Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV Series) The Corner (1959) User Reviews

Okay, But A Bit Irritating

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 5 October 2006]

The show opens with Josh playing poker in a saloon. Someone enters the saloon, Josh recognizes him as a friend and tells him to wait a second until he finishes his hand. The next thing you know, the friend collapses at the door. He is taken to the doctor's office and shortly afterward dies. He does get a chance to talk to his friend Josh, tells him he was innocent of charges and that two men shot him. He asks Josh to promise he will bring him home. It turns out he is wanted (although obviously innocent). After he dies, Josh brings the casket back to where the man, and Josh for awhile, lived. The man's sister and father are there and the three of them arrange for funeral services.

Meanwhile, two other guys - obviously the shooters - track down the dead man and want the body for a reward. They, too, are bounty hunters, and they are the ones that shot the guy. They do some investigating and find out where Randall went and follow him. It's too late to get the body, as Randall as now delivered it, so they ambush Josh, beat him up and demand the $500 reward. Randall doesn't have it, nor would he take it since the man was his friend.

So the bad guys tell everyone that Randall killed the man. The whole town, including the man's sister and father, believe them! That is aggravating to watch. So much for friends.

Things get violent and the end, so, not wanting to use spoilers, I'll end it here.

This was a decent episode but a little too frustrating at times, too. Having Randall accused of a crime he didn't commit, and having no one in a town that all knew him, believe him, was irritating to watch.

But - - - He Kept The Reward

[garysteinweg · 7/10 · 17 June 2022]

So, Josh was good friends with Boone, Boon's sister, and Boon's father. Boon was a falsely accused on-the-run person with a $500 wanted poster who got shot by two bounty hunters. Before Boon dies of his wound, he extracts a promise from Josh to take him back to his hometown for burial, which Josh does. The two bounty hunters want the reward, but the hometown sheriff gives it to Josh, which makes the whole town hate Josh including Boon's father. Ultimately, Boon's sister sneaks a shotgun to Josh, wanting to believe Josh wasn't responsible for her brother's death. Josh prevails, both bounty hunters are killed, and everyone realizes that the bounty hunters were the baddies, not Josh. Then, instead of giving the $500 bounty to Boon's father and sister, Josh rides off with it. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

Unnecessary Conflicts & Dilemma

[Johnny_West · 4/10 · 9 May 2020]

Josh Randall's friend, Boone Morgan, somehow finds Randall at a saloon, playing cards. Boone was played by James Dobson, in his first and only appearance on the show.

Considering that Randall was always on the move, Boone finding Randall in a saloon seems very unlikely. Then Boone basically drops dead a couple of minutes later, and his last request is for Randall to take him home. Turns out that Boone had been ambushed by bounty hunters.

Randall claims his friends body, and then leaves his name, but the address for Boone, as the place to send the reward money, since he is taking Boone's body back to his home town. Randall makes the trip, and meets with Boone's father, Asa Morgan, played by John Litel. Litel was on the show three times. His daughter is played by Rachel Ames, who appeared twice on Wanted.

It was obvious Boone was shot to death, so Randall should have explained what happened, but he didn't. He also did not explain that he had requested the $500 bounty on Boone so he could give it to Boone's family. So the two guys that actually killed Boone show up in town, and tell everyone Randall collected the bounty on Boone.

The bounty hunters were played by Don Gordon, who also worked with Steve McQueen on Bullit, Papillon, and The Towering Inferno. Gordon appeared twice on Wanted. His bounty hunting partner was William Phipps, who appeared three times on Wanted. The two bad guys turn everyone in the town against Randall, but only because Randall never told Boone Morgan's family the truth when he arrived in town.

Eventually all the townsfolk get a chance to tell Randall what a back-stabbing Judas he is. Asa Morgan and his daughter also take their shots at Randall, and nobody will help Randall. Asa even keeps Randall's sawed off rifle, and everyone in town tells Randall the they hope he gets killed. I got the drama, and for a long time I just blamed the townsfolk, but the truth is that Randall never explained the situation to anyone. He only had himself to blame (and bad writing).

In spite of the fact that it is totally contrived and unjust, the fast pace of the action makes this episode work. Don Gordon always played a villain well, and he and William Phipps make you angry, because they are so depraved, greedy, and evil. They spin everything against Randall, but only because he did not get the truth out first. Every time I see this episode, I want to yell at the TV, "Tell them what happened!" when Randall arrives in town.

Well, We Learn About Josh A Little

[verbusen · 5/10 · 28 November 2008]

I hate to slam this series as I am a big Steve McQueen fan, but like the other review I read here says, it sucks. So, this is what I learned about Josh today after watching this episode, Josh is a poor communicator, I guess that's how Steve McQueen roles go. He doesn't tell the father when he delivers the dead friends body back what happened, or did he? Who knows? Its a 30 minute show so we don't get that scene (maybe I did a bathroom break, if he did then the writers didn't give the town folk any doubt that he did it). Also, Josh doesn't have much of a sexual urge when hot women who are clean and pure throw themselves at him. I guess that's a 50's TV thing with the censors, I try my best to keep it in the context of the time, but DAMN! The guy never kisses any women! Give me Have Gun Will Travel any day over this mediocre western fluff. Paladin kissed the women! 5 of 10. I can only handle so much of this show, I'll take The Rifleman and HGWT anyday for my 30 minute western fix.