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| Episode No. | 7 |
| Episode Title | Duel of Honor |
| Season | 1 |
| Guest Stars | Cesare Danova - Jack Elam - Glenn Strange - John Dierkes - Joe Bassett - John Harmon - Bill Quinn |
| Airdate | 11/11/58 |
| Writer | Ken Kolb |
| Director | Joseph Lewis |
| Synopsis | A stagecoach breaks down and an Italian nobleman. Count Di Montova is stranded overnight in North Fork. Mark and I were staying in town for a couple of days while Micah was recuperating from a badly sprained ankle. Luckily his ankle wasn't broken. But it would leave Micah flat on his back for a few days. So I had agreed to cover for him. While I was checking around the town, the stagecoach came in. It looked as if Cole, the driver was having a problem with the left rear wheel. It looked like they would be stranded for the night. As the people began getting out of the coach there was one particular man, an Italian nobleman, Count Alfredo Di Marcosini Montova that caught the eye of everyone in town. He sure looked different. Everyone was so amazed by his appearance. I don't think anyone in North Fork had ever seen anyone dressed quite like him before. He was definitely an elegantly dressed nobleman. Well it didn't take long for the town drifter, Sim Groder, to start with his rude and arrogant conduct. He just had that overbearing way of pushing a person too far. He wanted to have some fun with this 'foreign dude in fancy pants' as he put it, and liven up this town. He pushed him and pushed him until there was no more pushing him. The count had asked me where he could exchange some liras for American money. I told him that we didn't have a bank. I told him the bartender at the Last Chance Saloon acts as a banker from time to time and thought he could oblige him. I did warn him that he might run into some difficulty if he went there. That didn't seem to bother him. As the Count was talking to the bartender Groder took his money and tore it in half, crumbled it up and threw it on the floor. The Count mentioned that money was never a good excuse for a quarrel. But Groder couldn't let it go at that. He insisted on buying the Count a drink and when the Count refused, Groder told him he'd pour it down his throat! The Count got angry and slapped him in the face with his gloves and challenges him to a duel. "A Duel of Honor!" The Count chose me for his Second. As a Second I was to inform them of the time & place the duel will be. I am to make sure that the rules are observed. The duel will be outside of town and it will be at dawn. As we approached the edge of town we saw Groder and his men were already there. I explained to them that the offended man, which was the Count, had choice of weapons, and that the Count had chosen a pair of dueling pistols. They stood back to back, count 10 paces, turn and stop and when ready, shoot. Groder checked the pistols out and mentions the fact that there was only one shot. But the Count assures Groder that he's never needed more! Ready.....1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9... 10 paces.....Groder turned, fires and misses the Count. The Count now is entitled to his shot. Groder knew he had lost and asked the Count not to shoot him and wanted to talk this over. Groder told us that if he would have had his own gun he would have won. The Count illustrates his marksmanship and showed Groder that he didn't have a chance with either choice of weapons. The Count was still entitled to his shot, so he gave the pistol to me and said that I had the liberty of using his shot at any given time on Groder that I wished. I aimed the pistol at Groder and told him if he doesn't get out of my sight in 10 seconds I would take the privilege of shooting him. He was gone in a flash!!!!! The count gave me his pistol as a token of our friendship. "'Arrivederci' my friend," said the count. As Mark and I say goodbye to our new found friend. Mark asked if I thought we would look as funny to them, as he did to us? "Maybe even funnier!" Episode Summary written by Margie Straub of riflemanconnors.com |
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