The BEST episodes written by Howard Browne
#1 - Leona
Mission: Impossible - Season 7 - Episode 4
Syndicate boss Mike Apollo was being infiltrator by a Federal agent, Parnell, who disappeared - the IMF assumes Apollo is torturing him for information. The IMF must learn where Parnell is. Since fellow Syndicate boss Joe Epic's wife Leona died under mysterious circumstances while Apollo was elsewhere with Parnell, Jim as an insurance investigator reopens the case and hints to Epic his wife was involved with an affair. The IMF plants evidence the affair was with a fellow Syndicate boss, Apollo himself. Jim leaks a fake story to Epic's secretary that Epic is planning to kill Apollo. When Epic accuses Apollo of killing his wife at a Syndicate meeting Jim tells a different story, that it could have been Leona's husband or lover. To clear himself Apollo produces the imprisoned Parnell, at which point the police move in and arrest everyone.
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#2 - Boomerang
Mission: Impossible - Season 7 - Episode 15
Syndicater John Vayle, a member of the Luchek Family, dies in a plane explosion - the IMF believes Vayle's wife Eve set him up to get hold of records, which would be invaluable as evidence against Luchek. Eve has the records and plans to blackmail Luchek - Jim pretends to be a killer sent after her who Eve plays to find out who wanted her dead. The IMF set it up to look like her husband John is still alive and using truth serum on her in her sleep to provide the location of the records. Barney, a crooked cop, claims that he was working with Johnny and killed him afterward, and Eve has to check the records to make sure they still exist - the IMF follow her and Luchek to them and arrest everyone.
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#3 - Stone Pillow (aka Big House)
Mission: Impossible - Season 6 - Episode 16
A private detective, Edison, has pictures incriminating Syndicate boss Vochek in a murder and is using them to blackmail the mobster. The IMF need to get the pictures to get Vochek convicted, but Edison has been convicted and is in prison for six months. Since Edison is unaware that his accomplice Leona is dead, Casey takes her role while Jim is Edison's cellmate and helps him to escape, then fake their deaths. Casey-as-Leona tells Edison she sent the evidence to the D.A. after she heard Edison was dead, and Jim convinces Edison she is keeping the pictures to pull off her own blackmail scheme. When Edison confronts her, Jim fake-shoots her but she calls a confederate to get the film - desperate, Edison reveals the location himself as he goes for it, and ends up arrested.
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#5 - A Clean and Quiet Town
The Fugitive - Season 4 - Episode 3
Kimble makes the mistake of going to Clark City, a corrupt gambling town. Fred Johnson (the one-armed man) is there as well, and has two corrupt cops beat up Kimble. When Richard survives the attack, Johnson then puts out a contract on him. Kimble eventually catches up with Johnson, beats the garbage out of him, and tries to turn him over to the police-who are working for a local mob figure. The small-town syndicate has to decide what to do with both troublemakers: dispose of them, or let them go?
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#6 - Cat's Paw
Mission: Impossible - Season 5 - Episode 15
Larry Collier, newspaper editor and Barney's brother, is killed while trying to establish a link between corrupt police chief Abbott and Corley, the head of a ghetto mob who masks his illegal activities with an insurance front company. Barney, set up with a past as a crooked accountant, gets close to Corley by rescuing is secretary Millie - Corley hires him on when he finds out about his "past." Barney plants money to make it look like Corley's assistant Goslin is working against him, while the IMF use a phony seance to convince Goslin to quit with some incriminating evidence. Jim arrests Goslin with the evidence, a codebook, and uses it to force Abbott to back him as a mob boss then bribes Corley's guard to try and kill the mob leader. Barney rescues him and Corley runs into Jim, who threatens to take him to Abbott - knowing Abbott will have him killed, Corley turns state's evidence.
