The Rattlesnake Brigade - first shown December 5th
1971
'The notorious Doyle gang are on their way to prison when
they capture Jamie and their attorney's wife. They demand to be set free with a
wagon and a team of horses. The people meet their demands, and they take Jamie,
and three other teenagers’ hostage.'
Guest Stars: David Sheiner as Fancher, Eleanor Berry as Emily Fancher, Neville Brand as Doyle, Michelle Nichols as Judith, Chris Beaumont as Lester, Severn Darden as Price, Bobby Hall as Goatman, Don Keefer as Tobias Temple, Biff Manard as Suggins, Joaquin Martinez as Chavez, John Quade as Tallman, Scott Walker as Guthrie Amber, Richard Yniguez as Ricardo, Larry Finley as Centro.
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This is a very gritty episode which deals with a violent
gang, led by the vile, ruthless Doyle, and their kidnapping of Jamie and three teenagers.
Jamie has to use his diplomatic and creative skills to help the kidnap victims
and Ben has to do the same with their fathers. Hoss and Joe play a key role to
release the prisoners and the ending is not entirely happy.
A gripping episode with excellent performances from Lorne, Mitch, Dan and
Michael. Also from Neville Brand who really has a chance to shine as the
repulsive Doyle, much more so than in his previous role as the theatrical Uncle
Gunnar in "The Last Viking" Indeed this is one of those later
episodes that goes deeper than the earlier ones. It deals carefully but
honestly with great violence against a woman, sexual harassment of a teenage
girl and harsh treatment of all the youngsters as well as the terrible stress
on their families and the death of one victim. Kudos to writer Gordon T.Dawson
and director William Ward for telling a story with realism.
The story opens with the notorious Doyle gang being transported in a prison
wagon to
three other teenagers (Ricardo, Judith and Lester) as hostages. The gang
escapes in the prison wagon and holes up in a box canyon near the Ponderosa.
At the Ponderosa Ben has to deal firmly, compassionately and constructively
with the distraught fathers who want to hunt down the gang. Ben believes that
they should pay a ransom if demanded in order to save the lives of the
youngsters. Doyle visits the Ponderosa and does indeed demand a ransom or one
teenager will be killed each day. Foolishly, one of the fathers tries to shoot
Doyle, killing his henchman instead. This puts paid to any ransom deal.
Meanwhile the young hostages are locked in a hut where Jamie calms the
quarrelsome Lester and encourages him, Ricardo and Judith to work together to
escape. Judith has to cope with both being a hostage and sexual harassment from
a gang member even though the boys, hostages too, try to protect her. The
youngsters work hard to dig themselves out of the hut. Tragedy occurs when Lester
is killed in a fall from a steep rock face. The remaining hostages are
recaptured and roughly treated.
The Doyle gang (who stole Buck from Ben back in
The steely determination of the Cartwrights is really well illustrated as they
prepare for the trip in the yard in front of the ranch house. Joe sits deadly
quiet waiting on Cochise, Hoss, grim faced, stows a long barrelled Sharpshooter
rifle into a scabbard on Chub and Ben sends them off to take action above the
canyon while he and the other fathers set off to ride into the canyon at ground
level.
Ben delivers the ransom to Doyle who double crosses him, taking the money and
keeping the hostages. At this point Hoss and Joe silently overpower the guards
above the canyon and Hoss wounds another with his special rifle. They then race
down the cliff and join Ben in a fist fight against the gang.
The fight is noticeable for Hoss's use of strength, Joe's agility and Ben's
anger which helps him to beat Doyle in a fight but nearly come to strangle him
in his fury over the whole situation. A word from Hoss brings him back to
reality. As with Adam in "The Crucible" and Joe in
"Vengeance", Ben comes very close to killing an evil person.
There is huge relief as the hostages are freed and all the youngsters are
reunited with family and friends. I really liked the touching scene where Joe
and Ben almost fling themselves on Jamie and vice versa.
The last final scene is a welcome, amusing one. Jamie wants to go into Virginia
City but Ben, in "mother hen" mode, insists on accompanying him to
the amusement of Jamie, Hoss and Joe. Ben and Jamie ride away, establishing the
rapport which will soon see Jamie becoming a Cartwright. Hoss and Joe walk
companionably together towards the house and I would have loved to know just
what they i.e. Dan and Michael were talking about as they were smiling happily!
This episode is well worth a view though I would say that it's best to feel in
an up-beat mood when watching as it is a very serious story. I thought that the
opening scenes were overly long and that we should have had much more of Hoss and
Joe in the later scenes but the Jamie and Ben fans certainly get value for
money.
There is one scene that really shows how the actors have come together. As
Jamie is rescued he and Joe grin so affectionately at each other and clap each
other on the arm. Then Jamie and Ben have a wonderful hug. I thought that there
was a visible rapport between Mitch and Lorne and Mitch and Michael. (Hoss
wasn't in that bit but I
am sure it would have been the same rapport with Mitch and Dan.)
Hilary
P.S. If anyone knows what happened to Clem please let me know! In the beginning,
a couple of the gang forced him into his office and we heard a shot but that
was all. I have just had to assume that Clem's powers of recovery were as
spectacular as those of the Cartwrights LOL!