BAT MASTERSON - SEASON 2(1959)
Bat Masterson is Gene Barry's wonderful series about a
the man who was known as fair and likeable! Always for
the down trodden! And a legend in his own min - - oops,
time!
While this series is about the old west and sometimes
deals with pretty serious subjects, it still is done
in a very lighthearted way! Probably why I enjoyed it
as a youngun!!
SEASON 2:
THESE ARE NOT PRESENTED IN AIRING ORDER!!!
NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THE TITLES ARE WRONG!!!
EPISODE 01: TO THE MANNER BORN(Oct. 01, 1959):
(Incorrectly named "No Funeral For Thorn" on the DVD)
Bat is asked by an old friend(female) to do some checking
up on her daughter's new beau!
Guest starring: James Hong(Big Trouble In Little China,
Tango And Cash, Blade Runner, Airplane!, The New Adventures
Of Charlie Chan)! A
EPISODE 02: WANTED: DEAD(Oct. 15, 1959):
More mean dudes! Bat shows up in town to collect a debt
only to find that the man he's looking for is being hunted
for murder!! And the sheriff is out to get him, dead
preferably!
Guest starring here is Dabbs Greer(Invasion Of The Body
Snatchers, Little House On The Prairie, Gunsmoke)! A
EPISODE 03: NO FUNERAL FOR THORN(Oct. 22, 1959):
(listed as "Shakedown At St. Joe" on the DVD)!!!!!!
Bat goes to Sapphira to help out a man who's "dying"!
Turns out, he's not but he wants Bat to help him
in his quest to move the county seat to his town!!
Guest starring: Elisha Cook, Jr.(House On Haunted Hill,
The Maltese Falcon, Magnum P.I., Star Trek: TOS episode
"Court Martial") B+
EPISODE 04: SHAKEDOWN AT ST. JOE(Oct. 29, 1959):
(Incorrectly named "To The Manner Born" on the DVD!!
Bat is infatuated by a singer who just happens to
be the appple of a hoods eye!! A
EPISODE 05: LADY LUCK(Nov. 05, 1959):
(Disc 2)
Bat arives in Sacramento to get paid for some cattle and
proptly gets robbed! He wanted to join in a game but he
has no money now! The local gambling hall owner tries
to buy his favor for a vote coming up! A
EPISODE 06: WHO'LL BURY MY VIOLENCE?(Nov. 12, 1959):
(On the DVD it's named "Who'll Buy By Violence?")
I am truly unsure what the actual title of this episode
is!! Because of the subject of the episode, it could be
either!!(LOL)
Anyway, Bat shows up in a small town in Missiouri and
because of the recklessness of a couple of wagon drivers
gets his derby ran over! He goes to buy another at the
local supply store and is appaled at the price($6)! Turns
out the town is being bullied by a one man supply source
and Bat decides to do something about it!!! A
EPISODE 07: DEAD MEN DON'T PAY DEBTS(Nov. 19, 1959):
(Disc one)
Bat goes to collect a debt but he's concerned that some
cattle men will cause a lot of trouble and get in the
way of his money!! A
EPISODE 08: DEATH AND TAXES(Nov. 26, 1959):
(Disc one)!
Bat tries to help out a new sheriff who's trying to make
sure that all citizens pay their fair share of taxes!! A
EPISODE 09: BAT PLAYS A DEAD MAN'S HAND(Dec. 03, 1959):
(Disc 2)
A friend of Bat's is being tried for murder and
getting no help from anyone, even though he's
innocent!! A
EPISODE 10: GARRISON FINISH(Dec. 10, 1959):
A friend of Bat's makes a bet with another man that his
horse could win in a race! A
EPISODE 11: THE CANVAS AND THE CANE(Dec. 17, 1959):
(First episode on disc one)!
A pretty woman is taken in by a shister art dealer and
Bat is determined to keep her from throwing her money
away! Of course he winds up in jail for killing an art
critic!
Guest starring: Sam Harris(The Sound Of Music, My Fair
Lady, Mary Poppins)! B
EPISODE 12: THE INNER CIRCLE(Dec. 31, 1959):
Bat gets in the middle of politics and women in the
town of Cheyenne! This is pretty silly!! B-
EPISODE 13: THE PIED PIPER OF DODGE CITY(Jan. 07, 1960):
Bat is called upon to Dodge City to try to help a
friend who's having financial trouble with his
saloon, The Long Branch Saloon! He does shis best
but winds up having to call upon a few friends for
more help!! A
EPISODES 14: A PICTURE OF DEATH(Jan. 14, 1960):
A man bets another man that a horses hoaves are
sometimes all off the ground at the same time in
sulky race(now known as trotters)! Bat is asked
by his friend to prove he's right!! A
EPISODE 15: PIGEON AND HAWK(Jan. 21, 1960):
(Third episode disc 3)
This is about gold and birds, and really kind of boring! B
EPISODE 16: FLUME TO THE MOTHER LOAD(Jan. 28, 1960):
(First episode disc 3!)
