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Fluffy story that slogs along until its incendiary climax does serve some food for thought. James Daly, known for playing stern authority figures, gets to relax a bit as frontier photographer Dan Sheppard. The forward-thinking Sheppard comes to Shiloh eager to chronicle the working lives of buckaroos, certainly aware that progress will threaten their existence sooner or later. Ironically, "sooner" is represented by the crooked oil speculator Carstairs played by Donald Barry, whose career as a B-western star had long-since vanished. In a similar vein, Drury may have guessed that the golden age of TV westerns was also facing extinction. The Virginian poses for Sheppard's camera with a tight smile.

Guest cast takes over this Virginian episode as photographer James Daly arrives with his son Bob Random to photograph ranch life at Shiloh. Daly is a Matthew Brady type photographer and he's looking to capture ranch life in the raw and do as much for it and gain the same kind of reputation that Matthew Brady made from the Civil War

It doesn't take him long to discover that one of the Shiloh neighbors is Geraldine Brooks an old flame from his youth. Brooks is not real popular as she is considering an offer from oil speculator Don Barry who has sunk a test well on her property. Brooks's foreman William Smith is working with Barry under the table.

Concern foe the environment is everyone's worry but Brooks. I couldn't help thinking though that no matter the outcome here oil was hereto stay.

Some themes from classic films Giant and Hud are part of this story. Guest cast rules here.