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#8 - Run Away Home
The Virginian - Season 1 - Episode 29
The Virginian and Steve Hill deliver 1800 head of cattle to Centre City, Nebraska. There is a run on the local bank but fortunately, Judge Garth's lawyer (Russ Conway) had heard of the possible bank run and had withdrawn the money to pay for the cattle the day before. The Virginian and Steve set out for home but are pursued by a local man, Swenson (Karl Swenson), and his sons who had their life savings in the bank and figure part of money is theirs. The episode recounts the adventures and travails of the two Shiloh men as they attempt to elude those pursuers.
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#9 - The Exiles
The Virginian - Season 1 - Episode 16
Judge Garth is forced to shoot a man in self-defence but a passerby, Johnny Grey (Ed Nelson), who can prove the Judge innocent, leaves the scene. The Virginian trails Johnny to North Bend, Montana and along the way befriends Angelina Clump (Tammy Grimes) who is heading to the same town to get a job as a saloon singer. In North Bend the Virginian is forced to deal with two problems: Angelina receives threats to leave town from an anonymous stranger and Johnny Grey refuses to return to Wyoming unless he gets money from Judge Garth.
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#10 - A Distant Fury
The Virginian - Season 1 - Episode 25
Ed Fraser (Howard Duff) returns to Medicine Bow, having served time for robbing the local lumber yard. He had been convicted based largely on Steve Hill's testimony but the stolen $30,000 was never recovered and his unknown accomplice, Helen Blaine (Ida Lupino), whose daughter (Joey Heatherton) Steve has been dating, had escaped. When there is what he perceives as an attempt on his life, Steve makes no secret of the fact he is convinced Fraser is out for revenge. When Fraser is killed Steve becomes the prime suspect. Although he avoids trial due to a lack of evidence, Steve becomes a social pariah and sees that the only way out is to solve the crime.
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#13 - The Accomplice
The Virginian - Season 1 - Episode 13
The Rocky Point Bank is robbed by two men who shoot its President. One of the men is captured and claims Trampas, with whom he has a grudge, was his accomplice -- so Trampas is arrested. His identification as the robber is supported by a spinsterish bank teller, Delia Miller (Bette Davis), who has recognized the real robber and is protecting his identity in order to blackmail him. The Virginian tries to prove Trampas innocent and expose the real criminal by falsifying Delia's story.
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#14 - If You Have Tears
The Virginian - Season 1 - Episode 20
In Mount Gorpus, Montana, Kyle Lawson (Britt Lomond) is framed for the murder of Lawrence Kelland. Kyle had been having an affair with Kelland's wife, Leona (Dana Wynter). The Virginian and Trampas, friends of Kyle, go to Mount Gorpus to investigate the crime. Posing as a cattle buyer, the Virginian begins romancing Leona. Leona eventually confesses to the murder but the Virginian is not so sure she is guilty.
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#15 - A Matter of Principle
Mannix - Season 6 - Episode 17
A traffic accident uncovers a clueless murder.
#17 - The Girl in Boxcar #3
Alias Smith and Jones - Season 1 - Episode 5
Curry gets involved with a runaway girl riding the rails as he tries to deliver $50,000 to a town 400 miles away.
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#18 - The Root of It All
Alias Smith and Jones - Season 1 - Episode 11
Smith and Jones retrieve a letter for a young lady and wind up searching for a buried Army payroll.
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#19 - Run, Sheep, Run
Mannix - Season 1 - Episode 13
An undercover cop's murder exposes a vice operation.
#20 - A Slight Case of Charity
The Virginian - Season 3 - Episode 21
Trampas is in Albuquerque to pick up some money on behalf of the cattlemen's association. He encounters and is robbed of some of the money by Charity (Kathryn Hays). She was in love with a man, Byron Prescott (Jerome Courtland), who was forced to jilt her by his wealthy family. Charity is trying to get to Rancho Valdez to sell a ruby ring, a family heirloom which had been given to her by Byron. Although Trampas catches up with Charity, she in turn has been robbed by a local guide, Judd (Warren Oates). They set out after Judd, tailed not only by Byron Prescott, but also by Emmett Ryker who has come looking for the overdue Trampas.
