EPISODE: Amigo
Reviewed by Wrenny
Episode 257, Season 8, first aired February 12, 1967
Guest stars: Henry Darrow, Gregory Walcott, Anna Navarro, Warren Kemmerling, Tim Herbert, Grandon Rhodes
Written by John Hawkins and Jack Turley
Directed by William Claxton
SUMMARY:
The episode opens with scenes of burning and looting, banks being robbed, stagecoaches held up. A posse is going after the gang of outlaws with Ben Cartwright in the lead.
There is a man in the posse named Hartley whose wife was killed by this gang. He is obviously seeking revenge and says to Ben, who as we all know is insisting on taking anyone they capture to jail so they can get a fair trial, "You can call this a posse if you want to, but we're going to shoot on site and shoot to kill. I just hope old friends don't try to get in the way.
Ben decides to ride on his own and soon sees one of the outlaws stagger out onto the road with a bag of money. Ben captures him with no trouble, and, riding double, takes the man back to the Ponderosa. He's nervous and glances furtively around the yard when they arrive. Joe is waiting at the door and comes out to help.
Joe wants to take the man into town. Ben says no. He wants Joe to go into town and bring Roy and the Doc back, but to tell no one else. Joe argues. He wants to know why, what's going on? Pa doesn't want to argue, but Joe says Hartley is his friend and he has another friend lying wounded from a bullet from this gang, so he can't understand why Pa wants to help a guy who is most likely responsible. Ben gets angry with Joe and yells at him to get into town and do as he asks! "NOW MOVE!" he shouts. Joe glares back, but goes.
Meanwhile at the camp where Fenner and company are resting up for their next raid, we see Fenner berating his henchman for letting Amigo (the wounded outlaw at the Ponderosa) get away with the money they stole. The henchman promises to get Amigo back but Fenner makes it clear he doesn't care "...about that...dirty peon". He only wants the money.
Back at the ranch, Doc Martin has tended to Amigo's wounds. He complains that he doesn't like "...covering up this sort of thing". Roy asks if he'd rather turn him over to the lynch mob who'd bring him in face down over a saddle. Washing his hands of the whole affair, Doc says, "That's your responsibility".
Pa acting as peacemaker for his two friends, points out that Roy is just giving the mob a chance to cool down. Doc is still grouchy and disgusted and says he thinks the voters wont like it, and neither will his patients.
Roy questions Amigo and tells him the courts will decide his fate. Amigo is skeptical. Roy tries to get Amigo to tell where Fenner and the other men are, offering leniency for Amigo if he cooperates (hmm, no lawyer present, Roy, but I guess all this was before the Miranda ruling). Roy handcuffs Amigo to the bed (which now conveniently has metal 'struts' going from the headboard to the bed frame. This must be the 'prisoner' guest room).
Down in the living room, Roy is getting ready to leave. He does not want to risk going into town with a big old sack of money, so he asks Ben to keep it in his safe.
Joe appears. He's obviously angry and gives Pa an attitude about helping Amigo. Pa gives him the lecture about how anyone who would put a rope around Amigo's neck would be guilty of murder.
"I say, give him what he deserves", says Joe.
"We're not talking about what he deserves, we're talking about murder!" says Pa who then invites Joe to go ahead and put a rope around his neck. "You want to live with a murder on your conscience for the rest of your life, fine. Go right ahead.
Joe listens but still looks like he wishes Pa weren't so gol-durned right all the time.
Pa lightens up then when he sees Joe looking so miserable, and he tells Joe to go and bring food to Amigo and stand guard over him which is the last thing Joe wants to do, but can see that his Pa trusts him to do the right thing.
Joe brings soup up to Amigo and uncuffs him. Amigo wants to know why Joe is the one bringing the food.
"My pa said bring it, so I bring it, Joe says curtly.
Amigo says he didn't shoot Joe's friend. Joe says, "I figured you'd say that.
"My people say the son is in the father's image. Sometimes nature makes mistakes, says Amigo. Joe continues his disgusted look.
