“The Wager”
Chess knight courtesy of COCHISE LEATHER COMPA
“The Wager”
Season: 2 episode 16
Series Episode: 55
Air Date: January 3, 1959
Teaser
“After a couple of days when you two really get thirsty, don’t look back to find me. Look up; above you. The buzzards will tell you how near the end is.”
Employment Solicitation
Verbal request by Sid Morgan
Fee
$1000
Quotes
“There’s a legend that when the world began there were 13 gods. Only 12 of them were acquainted with one another. So to learn the stranger’s identity, they invited him to a banquet. And to their everlasting sorrow he came. The thirteenth god was Death.”
Paladin
Norse mythology reveals the origin of how bad luck is associated with the number 13.
Twelve Norse gods gathered for dinner in Valhalla. They did not invite the 13th god,
a mischievious trickster called Loki. Loki took it upon himself to attend the dinner anyway.
One of the entertainments of the evening was for the gods to throw weapons at Baldr,
whose mother, Frigg, had made everything on earth, save one, vow not to harm Baldr.
The weapons simply bounced off him without causing harm. Loki proceeded to arrange for Hoor,
the god of darkness (who happened to be blind) , to shoot Baldr (“the white”, “the shining one”),
with a mistletoe-tipped arrow, the one thing on earth that had not taken the vow.
Boldar died and the earth, mourning her loss, was thrown into darkness.
Thus, the number 13 became associated with evil.
Norse mythology
Cast & Crew Lists
Cast
| Character | Role | Actor | Actor Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paladin | An arbiter | Richard Boone | 41 | Credited |
| Kim Chan "Hey Boy" | Hotel Carlton porter | Kam Tong | 52 | Credited |
| Howard Gorman | Gunfighter | Steve Gravers | 36 | Credited |
| Sid Morgan | Businessman | Denver Pyle | 38 | Credited |
| Stacy Neal | Sid Morgan's fiancee | Jacqueline Scott | 27 | Credited |
| Shawcross | Sid Morgan's business bartner a.k.a. Danbury's agent | Ken Lynch | 48 | Credited |
| Rough N Ready Palace Hotel bartender | Bob Hopkins | 40 | Credited | |
| Rough N Ready Palace Hotel desk clerk | William (Bill) Erwin | 44 | Credited | |
| Horned Toaded Toad | Uncredited |
Crew
| Director | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| Assistant Director | Howard Joslin |
| Creators | Herb Meadow & Sam Rolfe |
| Writers | Denis Sanders & Terry Sanders |
| Script Supervisor | Richard Chaffee |
| Story Editor | Don Ingalls |
| Producer | Sam Rolfe |
| Production Manager | Glenn Cook |
| Director of Photography | Stuart Thompson, A.S.C. |
| Opening Theme Music Composer | Bernard Hermann (Herrmann) |
| "Ballad of Paladin" Singer | Johnny Western |
| "Ballad of Paladin" written by | Johnny Western, Richard Boone, Sam Rolfe |
| Supervising Editor | Fred W. Berger, A.C.E. |
| Film Editor | Harry Coswick, A.C.E. |
| Optical Effects | Jack Rabin & Louis DeWitt |
| Sound Editor | Roderick Sound, Inc. |
| Property Master | Mike Gordon |
| Makeup Artist | Donald (W.) Roberson |
| Hair Stylist | Madine Danks, C.H.S. |
| Wardrobe | Joseph Dimmitt |
| Set Decorator | Raymond Boltz, Jr. |
| Set Design | Paul Sylos, Jr. |
| Casting | Stalmaster-Lister Company |
| Richard Boone's Stunt Double | Hal Needham |
| Production Companies | A CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) Television Network Production, Filmaster Productions |
| Recording Company' | Westrex Recording System |
| ATFP (Alliance of TV Film Producers) |
Filming Locations
Sets
Paramount Studios – 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Dry lake bed scenes
Owens Lake, California, United States of America
Early outdoor scenes
Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, United States of America
Closing Credits background
Lone Pine – California, United States of America
Geographic References
Rough N Ready, California, United States of America
San Francisco, California, United States of America
Silver City, California, United States of America
Gastronomic Delights
Steak
Brandy
Sources
Have Gun – Will Travel episodes (written, spoken and credits), Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Wikipedia, individual observations, and others as indicated by the links.
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