EPISODE: Song In The Dark

Reviewed by Lyn Robinson

Episode 116, Season 4, originally shown January 13, 1963

Guest Stars: Edward Andrews, Gregory Walcott

Written by: Judith and George W. George

Directed by: Don McDougall

SUMMARY:

Hoss in his usual grey–green checked nightshirt is lying in bed resigned to sleeplessness, as the same song comes through the window ‘Rim, Rim, Under the Red Rock Rim’. Outside one of the hands, Danny Morgan, is riding a beautiful white horse (the same one Ben nearly gets as a present in The Gift) very well behaved, obeying knee pressure only as Danny strums his guitar and sings.

Joe comes in wearing a brown robe (and not sure what else!) The brothers complain that Danny is back again on time in the middle of the night and its all Adam’s fault for bringing him in and giving the whole family insomnia. Hoss wonders where he goes at night and Joe sighs he knows where he would like Danny to go! Hoss gets up in disgust and notices Danny washing off his arm which appears to be hurt. Joe describes how the boys in the bunkhouse had seen him strangle a coyote with his bare hands and they decide to either talk to their father about getting rid of him or getting Adam to tie him up at night, as they have to sleep.

Having set Danny up as an obvious suspect, the main story starts with a lovely snippet of Adam playing his guitar on the porch while he waits for his lazy brothers to eat breakfast. Danny comes over to talk to him and then they are interrupted by a wagon with the Reverend William Johnson and his wife Mary. She has three boxes full of preserves for the Cartwrights and Danny lifts the three together, to emphasize his strength. When Adam carefully puts his guitar down on the wagon to help unload a plough the Reverend is returning, the man rudely puts the guitar on the ground. Adam quickly gets back down and picks the guitar up to make sure it isn’t damaged but the Reverend makes it clear that he thinks such instruments and the music they produce are instruments of the devil. As the other Cartwrights come out, he goes on to tell them that there had been a killing in town the previous evening. The widow Baker had been murdered, found by her maid that morning. Adam shakes his head: “All she did was run a high stake poker game in her back parlor and an honest one at that.” Rev. Johnston doesn’t condone gambling but he does tell them that with the sheriff out of town, the deputy was trying to find out what happened. He did at least know that he was looking for a powerful man with strong hands as the widow had been strangled and marks left on her neck. Hoss can't help remembering Danny's absence and return with a hurt arm 

Later Adam and Danny are loading up wire and wood for fence mending when the deputy Jeb rides in and wants to talk to Adam. He wants to know what Adam knows about Danny. Adam admits he doesn’t know much but Danny had saved his life; what else was there to know? Jeb says that Danny was heard singing around Widow Baker’s the previous night, but, as Adam said, he’d been heard singing all over the territory. When Jeb checks Danny arm, there are deep scratches and Jeb arrests Danny because the widow hadn’t died easy. They had found skin and blood under her fingernails.

In the jail, Danny is still strumming and singing and the townsmen listen. He had motive in their eyes, as the widow had about ten thousand dollars. When Rev. Johnston suggests taking the guitar away, the townsmen comment Danny’s practicing for a harp, although he won’t need it where he’s going, a comment they find very funny. The Rev. pulls them up on the comment and then, as Adam rides in, he puts the blame squarely on Adam for bringing such a man into their midst.

Adam goes into talk to Danny; the deputy can only get the words of the song from him. Jeb locks Adam in with Danny. Eventually Adam gets Danny to explain that he had sung for the widow because she had given him a whole dollar just for fixing her fence and that his horse had stumbled throwing him against some thorny briars, hurting his arm. He reminds Adam of time his horse had stumbled and Danny had helped him. Adam considers him sympathetically (beautiful close up) and admits that while he might be a minority of one, he believes Danny. Back home at supper, Adam isn’t hungry and Ben tries to persuade him that stewing and not eating doesn’t help anyone. Adam says, “Danny is locked in a cell and the respectable folk of Virginia City stand outside his window telling him he’s gonna be hanged and the sooner the better. Not something to build an appetite on.”

