Alias Smith & Jones: The Story of Two Pretty Good Bad Men

by Sandra K. Sagala

  Heyes and Curry leave that night, neglecting to mention to the governor that Charlie Taylor hates Curry. Heyes offers to let his partner ride in first so Heyes’s back is exposed. After all, Heyes has no problem being courageous. “True,” Curry says, “every time you decide to get courageous, it becomes a problem for me.” Another Red Sash member, Black Henry Smith, is the silent type. Heyes admires that, recalling that their granddaddy used to say, “A loud mouth is a sure sign of a small brain.” Curry’s off-key singing verifies granddaddy’s belief.

  Arriving in the Little Bighorns, Heyes and Curry announce themselves to gang members stationed as lookouts. Skeptical of the pair really being Heyes and Curry, the men take their weapons and introduce themselves as General Grant and Stanley and Livingstone just back from Africa. Then they lead them through the mountains, across a river and finally into camp where the rest of the gang comes out to greet them. Face to face with Curry, Charlie admits he can’t remember why he was mad at him and the boys are welcomed. Their cover story is that things got hot in Carbon County and they’re looking for a cooler climate to hang out in.

  As the gang enjoys a meal, Ed Starr bursts into the cabin with pretty Ellen Anderson. She heads for her bedroom and slams the door. Charlie explains their spats provide entertainment for the rest of the gang and usually involve her wanting Ed to fetch a preacher to marry them.

  That evening, Heyes and Curry discuss the situation. They already found out what Governor Baxter wants to know. However, if they take back the girl instead of just a message about her it may put them in better stead. They can’t kidnap her but Curry suggests he turn on his charm and win her away from Ed. Heyes insists that women are his strong point and he should win her over. Curry points out that Ed is very good with a gun and is a sore loser. Would Heyes like to take on Ed Starr? Heyes concedes.

  While the gang plays poker, Curry steps outside with Ellen and begins his seduction. Ed had promised to ride with her to the top of the next ridge in the moonlight to see the lovely view. Curry offers to accompany her, but she declines knowing Ed wouldn’t understand. Ed doesn’t realize how lucky he is to have her, Curry says, and repeats his offer to ride with her. This time she accepts.

  Instead of admiring the view, Curry admires Ellen. He tells her he knows of her father and believes she’s making a mistake with Ed Starr. She deserves better than him. Ellen sees that Curry is coming on to her and wants to head back.

  Ed is waiting for them and sends Ellen into the cabin. He cautions Curry to leave her alone.

  Next morning, as Ellen hangs laundry, Heyes comes by to say how much Curry likes her. Curry has gone fishing and would have asked her to go along, except for Ed’s warning. She decides to go fishing to show that Ed has no hold on her. When Heyes purposely lets it slip to Ed that Ellen has joined the Kid fishing, Ed is furious and tells Heyes to keep the Kid away from her.

  After breakfast, Heyes and Curry watch Ed practice his quick draw. Curry realizes Ed may be better than he is. For his part, Heyes is glad Curry talked him out of winning Ellen away from Ed and he wants to head back with only the information about the girl. Curry insists it would be more advantageous to return with Ellen and promises to stay away from her. Heyes should just keep pointing out to Ellen how much the Kid likes her.

  The boys are fixing bridles when Ellen appears with her mending. Curry leaves, ignoring her. Heyes mentions to Ellen that they’re leaving in the morning. The Kid is wild over her, he tells Ellen, and would like her to go with them but he can’t ask her because of Ed. Ellen is confused; she never gave him reason to be crazy about her.

  At supper, Curry smiles at Ellen who smiles back. Watching the exchange, Ed bangs on the table in anger. He orders Ellen to her room and warns Curry that he’ll kill him if Curry doesn’t stay away from her. Curry diffuses the situation with a request that Ed pass the biscuits.

  The next morning, when Curry is chopping firewood, Ellen apologizes to him for the night before. Ed sees them talking and challenges Curry to a gunfight. After a few tense moments, Ed draws and fires but Curry is faster and shoots the gun out of Ed’s hand. Ed is disgraced.

  As the boys saddle up to leave, Ellen apologizes yet again. But Curry tells her the whole story — that they came to take her home. Her father wants her back and the governor would have sent the militia in after her. Having seen Ed at his worst, she agrees to return with them.

