The Showdown

The 28th Hopalong Cassidy movie has Morris Ankrum showing up, sporting an accent, claiming to be a baron interested in buying Wright Kramer's harness-racing horse for a European syndicate. When he speaks with his associates, it's clear he's a con man. This casts doubt on Jan Clayton, who shows up riding the rods, when a letter arrives claiming she's the rightful owner of Kramer's ranch.

It's one of the best written Hoppies, because of that tension. There's even tension between series lead William Boyd and regular sidekick Russell Hayden. Miss Clayton, in her third and final appearance in the series, clearly relies on Boyd's assistance, kicking off Hayden's jealousy. I'm pretty sure it was just acting; later in the year, Boyd would marry Grace Bradley, and Miss Clayton would marry Hayden. Miss Clayton was not just another pretty starlet. She would originate the role of Julie Jordan in Rodger & Hammerstein's CAROUSEL; tv viewers would also recognize her as Ellen Miller, Timmy's put-upon mother in the first version of LASSIE. She would die in 1983 at the age of 66.