- WELCOME TO SWEETWATER
Original Airdate: December 8, 1981
Synopsis. Maverick settle into his new home of Sweetwater, Arizona, only to face an immediate fight: a railroad company plans to build right in the middle of his land.
Ed Robertson
Author ● Journalist ● Radio Host ● Collaborative Writer
Arthur Silver
This Date in MAVERICK TV History: J. Pat O’Malley and Vito Scotti star in “A Fistful of Oats,” an episode of YOUNG MAVERICK, airing Dec. 5, 1979. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- A FISTFUL OF OATS
Original Airdate: December 5, 1979
Synopsis. Nell’s uncle faces the gallows after he accidentally spooks the horse of a hanging judge.
LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.
This Date in MAVERICK TV History: BRET MAVERICK premieres on NBC with “The Lazy Ace,” a two-hour episode airing Dec. 1, 1981. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- THE LAZY ACE
Original Airdate: December 1, 1981
Synopsis. Bret Maverick rides into Sweetwater, a town in the Arizona territory, to play in a high-stakes poker game with Doc Holliday, Ramsey Bass, Joe Dakota, Lyman Nickerson, the Delta Fox, and Mandy Packard. After winning the $100,000 jackpot and ownership of Mandy’s saloon, the Red Ox, Maverick purchases a 100-acre ranch, which he christens The Lazy Ace. However, Bret doesn’t realize that he also inherited liability toward a $50,000 loan that Mandy took out from the bank against the saloon’s mortgage. To make matters worse, the bank is robbed shortly after Bret deposits his money.
An injury to James Garner shut down production of this episode for three days. Keep an eye out for the sequence where Bret’s horse goes ballistic after hearing gunshots. Garner was on a mechanical horse to film part of that sequence; he was thrown from the horse, and suffered nine broken ribs as a result.
LEARN MORE about this episode in the revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West, featuring more than 100 pages of new information about the show that made James Garner a star. 25 percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the third edition will be donated to The James Garner Animal Rescue Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help rescue organizations, shelters, individuals, fosters, and veterans with emergencies, evacuations, medical care, adoptions, training, pet supplies, shelter, rehabilitation, boarding, transportation, food, and other pressing needs. JGARF is one way for Garner fans to honor Jim’s memory and extend his legacy. The revised third edition of Maverick: Legend of the West is available through Black Pawn Press, Amazon.com, and wherever books are sold online.
This Date in MAVERICK TV History: “The Jeweled Gun,” the first solo adventure of Bart Maverick, airs on Nov. 24, 1957. MAVERICK: LEGEND OF THE WEST: Revised Third Edition is now available both as an eBook and in softcover paperback through Black Pawn Press
- THE JEWELED GUN
Original Airdate: November 24, 1957
Synopsis. Kathleen Crowley guest stars as Daisy Harris, a wealthy woman with many secrets. Daisy hires Bart to pose as her husband (“John Haskell”) and accompany her on a trip to Laramie, Wyoming. Bart doesn’t realize that Daisy plans to kill him—long ago, the real Haskell was murdered by Henrique Felippe, her attorney (and lover). Daisy and Felippe hope to cover their tracks by staging an elaborate murder (and burial) of “Haskell.”
While the script for “The Jeweled Gun” was completed in August 1957, filming did not begin until sometime in October, shortly after Jack Kelly joined the cast as Bart Maverick. Initially, the script was tailored for James Garner, with Kelly appearing only in the vignettes that open and close the show. However, a last-minute switch resulted in Kelly starring in the episode and Garner appearing in the vignettes. As a result, “The Jeweled Gun” became the first solo Bart adventure.