But this time, they're underestimating who's taken the job, in this case the very determined Clint Walker who immediately pays a month's lodging at beautiful Kathryn Hays' hotel. There's competition between freight company owners Barry Sullivan and Edgar Buchannan that leads to an increase in crime, and Walker has every intention of putting a stop to it all. He becomes the mentor and surrogate father to the young Mexican orphan Miguel Alejandro, teaching him how to respect his heritage and live an honorable life.
Perhaps too many TV westerns at the time either being cancelled or running out of steam prevented this obvious pilot from taking off, but as a one-off TV movie, it's quite enjoyable with familiar faces like Morgan Woodward and Peter Mark Richman playing bad guys and future soap Superstar Hays quite a lovely heroine. Walker's heroic in spite of a stoik personality, and he has good scenes with both Hays and Alejandro who is quite good as the troubled young pre-teen who reforms thanks to Walker's caring.
Perhaps too many TV westerns at the time either being cancelled or running out of steam prevented this obvious pilot from taking off, but as a one-off TV movie, it's quite enjoyable with familiar faces like Morgan Woodward and Peter Mark Richman playing bad guys and future soap Superstar Hays quite a lovely heroine. Walker's heroic in spite of a stoik personality, and he has good scenes with both Hays and Alejandro who is quite good as the troubled young pre-teen who reforms thanks to Walker's caring.