The conflict that's supposed to drive the basic story is... When will the beleaguered hero's testosterone rise to a level that enables him to "stand up and be a man"? In this version, it never really does.
The casting is certainly questionable. It appears someone had the bright idea of going "against type". But Earl Holliman has such a friendly, folksy voice that no amount to trying to twist it into something ugly can succeed. And Morgan Woodward, who usually portrays emotionally strong, decisive men, is reduced to a wuss.
Few actors can play any-and-every role, so it's unfair and unkind to blame this episode's failure on bad casting. The fault lies with the script. One of the basic rules of screen writing is that the viewer should empathize with the principal characters. That doesn't mean they should be likable, but rather that we should understand their motivations.
On a simpler level, you might say we should know /why/ we're supposed to be interested in these characters. * Instead, what we get is a bunch of stereotypes thrown into a situation we've seen many times before -- as if simply populating a clichéd story outline is enough to engage our attention. (The wife, who initially comes across as a silly airhead, is particularly annoying. Unfortunately, "annoyance" does not equal "interest".)
The script's serious weaknesses might be partly forgiven, /if/ the audience got what it longs for -- Woodward killing or seriously injuring Holliman. (Had this been a Meston script, that's what we would have had. ** But those CBS executives were so /worried/ about protecting the youth of America from violence.) Though Woodward goes after Holliman with a sickle (whose cutting edge could have done great harm), he manages to completely miss him. Woodward finally comes to the rescue by /tackling/ Holliman. (This was so /exciting/ I had to take a couple of blood-pressure pills to keep from blowing out a vessel.)
At least we get to see Robert Totten with his beard on.
* A classic example of the failure to do this is "Support Your Local Gunfighter". The film falls flat from the first scene and never gets up. James Garner's character starts a cipher, and remains one.
** In "The Cabin", Matt offs a villain with a pitchfork, in both the radio and TV versions.
The casting is certainly questionable. It appears someone had the bright idea of going "against type". But Earl Holliman has such a friendly, folksy voice that no amount to trying to twist it into something ugly can succeed. And Morgan Woodward, who usually portrays emotionally strong, decisive men, is reduced to a wuss.
Few actors can play any-and-every role, so it's unfair and unkind to blame this episode's failure on bad casting. The fault lies with the script. One of the basic rules of screen writing is that the viewer should empathize with the principal characters. That doesn't mean they should be likable, but rather that we should understand their motivations.
On a simpler level, you might say we should know /why/ we're supposed to be interested in these characters. * Instead, what we get is a bunch of stereotypes thrown into a situation we've seen many times before -- as if simply populating a clichéd story outline is enough to engage our attention. (The wife, who initially comes across as a silly airhead, is particularly annoying. Unfortunately, "annoyance" does not equal "interest".)
The script's serious weaknesses might be partly forgiven, /if/ the audience got what it longs for -- Woodward killing or seriously injuring Holliman. (Had this been a Meston script, that's what we would have had. ** But those CBS executives were so /worried/ about protecting the youth of America from violence.) Though Woodward goes after Holliman with a sickle (whose cutting edge could have done great harm), he manages to completely miss him. Woodward finally comes to the rescue by /tackling/ Holliman. (This was so /exciting/ I had to take a couple of blood-pressure pills to keep from blowing out a vessel.)
At least we get to see Robert Totten with his beard on.
* A classic example of the failure to do this is "Support Your Local Gunfighter". The film falls flat from the first scene and never gets up. James Garner's character starts a cipher, and remains one.
** In "The Cabin", Matt offs a villain with a pitchfork, in both the radio and TV versions.