“The People’s Friend”
“The People’s Friend”
Season: 3 episode 21
Series Episode: 74
Air Date: February 7, 1960
Maverick TV series starring James Garner and Jack Kelly
A Warner Bros. production
Teaser
There’s a battle of wits for each man’s conscience between a public serving statesman and a self-serving politician.
Cast & Crew Lists
Cast
Character Role Actor Actor Age Status
Bart Maverick Gambler / Con artist / Political candidate Jack Kelly 32 Credited
Burke Sheriff of Silverdale Walter Sande 53 Credited
Clayton Member of Greeley's Campaign Committee Donald Kirke 58 Credited
Crenshaw Card cheat Dick Wilson 43 Credited
Culpepper Mayor of Silverdale Francis DeSales (De Sales) 47 Credited
Gantry Member of Greeley's Campaign Committee John Zaremba 51 Credited
Ellsworth Greeley Candidate for State Senate John Lifel 67 Credited
Penelope Greeley Ellsworth Greeley's daughter Merry Anders 25 Credited
"Handlebar" Joe Jeffers (a.k.a. Wellington Cosgrove) Candidate for State Senate / Wanted for extortion and confidence games R. G. Armstrong 52 Credited
Mrs. McCoy Eustace's mother Dorthea Lord 39 Credited
Cosgrove henchman with a mustache Allan Nixon 44 Credited
Librarian in Silverdale Ruth Terry 39 Credited
Announcer Ed Reimers 57 Uncredited
Bart's horse Sickle Uncredited
Baskerville McCoy's bloodhound Uncredited
Mrs. Bentley Uncredited
Briggs Member of Greeley's Campaign Committee Uncredited
Forbes Member of Greeley's Campaign Committee Uncredited
Henry McCoy Mrs. McCoy's husband Mentioned
Osbourne Member of Greeley's Campaign Committee Carl M. Leviness 74 Uncredited
Eustace McCoy Mrs. McCoy's baby Uncredited
Milton Smythe Uncredited
Eustace McCoy's brother Uncredited
Lani Happy Hour Saloon hostess Uncredited
Lou Silverdale townsman Ray Spiker 58 Uncredited
Suzanne Happy Hour Saloon hostess Uncredited
Bar patron Cactus Mack 60 Uncredited
Bar patron Max Wagner 58 Uncredited
Two Cosgrove henchmen Uncredited
Happy Hour Saloon bartender Joe Walls 43 Uncredited
Election Official #1 Uncredited
Townsman George Bell 61 Uncredited
Election Official #2 Luis Delgado 34 Uncredited
Elder McCoy son Uncredited
Hotel desk clerk Uncredited
Poker player Rex Lease 56 Uncredited
Al Third poker player Uncredited
Two poker players Uncredited
Townsman Jimmy Dime 62 Uncredited
Silverdale townsman voting for Maverick Tom Kennedy 32 Uncredited
Townsman Rod McGaughy 37 Uncredited
Ed Barlow Owner of the Happy Hours Saloon Mentioned
Crew
Director Leslie Goodwins
Assistant Director John Francis Murphy
Developed by
Roy Huggins (uncredited)
Writer Robert (Vincent) Wright
Executive Producer
Wm. (William) T. Orr
Producer Coles Trapnell
Director of Photography
Ray Fernstrom, A.S.C.
Art Director
John Ewing
Supervising Film Editor
James Moore
Film Editor
Milt Keinberg, A.C.E.
Production Manager
Oren W. Haglund
Sound Francis E. Stahl
Set Decorator Jerry Welch
Makeup Supervisor Gordon Bau, S.M.A.
Composer: Original Theme David Buttolph (uncredited)
Original Theme Lyrics Paul Francis Weber
Stock Music Composer Max Steiner (uncredited)
Music Supervisor Paul Sawtell / Bert Shefter
Music Editor John Allyn, Jr.
Musician: Harmonica Tommy Morgan (uncredited)
Production Company
Warner Bros. Television
Distribution Company
American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
Dialogue/Figurative Language/Literary References/Quotes
Baskerville, the McCoy’s hound
An allusion to The Hound of the Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Poker player: This [the political debate] ought to be a real ring-tailed doozy.
Sheriff Burke: Now do you expect me to believe this cock and bull story? Hooded men? Hogwash!
Bart Maverick: Looks like you kinda’ caught me red-handed, doesn’t it sheriff.
Bart Maverick: I didn’t know you were Queen of the May, sheriff.
Wellington Cosgrove: I prefer to look upon myself as the defender of those inalienable rights that are the heritage of our founding fathers…The trust of the public is not to be taken lightly.
Bart Maverick: Just so long as the public isn’t taken.
Bart Maverick” A statesman keeps his eye on the next generation, a politician keeps his eye on the next election.
Dealer: I just think Cosgrove is another rotten apple in the barrel.
Bart Maverick: I’ll keep my eye on those politicians down at the state capitol and if I find any of them in underhanded deals, I will scream like a scalded cougar. And I’m pretty good at spotting underhanded deals.
Mr. Gantry: Well, early to bed, early to rise, Mr. Maverick.
Bret Maverick: All play and no work makes Jack…
Literary allusion: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Wellington Cosgrove: This election is going to be lost by you, fair and square.
Notable Mentions
Nathan Hale
John Wilkes Booth
Reform Party
Simon Pure
Geographic References
Silverdale
Havana
The Games People Play
Ellsworth Greeley: Why do you know sir, that many of our state senators, instead of paying attention to their duties while a legislature’s in session, waste their time in hotel rooms playing poker… And I understand they play for very high stakes. Disgraceful!
Bart Maverick: Mr. Crenshaw, when I play poker it’s with the understanding that the cards will be dealt off the top of the deck. You’ve been dealing them from just about every other place but the top. And quite well too, I might add.
Crenshaw: You accusing me of cheating, mister?
Bart Maverick: I’d call it that. Yes.
5-Card Draw Poker
Solitaire
Old Maids
Tiddly-Winks
Grub
Music
“Camptown Races”
“For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow”
“Little Brown Jug” (instrumental)
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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