Amigo goes on about being poor while Joe is so rich. He blames his circumstances for the path in life he has chosen, making it sound as if he had no other alternative.
Joe is not buying it. He says he's known plenty of men who have known cold and hunger but they didn't resort to pillaging and murder. Amigo reiterates that he had no place else to go.
Once again, we see Captain Fenner and his men going about burning and pillaging some more. In Virginia City, Hartley and his posse-mates (who are all well dressed gentlemen sporting string ties) storm into Roy's office and accuse him of knowing more than he's saying. One of the men's wife and daughter were burned on the arm and when they came to town for help, Roy and Doc weren't there. They tell Roy once again that they are going to get the gang and then they'll be back to deal with Roy. Roy looks concerned.
Ben talks to Amigo. He promises him a fair trial. Amigo pleads with Ben to release him, saying that by keeping him, Ben is condemning him to die.
Joe announces that the posse has just ridden into the yard. Pa tells Joe to stay with Amigo. "You are happy now, Senor, Amigo spits at Joe.
Ben talks to the posse. Hartley says he knows that Doc and Roy were out at the house last night and wants to know who's sick.
"I don't think I have to account to you who is sick in my house, says Ben, being firm but trying to keep a smile on his face the whole time.
Hartley tells Ben they are going to look around. Ben has his gun belt in his hands, but doesn't draw yet. Joe has heard the conversation from the window and goes into action. He releases Amigo and pulls his gun on him, telling him to move. Of course we (and Amigo) think that Joe is going to go against Pa and turn Amigo over to the lynch mob. As Joe orders him out of the room, we now go to Ben still trying to peacefully reason with the posse, but then tells them to get a search warrant. As he turns and proceeds to walk toward the front door, the mob advances on him. Ben twirls back and draws his gun to stop them.
Before any bullets fly, Joe appears at the door, and tells Pa to let them in. There's nothing to hide, he says. Pa looks uneasy, but steps aside as Joe opens the door to the mob. The posse goes in. Pa looks at Joe, Joe looks at Pa.
Of course, the posse doesn't find anyone. When they leave, Pa immediately wants to know what Joe did with Amigo. Joe says he kicked him out the back door. Pa is practically speechless and can hardly believe it.
"That posse would have killed you to get to him. I didn't think his life was worth yours, explains Joe.
"JOE! We're talking about a man's life! We've got to get him back here!
Joe goes out to find Amigo.
Back at Fenner's camp, the henchman is trying to explain why he hasn't found Amigo yet. Fenner is not happy and doesn't think Amigo would have run off and left his 'treasure', the woman in camp named Consuelo who is acting as their cook.
"Carson, shoot this fool, Fenner says coolly to henchman named Carson.
Just as Carson is about to do as he's told, Amigo comes into camp, sans the money. He starts talking all about the Ponderosa, the Cartwrights and how 'Jose' pushed him out of the house when the posse came.
The outlaws think they should "...throw a little surprise party" for the Cartwrights. Amigo tries to talk them out of it. Fenner has meanwhile been plotting and tells Amigo he must go back and find out where the money is. Amigo panics a bit. He believes if he goes back, he'll be hung. Fenner assures him he won't have to stand trial, and to drop a white cloth out the window when he finds where the money is. The gang will come and rescue him. The henchman, who was going to be shot a few minutes earlier for not finding Amigo, now puts a knife to Consuelo's throat. Amigo grabs the blade and wrests it away. Fenner, sadistic fellow that he is, looks pleased, but warns, "Amigo, we have many knives. He then promises to take care of Consuelo unless... Amigo should fail him.
Back at the ranch once more, Joe is looking very remorseful while talking to Pa about searching for Amigo, but not being able to find him. Just then, the front door opens and in walks Amigo. Joe looks amazed. Amigo wants to go to his room. He stops at Joe on the way and says "Sorry to disappoint you. Joe escorts him upstairs.
