S01/E20: PECOS PETE

A Texas rancher is riding a horse along a field on a trail surrounded by trees. He is struck with the butt of a rifle swung by another man hiding up in a tree just as the horse was going by. The rider falls off his horse unconscious face down on the grassy marsh and his horse takes off running on its own. The attacker comes down from the tree branch quickly, turns the rancher’s body over, and then sits straddling the rancher’s stomach while doing something to his face. (Applying lipstick or eyeliner? What in the world is he doing?) The killer (we soon learn the rancher is dead) runs over to a horse he had hidden behind some trees and rides off.

Peter Gunn arrives at Mother’s where Mother is doing some accounting work at a table. She tells Gunn there’s a man at a table waiting for him. Gunn goes over to where the man introduces himself as a cattleman and landowner of over 40,000 acres from Texas named Clay Baxter. He pulls a big wad of bills, including many one-thousand dollar bills, from his pocket and lays some of it down on the table for Gunn, saying he makes it a habit to pay top dollar when he wants something done. Baxter says his brother Ross Baxter was killed yesterday and that the coroner and sheriff say it was an accident, but he doesn’t believe it. Clay then puts an airplane ticket on the table for Gunn to leave this evening for Texas. He also says there will be an additional $5000 for Gunn when he finds out who killed his brother. He tells Gunn to meet with him at the airport in 40 minutes and then leaves. (It was never made clear how Peter Gunn's reputation as a private detective for hire reached ears all the way in Texas).

Gunn tells Edie he’s headed to Texas. When Edie asks why, he imitates a Texas cowboy saying, “Honey, there comes a time when everybody’s gotta go to Texas.”

Peter Gunn is narrating this episode and while a plane is shown in flight, he says it’s about 4 hours flying time to Texas. Once at the home of Clay Baxter, he says morning comes early on a ranch and how Baxter’s ranch house had more rooms than the Pentagon building.

Gunn is asleep in bed when he hears men screaming outside. In a panic he grabs his gun from under the pillow and runs to the window, only to see a large hoard of men on horses riding fast at sun-up and yelling out ya-hoo! cowboy hoots. Still sleepy and yawning, Gunn makes his way back to the bed and looks at his watch picked up from the night stand. It’s 5:07AM!

Gunn starts to get back into bed when he notices a full set of cowboy attire, hat, and boots laid out for him on a sofa chair in the room. He walks over and finds a note as well that reads, “Dear Mr. Gunn – Believe you will find these clothes more suitable for the occasion. You are in Texas now, friend. Clay Baxter.”

Gunn enters the dining room where Clay is having a very large thick steak and French fries for breakfast. Gunn says he’ll just have coffee and Clay rings a bell on the table to summon the server. They are seated at the table with Clay’s sister-in-law Wilma Baxter, widow of the dead man, Ross Baxter. The town sheriff, Jim Billings, is also there. The men discuss the death. Sheriff Billings says the coroner ruled it an accident, saying he must have fallen off the horse and hit his head on a rock. Also, the horse might have stepped into a hole and hurt his leg when Ross fell off the horse. He says the horse was limping badly when found. Clay isn’t buying it. Gunn says he wants to be taken to the location of the incident. Clay says he’ll get a horse ready for him. Following breakfast, Clay says, “Recon we oughta get goin’…almost six o’clock; day’s half gone.”

At the stable Clay has his assistant, Frank Kelly, prepare a horse for Gunn. Kelly doesn’t seem to be pleased with a big city man snooping around, which raises Gunn’s suspicions about Kelly. When Gunn has a look at the horse Ross Baxter was riding, Frank Kelly tries to shoo him away from there, saying Mr. Baxter doesn’t like to be kept waiting.

Gunn, Clay Baxter, and Sheriff Billings ride out to the trail where Ross was found dead. The sheriff shows Gunn the rock on the ground that Ross hit his head on. (The death must have been declared an accident right from the start; no one considered taking the rock in as evidence?) Gunn inspects the rock. Clay still doesn’t believe it happened that way. Gunn asks him, “Why should anyone wanna kill your brother, Mr. Baxter?” Baxter replies, “Forty-thousand acres, ranch, cattle worth maybe 25 million. Ross owned half the ranch…Wilma, his wife, she stands to inherit everything he owned.” The sheriff insists one must first prove he was murdered.

Gunn narrating speaks of his suspicions about the horse’s injury. He rides out to the trail again on his own and picks up the rock. He’s not aware that he’s being followed.

At the coroner’s office they find the sheriff who says that, according to the coroner, the rock Gunn brought in doesn’t match Ross’ head wound. Then the doctor comes out and confirms that Ross didn’t die from a skull fracture. That he died from a long thin instrument that was inserted through his upper eyelid and pierced his brain. (Seems cowboys back then were getting very creative with how to murder people). Gunn suspects the same instrument was used on the horse to cause an injury to its flank. Gunn asks the sheriff about the men that found Ross’ body, “a couple of old miners.” The sheriff says it was two brothers. “Yeah, Luke and Phineas Merryweather. Two of the orneriest old coots you’ll ever meet.” Clay says they own an old silver mine about 10 miles out of town. Gunn wants to be taken there.

