Lawman: "Cornered"

                      A Lawman Episode Review: Cornered

One of my favorite (and my sisters' favorite) western t.v. shows to ever come out of the more-than-plentiful slew of western t.v. shows in the 50's and 60's is Lawman. The show starred John Russell as a seriously serious and stalwart marshal and Peter Brown as his young but more than stupid deputy, Johnny McKay. They work in Laramie, Wyoming Territory, when the city is still young and wild, and they encounter all kinds of problems, because otherwise the show would be boring. Duh.

 In season two, after two other women had been added to the show and then promptly removed because of their lack of chemistry with the rest of the cast, Peggie Castle joined the show as Lily Merrill, the beautiful owner of the saloon nearest the marshal's office, once again proving that three times really is the charm. She added what the show needed to have a 'gang feel' and rounded up the cast nicely. 
Both Anna and I (not to mention our older sister Xenia) like Dan Tropp and Lily well enough, but our hearts undoubtedly lie with Johnny McKay. He's impossible to dislike... in fact, he's impossible to not love. I mean, maybe you won't, to each his own and all that, but really, he's sweet and wholesome, great with guns, and pretty good looking. Pretty perfect.
The episode I want to talk about today is called 'Cornered' and it takes place in season three and is one of the best episodes of the show. Unfortunately, I can't get my usual t.v. show review screenshots cause the episode is not online, but I will share some pictures of the show in general to help quell the grief in my heart.

 

Now onto the plot: It's late at night and Johnny McKay, falling asleep on Marshal Troop's chair, shakes himself awake to complete his duties for the day by taking one more walk around town. Side note: Johnny is really cute when he's falling asleep ^-^ Moving on...

 Throughout the show this is a consistent thing that the Marshal and Johnny do. Every night, they take a walk around town to make sure nobody's shooting anybody else. Usually there is somebody shooting somebody else. This particular night, all seems to be calm, until Johnny walks into the Birdcage, the local saloon owned by Lily Merrill. Jake the bartender quietly informs Johnny that the guy drinking heavily at the bar is in a dangerous mood... big surprise there. Johnny, being smarter than I am, doesn't confront the old codger immediately. He just takes his cup of coffee (another recurring detail in the show: The Gang absolutely loves coffee), and talks a bit to Lily. But, like so many other annoying bad guys in westerns, the man sitting at the bar won't let Johnny be. He starts prodding him, obviously in an attempt to get Johnny to draw. Johnny doesn't realize at first that the man he's now confronting is a man famous for his fast draw. Three town busy-bodies do know this, and watch the exchange in the saloon with great relish.

Are we really gonna do this?

The situation escalates, despite Johnny's attempts to cool things down. I don't know why this particular episode was so well-directed, but the suspense is incredible! Everybody's lines are fire, and the acting is splendid. Anyway, despite his best efforts, the exchange between Johnny and the mean old gunslinger turns into a showdown. They both draw, but only Johnny fires and the drunk gunslinger falls down dead before him. Marshal Troop hears the shots and comes running, and the three busy-bodies I mentioned earlier coming running in as well to congratulate Johnny on the fact that he killed old Jeb Barker, only one of the fastest guns in the west! The young deputy is shaken, more so than any other time we've seen him shoot a baddie. It was a fair fight and the man had it coming, so what's bothering Johnny? Dan Troop congratulates his prodigy as well, only to have Johnny tell him, quite aggravated, that he did not in fact shoot faster than Jeb Barker. He leans downs, picks up the gun, and shows the marshal what the problem is: Mr. Barker's gun jammed and he would've had the time to shoot Johnny several times over if it weren't for the malfunction. No wonder our boy is so shook up! But it gets worse.

The three annoying townsmen who saw the entire altercation take place and think Johnny merely bested Barker because of his own speed, inform the deputy that it's a good thing he's fast, as Jeb Barker's son, Jim Barker, will sure as heck be coming gunnin' for Johnny, now that his father has been killed! And Jim Barker is rumored to be even faster than his father. Oh man, do things get tense fast. Marshal Troop, Lily, and Johnny himself are the only three people in the whole territory who know Johnny only survived that night because of a miraculous gun mishap. Johnny's self confidence is shaken to the core, for good reason, and as the days start ticking by, the tension builds to unbearable heights. Dan tries helping Johnny, who is like a son to him, but there's nothing he can do. He tries to tell Johnny not to sweat, not to panic, but it's not exactly working. As the day when Jim Barker will inevitably appear, seeking revenge for his father, draws closer, Johnny practices his draw almost every minute of every day and his nerves stretch thinner and thinner.

