Into the Widow's Web

A show has come to town and part of that show is a trick shooting act wi9th husband and wife King Donovan and Kathleen Nolan. Nolan and Lee Majors have some history and when he's on the premises when Nolan and Donovan fight and Donovan ends up dead, Majors is charged with homicide.

This all could have been settled at a coroner's inquest. But the prosecutor David Sheiner is one ambitious DA and the conviction of a Barkley could boost his career in a quantum leap.

Good thing one of the Barkleys became a lawyer because Richard Long discovers the truth.

Sheiner and Nolan were great in their guest star turns. Majors has some good scenes with Kathleen Nolan.

The episode begins when a trick shooting group comes into Stockton and puts on a stunt in the downtown street. As part of the act they have a 'plant' in the audience that takes his gun out and shoots the feathers off this woman's hat. Heath sees this and jumps on the man. Then we find out that it was just an act to get people to attend the night performance. We find out that the woman that Heath supposedly saved is Liberty Keane who just happens to be an old friend from Strawberry (the same town as Heath).

Later, Heath takes Liberty out to eat where she informs him that she is married. When they get to the theater, Liberty's husband is waiting on them and he is welding a gun and is drunk. Heath leaves but then hears screams from Liberty. Heath returns, and we the viewer, hear gunshots. Liberty's husband is dead and Heath is over the body saying he shot him.

Heath is claiming self-defense but the local DA, that has an ax to grind against the Barkleys, is claiming murder. Even the townsfolk are saying that it was murder but due to the Barkley's name- Heath will get out of the charge. But when the DA presents some damning evidence, Heath will be held over for a charge of murder.

The ending of the show is as moving as any show in the entire collection. Kathleen Nolan is excellent with a spectacular performance. The story did seem to get long but the ending made up for the entire episode. Good watch

The plot was a good one - the actress (Liberty) coming to town with her alcoholic husband, she an old lover of Heath's and Heath being accused of murdering the husband. The actress can't believe Heath - now rich and privileged - could ever be convicted of murder. Brother Jarrod the lawyer defends and works on a way to get Heath acquitted despite a prosecuting attorney who is jealous of Jarrod's success. The casting and execution was the problem. Kathleen Nolan was too old for the part - six years older than Lee Majors, who was playing a young cowboy finding his way in a new life. With Nolan's age and Majors's inexperience, I just found it hard to accept Liberty as being Heath's contemporary, and Majors and Nolan just really didn't seem to get the chemistry necessary to carry the plot off well. I never believed they ever could have been lovers to begin with.

David Sheiner was good as the prosecutor who hates Jarrod personally. Sheiner always did play nasties well.