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The Best Episodes of The Virginian Season 1

Every episode of The Virginian Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Virginian Season 1!

Binge this in 22h 15m•Peaking at 8.6/10

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Colonel Alan MacKenzie. It is the setting for a variety of stories, many more

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Virginian Season 1 Episode 13 - The Accomplice
    8.6/10(455 votes)

    S1:E13

    The Rocky Point Bank is robbed by two men who shoot its President. One of the men is captured and claims Trampas, with whom he has a grudge, was his accomplice -- so Trampas is arrested. His identification as the robber is supported by a spinsterish bank teller, Delia Miller (Bette Davis), who has recognized the real robber and is protecting his identity in order to blackmail him. The Virginian tries to prove Trampas innocent and expose the real criminal by falsifying Delia's story.

    Director:Unknown
    Writers:Howard Browne, Winston Miller, William P. McGivern

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  2. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 17 - The Judgement
    8.1/10(137 votes)

    S1:E17

    This episode reveals why Henry Garth is no longer a practicing Judge. In flashback it recounts how he had to sentence, and deservedly, a man to death for murder. However, the man's relatives, led by Jake Carewe (Clu Gulager), intimidated the townsfolk to the extent that they tried to get the Judge to set the man free. When the Judge stood up to the family, he had to do so without support from the town.

    Director:Earl Bellamy
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 3 - Throw a Long Rope
    8.0/10(166 votes)

    S1:E3

    A homesteader (Jack Warden) accused of rustling narrowly escapes hanging by local ranchers led by Major Cass (John Anderson), an event that is observed by Shiloh hands including the Virginian. However, the homesteader is severely injured, and the Virginian helps him work his farm during off hours. After some investigation into the rash of cattle rustling, the Virginian decides to defend the man against the Major and the other ranchers including Judge Garth.

    Director:Ted Post
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 12 - Fifty Days to Moose Jaw
    8.0/10(141 votes)

    S1:E12

    Older cowhand Slim Jessup (James Gregory) is accussed of killing a man in Idaho and escapes east. He signs on with a Shiloh Ranch cattle drive to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. On the way the drovers are joined by a young man, James Cafferty (Bandon de Wilde), who wishes a different life than dirt farming with his widowed step-father (Frank Overton). The older Slim takes James under his wing and teaches him lessons in life before his past catches up with him.

    Director:Maxwell Shane
    Writer:Donald S. Sanford

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  5. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 15 - Duel at Shiloh
    8.0/10(151 votes)

    S1:E15

    This episode explains how Steve Hill came to work at Shiloh Ranch. Running away from home to become a cowhand he meets grizzled cowboy Johnny Wade (Brian Keith) who takes him under his wing and gets him a job working at a new ranch owned by Georgia Price (Geraldine Brooks). Georgia's plan is to make a huge profit quickly at the expense of destroying the common range by overgrazing. She uses her feminine wiles to get Johnny to head up her plan and their actions bring them into conflict with Judge Garth and eventually, with Steve Hill. Steve leaves to work at Shiloh and is forced into a showdown with his former friend and mentor Johnny.

    Director:Jerry Hopper
    Writer:Borden Chase

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  6. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 2 - Woman from White Wing
    7.9/10(168 votes)

    S1:E2

    Three men, who are prison escapees, come to Shiloh looking for Judge Garth. One of those men (Barry Sullivan) turns out to be Betsy Garth's real father, a fact unknown to Betsy. The man aims to reclaim his daughter and receive compensation, believing the Judge abandoned him purposefully in the wasteland some years before.

    Director:Burt Kennedy
    Writers:Morton S. Fine, David Friedkin

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  7. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 11 - The Devil's Children
    7.9/10(151 votes)

    S1:E11

    Uncontrollable 16 year old Tabby McCallum (Joan Freeman) is chastised by the Virginian for shooting a shiloh steer. In retaliation she tries to burn down the Shiloh barn but is accidentally shot by a Shiloh hand, Sam Hicks (Charles Aidman). Tabby's brother Bruce McCallum (Carl Reindell), who is from the same mould as Tabby, claims she was deliberately shot while her father, Tucker (Charles Bickford), thinks her boy friend, Dan Flood (Bert Brinckerhof), started the fire. The result is a spiralling series of events which eventually lead to murder.

