jayraskin1

This may be Fess Parker's greatest performance in a movie, matching the best in his earlier performances in Disney's "Davey Crockett" episodes and his later "Daniel Boone" television series. The story is wonderful for the first hour when it concentrates on Fess Parker. Unfortunately, the movie shifts gears and Jeff Chandler becomes the center of the action for the last half hour. While Chandler is fine, his character is rough and inconsistent and the movie falls apart when he takes over. Worse, Fess Parker's character also withers and becomes inconsistent for the last half hour. Parker can kill Chandler's character, but keeps delaying it and making absurd decisions to keep him alive and stupidly endangers himself and the family he loves.

Its a movie that could have been a classic Western, but becomes pointlessly irritating for the last half hour.

Right now it is only a must see for Parker fans.

Guest Star Neville Brand usually played villains. He played Al Capone in the 1950s television series "The Untouchables." He also played bad guys in many Westerns, although in his one regular Western series "Laredo," he was one of the good guys and was quite comical.

Here he plays what is easily his most complex character, a football player who may die of a brain disease. We slowly learn that "Terry Dunne" is not the usual dumb jock, but actually a brilliant potential physicist, who chose a glorious football career because of the money and fame.

Dunne is brave and not afraid of death, but he is depressed that he has lost the love of his estranged wife and son, by dedicating himself to football.

Casey has to battle Dunne, his wife and his son, to convince them that they all can still have a good life, even if it is not the life they expected.

This is for Neville Brand fans and fans of good writing and television drama. One of the best of the second season.