Top 10 Episodes of The Virginian Click here for a list of all The Virginian episodes.
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1. Old Cowboy (S3Ep28)
An old man with his grandson, Willy, arrives at Medicine Bow.
He gambles all his money away, has nothing left except a gold
coin in his boot. Willy, who is hungry, is disappointed they can't
afford steak. Trampas feels sorry for them, and decides to hire
the old man at Shiloh Ranch. Trampas soon realizes that it was a
big mistake, as the old man, who was a great cowboy in his day,
is so worried about not impressing his grandson, that he messes
everything up. Willy and Trampas become great friends, making
his grandfather want to outdo Trampas, but Willy is sad that his
proud grandfather can't just get along with Trampas. In the end,
he finally proves to Willy that he is the greatest cowboy ever.
Trampas Episode
Guest Stars: Franchot Tone, Billy Mumy
2. Big Image.... Little Man (S3Ep7)
Paul Leland, a businessman's son, is accidentally pushed off a
train and lost in the desert. Searching for water, he is rescued
by The Virginian and Steve, who are driving cattle across the
desert. Although he is arrogant, stubborn, desperate to get home,
and causes a stampede, hurting two men, The Virginian puts him
to work and makes a man out of him. Leland, at first, tries to
escape but is brought back by The Virginian. Being humbled by
the month-long experience in the desert, Leland has a change in
character and stops being arrogant.
Virginian Episode
Guest Stars: Linden Chiles, Slim Pickens
3. Showdown (S3Ep29)
The Virginian arrives in Monolith, Arizona to buy cattle from
the Landers family, but it appears the family is rustling cattle
and selling them. Marshall Frome and his brother, who are very
tough, have an anger for the Landers. The marshall is shot in the
shoulder, and his brother is dragged by a horse by the Landers
boys. They arrest one of the sons, Billy, for many crimes, causing
the rest of the family to come after them. The Virginian comes to
the aid of the marshall and his brother as they prepare for a duel
with the Landers.
Virginian Episode
Guest Stars: Michael Ansara, Leonard Nimoy, Tom Skerritt,
Peter Whitney
4. The Golden Door (S1Ep24)
Karl Rilke, an immigrant from Latvia, is arrested for supposedly
murdering Mr. Keel. The evidence against him is sufficient to find
him guilty, but thanks to Judge Garth, he gets off innocent. Not
understanding the laws, he hides the truth of what really happened.
His wife has a baby, and another suspect, who is caught selling
Mr. Keel's belongings, is found for the murder. With his conscience
bothering him and the murdered man's angry son wanting to
kill him, he feels he cannot hide the truth any longer.
Judge Garth Episode
Guest Stars: Karl Boehm, Ilze Taurins, Robert Duvall
5. First To Thine Own Self (S2Ep20)
Randy's Introduction: A young boy named Randy befriends a little
girl, but behind his back, her father is killed in a robbery. Randy is
then falsely accused of murdering him, but the girl saw who really
did it. Nobody believes he is innocent except Betsy, who meets him
on Shiloh. Randy protects the girl from the killers by keeping her
with him. Eventually, the real killers are found, the girl goes to
live with her aunt, and Randy becomes a new hand on Shiloh Ranch
and a new character on the show.
Randy Episode
Guest Stars: Claire Wilcox, Bruce Dern, Jan Merlin, Frank Maxwell
Introducing: Randy Boone (as Randy)
6. The Stallion (S3Ep3)
A black stallion breaks loose at Medicine Bow, killing one of its
owners. Randy finds the abused stallion, and it needs medical care.
He brings the horse to an alcoholic vet named Charlie, who's friends
with a girl, Jody. He heals the horse, but warns it is dangerous to
anyone in its way. Charlie returns the horse to Randy at Shiloh Ranch,
and Judge Garth, upset with the way the owner, John Slaughter,
mistreats the horse, buys it from him. Garth, seeing how stubborn and
dangerous the horse is, then wants Randy to kill it. Randy returns him
to Charlie, but the horse releases all the mares on the ranch. Randy,
Charlie, and Jody to catch them all and break the stallion.
Randy Episode
Guest Stars: Robert Culp, Jena Engstrom, Donald Barry
7. The Small Parade (S1Ep21)
Martin Reese, a vegetarian with his chimp, is promoting the idea
of not eating meat in cattle country. The Virginian, Trampas, and
Steve befriend him. A man who threatens to shoot his chimp is
later found dead, and Martin is blamed for it. While they are in a
posse searching for Martin, the trio comes upon a lady named
Ellen Beecher, who is escorting orphans to orphanages. They take
care of the children, and Trampas has a lot of fun playing with
them. The Virginian comes to realize that Martin is innocent, and
that both he and Ellen have a special relationship.
Trampas Episode
Guest Stars: David Wayne, Barbara Barrie, R.G. Armstrong,
George Brenlin
Special Guest Star: Tané McClure
8. The Accomplice (S1Ep13)
On his birthday, Trampas is wrongly accused of a bank robbery
and an attempted murder that he did not do. One of the men is
Trampas's old friend, a crooked gambler named Walt Gleason.
Gleason pretends Trampas is the man. Two witnesses honestly
mistake him for the bank robber. After a while, the man realizes
it was not Trampas, and the woman, Mrs. Miller, recognizes the
real criminal, Malcolm Brent, in a restaurant. She is willing to
say Trampas is the bank robber, if Brent pays her $10,000. The
Virginian and Trampas's lawyer know what's going on. The
Virginian persuades her to tell the truth.
Trampas Episode
Guest Stars: Bette Davis, Lin McCarthy, Christopher Dark
9. The Fatal Journey (S2Ep11)
Four outlaws ride into town, and shoot down the newspaper building,
killing Miss Molly, whom The Virginian was supposed to marry. The
sheriff forms a posse to find the outlaws in the desert. Later, they all
give up, except for The Virginian, who finds their hideout at the
nearest water source. He gets caught and pretends he is an escaped
con, but things get complicated for him when a marshall comes to the
camp. Both he and The Virginian quickly come up with a story to trick
the gang, but they have to be careful though, as one wrong move could
get them both killed.
Virginian Episode
Guest Stars: Robert Lansing, Steve Ihnat, David McLean,
William Bakewell
10. Run Quiet (S2Ep9)
Steve befriends a deaf and mute man named Jud who wanders the
street and hires him at Shiloh Ranch. After a gambling game, he
gets in trouble for a murder that two other men did. He escapes
jail and comes to a house with a woman living all alone. She
gives him something to eat, and he kindly thanks her by chopping
firewood for her and bringing it into the house. The posse comes,
and she hides Jud. After learning from the sheriff what he has
supposedly done, she believes he is innocent. Steve stops by, and
it is up to him to help Jud by finding the real killers.
Steve Episode
Guest Stars: Clu Gulager, Gail Kobe, Donald Berry, Lew Gallo