  The boys telegraph Lom to meet them near Rock Creek. When they arrive, Lom has the same hang-dog expression on his face he had at their last meeting. President Cleveland removed Governor Baxter from office two days previously. Heyes and Curry are disgusted. They refuse to continue on and meet Ellen’s father because he’s probably been replaced by her uncle. They don’t need any more friends like Lom or Baxter because all their friends get removed from office.

  Nevertheless, they have second thoughts and later agree to meet Lom at the Nolan ranch. As they chew on a tough sage hen supper, Lom arrives. Guess what happened! Wisconsin replaced Wyoming? Curry wonders. Lom announces that the new governor is Charles Moonlight. He’s a Kansan like they are and believes in small farmers and doesn’t like big ranchers or railroads. With that attitude, Heyes believes he’ll last about forty-eight hours in Wyoming. Lom already talked to him about the boys and Moonlight will consider giving them an amnesty. All they have to do is stay out of trouble. In the meantime, though, they’ll still be wanted. Heyes wants to know, “That’s a good deal?”

  GUEST CAST

  LANE BRADBURY — ELLEN ANDERSON

  BRETT HALSEY — ED STARR

  WARREN VANDERS — CURLY RED JOHNSON

  JOHN RUSSELL — LOM TREVORS

  ROBERT NICHOLS — MR. MAGRUDER

  JEFF COREY — GEORGE W. BAXTER

  ROBERT DONNER — CHARLIE TAYLOR

  CHARLES DIERKOP — CLAYTON CREWES

  SONNY SHIELDS — BLACK HENRY SMITH

  With only four more episodes to the series, Ben Murphy and Roger Davis had a great script to work with, one that showcased their talents, both as actors and as the characters Curry and Heyes. Heyes’s silver tongue and Curry’s fast draw are used to great advantage at the outlaws’ camp. Elation at getting the amnesty leads to disappointment then to resignation as they begin anew working toward the pardon with the replacement governor. In telling the story for Dick Nelson, Roy Huggins observed that this one would answer the question “Why do our boys call themselves Smith and Jones?” [42]

  Many historical references add to the realism of the episode. Fort Morgan, as Nelson and Huggins wrote in the teleplay, “is a small middle-of-nowhere town in the flat, prairie country of Northeastern Colorado. It has among other things, a saloon and a telegraph office.” [43] The real Red Sash Gang — the sash being just a piece of clothing and not used specifically to identify members [44] — though not officially recognized or well organized, controlled much of Johnson County, Wyoming, in the 1880s.

  Huggins had fun with the Red Sash Gang members. According to descriptions he inserted into his story, Clayton Crewes was “cadaverously skinny and has a face that belongs on the label of an iodine bottle. Black Henry has beady eyes, shaggy black hair and a scraggly beard, and his mouth is in a permanent tight-lipped grimace…” Being a taciturn man, his favorite phrase was “I’m a man of few words and if it don’t suit you, I’ll kill you” and the actor playing Black Henry is given this line in the script. As for Curly Red, he was “as bald as an egg…the only thing curly and red about him is his nose.” [45] As for Charlie Taylor, he is described as having a gap-toothed grin and being “ugly. He’s a big, strapping fellow — as the saying goes, not much for looks but Hell for stout.” [46]

  An inveterate history buff, the inordinately rapid turnover of Wyoming Territorial governors caught Huggins’s attention. Francis E. Warren served from February 1885 to November 1886. Many petitions for pardons can be found among his official papers. George W. Baxter replaced him on November 11 and only served until December 20. It is surprising that
Huggins did not then recognize E.S.N. Morgan as acting governor. Thomas Moonlight took over on January 24, 1887. Words scrolling on the screen at the end of the episode indicate the progression of men in the governor’s chair, even though the dates shown are slightly off.

