PETER BROWN 
CHEYENNE
"Pocketful of Stars" 11-12-62

Written by WARREN DOUGLAS Directed by ROBERT SPARR Guest Cast PETER BROWN as ROSS ANDREWS LISA LU as Mei Ling WEAVER LEE as Wang ROBERT FOULK as Tom Fanshaw BOB ANDERSON as John Bishop NELSON OLMSTED as Jim Melville FRANK DeKOVA as Red Knife H.T. TSIANG as Yup Soong MARSHALL BRADFORD as the Doctor

Studio still from Pocketful of Stars

Peter and Clint
Partners & Pals for one episode

This episode is Cheyenne's entry into the universal male TV writer fantasy - the inadvertently acquired female slave.  [See our page on the Laredo episode The Bitter Yen of General Ti.]   This theme requires the star who acquires the woman to have buddies around to needle him about it.  Since Cheyenne had been a solo act since L.Q. Jones was dropped as his partner after the first season, Peter was written in to provide the sidekick commentary as a surveyor friend of Cheyenne.   This was his fourth guest shot on Cheyenne; the others preceded his four Lawman years.

Cheyenne and Ross are surveying a route for the railroad through Indian territory.  Because of Cheyenne's good relationship with Chief Red Knife, the railroad is able to take an easier route through Shoshone land rather than a more hazardous northern route.  Investors in a land syndicate who had purchased land along the northern route are unhappy and seek to get rid of Cheyenne.
 

Cheyenne introduces Ross to Red Knife

Red Knife

Ross & Cheyenne watch the progress of the railroad

Their first try is a gunfighter who forces a fight with the wrong man when he goes after Cheyenne.

Ross watches with concern as Cheyenne dispatches the syndicate's gunman.

Ross & Cheyenne are persuaded to buy tickets for a Chinese lottery for "a pearl of great price".  However, when Cheyenne wins the drawing, the prize turns out to be Mei Ling.  Ross is disgusted when Cheyenne immediately insists she go back to her father.

Wang sells tickets to Ross & Cheyenne

Wang & Mei Ling

Ross thinks he should have won

However, when Cheyenne & Ross return to their hotel, to Ross' delight they find Mei Ling in their room.   Cheyenne pushes Ross into explaining to Mei Ling why she can't stay with Cheyenne.  He's not very successful.

Cheyenne is not as happy as Ross to see Mei Ling

Ross gives Cheyenne a bad time

Ross talks to Mei LIng

They have  Mei Ling cook for them until they can find a way to get her to San Francisco.  Her watchfulness saves them from a sneak attack by another syndicate man.   However, the syndicate kidnaps Mei Ling's father and tells Mei Ling he will be killed unless she poisons Cheyenne.  She lures him into a good-by picnic and takes the poison herself.

Mei Ling can bake an apple pie despite having just arrived from China

Mei Ling warns of danger

Mei Ling would rather take poison than hurt Cheyenne

Cheyenne gets Mei Ling to a doctor while he and Ross  track down the bad guys to a sacred Indian burial ground which they plan to blow up to enrage Red Knife into rescinding his permission to cross Shoshone land.   However, the bad guys are killed by Red Knife's people,   Ross is shot in the shoulder which gives him an excuse to escort the recovered Mei Ling to San Francisco.

Red Knife

The ubiquitous shoulder wound

Ross goes to Frisco with Mei Ling
(and her father)

NiteOwl Review:  This was a pretty good although not outstanding episode of Cheyenne.  Peter Brown was a very attractive presence in a role more like his later Chad Cooper character in Laredo than either his part in Lawman or his interesting "boy becoming a man" roles.  He had good chemistry with Clint Walker which was just about all that was needed to be successful in this episode.

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