Part of the fun in watching this penultimate episode of The Virginian's eighth season is seeing just how far guest star Jack Elam will go to prove a point to others in his community. Most of them only see him as a failed dirt farmer, but he has aspirations to succeed, really succeed, beyond that lowly station in life. When he collects on a reward for turning in some stolen money, he suddenly has a windfall that will help him realize his dreams.
Of course his nearly grown kids (Patricia Morrow and Michael Larrain) are only too aware of their pa's shortcomings when it comes to making good, especially where finances are concerned. Elam wastes no time buying fancy clothes and throwing a lavish party to celebrate his newfound wealth. A short time later, he and his kids are living on a big ranch with a spread that could rival Shiloh's. It all happens rather quickly, since Elam is in a rush to increase his wealth and be taken seriously by folks in Medicine Bow and the surrounding area.
One running gag that amused me was how Elam kept signing for things, until he had used up all his cash and no longer had any more credit. He couldn't even afford to pay his ranch hands-- one of them being Trampas as a foreman on loan from Shiloh-- and eventually people began to realize he was full of empty promises.
It all culminates in a tense standoff over a stretch of grazing land that is supposed to be shared by Elam and the Graingers. During this confrontational scene, his son (Larraine) denounces him and leaves. In the end, Elam loses everything and winds up back at his old farm. Of course, any viewer with a modicum of intelligence would have guessed that's where the story was heading, but as I said the fun is in the way Elam plays it. Ultimately bad decisions and hubris are his character's undoing, and he is brought full circle by the close of the episode, and we can only hope he's finally learned something.
I did like the fact that the Virginian had a logical history with Elam's character and that despite everything that happened in the story, they could remain friends.
There are some good supporting performances. Especially by Kenneth Tobey who had previously appeared in Season 6's 'The Decision' as a completely different character. But it's Elam's moment to shine. A final comment I'd like to make is how these episodes provide good roles to young contractees at Universal. Playing Elam's son, Michael Larrain turns in a nice performance (he has striking good looks with a cleft chin reminiscent of Cary Grant) and one wonders why he did not evolve into a major movie star.
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