Bat becomes a gold miner!!!
Guest starring: Paul Lambert(Two episodes of Star Trek:
TNG)! A
EPISODE 17: DEATH BY THE HALF DOZEN(Feb. 04, 1960):
Bat gets mugged while on a stage and the gang kidnappes
the other passenger, the sheriff of the nearby town's
fience! A
EPISODE 18: DEADLY DIAMONDS(Feb. 11, 1960):
Bat gets mixed up in a phoney diamond mine!
Guest starring: the great William Schallert(Nancy
Drew and Patty Duke's father on their shows, Star
Trek: TOS episode "The Trouble With Tribbles",
Star Trek: DS9 episode "Sanctuary", The Many Loves
Of Dobie Gillis, Pillow Talk)! A
EPISODE 19: MR. FOURPAWS(Feb. 18, 1960):
River pirates take over a river boat(bet that surprises
you) and robs the patrons on it, including Bat!! A
EPISODE 20: SIX FEET OF GOLD(Feb. 25, 1960):
There's a race to build a railroad between two factions,
and Bat takes the side of the guy that doesn't owe him
money!!
Guest starring a returning James Coburn! A
EPISODE 21: CATTLE AND CANE(Mar. 03, 1960):
Bat find himself in the middle of a cattle war between
those that own land, and those who think the land belongs
to anyone who wants to use it!! A
EPISODE 22: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BAT MASTERSON(Mar. 10, 1960):
Bat unwittingly becomes a pawn in a bank heist, but
with the help of a "magician", clears his name!! A
EPISODE 23: THE SNARE(Mar. 17, 1960):
Bat is on a stage headed to a wedding where he's to
give away the bride when they come upon a man hanging
by his feet, quite dead! Turns out the man was the
betrothed, which makes Bat decide to try to find the
dude who did the deed!! A
EPISODE 24: THREE BULLETS FOR BAT(Mar. 24, 1960):
Bat witnesses a cold-blooded murder and is willing to
testify, that is, if he can survive an execution! B+
EPISODES 25: THE RELUCTANT WITNESS(Mar. 31, 1960):
Bat goes to the aid of a woman who's being framed for
murder, and he brings along his friend, Wyatt Earp! A
EPISODE 26: COME OUT FIGHTING(Apr. 07, 1960):
Kind of a twisted tale about Bat trying to help a man
win an election, with boxing figuring in on it! A
EPISODE 27: STAGE TO NOWHERE(Apr. 14, 1960):
Bat helps out finding a stagecoach filled with silver!
Guest starring: a returning Michael Forest! A
EPISODE 28: INCIDENT AT FORT BOWIE(Apr. 21, 1960):
Bat gets hired to bring a herd of horses to Fort Bowie,
but the herd gets rustled and Bat is having none of it!! A
EPISODE 29: MASTERSON'S ARCADIA CLUB(Apr. 28, 1960):
Bat's name has been sullied again!! A
EPISODE 30: WELCOME TO PARADISE(May 05, 1960):
Another crooked town, this time run by a crooked
"judge"!! A
EPISODE 31: A GRAVE SITUATION(May 12, 1960):
Bat helps a man who got taken on a land/cattle deal! A
EPISODE 32: GOLD IS WHERE YOU STEAL IT(May 19, 1960):
(Last episode on disc 5!
Bat gets his money stolen while depositing it in the
local bank, with the banks money along with it! A
EPISODE 33: WANTED: ALIVE PLEASE(May 26, 1960):
More cattle problems, someone is sneaking in cattle from
Mexico which carry the deadly black hoof disease!! B+
EPISODE 34: THE ELUSIVE BAGUETTE(June 02, 1960:
Bat's luck is running poorly in his gambling, so he starts
being a bodyguard to a woman and her very expensive
necklace!! A
EPISODE 35: THE BIG GAMBLE(June 16, 1960):
Bat and a friend go searching to a friend who went off
to find the "lost Dutchman's mine"!
Guest starring: Morgan Woodward(2 episodes of Star Trek: TOS)! A
EPISODE 36: BLOOD ON THE MONEY(June 23, 1960):
A partner of Bat's gets himself killed and asks Bat
to take his share of their money to his brother, who
has been called a bandit!! A
EPISODE 37: BARBARY CASTLE(July 01, 1960):
An old friend of Bat's is building a castle in San
Francisco from stones he's bringing over from Scottland!! A
From another reviewer at IMDb.com:
This was a fun series that wasn't supposed to be taken seriously.
Gene Barry was perfect as the suave Masterson, who apparently made
a living playing cards at nearly tavern west of the Mississippi
River. It was a preview for his role in "Burke's Law" five years
later. Like with all westerns of that era, there is a lot of
drinking, fighting, kissing and killing. The bad guys wore black
hats and the women were (almost every time)gorgeous -- even if
they seem to be wearing 10 pounds of clothes. Watch as well for
some guest character actors who later went on to modest successes
(like James Best, Louise Fletcher, Ross Martin).It's worth a half
hour of your time. - dwright53