    Director:William Witney
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 21 - The Small Parade
    7.9/10(139 votes)

    S1:E21

    In Coyote Wells to deliver some cattle, the Virginian, Trampas and Steve Hill encounter Martin Reese (David Wayne). Reese had lost his wife and children to smallpox, had sold his farm, and now travels giving lectures urging vegetarianism. His lectures are not received well in cattle country and when one of his hecklers is found murdered, Reese is the main suspect, is seen as a murderous loony and is pursued by a posse. On the way back to Medicine Bow the Shiloh cowboys encounter a woman, Ellen Beecher (Barbara Barrie), who knows of Reese's whereabouts. Ellen has several orphans in her care and the Virginian and crew become involved in trying to help Ellen with the children and in finding and protecting Reese from the vengeful posse.

    Director:Bernard Girard
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 1 - The Executioners
    7.8/10(245 votes)

    S1:E1

    Ne'er-do-well Tom Newcombe is publicly hanged for murdering a woman because the local school teacher, Celia Ames (Colleen Dewhurst), refuses to alibi him. A mysterious man, Paul Taylor (Hugh O'Brien), comes to town, signs on to work as a Shiloh Ranch hand and begins romancing Celia. However, his odd behaviour begins to raise the suspicions of Judge Garth and the local Sheriff who wonder about the motives of the stranger.

    Director:David Friedkin
    Writer:David Friedkin

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  10. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 5 - The Brazen Bell
    7.8/10(160 votes)

    S1:E5

    A new school teacher, Arthur Lilley (George C. Scott), and his uppity wife (Anne Meacham) come to Medicine Bow. Arthur is a well-educated man and his wife believes the job beneath him but Arthur sees himself as a coward, thinking he was responsible for the deaths of several students in a fire at his former school in Vermont. When two murderers escape from prison and take as hostages the teacher, his wife and the school children including Betsy Garth, Arthur's mettle meets the supreme test.

    Director:James Sheldon
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 20 - If You Have Tears
    7.8/10(132 votes)

    S1:E20

    In Mount Gorpus, Montana, Kyle Lawson (Britt Lomond) is framed for the murder of Lawrence Kelland. Kyle had been having an affair with Kelland's wife, Leona (Dana Wynter). The Virginian and Trampas, friends of Kyle, go to Mount Gorpus to investigate the crime. Posing as a cattle buyer, the Virginian begins romancing Leona. Leona eventually confesses to the murder but the Virginian is not so sure she is guilty.

    Director:Richard L. Bare
    Writer:Frank Fenton

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  12. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 25 - A Distant Fury
    7.8/10(127 votes)

    S1:E25

    Ed Fraser (Howard Duff) returns to Medicine Bow, having served time for robbing the local lumber yard. He had been convicted based largely on Steve Hill's testimony but the stolen $30,000 was never recovered and his unknown accomplice, Helen Blaine (Ida Lupino), whose daughter (Joey Heatherton) Steve has been dating, had escaped. When there is what he perceives as an attempt on his life, Steve makes no secret of the fact he is convinced Fraser is out for revenge. When Fraser is killed Steve becomes the prime suspect. Although he avoids trial due to a lack of evidence, Steve becomes a social pariah and sees that the only way out is to solve the crime.