Ben tries to point out that even though the folks in town are going about it the wrong way, Danny could be guilty. He had come looking for a stake and ten thousand dollars was a mighty big one. Adam reminds him that when Danny found him and saved his life, he was half out of his head. There was three thousand dollars in his saddlebags and Danny knew about it. He could have taken it and left Adam to die and no one would ever have known but he didn’t. Adam admits that Danny is different but that doesn’t make him a dangerous killer. Just then Danny walks in; he couldn’t take being closed in jail any longer. Joe demands to know how he got out and Danny admits grabbing Jeb as he was bringing in supper, but says he didn’t hurt him.

When Ben says he’ll have to go back, Danny appeals to Adam, who sends him to the bunkhouse. Ben at least waits until Danny leaves before demanding to know what his son is doing. Adam defends himself the town is in an ugly mood and he’ll take Danny back in the morning. Ben furiously tells him that he is sticking his neck out, way out, but as Adam says it’s his neck. He gets a plate of food for Danny and is about to take it over to the bunkhouse for him when Hoss comes in and demands to know why Danny is there. Joe tells him that Danny broke jail and a shocked Hoss wants to know why they would let him ride off. Joe is worried that his eldest brother will be in big trouble if Danny keeps going but Adam insists that if he’d wanted to run, Danny wouldn’t have come back to the Ponderosa. He decides to go and tell Jeb what is happening but when Ben offers to go along, Adam refuses. Danny is his problem and he’ll take care of it.

Jeb is not in a good mood, just having been released from his own jail, and his temper isn’t improved when Adam has to admit that, although Danny had come to the ranch, he didn’t stay. Adam tries to persuade Jeb to give him some time, that Danny wasn’t really running, but gets told to stay out of it. (Poor old Adam is unpopular all round)

At the Reverend Johnstone’s, Mary is shaken by Danny’s appearance. He only wants some water but Mary is scared of him. He reassures her and they talk about children; she finds him sympathetic, although her husband insists Danny is a murderer. He takes her inside to pray to the Lord and give thanks that Danny didn’t murder her too. He has an old pulpit in the upstairs room and prays that he can soon build his church and become a full-time preacher. He has had the pulpit for 8 years, bringing it west. She wants him to give it to a church but he is going to build his own church and only the pure will be allowed inside. She says that she thought churches were for sinners, but he says to let sinners like the Widow Baker or Danny Morgan in would be sacrilege. Then he pronounces that once Danny has been hung, they can start building. Mary can’t understand where the money would come from and doesn’t see why Danny hanging has anything to do with the church. She is unsure Danny is even guilty and thinks he is a gentle man. Worried what it might mean, she waits until her husband is asleep and then sees scratches on his arm. She has to know, so she slips the key out and goes to look in the pulpit, finding the widow’s ten thousand dollars. Unfortunately, her husband wakes up and sees Mary. (He’s another one who has somehow found time to put his boots on or gone to bed in them). He is unrepentant: the Widow Baker was evil and needed killing so he could build a church; he was doing God’s will. His wife tells him that he is insane, but he insists she has to understand. Mary claims she does but he can’t risk it. Scared, she backs away from him and falls down the stairs, breaking her neck. He hears Danny singing outside and knows another killing can be blamed on Danny. Johnston yells that Danny killed Mary and then takes a shot at him, hitting Danny in the arm.

Danny goes back to the Ponderosa and Adam rides in just after him. Danny has just realized that he’s been shot when Jeb comes in with a posse and Reverend Johnston, who claims he saw Danny standing over the dead body of his wife and that he’d shot Danny.

Danny swears to Adam that he didn’t kill Mrs. Johnston; he saw her but just got a drink of water. Adam still can’t understand why Danny would come back to the Ponderosa if he were a killer. Johnston blames him; if Adam had put Danny back in jail and hadn’t wanted to play God, his wife would still be alive.

