SEASON TWO
1966 - 1967
#32 - "The Dance of the Laughing Death"
Former army weapons specialist John Garth is selling his services to Indian Chief Tohpay whose lands on both sides of the border have been stolen by the white man. Garth trains the Indians in the use of modern weapons. His plan is to have the Indians wipe out the settlers and soldiers so he can take over. He has also been promised Tohpay's beautiful, but unwilling, daughter Lohray.
After getting back to business, the Rangers ride into a town with armed Indians on the roofs and a corrupt sheriff. The Rangers prevail in a fight and shoot-out but the sheriff releases Garth after the Rangers arrest him. Erik and Joe track one of Tohpay's braves back to the encampment. They find the sacred cave where Tohpay has rigged a bellows system to a statute to convince his braves he's being directed by the gods. Unfortunately they're captured before thay can use the information.

Erik and Joe convince Indian princess Lohray to get word to Chad and Reese. At Joe's suggestion she rips a piece off of Erik's tailor-made shirt so Chad will know she's a friend. She finds Chad and Reese, but while they're arguing over which one of them will go for help and which will rescue Joe and Erik, they're captured by the Indians. However, with a little help from Joe, Chad and Reese overcome their guards and set the others free. They capture the Gattling gun, but when they run out of ammunition, it's back to the cave. Luckily Erik has time to switch the bellows gadget around so that it appears Tohpay has lost the ears of the gods.
NiteOwl Review: The NiteOwls didn't particularly like this episode. The humor seemed contrived and the Indians, as always, were unpleasantly wooden. In our opinion, the best episodes of the second season were written by the writers from the first season, which this one was not.
Under Garth's and Topay's leadership the Indians overrun a fort, capturing Winchester rifles and Gattling guns. Riding into the end of the fight, the Captain tells Chad and Reese to ride back to Laredo to collect Joe and Erik and go after Tohpay. A sergeant warns the Captain that Tohpay has an entire army; sending four men to go after him is suicide. The odds are a million to one. The Captain responds in true Ranger fashion: "That's the best odds they've had all month. Maybe I should just send three." Back in Laredo, Reese and Chad find Joe winning bar bets with knife throwing stunts and Erik romancing Chad's girl. Chad takes care of Erik by alerting Anita's protective brothers to Erik's amourous presence. Chad, Joe and Reese make bets on which exit Erik will use to escape.
Joe wins a bet
Erik makes time with Chad's girl
Chad gets his revenge
For no discernible reason, there's a chimp in the bar
Joe and Erik captured by Tohpay
Ripping Erik's shirt
Some nice stunt work from Bill
A little gunplay with the Gattling
Original air date Sep 23, 1966
Directed by Jerry Hopper
Written by Fred Freiberger

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
Abraham Sofaer as Tohpay
Myron Healey as John Garth
Diane Roter as Lohray
Julie Eswards as Anita
Peter Dawson as sheriff
Vincent St. Cyr as Taslatch
Gregg Palmer as Sgt. Mason
Joseph Haworth as surly man
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