The BEST episodes written by N.b. Stone Jr.
#2 - The Wrong Man
The Rifleman - Season 1 - Episode 27
Young Mark McCain is eager to help lawman Jay Jefferson, who has arrived in North Fork intent on killing an outlaw for the reward, whether he is the right man or not.
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Rawhide - Season 1 - Episode 13
Favor and Rowdy are looking for strays. They enter a deserted mining town. Matt Lucas is the caretaker. He says he's the only one there. Leaving they hear an organ. Mrs. Miller and her daughter, Angie, say Lucas and his son, Waldo, gunned down the stage coach driver, and is holding them hostage.
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#4 - The Deadly Ones
Bonanza - Season 4 - Episode 10
The Ponderosa becomes a war zone when it is invaded by a detachment of Mexican mercenaries under General Diaz. The general is furious when one of his men, Forsythe, disobeys his orders to get a hostage peacefully, and instead shoots Little Joe in the back. Diaz forces Ben to lead his men over the back roads of the Ponderosa, so they can ambush a gold train led by Emperor Maximilian's men.
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#5 - Ride a Crooked Mile
Rawhide - Season 8 - Episode 2
Jed convinces Rowdy against his better judgment to hire Danny Hawks who is riding an expensive stallion. Danny proves to be a capable drover but when Nat Benson wants Danny and the stallion handed over, Rowdy finds himself in a bind.
#6 - Manhunt
Zorro (1957) - Season 2 - Episode 26
Don Carlos Fernandez decides to draw Joe Crane into the open by laying claim to the mountain man's furs and burro. Diego tries to end the feud by offering to buy the goods, but Fernandez refuses. Only Crane's death will satisfy him now. When Crane hears that Fernandez has his furs, he reacts predictably and goes to the man's hacienda to fight for his possessions. Fernandez is ready and his men are concealed throughout the grounds, waiting to attack Crane on his orders. Just as he is about to give the command to kill Crane, Fernandez is surprised by the arrival of Zorro, who has suspected a trap. Zorro blocks a cowardly shot at Crane, who then knocks Fernandez unconscious. Hernando sets Lobo after the mountain man, but Crane gives a long whistle to the attacking animal. Surprisingly, Lobo reacts by stopping his charge, then wags his tail as he approaches Crane. The episode ends as Crane heads back into the mountains, his furs safely aboard his burro, and Lobo happily following behind him.
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#7 - The Hound of the Sierras
Zorro (1957) - Season 2 - Episode 25
Thought to be hiding safely in the hills, fugitive Joe Crane instead has sneaked back into the pueblo hoping to recover his hunting rifle and the load of furs he gathered during the trapping season. He also wants to see Carlotta, the barmaid who accidentally started the fight between him and Don Carlos Fernandez. Determined to kill Crane, Fernandez and his servant Hernando are using a bloodhound named Lobo to track down the mountain man. They take the dog to the pueblo, intending to use Crane's rifle to give the dog his scent, but Diego realizes their plan and makes sure the dog picks up his scent instead. The searchers are amazed when Lobo leads them to Diego, but they find Crane's hat and Lobo picks up his scent. Crane is a wily opponent. He captures the dog in one of his traps, then takes on Fernandez and Hernando. He's helped by Zorro, who dislikes Fernandez, and once again he escapes. Before he goes, however, he steals another kiss from Carlotta, which further infuriates Fernandez.
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#9 - Zorro and the Mountain Man
Zorro (1957) - Season 2 - Episode 24
When a jovial mountain man, Joe Crane, arrives in the pueblo, he is threatened with arrest for traveling in Spanish territory without official permission. Sergeant Garcia warns him to leave town but changes his mind when Crane buys him a few drinks in the tavern. Not all of Crane's problems can be solved so easily, however, for when he kisses a passing barmaid, he angers Don Carlos Fernandez so greatly that the landowner attacks the visitor. Crane immediately responds by knocking his attacker to the floor, which causes Fernandez's bodyguard to try to kill the mountain man. Diego deflects the shot, but Garcia is forced to arrest Crane and take him to jail for his own safety. Knowing Fernandez's temper, Diego is sure he will still try to kill Crane, so that night Zorro hides near the jail. Zorro sneaks inside, steals the keys, and frees Crane so he can hide in the hills. The precaution is a wise one, for Fernandez does come to the jail that night. Finding it empty, he vows to track Crane down and kill him, figuring it as an easy chore for Crane is on foot.
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