MAVERICK: THE RIVALS (TV)
Summary
One in this series of offbeat western dramas about the Mavericks, gambling men who prefer playing poker to gunplay. In this episode, Bret meets the very wealthy John Vandergelt on a train to Denver, and the two make a wager that Vandergelt's well-known surname will allow him entry into a high-class hotel casino. The two assume one another's names, and Bret wins the bet when he, as John, is treated with simpering deference by the concierge, while John, as Bret, is ignored. John then offers him $1,000 a week to continue "renting" his identity, admitting that he has a plan regarding his father. Downstairs, Bret-as-John is immediately waylaid by busybody Mrs. Mallaver, who introduces the "wealthy" young man to her niece Lydia, but Lydia is far more interested in the "no-good Texas gambler" nearby, who is of course the real John. John reveals to Bret that he has had his eye on Lydia for some time and wishes her to "love him for himself" rather than for his money, and urges Bret to make him look good with his own boorish behavior. In the park, John-as-Bret saves Lydia from the advances of another man, Livingston, and begins to chat her up.
Later, John's father, the imposing Brigadier General, barges into the hotel and demands to see his son. He first meets with Mrs. Mallaver and agrees that their children should wed, and Bret informs John of "their" father's arrival. Vandergelt Sr. informs John that he has found a bride for him, feeling that he needs to settle down and honor his family name, but John flatly refuses to even meet the young woman and the Brigadier furiously disowns him on the spot. Finding that the Vandergelt Sr. has already arranged for a meeting with Lydia, Bret goes in John's place and attempts to woo her, but she declares that she dislikes haughty rich people and prefers a down-to-Earth man, like the tragically selfless Sydney Carton in "A Tale of Two Cities." Elsewhere, Lucius Benson confronts Livingston for flirting with "his" fiancée, and John later visits his father and apologizes, stating that he will agree to marry Lydia after all – but the Vandergelt Sr. surprises him by changing his tune and declaring that his son should have more backbone and not give in to such demands.
Lydia finds out the truth about the switch and coldly rejects the real John in favor of Bret, and Vandergelt Sr. demands answers from Mrs. Mallaver about the misunderstanding and learns that all three of them have disappeared. At "Lovers' Leap," Bret tries to convince Lydia that he is "no good," but she remains blithely determined to marry him. Trapped, Bret visits John's father and suggests that he summon a fake wife and children and pretend to be a philanderer, but Vandergelt Sr. points out that she may then be driven into Benson's arms, rather than into John's. Bret gets an idea and baits Benson into challenging him to a duel, and John discovers that it was Livingston who spilled the beans to Benson about the swap. At dawn, Bret finds a farewell letter from John revealing that he has gone to take his place in the duel and immediately races off to intervene, and Lydia too is shocked to find that John, whom she believed to be a pompous louse, has chosen to do "a far, far better thing than he has ever done." Bret arrives just in time to find that Benson has shot John – but very ineffectually, leaving him with only a scratch. When Lydia arrives, however, he pretends to be on the brink of death, and she pleads with him to survive as she declares her love for him. Amused, Bret returns to the casino – where he finds that his own name is indeed insufficient to gain access. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: January 29, 1959 7:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:58:04
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:81036
- GENRE: Drama, western
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, western; Comedy; Romance
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1957-1962
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - American Airlines
- TV - Commercials - Big Fella clothing stores
- TV - Commercials - C&R Clothiers apparel
- TV - Commercials - Capitol Home Loan company
- TV - Commercials - Chunky candy bars
- TV - Commercials - Color Tile and Wallpaper stores
- TV - Commercials - Golden Grain Noodle Roni noodle mix
- TV - Commercials - Imperial margarine
- TV - Commercials - Lee's Bars, Stools 'n' Dinettes furniture store
- TV - Commercials - Nivea lotion
- TV - Commercials - Oldsmobile automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Parkay margarine
- TV - Commercials - RB Furniture
- TV - Commercials - Spalding skis
- TV - Commercials - Two Guys department stores
- TV - Commercials - Whirlpool appliances
- TV - Commercials - Wisk detergent
- TV - Commercials - Worthington Ford used cars
- TV - Promos - "Vikki Carr in Concert"
CREDITS
- William T. Orr … Executive Producer
- Roy Huggins … Producer
- Leslie H. Martinson … Director
- Marion Hargrove … Writer
- Richard Brinsley Sheridan … Based on the play by
- David Buttolph … Theme Music by
- Paul Francis Webster … Theme Music by
- James Garner … Cast, Bret Maverick
- Jack Kelly … Cast, Bart Maverick
- Roger Moore … Cast, John Vandergelt
- Pat Crowley … Cast, Lydia
- Neil Hamilton … Cast, Brigadier General Vandergelt
- Barbara Jo Allen … Cast, Mrs. Mallaver
- Dan Tobin … Cast, Lucius Benson
- William Allyn … Cast, Livingston
- Sandra Gould … Cast, Lucy
- Chet Stratton … Cast, Desk Clerk