Wagon Train The Jeremy Dow Story (1957–1965) watch online HD

The Jeremy Dow Story is one of those transition episodes of Wagon Train after the death of Ward Bond with Flint McCullough taking over the train temporarily until a new wagonmaster is assigned. In the real world that meant taking scripts that were probably assigned to Bond and I believe that's what happened here.

The title role is played by Leslie Nielsen whom we meet as a drunken derelict in a small town. He's all that's available to be a temporary driver for the Milliken family husband James Lydon, wife Mari Aldon, and adolescent Michael Burns. What he doesn't know is that Aldon is his former wife and Burns his real son.

Back east Nielsen was the headmaster of a prep school in New England which caught fire and several kids lost. People think he died a hero trying to rescue the kids, but instead he panicked and ran and has run ever since.

Young Burns thinks of his 'late' real father as a hero and the two do some bonding without him letting on. Then Nielsen gets the chance to be the real hero people think he is.

The scenes with Burns and Nielsen are quite touching and the story will move you considerably.

Wednesday evening, 28 December 1960.

And "Wagon Train" is a show in transition. Ward Bond had died the previous month, and this is the first episode in which John McIntire is credited as a series lead.

While Mr. McIntire does not appear in the episode, Michael Burns makes his second appearance in the series. And this is fitting, since he also would become a series regular, beginning in June 1963.

What we have here is a solid human drama about a man who is running away from his past. Before becoming the Olivier of comedy, Leslie Nielsen's forte was in dramatic acting, and he is the major guest star here. He and the others do a fine job.

The ending, by the way, is very much in the vein of "The Twilight Zone." Incredibly ironic!