Joe is still suspicious and frisks Amigo, telling him he still doesn't trust him. Joe says he figure Amigo just came back to save his neck from the posse. They banter back and forth about why Amigo took up a life of crime. Joe is still not buying the 'no other choice' excuse.
Joe cuffs Amigo to the bed again and notices the knife wound to his hand.
The next day, Joe brings Pa to the place where he found tracks of horses that hadn't been there before. Joe, being suspicious of the knife wound on Amigo's hand, had scouted around and discovered them that morning. After studying the tracks, Pa and Joe return to the house.
Pa and Joe now know that Fenner and his men are in the area and that Amigo had been with them during his escape. Pa and Joe figure that Fenner is planning to come for the money in the safe. Pa tells Joe to ride up to where Hoss is with the herd and tell him to get back with as many men as he can spare as quickly as possible.
With Amigo now downstairs with him, Ben talks to him about how he knows that Amigo was with his gang and Amigo knows where the camp is. As he talks, Ben is getting the rifles off the rack and loading them up. He tries to get Amigo to tell the truth and bargain for leniency at the trial. Of course, Amigo confesses all, and says that Consuelo is carrying his child.
Ben uncuffs Amigo and tells him to go drop a cloth from the window, which is the signal to draw in Fenner. (Why he doesn't wait for Hoss and Joe and the hands to arrive to help, I'm not sure). Ben says he'll give Fenner the money and then Amigo and the gang will leave.
Just then, Fenner barges in the front door with guns drawn. He tells Ben to drop his weapons and then his men push a semi-conscious, beaten up Joe through the door and onto the floor.
(Now for my favorite part)
"I'm Captain John Fenner, formerly of the Confederate Army. We captured your son. Oh he fought well. He's a brave lad. But unfortunately, courage does not suffice against a well set plan".
Ben looks completely horrified at seeing Joe lying on the floor. "There was no need to beat him like that. No need," he mutters.
Ben tries to bargain with Fenner, telling him he'll give over the money if Fenner promise to leave them in peace and cause no further harm to Joe and Consuelo. Ben gets the money from the safe and demands that Fenner keep his end of the bargain and leave.
Fenner has other ideas of course. He now says he is going to take Ben along as a hostage to insure the gang gets safe passage out of the area. He asks Amigo if he is Ben's man or his. Amigo denies being a friend of Ben's and tells Fenner that he was just pretending to be friendly in order to find out where the money was.
Fenner now says he never agreed not to kill Joe, so that is what he is going to do. He commands his man Carson to kill him.
Amigo shouts that he wants to do it. Fenner pretends he is shocked that Amigo would kill his 'friend' and Amigo again denies he was ever a friend to the Cartwrights, and demonstrates his disdain by getting in Ben's face and spitting on the floor at Ben's feet. "Let me shoot him.... with his own father's gun," demands Amigo.
Fenner clearly thinks this is great fun, but he only allows Amigo one bullet in the gun. Ben is near panicked now and makes a feeble attempt at jumping Amigo and Fenner, for which he receives a bonk to the head. He collapses at the foot of the stairs.
Amigo goes over to kneel by Joe, who is lying on the floor near the grandfather clock on his back, hands tied, face bruised and bloody.
Amigo goes through the motions of enjoying making his nemesis suffer. He puts the gun to Joe's head as Joe turns away slightly and closes his eyes. Amigo pulls the trigger and we hear... Click.
He shows that he still has the one bullet in his hand and laughs. "I have seen you do this with other prisoners, Capitan. I want to be like you," Amigo tells Fenner in an almost fawning voice.
Now Amigo moves to the back of Joe's head and points the gun again. Pa is rousing on the stairs. Fenner is tired of the game and shouts "You stupid, illiterate peon, SHOOT!!"
Amigo says, "Si, mi Capitan." He raises the gun and fires at Fenner. Fenner falls back; his gun goes off and hits Amigo in the gut too.
