SEASON TWO
1966 - 1967
#52 - "The Last Chance Ghost"
Reese is caught in a rainstorm and decides to travel the two miles to Small Chance rather than the 20 miles to Laredo. He finds a deserted town but a fairly  well-stocked bar. As he downs a slug of whiskey, a cocked revolver appears against his neck. On the other end is the owner of the bar, Kay Comstock, who claims most everyone has fled the town because it's haunted.
Reese soon meets the apparently drunk Sgt. and Old Charlie, a telegraph operator with nothing to do because the telegraph wire is down and there's no one to send telegrams anywhere. When Reese and Charlie go out to fix the telegraph line, Durgom shoots Charlie in the back.
We soon meet the one person in town Reese has not. Monte apparently is single-handedly digging out a gold mine under the town. Monte is a good-hearted dim bulb who believes Sgt. Durgom saved his life during the war and that the people he's killed are "the enemy." There is some borrowing from "Of Mice and Men," but Durgom is no protective George.
When Reese decides Kay and Durgom should leave town before they are killed, they decide Reese should meet an accident. Reese avoids their traps through sheer luck, but is finally made prisoner in the mine.  Kay suggests both Monte and Reese should meet their fate in a mine collapse. In the meantime, the Captain sends Erik to find Reese.
Kay is not happy to see Erik arrive, especially after he outwits Durgom's ambush. In the meantime, Reese tries to convince Monte he's being played for a sucker. He tells him to try the trap door, the only exit. It's bolted shut. Monte unties Reese. When they try to ram the door open, they loosen a support post and the mine collapses, causing havoc in the bar above where Erik is holding Kay and Durgom at gunpoint until they tell him where Reese is. He locks them in a jail cell. However, more settling in the mine, causes the jail door to fall down. Durgom goes off to dispose of the Rangers while Kay loads the wagon to leave town. However Reese halts her flight while Durgom falls off the house when the ground shakes while he's chasing Erik.
We'll see the house again in the last episode, "Split the Difference" when (waste not, want not) Erik's part of the same stunt is reused.
NiteOwl Review: Anyone who's seen our reviews has to know we would not be pleased with an episode with only Reese and Erik and a brief appearance by the Captain.
Cast Notes: Jeanne Cooper first worked with Peter when they both guested on Cheyenne ("Top Hand," 1957). They also appeared together in the 1962 production of Freedom and You aka Red Nightmare aka The Commies Are Coming, The Commies Are Coming. Ted Cassidy was best known as Lurch (and Thing) on the 1964-66 series The Addams Family. He reprised the role in a 1977 Halloween tv Movie and (voice only) in the animated version of the series in 1973-75.
A deserted bar
A gun to the head
The only people left, other than Kay, are the Marshall, Old Charlie and Sgt. Durgom. Reese manages to disarm Kay. They hear shots from a nearby house and discover the Marshall is dead. In the meantime, Reese's horse has been stolen.
With a gal at the other end
Reese despises the drunk
Durgom
Old Charlie
Monte
Prisoner Reese
Parmalee sends Erik to find Reese
Erik surprises Kay
Erik gets the upperhand
Bad guys (and gal) locked up
Reese stops Kay's escape
Erik safely jumps off the roof
Monte hopes he won't go to jail
Reese ends the day by
sitting on a piece of glass
Our Favorite Scene: We bet you didn't think we'd have a favorite scene, but we did. As they are trying to find something to ram the trap door to escape from the mine, Reese points out a support post and says to Monte, "That one can't be holding up nothin." Of course, the mine collapses. We did like the Reese comic bits but like them better when balanced with Chad and Joe manipulation.
Original air date Mar 3, 1967
Directed by Richard Bartlett
Written by Marty Roth

Regular Cast
Neville Brand as Reese Bennett
Peter Brown as Chad Cooper
William Smith as Joe Riley
Robert Wolders as Erik Hunter
Phil Carey as Capt. Parmalee

Guest Cast
Jeanne Cooper as Kay
Edward Binns as Durgom
Shug Fisher as Old Charlie
Ted Cassidy as Monte
Official Peter Brown Fan Site