    Director:John English
    Writer:Howard Browne

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  13. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 29 - Run Away Home
    7.8/10(121 votes)

    S1:E29

    The Virginian and Steve Hill deliver 1800 head of cattle to Centre City, Nebraska. There is a run on the local bank but fortunately, Judge Garth's lawyer (Russ Conway) had heard of the possible bank run and had withdrawn the money to pay for the cattle the day before. The Virginian and Steve set out for home but are pursued by a local man, Swenson (Karl Swenson), and his sons who had their life savings in the bank and figure part of money is theirs. The episode recounts the adventures and travails of the two Shiloh men as they attempt to elude those pursuers.

    Director:Richard L. Bare
    Writer:Howard Browne

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  14. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 30 - The Final Hour
    7.8/10(109 votes)

    S1:E30

    Strip mining operations begin in the Medicine Bow area. While Judge Garth sees the mining as ""progess"" other locals see it as a threat to their way of life and also do not like the influx of polish miners. Amongst the miners' families is the beautiful Polcia (Ulla Jacobsson). A ""love quadrangle"" develops as three men desire Polcia: Jan (Dean Fredericks) the son of the leader of the miners, Jack Anderson (Don Galloway) the son of the rancher most opposed to the mining, and Trampas, who had been assigned by Judge Garth to assist the miners in getting settled and who is Polcia's true love. Fueled by ethnic sentiments events escalate into a series of conflicts and tragedies.

    Directors:Bernard Girard, Robert Douglas
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 23 - The Money Cage
    7.7/10(125 votes)

    S1:E23

    A con man, William Martin (Steve Forrest), and his gang come to Medicine Bow and Martin begins wooing bank teller Lydia Turner (Bethel Leslie) the daughter of the bank's owner. He plans to use the woman to get her father and Judge Garth to invest in a fake oil drilling scheme. However, complications ensue when there is a run on the bank and Martin discovers he likes Lydia.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Jameson Brewer

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  16. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 24 - The Golden Door
    7.7/10(126 votes)

    S1:E24

    Trampas and Betsy Garth discover the body of a murdered neighbour, Mr. Keel. Trampas encounters a Latvian immigrant, Karl Rilke (Karl Boehm) and his pregnant wife Maria (Ilze Taurins), and discovers they have Keel's rifle although Karl claims he bought the gun from a man on the road. Judge Garth believes Karl innocent and that Keel's son Johnny (Robert Duvall) is the murderer, so he defends Karl at the trial.

    Directors:Maxwell Shane, John Brahm
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 26 - Echo of Another Day
    7.7/10(113 votes)

    S1:E26

    Sam Harter (Bradford Dillman) is released from prison and in Medicine Bow encounters Trampas, an old friend. Harter and Bleek (John Dehner) had robbed some gold bullion. Bleek had escaped and Harter was captured but not before he had hidden the gold. Trampas had refused to participate in the robbery and Harter had protected him from Bleek who was afraid Trampas would reveal their plan. Harter takes a job at Shiloh but he knows Bleek will inevitably appear. He does and a showdown ensues.

    Director:William A. Graham
    Writer:Frank Fenton

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  18. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 27 - Strangers at Sundown
    7.7/10(125 votes)

    S1:E27

    Judge Garth and Betsy are among the passengers on an overcrowded stage which is waylaid by an outlaw gang led by Pauk (Paul Richards). The passengers are trapped in a way station and the outlaws demand that one of the male passengers, a George Wilson who is traveling incognito, be given to them. Wilson is a former outlaw who had betrayed the gang. The various passengers must decide whether to live with their consciences and hand Wilson over, or risk their own lives in a gun battle with the desperate gang.

    Director:David Friedkin
    Writer:David Friedkin

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  19. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 8 - Impasse
    7.6/10(144 votes)

    S1:E8

    The Virginian and crew collect wild horses in the mountains which they are to take to Shiloh Ranch to sell to the army. However, tough widower Pa Kroeger (Eddie Albert) lives in the mountains with his four sons and a daughter and believes he owns the horses. When the Virginian refuses to turn them over, Kroeger goes to great lengths to try and stop the Shiloh crew from taking the animals. Complicating matters are the facts the Kroeger sons think there may be a more reasonable way to deal with the situation and the daughter is attracted to Trampas.