 

I love me some good drama, and this episode is packed full of the best kind. Johnny needs help, desperately, but there's literally nothing his friends can do. It's up to him to saddle this bronc and it's no easy task. There's nothing he can do through the better part of the episode but wait for death to come. It's soooooo good!
Eventually, the day every single citizen of Laramie has been waiting for comes. Jim Barker comes riding into town on an old and dusty horse, looking meaner than heck. He stops at the saloon, swings down from his horse, and enters the building. Johnny, despite the urging of Marshal Troop to ignore Barker, straps on his gun and heads to the saloon, ready for what may be his last few minutes on earth.
And here is where the moment that sets this episode above almost any other western t.v. show I've ever seen comes.
Johnny walks into the saloon. He sees Barker at the bar and immediately joins him. He's not in the mood for dilly-dallying. He straight up tells him he's the guy that shot his father. Jim turns around, looking kind of sad and sullen. He looks at Johnny and Johnny looks at him, ready to die. I believe Johnny also told Jim that he didn't want to kill his father but he was mean as a coyote and looking for trouble. The moment is tense. Everybody is watching the two of them, and then something unexpected happens. I can't remember the lines exactly, but Jim says something to the effect of "I'm glad my father's dead. He had it coming."
And Johnny's like "Whaaaaahhhh???"
Jim tells him he hated his father 'cause he was a terrible and nasty father. Fair point.
He also tells him that he only came into town because everybody expected him to do the whole revenge thing.
There's a lovely bit of exchange here between the two of them. It's absolutely hilarious, and the relief in both of them when they find out that neither of them wants to kill the other is so thick in the air, you could cut it with a knife.
Soon the two of them are laughing together. They discover that they're both twenty-one. Johnny raises a glass of whisky and says something to the effect of: "Here's to maybe making it to twenty-two!"
By this point, Lily and Marshal Troop are practically crying with relief, and everybody's laughing, including me. It's so wonderful! Gosh, I love this episode.
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That's all I have to say about that. If you're in the mood for a juicy, well-acted, family-oriented, but without an actual family, t.v. show, I highly recommend watching Lawman! Thanks for taking the time to spend this week of western appreciation with Anna and me! Have a great weekend, and may the deck be always stacked in your favor!

 

This has been Anna and Irene's final contribution to the 2021 Legends of Western Cinema Week. Ride on over to the link I left and check out all the other wonderful posts that have been written this week.

Anna's Legends of Western Cinema Week Tag Answers 2021

                             

Hello! I am back for the Annual Anna's Post (yes, I know, it's ridiculous). I may be a failure when it comes to posting, but thanks to Irene's constant reminders I am here to celebrate the wonderful, amazing week that is "Legends of Western Cinema Week". What kind of a western fan would I be if I didn't put time aside for this?
Anyway, enough about me, let's get onto the questions!

The Legends of Western Cinema Week Tag

1) Western movies or western TV shows? 

A: First off, what kind of a question is this? How can one possibly choose between the two most wonderful things to ever grace the movie screen? But as an answer, I really can't choose between the two. It depends on my mood and who I'm with.

2) Funny westerns or dramatic westerns? 

A: Once again, I can't really choose between the two. I would say half of my favorite westerns are funny and half are dramatic.

3) Westerns that focus on loners or westerns that focus on families? 

A: My gut instinct was loner, because who doesn't like a mysterious, gritty stranger riding into town with a weird aversion to people? But then I thought about the perfect combination. A loner finding a family. That, that is where it's at.

4) Male-centric westerns or female-centric westerns? 

A: The only female-centric western I've ever seen was with Irene and we didn't finish it...Why'd you let us down Joel? Why?

5) 1930s to 1960s westerns or 1970s to 2020s westerns? 

A: I would say my favorite time period for westerns is definitely the late 50's into the 60's. That was when they were really getting the hang of it.

6) Westerns that take place in America or westerns that take place internationally? 

A: Considering the only two I've seen that didn't take place in America were Hidalgo and the Man from Snowy River (both fantastic movies), I would have to go with America. 

7) Family-friendly Westerns or edgier Westerns? 

A: That depends on your definition of edgy, but I don't go for the super gory or gross westerns.

8) Straightforward good guy or conflicted hero? 

A: I love both! A nice healthy mixture is what I would say. Too much goody-goody is bleh, and too much conflict-shmonflict is also bleh.

9) Historically accurate Westerns or Westerns that aren't afraid to take some creative liberties?

A: Welllllllllllllllllll, ya see, I am willing to look over some inaccuracies and whatnot, but I would be a lot happier if all westerns were accurate. Too many creative liberties just throw me off.

10) Bittersweet or happily-ever-after endings?

 A: BOTH! It allllll depends on my mood. I love a good heart wrenching ending where you hate everything and cry yourself to sleep, but I also like to have those happy endings where everything is right with the world and the hero and everyone else is happy!

There you have it! Once again, this tag was super fun and I feel like a new person...Not really, but I feel good for finally writing something on here. I hope you all enjoy the rest of this brilliant week and watch lots of westerns.