  What was also off was Governor Thomas Moonlight’s name. Huggins had started off with the correct name but at some point, “his first name got changed (to Charles)…(T)hat was a sheer accident…When I first found out about him…there was something he’d done that was interesting and I used it as a ploy in the story.” Huggins wondered if audiences would realize it was a mistake or think that it was changed deliberately. The inadvertent substitution of the wrong name distressed Huggins even thirty years later. “I hated that,” he said, “because it started out correct.” Somewhere between the story line and the typing, “someone got careless.” [47]

  Huggins remembered in an interview with the authors that he had made Heyes and Curry cousins in “The Reformation of Harry Briscoe” and had reinforced the relationship in “The Men That Corrupted Hadleyburg.” However, he did not recall that for some reason he decided in this episode to change it. Dick Nelson wrote a scene in which Heyes tells Ellen of his and Curry’s familial relationship. With no further elaboration, Huggins, in his rewrite annotations for Nelson, noted “We are abandoning the business of Heyes and Curry being cousins. They grew up together in Kansas and they lost their parents within a few weeks of each other during the Civil War.” [48]

  While they’re in camp, in his first draft, Nelson has the boys watching Ed and Ellen playfully flirting. Heyes and Curry react “with distaste” and Curry says, “Isn’t that awful?” Heyes agrees it’s “disgusting.” [49] Huggins corrects Nelson’s take. “Our boys are a little too righteous about Ed. They shouldn’t be. They are taking a rather Victorian attitude and they don’t need to, because they’ve slept with many girls.” [50] Because Curry’s role in the charade was to ignore Ellen in deference to Ed, Heyes had to make sure Ellen knew Curry liked her and hoped she would return with them. Huggins viewed this as a “John Alden — Priscilla relationship — ‘Why don’t you speak for yourself, John?’ ” [51]

  When Lane Bradbury watched the episode with the authors, she was bothered by her performance of thirty years ago. Looking back, she saw superficial acting, not only on her part but with the entire episode. “There’s not a lot of inner life going on underneath the dialogue,” she observed. Bradbury guest starred on many programs and remembered feeling sorry for the regulars because the guests usually had “all the meat. They just had all the ingredients to be able to get into that character and act it or be it.” In her opinion, Alias Smith and Jones hardly provided any “meat” even for the guest stars. Ellen was “written one-dimensionally, but as an actress I should have gotten in there and found other dimensions so that she had some kind of inner life that I was playing against. She obviously had run off from her father so she’s got a lot of stuff going on. There was no stuff going on, just light, surface acting…There really should have been (some inner conflict) and there just wasn’t.” [52]

  The Strange Fate of Conrad Meyer Zulick

  “How can you forget how to rob a bank? Nobody forgets something like that! It’s like swimming!”

  Kid Curry

  STORY: JOHN THOMAS JAMES

  TELEPLAY: JOHN THOMAS JAMES

  DIRECTOR: JACK ARNOLD

  SHOOTING DATES: UTAH — JULY 20, 21, 1972; STUDIO — SEPTEMBER 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 1972

  ORIGINAL US AIR DATE: OCTOBER 28, 1972

  ORIGINAL UK AIR DATE: DECEMBER 26, 1973

  Douglas, Arizona. Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry enjoy a poker game in the saloon while outside, Bill Meade recruits M.T. Donovan for an important job, apologizing for not being able to explain why it’s so vital.

  Fallon, a mean-looking man, overplays his two pair, losing to Curry’s three kings. Declaring Curry’s luck too good to be true, he vows it will soon end and leaves to get his gun.

  When Curry exits the saloon, he is challenged by a now-armed Fallon, who demands the money Curry took him for. Curry refuses, pointing out that Fallon is a bad poker player as well as a bad loser. When Fallon goes for his gun, Curry outdraws him, shooting off his holster. Donovan, who has been watching the exchange, is amazed.

  After Heyes and Curry ride out of town, Donovan searches through Wanted posters, telling Sheriff Lundy he’s just passing time. Finding the posters on Curry and Heyes, he ponders the information.

  Playing cards is becoming too dangerous so, as the boys ride along, Curry suggests it’s time to give up poker but wonders what money-making opportunities are left since they’ve already given up banks and railroads. Catching up to them, Donovan interrupts their musings. He was impressed by the nerve they showed dealing with Fallon and offers them a job rescuing Conrad Meyer Zulick, a lawyer being held hostage by disgruntled miners in Mexico. He’ll pay them $300 apiece.

  Back in Douglas, they discuss the job over drinks. Zulick is being held in Nacozari, a town one hundred miles south. The mining company’s managers disappeared with the payroll. When Zulick went to straighten things out, he was taken hostage by the miners who won’t release him until they get paid. Heyes remarks that Zulick must be a good friend but Donovan refutes that; he’s never met him. He’s taken this job because he needs the money. And they won’t get paid unless they return with Zulick in four days.

