“A Flock of Trouble”
“A Flock of Trouble”
Season: 3 episode 22
Series Episode: 75
Air Date: February 14, 1960
Maverick TV series starring James Garner and Jack Kelly
A Warner Bros. production
Teaser
A wolf in wolf’s clothing.
Cast & Crew Lists
Cast
Character Role Actor Actor Age Status
Bret Maverick (a.k.a. "Jessie James" / Gordon W. Howitzer) Gambler / Con artist / Sheep ranch owner / Federal inspector of range lands James Garner 31 Credited
(De) Basco Basque shepherd Armand Alzamora 31 Credited
Cabill Emporium owner Chet Stratton 49 Credited
Cain Scott's ranch hand Don (Donnelly) Rhodes 22 Credited
"Big" Coley Poker player on the stagecoach Merritt Bohn 54 Credited
Dee Cooper Cattle rancher Myrna Fahey 26 Credited
Jensen Shepherd Tim Graham 51 Credited
"Honest" Donald McFadden Chief wool purchaser / Special agent for the Seward Committee Irving Bacon 66 Credited
Verne Scott Cattle rancher George (D.) Wallace 55 Credited
Announcer Ed Reimers 57 Uncredited
Charley Shotgun on stagecoach kibitzing the game Ray Whitley 58 Uncredited
Heather Sheepdog Pluto Uncredited
Mrs. Gilhooty First customer at the Emporium in Roundup Uncredited
Kelly Cooper ranch hand Joe Brooks 36 Uncredited
Lee Cooper's houseman Uncredited
Norman Roundup Saloon bartender Norman Levitt 46 Uncredited
Cattleman #1 Rod McGuaghy 37 Uncredited
Cattleman #2 Jack Shea 47 Uncredited
McFadden's guard at Scott's ranch Uncredited
Scott's ranch hand Fred Carson 36 Uncredited
Scott's ranch hand Luis Delgado 34 Uncredited
Stagecoach driver Uncredited
Two stagecoach passengers playing poker Uncredited
Townsman Jimmy (Jimmie) Horan 52 Uncredited
Townsman Arthur Tovy 55 Uncredited
Cooper Drove the first cattle into the valley / Dee Cooper's father Mentioned
William H. Seward U. S. Secretary of State Mentioned
Crew
Director Arthur Lubin
Assistant Director Richard (Dick) L'Estrange
Developed by
Roy Huggins
Teleplay Ron Bishop / Wells Root
Story James Barnett
Executive Producer
Wm. (William) T. Orr
Producer Coles Trapnell
Director of Photography
Ralph Woolsey, A.S.C.
Art Director
John Ewing
Supervising Film Editor
James Moore
Film Editor
George C. Shrader
Production Manager
Oren W. Haglund
Sound Donald (Don) McKay
Set Decorator Frank M. Miller
Makeup Supervisor Gordon Bau, S.M.A.
Animal Trainer Frank Inn
Composer: Original Theme David Buttolph (uncredited)
Original Theme Lyrics Paul Francis Weber
Stock Music Composer Max Steiner (uncredited)
Music Composer John Neel
Music Supervisor Paul Sawtell / Bert Shefter
Music Editor Donald Harris
Musician: Harmonica Tommy Morgan (uncredited)
Production Company
Warner Bros. Television
Distribution Company
American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
Dialogue/Figurative Language/Literary References/Quotes
Note: this episode includes dialogue that may be allusions, with a slight twist of the tongue, to more common idioms.
Stagecoach Driver: Charlie, “Big” Coley is smarter than a tree full o’ owls. There ain’t nobody gonna best him.
Stagecoach Driver: Sure, and the devil plays a harp.
Reference: Let our Lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. 1 Samuel 16:16, The Bible, KJV
An ironic reference to this bible passage, the evil spirit being the Devil (who cannot stand harp music).
Bret Maverick: Quiet? Like a fly walkin’ on a fresh peach.
Jensen: Heather, you trail him. Lead’s a gonna be buzzin’ around Maverick like bees round a hive, only lead stings deeper.
Cattleman #1: Ain’t much room around here for rolling stones.
Bret Maverick:Not even if they don’t gather any moss?
Idiom: A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Bret Maverick: Love is the feel of the sky and the earth
Yea, and the creatures upon it. Love is the food of life.
Verne Scott: No he’s not. He’s a wolf with sheep in his clothing.
Idiom: “A wolf in sheep’s clothing.” from
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
Matthew 7:15, The Bible KJV
Jensen: Traffic around here is busier than a rabbit in love.
Allusion to the idiom: “Breeding like rabbits.”
Bret Maverick: Lady, did I ever tell you the story of the “traveling sheepherder.”
This may be an allusion to the “Traveling salesman” jokes.
Notable Mentions
Basque
Seward’s Folly
Apache
Jessie James
William H. Seward
Leg-of-mutton sleeves
Geographic References
Round-up, New Mexico Territory, United States of America
Washington, D.C. United States of America
New Mexico Territory , United States of America
The Games People Play
“Big” Coley: Three little ladies on an errand of mercy.
Bret Maverick: And three wise men to show them the way.
Grub
Beans
Bread
Coffee
Sources: Maverick episodes (written, spoken and credits), Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Wikipedia, individual observations, and others as indicated by the links.
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