Pocketful of Stars (1962) User Reviews (2)

Cheyenne wins a Chinese "bride"

[BrianDanaCamp · 19 January 2012]

I've been on a kick lately tracking down Asian-themed TV western episodes from the 1950s and '60s. I've found an episode of "Laramie" and an episode of "Wagon Train" which both involve Japanese travelers out west and an episode of "Annie Oakley" guest-starring Keye Luke as a Chinese laundryman who's framed for murder. (I've reviewed the Laramie episode, "Dragon at the Door," on IMDb.) This episode of "Cheyenne," "Pocketful of Stars" (1962), involves Chinese workers on the railroad and their interaction with Cheyenne after he's signed on as a scout for the railroad and witnesses two workers, an old man and his daughter, being fired by the corrupt white foreman. To make a long, contrived story short, Cheyenne somehow wins the daughter, Mei Ling (Lisa Lu), in a lottery staged by Wang (Weaver Lee), the head of the Chinese workers, but refuses ownership of her. He relents and lets her accompany him and his companion, a railroad surveyor (Peter Brown), and cook for them although he persists in trying to find a way to send her and her father back to San Francisco, all while contending with the efforts of the crooked foreman (Robert Foulk) to re-route the track through sacred Indian burial ground in order to make a profit off of property he owns.

The Chinese characters are portrayed as obsequious and submissive. Wang kowtows to the racist foreman and calls him "honorable master" while Mei Ling keeps referring to Cheyenne as her "lord and master." Actress Lisa Lu, however, manages to undercut the stereotype by carrying herself with quiet dignity. Helping her in this effort is Clint Walker, whose Cheyenne character is gentle and compassionate, treating Mei Ling with respect and care. The two of them invest their scenes together with a level of humanity that transcends the hackneyed script. For that reason alone, the episode is worth tracking down. (I watched it on Encore's Western Channel.)

Ms. Lu is quite a compelling screen presence. She is a Chinese-born actress who was active in Hollywood chiefly from 1958 to 1973, most notably co-starring with James Stewart in the World War II drama, THE MOUNTAIN ROAD (1960), in which she played a distinctly proactive Chinese character without a trace of stereotype, but has also worked in Hong Kong films and Chinese co-productions off and on since 1969. (She's had supporting roles in such prominent films as THE LAST EMPEROR, THE JOY LUCK CLUB and LUST, CAUTION.) As of this writing, she's still working. I'm submitting this review on her 85th birthday.

Weaver Lee, who plays Wang, was active in Hollywood chiefly from 1945 to 1970, but was usually billed as Weaver Levy. IMDb has two different entries for him, one under each name. Frank DeKova appears as Indian chief Red Knife. He would later turn up in another Warner Bros. western series, "F Troop," as Wild Eagle, a more comical Indian chief. Stock footage from a western movie about the building of the railroad is intercut with studio shots of the railroad crew.

"The end of the West as we know it."

[faunafan · 10/10 · 17 November 2022]

The railroad is coming through and greedy, unscrupulous men such as freight line owner John Bishop and his ruthless henchman Tom Fanshaw are out to get as much as they can from the wealth to come. Someone's also out to get Cheyenne Bodie. He and a young surveyor, Ross Andrews, have been employed by the railroad to see to it that the route the tracks take is agreeable to the Shoshone, through whose land the railroad will go. Knowing that it's only a matter of time before his tribe is all but subjugated by the white man's push west, wise Chief Red Knife gives permission on the condition that the tracks not desecrate sacred tribal burial grounds. But that means using a route that will make it impossible to profit from Bishop's land investment. Fanshaw's solution is to eliminate Cheyenne Bodie, who's been his nemesis from the beginning.

When a hired gunslinger who hates 'big guys' and a disgruntled drunk fail to kill Bodie, Fanshaw comes up with a truly evil plan. It involves lovely Mei Ling, the Chinese girl Cheyenne won in a lottery. This is where the story takes an unexpectedly charming turn. Of course, Bodie would never take part in a lottery in which the prize is a human being. The prize was supposed to be a 'pearl of great price' that Wang, foreman of the gang of coolies laboring to lay the tracks, waved around to entice a barroom full of cowboys; but it was actually Mei Ling herself. She's willing to be sold into servitude to earn money to get her father to San Francisco and save Wang from the blood-thirsty Tong. Unbeknown to Cheyenne, the outcome was rigged by the wily Wang, who seems to implicitly trust Cheyenne. Mei Ling is a willing accomplice, however, for from the moment Cheyenne rescues her from Fanshaw's wrath, she's smitten with the imposing cowboy. Although appalled by the situation, there's no way he can turn her away. This lays the groundwork for Fanshaw's last resort. Mei Ling is to poison Cheyenne in exchange for the life of her father.

Their last afternoon together is one of the most touching scenes with some of the best dialog in the entire series. This interesting, well-written story (by Warren Douglas) tackles prejudice, greed, culture, philosophy, and human relationships with a deft perception that never veers into proselytizing. Thanks to Peter Brown's diverting young surveyor, there's even a healthy dose of humor; he delights in seeing Cheyenne made uncomfortable at every turn. You can't help but sympathize with Weaver Lee's obsequious Wang, who's not a brave man but grovels with such affable lack of malice that you forgive him. Lisa Lu quietly shines as the sweet, gentle Mei Ling, doggedly determined to serve "the honorable Mr. Bodie." Her scenes with Cheyenne are enchanting; despite the obvious physical differences, or perhaps because of them, the chemistry between them is palpable. Soft-spoken Lisa Lu holds her own in her profound exchange with Clint Walker's powerful Cheyenne Bodie. And he in turn exudes the gentle, sensitive demeanor that made women feel safe with him.

Needless to say, Mei Ling does not poison Cheyenne and he sees to it that she and her father make it to San Francisco. When Bishop and Fanshaw are caught violating the Shoshone burial grounds, they are dispatched by Red Knife and his braves. Justice prevails and, although the expansion of the railroad might mean the end of the old West, it also means progress. Everything about this episode was authentic, significant, and thoroughly satisfying.