Tempest in a Texas Town

This was a darn good hour-long morality play, with a bunch of twists right down to the very end, interesting characters, and a surprisingly cynical edge.

We're introduced to defense attorney Clinton Judd (Carl Betz), who returns home to the titular small Texas town to represent bad boy Brandon Hill (Christopher Jones). The episode derives a lot of its dramatic momentum from the tension between attorney and client -- these two hate each other, and there are plenty of lies to sort through regarding a missing girl before the hour's up. The script by Leon Tokatyan and Harold Gast crackles with great one-liners, constant tension, and the theme of youths easily led astray. The episode sometimes lapses into hammy territory, but for the most part it's all quality melodrama -- a morality play that knows exactly what it is.

I'm not too familiar with late 60s TV, but this was quite dark and really enjoyable to watch. Recommended if you can find it!