to incite a lynch mob to hang Toothy, but the town doctor shows up and informs the angry townspeople that Brice managed to survive the attempt on his life. Brice cannot identify his assailant, but the description that he gives clears Toothy. Toothy is overwhelmed by the courtesies that Tom shows him. After he releases Toothy, Tom finds himself followed around by Toothy. According to Toothy, nobody has ever treated him with such generosity. Meantime, we learn that the Governor Lee Dandridge (Gregory Morton) is not the clean-scrubbed person of dignity that everybody but his wife believes him. At the same time, Toothy thinks so highly of Tom that he believes that he should be the next territorial governor rather than Brice. When he tells Tom that he is prepared to take the governor hostage to guarantee that Tom becomes governor, Tom warns Toothy not to do it. Moreover, Tom warns the governor, but Toothy has other ideas. Instead, he decides to kidnap Dandridge's wife Lois (Annelle Stevens), who as it turns out has nothing but revulsion for her husband. She knows about Lee's graft and corruption and hates him for it. Ironically, when Toothy takes her hostage, she is relieved to be away from her husband. Meantime, Tom has the devil's own time locating Toothy who has taken Lois up into the mountains. Eventually, Tom locates Toothy and Lois, but at the same time, Dandridge and his henchmen follow Tom without his knowing it, and an showdown erupts between Dandridge and his men as well as Tom and Toothy. This episode is a lot of fun, and it has revelations that places it above the typical, light-hearted "Sugarfoot" episode.
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