Jim Hardie doesn't like to see women working with bad guys. And one makes the mistake here. Good if somewhat redundant action. Ellen Wills gives awkward performance as villain. Women have it wrong in this one.
3 Reviews
Another Bad Woman to Hardie's Dismay.
nlathy-839-30067723 March 2021
Trapping The Stillwell Gang
StrictlyConfidential19 July 2021
(IMO) "Tales Of Wells Fargo" (1957-1962) was an above average TV Western with competent actors, plenty of action and believable situations.
I really liked Dale Robertson as the no-nonsense special agent, Jim Hardie.
"Man In The Box" was first aired on television November 11, 1957.
I really liked Dale Robertson as the no-nonsense special agent, Jim Hardie.
"Man In The Box" was first aired on television November 11, 1957.
"If I was lyin' in my coffin, I'd be expected to jump up and report. That's the way Wells Fargo train their men."
ben-thayer19 April 2023
Jim Hardie and a group of Well Fargo agents attempt to capture the Stillwell family, who have been robbing their coaches and trains at will. After receiving a tip that the Stillwells are planning to hit one of their trains, Hardie's group plans to be ready, and various agents are deployed throughout the train, along with a special car containing horses to pursue the Stillwells. But the Stillwells manage to thwart Wells Fargo's plan with the use of a coffin or sorts, thus the name of the episode. As a result, they make off with not only a strongbox full of marked bills but all the extra horses. Hardie and Wells Fargo yet again find themselves empty-handed and embarrassed.
This episode contains an interesting story with considerable intrigue. The Stillwell family are a cut above the typical outlaws Hardie encounters, and they always seem to be a couple steps ahead of those attempting to bring them in. As a result they manage to outmaneuver Wells Fargo continually, making fools of the agents and escaping with large amounts of loot. One advantage the Stillwells have is the daughter, Sissy. She's not only smart and courageous, she's good with disguises as well.
The episode begins with Jim Hardie enjoying a game of cards and the company of lovely woman when he's interrupted by a summons from Wells Fargo, and in a rare instance he actually complains somewhat bitterly that it's never a request but rather an order to report.
The episode has a decent amount of action, and has one of the best casts of the entire series run, full of regulars from the Golden Age of TV Westerns. Anthony Caruso, Lane Bradford, Sheb Wooley, Hank Patterson, and John Frederick were all well-known character actors during the era, appearing in dozens of westerns (as well as other genres) in the 50s and 60s. In addition, the extended cast is a group of older actors with more than a substantial list of credits in the classic westerns genre from the 1930s-50s, some with 300 to 400 or more credits, although most of these were bit parts and were uncredited. These guys specialized in playing bartenders, clerks, townspeople, and other similar bit roles.
Bobby Jordan also appears, and was one of the original Dead End Kids, although he had fallen out with Leo Gorcey during the Bowery Boys run, where he was basically a sideman as opposed to his more prominent roles in the Dead End pictures. By the time of this episode, he was appearing in just about anything he could find, and he guested on many of the shows in the era.
But the real focus of the Stillwell gang and the episode was the daughter, Sissy, played by Beverly Wills, who was the daughter of famous comedienne Joan Davis. I've never seen her in any production, but she shined in this episode as the wily Sissy Stillwell.
I'd say this episode ranks in the higher levels of the series, with an intriguing story and a great cast.
This episode contains an interesting story with considerable intrigue. The Stillwell family are a cut above the typical outlaws Hardie encounters, and they always seem to be a couple steps ahead of those attempting to bring them in. As a result they manage to outmaneuver Wells Fargo continually, making fools of the agents and escaping with large amounts of loot. One advantage the Stillwells have is the daughter, Sissy. She's not only smart and courageous, she's good with disguises as well.
The episode begins with Jim Hardie enjoying a game of cards and the company of lovely woman when he's interrupted by a summons from Wells Fargo, and in a rare instance he actually complains somewhat bitterly that it's never a request but rather an order to report.
The episode has a decent amount of action, and has one of the best casts of the entire series run, full of regulars from the Golden Age of TV Westerns. Anthony Caruso, Lane Bradford, Sheb Wooley, Hank Patterson, and John Frederick were all well-known character actors during the era, appearing in dozens of westerns (as well as other genres) in the 50s and 60s. In addition, the extended cast is a group of older actors with more than a substantial list of credits in the classic westerns genre from the 1930s-50s, some with 300 to 400 or more credits, although most of these were bit parts and were uncredited. These guys specialized in playing bartenders, clerks, townspeople, and other similar bit roles.
Bobby Jordan also appears, and was one of the original Dead End Kids, although he had fallen out with Leo Gorcey during the Bowery Boys run, where he was basically a sideman as opposed to his more prominent roles in the Dead End pictures. By the time of this episode, he was appearing in just about anything he could find, and he guested on many of the shows in the era.
But the real focus of the Stillwell gang and the episode was the daughter, Sissy, played by Beverly Wills, who was the daughter of famous comedienne Joan Davis. I've never seen her in any production, but she shined in this episode as the wily Sissy Stillwell.
I'd say this episode ranks in the higher levels of the series, with an intriguing story and a great cast.
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