    Director:Bernard Girard
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 9 - It Tolls for Thee
    7.6/10(147 votes)

    S1:E9

    Martin Kalek (Lee Marvin) and his gang kidnap Judge Garth for ransom. The Virginian pays the ransom but the kidnappers refuse to release the Judge until they are able to escape into Idaho. The Kidnappers head off pursued not only by the Shiloh hands but also separately by a former crony of Kalek's called Sharkey (Warren Kemmerling) who is out for revenge on the criminal.

    Director:Samuel Fuller
    Writer:Samuel Fuller

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  21. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 16 - The Exiles
    7.6/10(136 votes)

    S1:E16

    Judge Garth is forced to shoot a man in self-defence but a passerby, Johnny Grey (Ed Nelson), who can prove the Judge innocent, leaves the scene. The Virginian trails Johnny to North Bend, Montana and along the way befriends Angelina Clump (Tammy Grimes) who is heading to the same town to get a job as a saloon singer. In North Bend the Virginian is forced to deal with two problems: Angelina receives threats to leave town from an anonymous stranger and Johnny Grey refuses to return to Wyoming unless he gets money from Judge Garth.

    Director:Bernard Girard
    Writers:Howard Browne, William P. McGivern

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  22. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 18 - Say Goodbye to All That
    7.6/10(124 votes)

    S1:E18

    In self-defence, Trampas is forced to shoot Big John Belden (Charles McGraw), who took exception to Trampas dancing with his his son Martin's (Fabian) fiancee. John is left a paraplegic and he encourages his son to take revenge on Trampas for the family honor even though Martin is, in direct contrast to his father, very mild mannered. Trampas is afraid he will have to kill Martin but their feud is interrupted by an encounter with Moses, a fierce lengendary bear.

    Director:William Witney
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 4 - The Big Deal
    7.5/10(135 votes)

    S1:E4

    Columbian Enrique Cuellar (Ricardo Montalban) has inherited land which was leased and used by Judge Garth. The Judge wants to renew the lease or buy the land outright. He minimizes its importance to his operations even though it contains a pass needed to drive his cattle herd between its seasonal ranges. Enrique discovers this deception and demands a large amount of money for the land. The Judge decides to drive his cattle through the land before Enrique can get a legal restraining order and in turn Enrique begins erecting a barbed wire fence to block the passage. A violent confrontation seems inevitable but is prevented by an unpredictable event involving Betsy Garth.

    Director:Earl Bellamy
    Writer:Winston Miller

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  24. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 28 - The Mountain of the Sun
    7.4/10(130 votes)

    S1:E28

    While delivering a prize bull to New Mexico, the Virginian meets a young woman, Kathy (Dolores Hart), and two older companions, whom he learns are missionaries who want to travel to Mexico to minister to the Yaqui Indians. He later learns they had hired a dishonest guide who plans to rob them so he sets off in pursuit and manages to save them. However, they refuse to give up their quest to the Yaqui's who it turns out had murdered their husbands the year before. He accompanies them on their quest and along the way finds himself falling in love with Kathy.

    Director:Bernard McEveety
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 22 - Vengeance is the Spur
    7.3/10(128 votes)

    S1:E22

    A mysterious woman, Mrs. Francis (Nina Foch), comes to Medicine Bow and asks the Virginian to take her to meet his friend, Michael O'Rorke (Michael Rennie), the former foreman of Shiloh, who now lives as an outlaw in the badlands. She believes her husband, who had been wrongly accussed of murder, is hiding out with O'Rorke's gang. However, Mrs. Francis is not whom she claims and trouble follows.

    Director:Robert Ellis Miller
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"The Accomplice" is the best rated episode of "The Virginian" season 1. It scored 8.6/10 based on 455 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Howard Browne, Winston Miller, William P. McGivern, it aired on 12/19/1962. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "The Judgement".