Adam just knows that he has to find out the truth: is he responsible for the death of a pleasant woman in Mary Johnston or is the man who once saved his life innocent?

Adam decides that he had better not go to the funeral but the rest of the family goes and brings back news that Danny is going to be tried the following day. Adam is still convinced Danny’s innocent but Ben insists there has to be some evidence. Adam says: “I think I’m evidence. He could have killed me and taken my money, which is just as good as the Widow Baker’s, but he didn’t kill then and I don’t believe he’s killed now.”  Adam wonders if Rev Johnston is telling the truth; there are only two stories -- his and Danny’s -- and everyone assumes Danny’s lying. Ben accepts that it’s possible the Reverend killed his own wife but it would have to be proved. Joe throws in the fact that Johnston has put his ranch up for sale. Adam considers that “Kinda in a hurry, isn’t he? I wonder why.”

Johnston is praying in his pulpit, promising his dead wife that “they” will pay, but then he hears that song again. He can’t believe that Danny has been released or escaped from jail again. He runs to the window and sees a figure on the white horse singing Red Rock Rim. He fires, apparently hitting the rider, but when he runs out no one is there. (Good job Adam didn’t tell his father he was setting himself up to be shot at; he’d never have heard the last of it.)

The horse is still standing there and Johnston rides into town, taking the horse to demand that Jeb put Morgan back in jail.  Jeb looks at him as though he’s mad; on cue, Danny starts singing from the jail cell and Jeb insists that he has been there all the time.

Johnston insists he’d seen him and Danny couldn’t have got to town before him without his horse. He proclaims he brought the horse to town with him, but when he drags Jeb out to see, the white horse has gone.

Jeb thinks it’s the strain, and tries to reassure Johnston that the trial tomorrow will lead to Morgan’s hanging, but Johnston knows he shot Danny off the horse. Adam watches him leave town and, back on Sport, he follows Johnston out to the house. Johnston unlock his room and goes back to the security of the pulpit; scared, he wants to get it to a safe place. It’s heavy and he is trying to manhandle it down the stairs when Adam comes in.

Adam says he needs help, that he has doubts as though the devil himself was around. Adam says he is afraid of the devil but to fight him, he needs the Reverend’s help. Johnston accepts this at face value, needing someone to rely on in his own fear that there are forces of evil loose. He decides Adam will be his first convert and he shows him the miracle pulpit that he saved from a fire and that he will build a miracle church round it. At first, Adam just agrees with him (acting almost fanatical himself) but then says there can’t be a church because they don’t have the money. Johnston insists he has the money -- ten thousand dollars. At first, as Adam accuses him of having Widow Baker’s money, he denies it but Adam furious insists he had killed for it and knocks the pulpit away. It falls down the stairs smashing on the ground and the money fluttering round it. Johnston is distraught, far more upset at the breakage of the pulpit than by the death of his wife. “It can’t be broken; it’s done God’s work for a hundred years.” Adam quietly says, “But it is broken.” (back to his normal controlled self)

Johnston stares up at him: “It’s all wrong.” Then slowly what he’s done seeps in: “I’m wrong.”

Released from jail, Danny decides to move on and says goodbye to the Cartwrights, Adam last. Adam suggests Danny at least waits until the morning but he prefers traveling in the dark and he takes his leave. Adam tells him to come back if he ever needs anything and he agrees, and then mounting his white horse, he pulls his guitar round and strumming his favorite song as he heads out into the night. (At least for once Adam has befriended a man, however odd, who is actually innocent!).