Meanwhile, Joe kicks the gun out of Carson's hand and knocks him down with his legs. He gets up and punches Carson with both his tied hands.
Ben is now up and grabs a shotgun and blasts the other two gang members who had been waiting outside and then rushed in the front door. Both go down from the single blast.
A crying Consuelo comforts amigo as Joe kneels by his side.
With his dying breath, Amigo pays tribute to Ben. "Jose, I never knew my father. Perhaps he was one such as yours. Consuelo....."
Joe fights back the tears and we get a great lip quiver.
Later, Joe comes down the stairs and sits on the coffee table, looking very dejected. He confesses he never cared if Amigo lived or died, he didn't think there was anything decent about him.
Pa sits down next to him and tells Joe that it's easy to just look at the wrong things a man does, but that it's much harder to understand why he did them. "A man can do an awful lot of good with his life if he has an even chance. Amigo never got that chance," Ben explains.
Joe says, "At least his child will. I'll see to that."
Well both see to that, Ben promises.
REVIEWS:
Carla and I met Henry Darrow at the Roy Rogers Festival in June and he talked again about this episode. How he enjoyed it and the character he played. He loved that role. Said it was his favorite. Jan
Henry Darrow said the part of "Amigo" was originally supposed to go to Sammy Davis, Jr. but for whatever reason (he gave the reason, I just can't remember it off the top of my head), that didn't work so Henry got it. He's very proud of this episode (as well he should be) and counts it among one of his favorite roles. Carla L.
I think Amigo was making excuses about why he was with Cap Fenner. IMO, he was an opportunist. Ginny
I really like the way the relationship is portrayed between Ben and Joe in this episode. You can see how Ben is "guiding" Joe, trying to prevent his son from getting caught up in the lynch-mob mentality and helping Joe to understand that every life has value, even if Joe can't see or understand it's worth. Susan Grote
The conflict between Joe and Ben is terrific. Joe totally disagrees with what Ben is doing, yet he is totally obedient to what his father directs him to do. That is so telling of the relationship as well as the times. The father was the boss, the king. Even though Joe was, by then, a grown, competent man, he was honor-bound to do what his Pa directed. And when it came to the final violent end, and the shifting loyalties among the dishonorable outlaws, the two Cartwrights were willing to die to protect each other. Robin
I love Joe in this ep, all angry and flaring nostrils. He gets quite mad with Pa, but, ultimately, does do as his father tells him. I love the scene at the door, when Pa says he doesn't want to argue about his decision and Joe says 'I do'. There are several good scenes between them, like the one when Ben is at his desk and Joe is being sarcastic about his father's 'friend'. Ben keeps his temper in check and eventually gets Joe to take Amigo some food, although Joe is still not happy about it Then there is contrite Joe, after he's set Amigo free, thinking that if he doesn't, and the posse find him, Ben will be at risk And then we have poor Ben, having to watch as his boy lies on the floor, bruised and bleeding, and coming very close to being killed. The agony is plain to see, in Ben's eyes. I just love Joe's quivering chin, when Amigo is killed, and his quiet determination to help see that Amigo's baby will get a good start in life, a promise that Ben will help him to keep. And Greg Walcott, once again, as he did in Death at Dawn, playing a thoroughly bad lot, and finally getting his comeuppance. There is a lot to enjoy in this ep, but any episode that explores the relationship between Joe and his father, is a good one, according to me. Little Joe forever Lynne
I would just say that I don't enjoy the scenes in this one and Alias Joe Cartwright, where Joe really believes he is about to die .... maybe I'm just soppy! Lol Susan Groves
I love this episode for the reasons given here - and Joe gets slightly maimed. Rona
My kids get the biggest kick out of Pa blowing away the bad guys in the doorway. That gun sounded like a cannon. Marian
This is one of the shows that has it all for the Joe fan, isn't it? We have an angry Joe, a hurt Joe, a contrite Joe and a sad Joe. The interaction between father and son was fabulous and the story taught us a lesson! Deb