Kam Tong Movies

Filmed for the first season of Have Gun--Will Travel, this episode ultimately served as the opener for Season Two (though some sources list its original air date as September 27, 1958). Hired to capture fugitive Jimmy Dawes (David Whorf) and bring him to trial in Kansas City, Paladin (Richard Boone) is forced to kill the boy in self-defense. Riding into Jimmy's home town of Promise, Paladin finds that everyone thinks he is a murderer, including Sheriff Truett (Joseph Calleia)--and that no one would mind too much if the gunslinger was himself killed by Jimmy's vengeful brothers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) forsakes his usual fee to do a personal favor for San Francisco bellhop Hey Boy (Kam Tong). It seems that the bellhop's brother (Philip Ahn), hired as a railroad laborer in Utah, was mysteriously killed while protesting the brutal working conditions of his fellow Chinese. Arriving at the worksite, Paladin must battle local prejudice and hostility to bring the obvious murderer (played by a pre-Bonanza Pernell Roberts) to justice. Acclaimed by TV Guide as one of the 100 best series episodes in television history, the classic Hey Boy's Revenge also makes video history by revealing that the title character's real name is Kim Chan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After killing a bank robber in self-defense, Paladin (Richard Boone) is accused of stealing $30,000 in missing bank money. In his efforts to clear his name, Paladin also endeavors to clear his conscience by paying a visit to the dead outlaw's widow, Lucy Morrow (Barbara Baxley). A neat surprise ending caps this somber little morality play, which features veteran Republic serial villain Roy Barcroft in a good supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Just before dropping dead, grizzled old prospector Leadhead Kane (Lita Milan) wills half the ownership of his valuable silver mine to the beauteous music-hall headliner Mlle. Annette (Lita Milan). Enter Leadhead's former partner, who will stop at nothing to claim the entire mine for himself. In order to keep what is justly hers, and to stay alive in the process, Annette asks Paladin (Richard Boone) to watch over her until Leadhead's estate is settled in court--but this proves well-nigh impossible thanks to a mysterious and elusive would-be assassin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In Nevada, Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired to guard Tom Nelson (James Franciscus), who is accused of killing a local sheriff. Upon learning that Nelson had previously been acquitted of another murder charge, and sensing the town's hositility against the prisoner, Paladin dedicates himself to making sure that Nelson receives a fair trial--if he lives long enough, that is. Without giving away the outcome, it can be noted that the Latin translation of this episode's title is "Habeas Corpus". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sam Peckinpah, future auteur of such classic cinematic shoot-em-ups as Major Dundee and The Wild Bunch, was coscripter of this wickedly ironic episode. Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired by Rod Blakely (Richard Long), an idealistic young man who was recently jilted by his fiancee, professional singer Faye Hollister (Joan Weldon). Insisting that Faye has been forced to marry ruthless rancher Peter Hollister (Denver Pyle) against her will, Blakely wants Paladin to fend off Hollister's hired guns so that he can have a brief heart-to-heart talk with Faye. As it turns out, however, Blakely and Hollister have fallen for a woman who is unworthy of both of them! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) hires on as bodyguard for waspish English author-poet Oscar Wilde (John O'Malley), who has come West as part of an American lecture tour. A pair of disgruntled hooligans named Jim and Chris Rook (Richard Shannon, Jack Hogan), angry that they were beaten out for the bodyguard assignment, retaliate by kidnapping Wilde and attempting to murder Paladin in the process. Although many of the Wildean epigrams heard on this episode are genuine ("A man can't be too careful in the choice of enemies"), several were created from whole cloth by scriptwriter Irving Wallace, later the author of such bestselling novels as The Prize and The Word. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Directed with crisp efficiency by Dick Powell, The Hunters is a romantic melodrama with an aviation angle. Robert Mitchum plays veteran Air Force pilot Maj. Cleve Saville, in charge of a group of young flyboys in 1952 Korea. Among the men under Saville's command are cocksure Lt. Ed Peil (Robert Wagner) and timorous Lt. Abbott (Lee Phillips). Much against his better judgment, Saville falls in love with Abbott's gorgeous wife Kris (Mai Britt). When Abbott crashes behind enemy lines, Saville and Peil are sent out to rescue the downed pilot-and Peil has an inkling of the Major's feelings towards Mrs. Abbott. During their grueling journey back to their own lines, both Peil and Abbott benefit from the military expertise of the no-nonsense Saville, who knows where and when to separate his private life from his responsibilities. Distinguished by excellent aerial sequences, The Hunters is adapted from the novel by James Salter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In a customary act of gallantry, Paladin (Richard Boone) acquires opera tickets for Mexican noblewoman Maria Rojas (June Vincent) and her aristocratic husband Miguel (Michael Pate). No sooner have the lights gone down that shot rings out and Miguel is felled by an assassin's bullet. As he lies dying, Miguel persuades Paladin to escort his body back to his home in Mexico. Paladin agrees--little knowing that there is much, much more to this situation than meets the eye! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title character in this episode is James Brunswick (Tom Helmore), who has left London behind to take over the Montana ranch he has inherited. Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired to guide Brunswick and his rambunctious Americanized cousin Felicia (Alix Talton) to their new property, despite the resistance of the local citizenry--and the hostility of the Native Americans in the vicinity. With Paladin's help, the Englishman ultimately wins the respect and support of his new neighbors...but it isn't easy by a long shot! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired by Colonel Lathrop (Robert F. Simon), a wealthy and aristocratic ex-military man who claims to be writing a history of the West. Lathrop wants Paladin to find out what became of a legendary saloon queen who once presided over a now-deserted Nevada mining town. The job turns out to be a lot more dangerous than it first appears: no one previously hired by the Colonel to find the missing lady has ever returned alive. Supporting players Denver Pyle (Clay Sommers) and Peggy Rea (Lulu) were later reteamed on another popular TV series, The Dukes of Hazzard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Riding into the Wyoming town of Bender, Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired by accused murderer Bart Holgate (Harold J. Stone). Though willing to answer for his crimes, Holgate is terrified that he will be lynched before he ever reaches the courtroom, thus he agrees to pay Paladin to keep him alive until his trial. But Amy Bender (a pre-Police Woman Angie Dickinson), the sister of Holgate's victim, is determined to mete out her own brand of justice, Paladin or no Paladin! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the autobiographical novel by Han Suyin, Love is a Many Splendored Thing was evocatively location-filmed in Hong Kong. Jennifer Jones plays Ms. Suyin, a Eurasian doctor and the widow of a Chinese general. She falls in love with American news correspondent Mark Elliot (William Holden), who unfortunately cannot obtain a divorce from his present wife. This, together with the disapproval of Dr. Suyin's tradition-bound relatives and Hong Kong's strict racial laws, forces the couple to carry on their romance in a clandestine fashion. The romance ends in tragedy, but with renewed hope for a happier future. The one lasting legacy of Love is a Many Splendored Thing is its Oscar-winning title song, written by Paul Fain and Sammy Webster; Oscars also went to Alfred Newman's musical score and Charles LeMaire's costume design. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide