Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV Series) Tolliver Bender (1960) User Reviews

Just Hanging Out

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 19 November 2009]

Boy, more people are about to be hanged (including Josh, at one point), then they get out of it, then others have the noose around them and then don't, etc. It's back-and-forth, enough to give anyone a stiff neck. There is a lot of material packed in this half-hour TV episode, both in words and action.

We see greed, family betrayal and loyalty, sacrifice for friends, good guys turned bad and bad guys turned good. In other words, another interesting episode.

It helped, too, to have a couple of well-known actors help out, such as John Carradine ("Amos McKenna") with that famous baritone voice and deep face. We also have Gloria Talbott ("Adelaide Bender") a name you may not recognize but a face you will as she was seen regularly on TV during the 1950s and 1960s.

Meanwhile, Wright King as "Jason " is still hanging around, hoping to be Josh's sidekick. This is the third week in a row for him.

John Carradine Guests!

[suggsdrugs · 9/10 · 28 June 2022]

All of these episodes are a little campy, but i figure if you don't like old Westerns you wouldn't be considering this review! No Spoilers! John Carradine in a considerably different role than his character in Grapes of Wrath!! Lot's of action and plot twists! Enjoyed it!

One of the Best Episodes.

[jayraskin · 10/10 · 27 October 2023]

This sharply written episode is filled with twists and turns. It also features three guess stars. John Carradine "Grapes of Wrath" (1940) is always wonderful to watch and this is no exception. He plays a ruthless, but charming man, who seems to be willing to commit any crime for the right price. Gloria Talbot "I Married a Monster from Outer Space" (1958) plays her third and last guess starring role. As usual, she delivers an excellent sexy performance as a tough cowgal. She said in an interview that Steve McQueen was a good friend. I'm not sure if that meant that they dated or were lovers.

Wright King appears for the 4th time as a recurring character who acts as Josh Randall's sidekick. He did this in 9 straight episodes in the second season. There's not that much chemistry between them, but it is interesting to think about how the show might have developed if he had stayed around. This is perhaps King's best episode as he volunteers to replace a man to be hung if Randall doesn't bring back the man to be hung in ten days. This shows how much he admires Randall and trusts his ability to do what he says.

John Carradine and Gloria Talbott

[kevinolzak · 6/10 · 9 November 2013]

"Tolliver Bender," played by Douglas V. Fowley, is an old codger who killed a man because he said things about Tolliver's daughter. The town of Pittman succeeded in convicting him, but just as he's about to be hanged, Josh Randall arrives, intending to 'borrow' the captive so his testimony will free an innocent man being tried in another town three days away. The shifty mayor, Amos McKenna (John Carradine), having promised the bloodthirsty mob a hanging, barters for half of the $1000 dollar reward, settles for $250, then insists on keeping Jason Nichols (Wright King) around, in case their prisoner fails to return in time. The trip there and back find Randall being ambushed for the money not just by one of McKenna's flunkies, but also a pretty girl handy with the rifle (Gloria Talbott, from the earlier "Fatal Memory" and the later "Three for One"). All the while, Bender himself shows no remorse for his crime (simply defending his daughter), wanting only to avenge himself on the despised townsfolk of Pittman. Legendary scene stealer John Carradine, dapper and clean shaven, alternates between droll and conniving, casually relaxing with another drink while everyone else runs around to do his bidding (sneaking in one reference to his beloved Bard). This was a TV reunion for Carradine and Douglas Fowley, paired in nine different titles over the years, from 1935's "Transient Lady" to 1977's "The White Buffalo." Lovely Gloria Talbott, Carradine's co- star from 1959's "The Oregon Trail," unfortunately hasn't much screen time, while sharp eyed viewers will spot Frank Sully (from Carradine's "Grapes of Wrath") and Percy Helton, both uncredited playing various townsmen.