REVIEWS:

“Another favorite of mine, enhanced by Pernell playing the guitar and singing "Rim, Rim, Under the Red Rock Rim" for Danny (Gregory Walcott) in the story. Love his deep brown voice.” Lyn Robinson

“This episode has a hint of mystery to it, because we don't know for sure that Danny is not the killer until we're well into the story. It's also a story about Adam's famous dogged devotion to his own sense of justice and loyalty. Adam is convinced Danny is innocent, and he's determined to prove it. He does whatever he has to in order to prove what he believes to be true. I like the singing in this episode, both Pernell Roberts and Gregory Wolcott's. The song has a haunting quality to it, and since both have deep voices, the tune becomes sort of an eerie backdrop to the action. This is, of course, the episode in which we see Joe wearing his "monk" robe, tied with twine. What is it about the Cartwrights that give them absolutely no fashion sense about robes? I agree, though, with Lyn's comment that we don't know what's under that robe. I'm thinking that "nothing" comes between Joe and that robe!" Susan Grote

“A good episode, because even though it centered on Adam and his friend Danny, it featured the whole family. Adam is such a MAN! Doesn't want anybody's help in dealing with his "problem", sticks his neck out and doesn't really give a good darn what everybody else thinks.” Gail (whoa bunny, bonanza)

“I like parts of this ep, but feel that Adam goes a bit over the top, when he confronts the reverend. I love LJ in the robe, and his comments about brother Adam being responsible for them losing sleep, but all that singing gets on my nerves, a bit (that same song, over and over again). But yes, it is nice to see that, for once, Adam's faith in Danny is not misplaced, as that doesn't happen often.” Little Joe forever Lynne

“The singing of that Rim Rock tune is sort of like being stuck on "It’s a Small World" in Disney. Adam always tries to save the most despicable individuals like Rory Calhoun. This time, he was right. The guy was innocent. But as a kid, I knew he had to be because Edward Andrews usually played bad guys.” Robin

“I was really shocked at Adam when he acted like he had nearly gone over the deep end as did the minister.  I was so absorbed in that scene I had to rewind the tape later just to enjoy Adam's looks!  Ya, I guess I was as gullible as the minister dude. I felt sorry for Adam having chosen yet another seemingly wayward friend, even though he did have great taste in his horse, just not in music (LOL).  Once again, it also shows how basically trusting the Cartwrights are when carrying huge sums of money, too.  If it was today's world, they'd probably carry an ATM card with the password written on it! Sometimes...” Miss Maggie

“I didn't care for the all the singing of the same song although both men had wonderful voices. I remembered being surprised at the ending when I first saw the show.” Deb

“I like the way the story keeps us not entirely sure about Danny. The evidence against him is TOO obvious, but just as we are ready to believe he's innocent he startles Mrs. Johnson at the well and shakes our confidence. But that scene ends with us more assured of his innocence and is a perfect buildup to Mrs. Johnson beginning to suspect her husband. What I don't like about this episode is that the ending is too contrived, and the story loses credibility because of it. There is nothing we saw in the interaction between Adam and Johnson that would give reason for Adam to know or even suspect Johnson was a lunatic. Yet Adam's actions to flush Johnson out as the murderer seemed to be based on that assumption, apparently geared to force a breakdown and a confession out of the man. When Adam entered Johnson's house, he didn't first gauge the situation or Johnson's frame of mind. Instead, he immediately launched into melodramatics designed to send Johnson over the edge. There was nothing we saw that precipitated Adam knowing that he could have such an effect. It's as if the writers forgot that Adam wasn't privy to all the information that we viewers had. But if one doesn't look too closely, it is an entertaining episode. Edward Andrews is delightful playing Johnson when his full lunacy is revealed. And Mrs. Johnson is a character I used to dismiss as being of minor importance, but Virginia Christine does a fabulous job with the role, playing it subtly and very effectively - I love to watch her face and reactions in that scene with Danny, and in those later scenes with her lunatic husband.” Sue W.

“I always seem to miss this episode when it’s on but I really like it. It has drama and a twist of a mystery, the psychotic minister doesn't hurt much either.  I agree Adam is yummy in this episode and we get to hear him sing.  What a gift!” Nancy