Gunn is with Clay Baxter driving a vehicle that looks similar to a jeep. They arrive on a roadway up on a hill from the Merryweather home below. The home appears to be in ruins; a ramshackle old house. The two brothers seem to be living in poverty. (They own a silver mine?) Suddenly a shotgun blast is heard. Clay says, “Just the boy’s ways of telling us not to come any closer.” Clay calls out to the men saying he has someone that wants to talk to them about his brother. They agree to let Gunn come down the hill onto the property.

Gunn asks the men if they saw anything unusual or see anyone around. The men aren’t happy about the questions and ask Gunn if he thinks they killed Ross. Gunn asks, “Did you?” The two brothers just stare at him. Gunn thanks them and turns to leave. One of the men raises his shotgun and shoots to Gunn’s side. Gunn turns around in a panic and one of the men laughs. “Rabbit!” he says. “Supper.”

When Gunn returns to the car, Clay asks Gunn what he found out. Gunn says, “They like rabbit stew.”

Suddenly a rifle shot is heard and Clay Baxter was shot while driving. The car veers off to the side of the road.

Back at Clay Baxter’s ranch house, Gunn paces the living room smoking a cigarette while Wilma Baxter is seated on a couch and the sheriff is seated on a recliner. The doctor (who was also the coroner) comes down the stairs and tells Gunn that Clay Baxter will be alright; that the bullet went clear through just under the collar bone and didn’t break anything. (Geez! Shouldn’t he be hospitalized anyway?!) The men turn and realize that Wilma is gone. Gunn asks the doctor to lend him some surgical probes.

Back at the stable, Gunn appears to be operating on the horse’s leg. He’s holding up something he'd just removed from its flank and tells the horse that he should feel better now. Wilma Baxter appears telling Gunn she didn’t know he was also a vet. Gunn says he found a piece of needle in its flank. Wilma says, “What a cruel thing to do.” Gunn tells Wilma that it was all part of a murder plan and her husband was killed. Wilma insists it was an accident, raising Gunn's suspicion of her.

Suspecting Wilma is involved, Gunn sets a trap. He tells Wilma that he’s got to ride back out to the Merryweather brother’s place because they saw the murderer. He said they wouldn’t say anything earlier because they were afraid, but Gunn will get a sworn statement from them. 

Gunn arrives at the Merryweather’s home while they are having dinner. (The rabbit one of them killed?) He tells them their lives are in danger. Gunn says he needs their help or Ross’ killer will kill both of them.

Frank Kelly is seen arriving on horse at the Merryweather house. (This obviously means he was warned by Wilma Baxter that the brothers are going to talk). Through the window he spots what appears to be two men in hats seated at the table. He shoots both figures, but when he goes inside realizes it was just stuffed suits with a hat made to look like two persons seated at the table. Gunn holds a gun on Frank and tells him to not move and to put the rifle on the table. Frank Kelly flips the table toward Gunn and makes a run for it, but both Merryweather brothers are outside holding shotguns to him. When Gunn asks why he killed Ross Baxter, Frank says Wilma promised him a share of the ranch. As Gunn tries to take him away, Frank punches Gunn and they get into a vicious fight. Gunn eventually knocks out Frank. The Merryweather brothers pat Gunn on the back.

Gunn flies back home. He enters Mother’s wearing a big cowboy hat and walks toward Edie with an Old West cowboy type walk. Both he and Edie impersonate cowboys while talking to each other. As Gunn and Edie leave together, Mother says, “Arm in arm they walked off into the sunset.”

 

QUOTES:

After Gunn enters Mother’s at end of episode pretending to be a cowboy and Edie joins in…

Edie: “Howdy, Sir.”

Gunn: “Evenin’, Ma’am.”

Edie: “How come you didn’t write?”

Gunn: “Wasn’t sure the stage would get through.” (stagecoach)

Edie: “Injuns?” (Indians)

Gunn: “Freeway.”

 

A short time later when Gunn takes Edie’s arm to leave…

“Come on little gal; I’m hankering for some vittles.”

 

NOTES:

Possible film goof-up?: In the opening sequence, the killer, Frank Kelly, was seen killing Ross Baxter and then quickly riding away on his own horse. The horse Ross Baxter was riding on had run off after Ross fell off of it. At what point did Frank insert a needle into Ross’ horse to injure its leg?

Interesting how in quite a few Peter Gunn episodes Gunn was hired to find the culprit who committed a certain crime…by the culprit that actually committed the crime! However, it appeared Gunn never suspected the person who hired him until near the end of the episode. In this episode (Pecos Pete), however, early on he narrates his suspicions of all who had motive to kill Ross Baxter, including suspecting Clay Baxter, the man who hired him.

This episode starred a slew of veteran actors, including Peggy Stewart as Wilma Baxter, all well known for having appeared in a huge list of Western television shows and movies throughout the early to mid 20^th Century decades.

What exactly does “Pecos” mean? (as referred to in the title Pecos Pete). The author of this blog would like to request the definition of this word or name if someone can help with that.

 

DECEASED: Ross Baxter killed by Frank Kelly (who conspired with Ross’s wife Wilma Baxter) by knocking him out and then piercing his brain with a long sharp needle inserted through the upper eyelid.

Total Gunn Kills: 0 - Series Total: 7.

 

Comment below your thoughts on this episode and this blog

 

NEXT BLOG: S01/E21: "SCUBA"

 

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