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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 19h 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 1 - The Executioners
    7.7/10(227 votes)

    #1 - The Executioners

    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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  2. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 2 - Woman from White Wing
    7.9/10(157 votes)

    #2 - Woman from White Wing

    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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  3. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 3 - Throw a Long Rope
    8.0/10(152 votes)

    #3 - Throw a Long Rope

    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 4 - The Big Deal
    7.5/10(124 votes)

    #4 - The Big Deal

    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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  5. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 5 - The Brazen Bell
    7.8/10(148 votes)

    #5 - The Brazen Bell

    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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  6. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 6 - Big Day, Great Day
    7.3/10(115 votes)

    #6 - Big Day, Great Day

    S1:E6

    The Judge, Steve Hill and Trampas travel to Casper on the 4th of July in order to pick up a fancy bed the Judge had ordered. In Casper they have several adventures revolving around a wrestling match involving an old acquaintance of the judge (Aldo Ray) who is fighting for the championship and Steve's romantic interest in one of the saloon girls who reminds him of a past lost love.

    Director:Harmon Jones
    Writer:Charles Larson

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  7. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 7 - Riff-Raff
    6.9/10(134 votes)

    #7 - Riff-Raff

    S1:E7

    Molly Wood (Pippa Scott) tells Trampas of the outbreak of the Spanish-American war and says she is impressed with a man in uniform, so Trampas rides to San Antonio, Texas to join the Rough Riders being formed by Teddy Roosevelt. Steve Hill and the Virginian follow, intent on persuading Trampas to return but they both end up enlisting as well despite conflicts between the free-sprited westerners and their staid eastern officers led by Lt. Drex (Ray Danton). In Cuba, when Lt. Drex is wounded, the Virginian leads a detail including Steve and Trampas to discover and decommission snipers and a hidden cannon emplacement, which they manage to do successfully. After the three soldiers return to Medicine Bow, they learn a welcome home party is going to be held in the Town Hall in their honor.

    Director:Bernard Girard
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 8 - Impasse
    7.5/10(133 votes)

    #8 - Impasse

    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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  9. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 9 - It Tolls for Thee
    7.6/10(139 votes)

    #9 - It Tolls for Thee

    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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  10. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 10 - West
    6.9/10(137 votes)

    #10 - West

    S1:E10

    Seeking some excitement in his life, Trampas joins a groups of older cowboys (Steve Cochran, James Brown, Claude Akins) who set off to find adventure in what they still believe is the wild, lawless West. However, their outdated attitudes lead them into trouble and eventually, tragedy.

    Director:Douglas Heyes
    Writer:Douglas Heyes

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  11. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 11 - The Devil's Children
    7.8/10(141 votes)

    #11 - The Devil's Children

    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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  12. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 12 - Fifty Days to Moose Jaw
    8.0/10(133 votes)

    #12 - Fifty Days to Moose Jaw

    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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  13. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 13 - The Accomplice
    8.6/10(459 votes)

    #13 - The Accomplice

    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, William P. McGivern, Winston Miller

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  14. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 14 - Man from the Sea
    6.8/10(126 votes)

    #14 - Man from the Sea

    S1:E14

    Twin sisters Judith (Carol Lynley) and Susan (Shirley Knight) Morrow, who are the daughters of a deceased friend of Judge Garth, come to Medicine Bow where Susan is to start a pottery. Also arriving on the same train is a sailor, Kevin Doyle (Tom Tryon) who wants to settle down and become a farmer. While Susan is more reserved and practical, Judith dreams of seeing exotic places and is captivated by Kevin's stories of travel to faraway lands. They begin seeing each other but Judith seems to act strangely. Kevin finds himself so in love with Judith that he agrees to give up his dreams of settling down and take her to the places she has always wanted to see...but her problems are such that this will never come to be.

    Director:Herschel Daugherty
    Writer:David Friedkin

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  15. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 15 - Duel at Shiloh
    7.9/10(141 votes)

    #15 - Duel at Shiloh

    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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  16. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 16 - The Exiles
    7.7/10(125 votes)

    #16 - The Exiles

    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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  17. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 17 - The Judgement
    8.1/10(128 votes)

    #17 - The Judgement

    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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  18. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 18 - Say Goodbye to All That
    7.7/10(116 votes)

    #18 - Say Goodbye to All That

    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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  19. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 19 - The Man Who Couldn't Die
    7.2/10(118 votes)

    #19 - The Man Who Couldn't Die

    S1:E19

    The owners of the Bradford and Willson Transportation Co. had been contracted to build a railway line for Judge Garth and other investors but had been procrastinating in starting the project. When the Judge threatens them with legal action, they send a woman, Mrs. Wallace (Vera Miles), to spy on the Judge by becoming Betsy Garth's private tutor. Matters become complicated when the Judge falls in love with Mrs. Wallace. They become even more complicated when the Judge shoots in self-defence, Willson (David White), but can convince no one, including the police, that the man is dead.

    Director:David Friedkin
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 20 - If You Have Tears
    7.9/10(121 votes)

    #20 - If You Have Tears

    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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  21. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 21 - The Small Parade
    7.9/10(127 votes)

    #21 - The Small Parade

    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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  22. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 22 - Vengeance is the Spur
    7.6/10(119 votes)

    #22 - Vengeance is the Spur

    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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  23. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 23 - The Money Cage
    8.0/10(114 votes)

    #23 - The Money Cage

    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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  24. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 24 - The Golden Door
    7.9/10(117 votes)

    #24 - The Golden Door

    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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  25. The Virginian Season 1 Episode 25 - A Distant Fury
    8.0/10(117 votes)

    #25 - A Distant Fury

    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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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"The Executioners" is the best rated episode of "The Virginian" season 1. It scored 7.7/10 based on 227 votes. Directed by David Friedkin and written by David Friedkin, it aired on 9/19/1962. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "Woman from White Wing".