  Taking along a wagon full of farm equipment as a cover, Donovan, Heyes and Curry head to Mexico. To meet the deadline they travel at a grueling pace.

  That night Donovan reminds the boys that the miners have a right to hold Zulick under Mexican law, so he doesn’t want them to get gun-happy. If there’s trouble, the boys can shoot back to discourage the miners, but not to kill them. Heyes assures him they’ve always avoided killing people and they’re not going to start now. With a relieved look, Donovan excuses himself and heads to the creek.

  After he’s out of sight, Curry announces his belief that Donovan knows who they are. Heyes disagrees. If he knew they were Heyes and Curry, he wouldn’t be sending them on a $600 job in Mexico; he’d turn them in for the real money. Curry admits it doesn’t make sense, but Donovan’s whole attitude toward them is wrong. Continuing to worry, Curry reasons that Donovan guessed who they were because of the shootout with Fallon, but his partner rejects that idea. Heyes regrets having to tell Curry he’s slowing down.

  In the morning, Heyes asks Donovan why he chose them for this job. Was it just because of the shooting in town? After all, Donovan has made it clear he doesn’t need a fast gun. Donovan replies that it was the coolness that impressed him, not the speed, and he needed someone in a hurry.

  The trio puts in another grueling day on the road. By late afternoon they’re outside the mining camp where they’ll wait until nightfall to reconnoiter the area. Heyes checks out the main house while Donovan explores the tent area. Curry watches and covers them.

  Heyes returns first with news that Zulick is being held on the second floor of the main house. The first floor is full of miners, but no guards are outside. Curry is eager to hear Heyes’s plan and points out that Donovan will need help knowing what to do. They should look at the house as if it were a bank and Zulick was the money in the vault. How would Heyes get him out?

  Heyes ponders. No dynamite or nitro, in a house full of guards…Finally Heyes admits he can’t remember. Incredulously, Curry asks how he could forget how to rob a bank. It’s been a long time, Heyes reminds him. Disgusted, Curry remarks, “Boy oh boy, the great Hannibal Heyes. You know what they ought to do with you, Heyes? They ought to drop the reward on you.” Before Heyes can respond to this latest insult, Donovan rejoins them. Now all they have to do is get in the house and upstairs.

  The Mexicans are enjoying poker, music and dancing. The trio finds a likely window and gains entrance to the house, sneaks up the stairs and surprises a guard. Curry demands to know the whereabouts of the Americano as Donovan ties and gags the man. The man p
oints to a door, which Heyes opens with a lockpick.

  Surprised, Zulick sits up in bed as the three men enter his room. Donovan introduces himself, explains their presence and urges him to get dressed. Zulick resists at first, but finally does as he’s told.

  Downstairs the music continues, but the poker game breaks up. Three miners head upstairs as Donovan and the boys lead Zulick out. They quickly duck back into the bedroom, bringing the guard with them.

  The miners are alarmed to find the guard missing. As they approach the bedroom, Curry jumps out, gun in hand, and waves them into the room. The music below covers the sound of the fight as Heyes, Curry and Donovan overpower them. This time the four men make it downstairs, but run into the singer. Grabbing her before she can scream, Curry suggests they tie up all the miners to give themselves a good head start. Donovan doesn’t want to risk it, but Heyes convinces him.

  With Zulick hidden inside the wagon, Donovan drives while the boys lead the way on their horses.

  The miners have freed themselves and the chase is on. Their only hope of outrunning them is to abandon the wagon. Riding double on the horses, Donovan, Zulick and the boys escape their pursuers and arrive in Douglas tired and bedraggled, but within the four day deadline.

  Meade greets Donovan and Zulick happily. He’s got a stagecoach to Tombstone waiting for Zulick and he’ll explain everything on the way. After Meade pays Donovan, Zulick thanks him, impressed by the way the men rescued him without bloodshed.

  Donovan counts out $300 apiece and pays the boys. Then to their shock, he pulls his gun and orders them to raise their hands. “I’m sorry, boys,” Donovan apologizes. “No, I’m not just sorry, I’m ashamed.” He knew who they were all along, but he needed someone in a hurry so he used them. Now, though, he has to turn them in. Curry figures he’s not ashamed enough or he’d let them go.