"The Man From Nowhere"
(Original air date 11/14/66)
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Amnesiac, Jarrod opposes his brothers in a dispute between
cattle ranchers and squatters
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Writer: Ken Pettus
Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Jed Cameron (Richard O'Brien) rides up to his cohorts Quint (Bing Russell) and Hoyt (Gregory Walcott) with a telegram from Sacramento announcing the arrival of a prominent lawyer hired to settle their dispute with a widow, Libby Mathews, (Sheree North) who refuses to allow their cattle on her land. They hope this lawyer can reason with her before they have to resort to drastic measures.
The lawyer, Jarrod Barkley, rides up to the Mathews property, unaware that Libby's son, Danny, (Duane Chase) is standing in the bushes with a rifle. He aims at Jarrod and shoots, spooking his horse that scurries away.
The animal whizzes by a tree, underneath a branch that knocks Jarrod right out of his saddle and sends him crashing to the ground, unconscious. Danny tries to nudge Jarrod awake but gets no response. Frightened, the boy runs back home.
Later, Jarrod regains his senses. He staggers to his feet and wanders about in a complete daze, while Danny brings his mother to the spot where he left him. He assures her that he only meant to scare him, not hurt him.
In the evening, Jarrod wobbles in the Mathews backyard and collapses from exhaustion. Libby, Danny and her mother-in-law, Hannah, (Anne Seymour) carry him inside the house.
Hours later, Jarrod rouses in a bed to Libby's tender ministrations, totally amnesiac.
The next morning, while Danny is out looking for his horse, Jarrod cudgels his brains in search of his last memory before he passed out. Libby lights his lantern by explaining that her son shot at his horse to scare him away, thinking he was one of those cattle ranchers who have been trying to drive them off their land. Jarrod is convinced he must have had some other reason for coming here, and hopes Danny can provide him with an answer once he finds his horse and coat.
Libby hands Jarrod a clean shirt and invites him to stay until he regains his memory. Hannah has a gnawing feeling that he's one of those angry ranchers and wants him off the property at once, but Libby believes otherwise and insists he stays.
In the hush of the night, a nightmare about a gliding eagle plagues Jarrod's mind and starts him out of sleep. After wiping the sweat off his face, he wanders out to the porch. Libby joins him and at his request, she exposes the reasons why the ranchers are so doggedly intent on driving her off the land. Because of the severe drought, they need water and grass for their dying cattle, which they can only find on her land, but she won't sell out. The law is siding with the ranchers, saying they are squatters and have no rightful claim on the property. She suspects they are only covetous of the land on account of a vein of gold that her husband discovered. He's a mining engineer gone to Sacramento in order to garner support to back the excavation.
The next day, Jarrod rides into town to Dr. Driscoll's (Arthur Space) office for a check-up. The diagnostic is rather grim. The amnesia might be permanent. He nonetheless offers Jarrod a glimmer of hope by explaining that contact with objects or faces from his past is likely to jog his memory.
Cameron meets with Hoyt Vatcher in the saloon with news that the awaited lawyer never showed up. Vatcher sets a deadline: they'll wait a week, then burn down the Mathews place.
At the Barkley ranch, still no letter from Jarrod. Ted Blair (Howard Wendell) from the State Land Office drops by to see Jarrod on the matter of a telegram he's just received from Cameron asking him to hurry over to Rockville in order to settle the land dispute. Worried that their brother has yet to reach his destination, Nick and Heath decide to ride to Rockville to verify their suspicions.
Back in Rockville, Jarrod's search for answers as to his identity leads him to a small church, inside which he meets with a sympathetic priest (Robert Karnes) who can only offers his prayers.
At night, Jarrod confesses his frustration to Libby. He has no choice but to stay on at the farm and protect her against any possible assault.
In the morning, Hoyt meets with Quint in the saloon where he tells him he's found a wandering horse and a bunch of legal papers in the saddlebag that he believes belonged to the lawyer who never showed up. He suspects he might have been gunned down by the widow Mathews and therefore decides to spring into action tonight.
At night, the ranchers show up at the Matthews place with flaming torches. While Libby and Jarrod are busy stifling the flames in the barn, they open fire. Hannah grabs a rifle and retaliates, shooting one man down but in returns, gets shot in the arm. Jarrod and Libby join in the fight until the ranchers retreat.
The next day, Jarrod rides into town and meets with Hoyt in the saloon. With eyes blazing, he warns him to keep off the Mathews property or he'll pay hell for it. Cameron agrees to back down but Hoyt is more determined than ever.
Danny finds Jarrod's coat and a letter addressed to him that he brings back to his mother. She makes him swear not to breathe a word to Dakota, Jarrod's assumed name, for the moment. Hannah pleads with Libby to reveal him his true identity, but Libby won't hear of it. She needs him for protection. If he goes, then she goes. She's ready to abandon her husband's land to run away with Jarrod, and therefore threatens Hannah to keep her mouth shut.
Meanwhile, Nick and Heath arrive in Rockville. They drop by the saloon to ask directions to the Mathews place. Hoyt comes up to them, troubled as to their business with Libby Mathews. When Nick tells him that they are looking for their brother, Hoyt informs them that he's found his horse on the Mathews property and that in all probability, their brother was dead.
They hightail it to the Mathews place where they are welcomed by Libby's rifle. She fibs about having seen their brother and orders them to double back. Heath notices a fancy white shirt draped over the picket fence that she says belongs to one of the hands.
Heath and Nick ride a few feet off the property, stop, look back with suspicion in their eyes. They decide to check back later.
Hannah joins Libby on the porch and makes one last attempt at convincing her to tell Jarrod the truth. Libby confesses to being tired of waiting for Scott, her husband, to return. She found out a while back that the vein of gold didn't exist and that Scott is probably long dead, reason why he hasn't returned. She yearns to start over with Jarrod with whom she's fallen hard in love with.
Hannah goes into town to meet with the Barkley brothers. Meanwhile Jarrod and Danny return to the farm after a day's work mending fences. Over a cup of coffee, Libby expresses her qualms to Jarrod about involving him in her fight. Jarrod assures her that he's here to stay until his memory returns.
Nick and Heath head back to the Mathews farm and call out to Jarrod. Libby urges Jarrod to shoot and ignore their words for it's a trick to divert his attention. Nick covers Heath's back who sneaks through the back door.
Heath surprises Jarrod who hurls his empty rifle at him. He pounces at Heath and wrestles with him. Then he hurls him against the wall and grabs his handgun.
He freezes at the sight of the golden eagle on the stock. He is told that it's the gun he had custom-made especially for Heath on his last birthday.
After recognizing his brothers, Jarrod breaks down and cry. Heath and Nick both clench him into a brotherly hug.
Later, as he gets ready to return home with his brothers, Jarrod goes to Libby who professes her love for him and the reasons why she kept his true identity from him.
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