- Anna

Irene's Legends of Western Cinema Week Tag Answers 2021

Hi there everyone! After being AWOL for a stupid amount of time, I come back just when I'm needed most... Legends of Western Cinema Week! This special, so-far-yearly event is just what I need to get the blogging juices flowing. Westerns are beautiful things, and Anna and I had an especially lovely experience with our favorite western, The Magnificent Seven, when we showed it to a bunch of our friends in Eastern Washington who had never seen it. They had a screen projector so it felt like we were in a movie theatre. Everybody loved it, the reactions were ideal, and the thundering applause at the end was ample proof that the film had been a hit. It made me so happy. This blog party in celebration of westerns and all that makes them beautiful is hosted by three ladies at three great blogs: Rachel at Hamlette's Soliloquy, Heidi at Along the Brandywine, and Olivia at Meanwhile, in Rivendell... I don't know why everybody has such great blog names, but they do. Just a quick note: The absence was actually not my fault! (uh huh, fer sure, yeah right). No, really! Anna and I returned from our trip to Eastern Washington (where there was no wifi). I was rearing to blog, so ready, had one day to answer a couple comments, and then our own internet connection absconded, leaving us high and dry! It was out for about ten days, but we should be good now. I'll do another post later this week, but for now, I'll just answer the extremely difficult tag answers, and I'll try to get Anna to do her own answers as well. 

1) Western movies or western TV shows?
... Both? I know I can't do both... I'm gonna do both for all of them... But honestly, it's both. Stand-alone westerns are of more quality, but I have such fond memories of binge-watching Lawman and the Rifleman, I'm just gonna go with both.

2) Funny westerns or dramatic westerns?
I like a mix of the two, but I would have to say I like it (usually) if they lean a bit more comedic. Big Jake (really not super comedic, but kind of so), Rio Bravo, and El Dorado all come to mind. Then again, The Magnificent Seven, Red River, The Tin Star, and The Searchers come to mind in the latter category... Dang it, I'm going with both again.

3) Westerns that focus on loners or westerns that focus on families?

I would have to say found-families. That conglomeration of different characters with different backgrounds who grow together and eventually form a family that's technically not related. I love the 'gang' feel, as Anna and I call it. Marshal Dan Troop, Johnny McKay, and Lilly Merrill have such a gang feel. Such togetherness, it's absolutely beautiful. I do enjoy epic loners though, but their full potential is only met when they meet a family and have to help them out, so yet again, I like the family theme.

4) Male-centric westerns or female-centric westerns?

I can't even think of a female-centric western... so male-centric lol. Well, I like it best when it has a bunch of different people, but it's still usually male-centered anyway. 

5) 1930s to 1960s westerns or 1970s to 2020s westerns?

1930s to 1960s, I would have to say. I haven't seen a lot of good 30s westerns, the 40s were hit and miss, but the 50s and 60s were just *chef's kiss*. The Golden Era, for sure. I have not seen many westerns from the 70s through the 2020s, but I like older movies in general, so it's not hard to pick. The 70's did have a surprising amount of good westerns, since all the other movies from that time period seem to be terrible most of the time. And of course Silverado was in the 80s, so that elevates that decade to generally undeserved movie heights.

6) Westerns that take place in America or westerns that take place internationally?

Ya know, a western anywhere is good. The Man from Snow River is the only out of country western I can think of, and it's really very good, so I'm open-minded, haha. I do love America more than anywhere else though, so will say American westerns are just a *tiny* bit better. (I almost forgot Hidalgo, which is in Arabia and is epic)

7) Family-friendly Westerns or edgier Westerns?

Family-friendly bruh. I am not edgy. No bueno. 
Like, it can be darker and have a kind of mature theme, but I don't want no hanky-panky or gratuitous violence at play. No-siree-bob!

8) Straightforward good guy or conflicted hero?

I love me a hero who knows good from bad and never flinches doing what's right, but I feel like it's easy to make those characters shallow and cardboard, so I don't mind a conflicted hero, as long as he pulls through in the end.

9) Historically accurate Westerns or Westerns that aren't afraid to take some creative liberties?

What a good question! I'll watch a western even if it's obviously not historically accurate in any way, but I prefer my movie makers to put some effort into authenticity. It adds just that extra teaspoon of hard work that makes a really solid film. For instance, can we just not have the obviously 1968 hairdo? Like, would it be that hard to wait until you were done filming to get the hard done up like a beehive or a perfectly symmetrical beach wave?

Nothing against dear old Audra, but her hair wasn't exactly 1880's

10) Bittersweet or happily-ever-after endings?

😭😭😭 I don't know!!! I love happy endings, but the end of The Searchers is the quintessence of bittersweet and it's the most beautiful thing ever! Same with The Magnificent Seven. I think I'll put bittersweet just above happily-ever-after, but the ending to Big Jake takes the place as my favorite western ending for some reason, and it's as happy as can be.

Just casually inserting a picture from Chisum just after I was talking about Big Jake.

And there you have it folks! Great questions, without a doubt. Have fun with the rest of this western-loving week, and remember: Don't squat with your spurs on (courtesy of Sam Elliot).


                                                                             ~Irene