Starring a very young Clint Eastwood
Rawhide is one of most famous Westerns ever to be on television. This is its wrap-up season after eight successful ones. Its star Clint Eastwood went on to star in Westerns on the big screen. Because of its reputation Rawhide was able to attract high profile guest starts. In the last season guest stars include Rip Torn, Robert Blake, Bruce Dern, Cesar Romero and Charles Bronson.
The Wild West was a place of excitement, danger and adventure for those trying to make a living there. This includes drovers and is especially true of the outfit headed by newly appointed as trail boss, Rowdy Yates (played by Clint Eastwood). While bringing large amounts of cattle across there is no telling what kind of criminals or adventures they are going to run into.
Episode 1: Encounter at Boot Hill: A drover is killed and another is seriously injured while attempting to put a halt to a lynching. Rowdy is looking for justice but finds that difficult in a town with a crazed deputy and a corrupt sheriff (played by Simon Oakland).
Episode 2: Ride a Crooked Mile: Going against his instincts Rowdy hires a fast-talking new drover (played by John Drew Barrymore) who rides a top notch stallion. A rick Texan (played by Douglas Kennedy) comes around looking for revenge on the new drover who he says stole the horse from him.
Episode 3: Six Weeks to Bent Fork: Rowdy strikes up a deal to get 1,000 cattle to Bent Fork in a mere six weeks. He takes on the job because it pays big – $6,000.
Episode 4: Walk Into Terror: Rowdy orders Quince (played by Steven Raines) and Simon (played by Raymond St. Jacques) to check out an abandoned mine. There a bear attacks Simon, injuring him gravely, and when he tries to shoot the bear it causes the mine to collapse.
Episode 5: Escort to Doom: Rowdy hires a band of Chiricahua Indians to help on the latest drive. The rest of the drovers, especially Wishbone (played by Paul Brinegar), don’t trust the Indians and as such are not too happy to have to work with them.
Episode 6: Hostage For Hanging: A family of no good horse traders have taken Rowdy hostage and are holding him for ransom. They tell the drovers they will only give him back to them alive if they pay them $3,000.
Episode 7: The Vasquez Woman: Colonel Vasquez (played by Cesar Romero) purchases 200 cattle from Rowdy. Only once he is away do they realize that the money is counterfeit.
Episode 8: Clash At Broken Bluff: Rowdy and drovers are in the middle of a town’s election battle opposing suffragettes and the men. The men seem to be capable of anything to stop the women from gaining the right to vote.
Episode 9: The Pursuit: A famous U.S. Marshal named Dixon (played by Ralph Bellamy) is after Jed (played by John Ireland) for murder. Believing in his right hand man’s innocence, Rowdy helps Jed to escape capture or worse.
Episode 10: Duel at Daybreak: Rowdy’s new young drover (played by Brendan Boone) gets into trouble with a ranch foreman (played by Charles Bronson). It seems like a gun fight is going to happen.
Episode 11: Brush War at Buford: Rowdy joins up his cattle with those of Major Buford (played by Richard Carlson), a man who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Trouble arises when they have to go through Yankee territory.
Episode 12: Testing Post: An Army Calvary pays Rowdy for 100 had of prime beef cattle with a requisition that the major says can be reimbursed at the nearest outpost. Rowdy rides forty miles to find out he has been conned.
Episode 13: Crossing at White Feather: Rowdy hires Jonas Bolt (played by Albert Dekker) and his son (played by Johnny Crawford) to help get the herd across a dangerous river. Soon he regrets it as Jonas turns out to be a drunk.
