"Town of No Exit"
(Original air date 04/07/69)
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In a ghost town run by five psychopaths, Heath is captured and sentenced to hang
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Writer: William Norton
Director: Norman S. Powell
On his way to Dorado where he is to meet with Jarrod, Heath rides through what appears a ghost town with three horses on a tether. As he stops at a fountain for some water, he is surprised by a singular man (Leslie Nielsen) with a pistol. Heath is merely passing through and wants no quarrel with the stranger. He therefore humors him when he demands a dollar for the water. Conway invites Heath for a drink but seeing his reluctance, he beckons sultry saloon girl Maggie (Diana Ewing) to entice the young Barkley.
Inside the saloon, Conway exposes to Heath the reasons for wanting to remain in such a desolate place. Here he is Sergeant Major Earl Conway and what he says goes. Maggie gets a cue from him to grab Heath's gun. Heath, who's now pegged Conway as a nut case, continues to humor him as they strip him down of his belongings. Failing to needle Heath into a fight for a measly forty dollars and a fifteen-dollar watch, Conway tells him that he's under arrest and cannot be permitted to leave. The scatterbrained Maggie and Quita Gomez (Lori Scott) jump on Heath and handcuff him. They sit him down to face trial as Attorney at Law Elias Brown (John Carradine) sits down to preside over the court.
Maggie accuses Heath of rape, Conway of theft and Pete Haunch (Robert Donner) of murder. Heath is found guilty on all three counts and is sentenced to hang. As he makes a swing for the door, he trips over a chair and is knocked out by Conway.
Meanwhile in Dorado, Jarrod checks in at the hotel. He's worried to learn from the clerk (Al Checco) that his brother has yet to show up.
Back in the ghost town, the mockery trial continues. After pronouncing the sentence, Heath is escorted out of the saloon where he makes another attempt at escaping. Conway and Brown soon corner him where Haunch swings a shovel in his stomach, rendering him unconscious.
From his cell window, Heath tries to wheedle Maggie into giving him the key in exchange for a pearl stickpin. Smitten, she throws him the key, unaware that it's the wrong one. Conway shows up at the window with the real key. Incensed Heath lunges at him from behind the window bars and threatens to kill him. Conway is pleased at Heath's anger. He's a former sergeant major who was kicked out of the Army after standing trial for a murder he didn't commit and now enjoys giving the same treatment to others.
At night while the town folk are having a dance celebration, Quita who is willing to help him escape if he promises to take her away from this loony bin visits Heath. She is pregnant with the child of the last unfortunate stranger who passed through town and wants to flee this rat hole. Given the fact that she can't get to the cell key or a gun, Heath asks her to ride into Dorado and seek his brother Jarrod. She agrees and sneaks away quietly.
Early in the morning, Quita arrives in Dorado. Before she can ask for Jarrod, the hotel clerk recognizes her Pinto as Sam DeCova's horse, the man who's been reported missing. He orders her to follow him to the sheriff's office but she fights him off and rides away.
Heath is escorted to the wagon where the noose awaits him. Maggie plays the part of the hysterical grieving widow and Haunch the executioner. Conway assures Heath that it's merely theatrics and that a reprieve from the gouvernor granting the prisoner pardon will interrupt the hanging. Heath has no other alternative but to play along. However, Conway tricks him and Heath is hung by the neck. Seconds later, Conway cuts the rope, pretending to have misread the letter.
Heath makes eye contact with Quita returning to town. She shakes her head, telling him that she hadn't been able to locate his brother. She was his last hope.
At the hotel, Maggie tends to Heath's bruises. She goes to a shelf to get some liniment next to a gun that Heath is quick to notice.
During the night, Heath creeps out of bed to get the gun but before he can reach it, Conway surprises him and starts shooting. Heath dodges the bullet and swings an oil lamp at Conway, which ignites a fire. As Conway corners Heath, Quita shields him and gets shot in the stomach. Quickly, Heath wrestles Conway for the gun and a shot accidentally goes off, killing Conway.
The next day, the dead are buried. Brown admits to Heath to never wanting to play this sadistic game but knew Conway would have killed him had he not. Heath learns from Maggie that Quita faked her pregnancy. She only pretended to carry a man's baby for she always felt terrible after we executed him. It was her way to give back what they had taken. Crazy, isn't it?
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