The Orchard

Some old friends of John McIntire and Jeanette Nolan have moved up from Texas and have taken over a ranch. Burgess Meredith who at one time employed McIntire. but over the years their roles have reversed because of a lot of bad luck is their new neighbor. On the place helping are Meredith's two sons Brandon DeWilde and Ben Murphy and DeWilde's pregnant wife Tyne Daly.

Reasonable or not McIntire feels an obligation to keep helping Meredith out. Both sons have different ideas. DeWilde wants to try farming and Meredith feels that to be rank heresy for a cattleman.

Murphy's a wild one with his drinking and gambling and fighting. He gets into his own obligation with rustler William Windom and hooks up with him in his criminal endeavors.

Nice performances across the board from guest cast.

I loved seeing so many of my favorite actors in this episode, but I was mainly pleased to see Tyne Daly in one of her earlier roles when she had long hair- So beautiful !!! Not to bad an episode either.

Decorous, open-air early season episode has everything except what it needs most -- a script with logically developed characterizations. Impish Burgess Meredith, who usually landed on his feet in any role, is hard to take here as a supposedly once proud, prosperous rancher who accepts handouts from Clay Grainger oblivious to what a parasite he's become. His foolish son, played by Ben Murphy, is equally lacking in self-awareness, ripping off everyone in sight but totally clueless about the direction his petty larcenous bent is leading him. Brandon De Wilde, as Meredith's honest, sensible other son, comes off better, bringing the angular poise of a young Gary Cooper to his part. Environmentalists may be alarmed at script's cross-eyed assertion that uprooting trees is good for farmland.