The San Saba Incident (18 Oct. 1957)

Hoby finds the prison wagon he's escorting shadowed by a menacing stranger.

Like the previous reviewer, I had seen the Wanted Dead or Alive version of this story prior to this one and recognized the setup almost immediately. Outside of the narration, I think I liked this version better. I found the crusty old wagon driver, cut from the cloth of many a Cheyenne sidekick though he may be, more interesting than Josh's sidekick Jason, and Rex Reason, with his magnificent voice, made for a more memorable villain than whoever played the part in the Wanted Dead or Alive version. The scene where he first approaches the camp at night is kind of creepy. As usual, it's nice to see Mort Mills play something other than a crooked, murderous deputy. The somewhat relaxed, friendly relationship between Hobie and his charges is fun. A Texas Ranger escorting a prison wagon also feels more natural than a pair of bounty hunters.

The fact that this episode is my favorite of the first four Trackdown episodes despite my having seen the remake first is testament to the strength of D.D. Beauchamp's script, as well as how well this production was put together.