Fathers & Daughters
Paul Savage was born in Warren, Ohio in 1925, and like my father, he was a veteran of World War II.
Savage was a Marine who earned a Purple Heart at the Battle of Iwo Jima. He would go on to become an actor and writer on such TV shows as 77 Sunset Strip, Murder She Wrote, and the Dukes of Hazard.
I’d never heard of Paul Savage until a week or so ago when I saw his name in the credits of an episode of Gunsmoke, the classic western for which he wrote 27 scripts.
This particular show was called “Owney Tupper had a Daughter,” and I’m still thinking about it after all this time because it’s packed so much drama and raw emotion into one hour.
The episode stars the fabulous character actor Jay C. Flippen as Owney, an aging, widowed farmer who has to resort to desperate measures in order to regain custody of his beloved daughter.
By time the show is over, Owney has lost his daughter, his friends, and the simple, happy life that he had enjoyed for years.
The show, which aired on April 4, 1964, also has an intriguing place in history. It was originally scheduled to be broadcast on November 23, 1963, but the episode was preempted by the coverage of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy the previous day.
We first meet Owney and his daughter, Amity, on their rundown farm as they playfully chase a fox away from their chicken coop.
Matt Dillion shows up and advises Owney to clean up the farm and make plans for his daughter’s future, since Owney is not getting any younger.
“If I thought about the future, I wouldn’t enjoy the time with my daughter now,” Owney says.
Hangman's Knot
If you know anything about TV, you know the father and daughter are just too happy and are due for a fall. Sure enough, things quickly go to hell when Owney’s sister-in-law shows up and demands custody of Owney’s daughter, whom she wants to bring back to St. Louis for an allegedly proper upbringing.
A judge orders Owney to hand over his daughter until such time as he can make enough money to support her.
Determined to get his daughter back, Owney, who turns down all offers of money, starts working ferociously—planting corn, expanding the chicken coop, and doing all kinds of odd jobs.
Things get even worse for him when he loses his supply of seeds in a storm and, with it, a vital source of income.
While this is going on, a local man goes berserk and guns down his former girlfriend and her husband in cold blood. He is sentenced to hang and the judge decrees that the execution must be carried out in Dodge City.
Marshall Dillion advertises for a hangman and Owney reluctantly takes the job.
The people in town are outraged by the murders, but, hypocrites that they are, they turn their backs on the struggling farmer for doing the dirty work.
Things take a disastrous turn when the dead man’s father pulls a gun on Owney forcing him to kill the guy in self-defense.
Owney finally realizes he can’t properly provide for his daughter and encourages her to return to her aunt’s home in St. Louis. The episode ends with Owney, who has now killed two men, looking around his soon-to-be empty farmhouse.
“Why did they have to bother us?” he asks.
I see a little bit of myself in Owney Tupper. There have been times in my life when I've tried to find my place and it always seemed like everyone else on earth had their lives in perfect order.
I didn’t have a child to worry about, but I sometimes wonder if I had found my way sooner in life I might have settled down and become a full-fledged adult with a wife and a family. Who's to say?
Paul Savage was nominated for a Writer's Guild award for this episode and it’s a shame he didn’t win. For what it’s worth, he has my admiration and gratitude for turning out such a terrific, heartfelt story.
Savage was a Marine who earned a Purple Heart at the Battle of Iwo Jima. He would go on to become an actor and writer on such TV shows as 77 Sunset Strip, Murder She Wrote, and the Dukes of Hazard.
I’d never heard of Paul Savage until a week or so ago when I saw his name in the credits of an episode of Gunsmoke, the classic western for which he wrote 27 scripts.
This particular show was called “Owney Tupper had a Daughter,” and I’m still thinking about it after all this time because it’s packed so much drama and raw emotion into one hour.
The episode stars the fabulous character actor Jay C. Flippen as Owney, an aging, widowed farmer who has to resort to desperate measures in order to regain custody of his beloved daughter.
By time the show is over, Owney has lost his daughter, his friends, and the simple, happy life that he had enjoyed for years.
The show, which aired on April 4, 1964, also has an intriguing place in history. It was originally scheduled to be broadcast on November 23, 1963, but the episode was preempted by the coverage of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy the previous day.
We first meet Owney and his daughter, Amity, on their rundown farm as they playfully chase a fox away from their chicken coop.
Matt Dillion shows up and advises Owney to clean up the farm and make plans for his daughter’s future, since Owney is not getting any younger.
“If I thought about the future, I wouldn’t enjoy the time with my daughter now,” Owney says.
Hangman's Knot
If you know anything about TV, you know the father and daughter are just too happy and are due for a fall. Sure enough, things quickly go to hell when Owney’s sister-in-law shows up and demands custody of Owney’s daughter, whom she wants to bring back to St. Louis for an allegedly proper upbringing.
A judge orders Owney to hand over his daughter until such time as he can make enough money to support her.
Determined to get his daughter back, Owney, who turns down all offers of money, starts working ferociously—planting corn, expanding the chicken coop, and doing all kinds of odd jobs.
Things get even worse for him when he loses his supply of seeds in a storm and, with it, a vital source of income.
While this is going on, a local man goes berserk and guns down his former girlfriend and her husband in cold blood. He is sentenced to hang and the judge decrees that the execution must be carried out in Dodge City.
The people in town are outraged by the murders, but, hypocrites that they are, they turn their backs on the struggling farmer for doing the dirty work.
Things take a disastrous turn when the dead man’s father pulls a gun on Owney forcing him to kill the guy in self-defense.
Owney finally realizes he can’t properly provide for his daughter and encourages her to return to her aunt’s home in St. Louis. The episode ends with Owney, who has now killed two men, looking around his soon-to-be empty farmhouse.
“Why did they have to bother us?” he asks.
I see a little bit of myself in Owney Tupper. There have been times in my life when I've tried to find my place and it always seemed like everyone else on earth had their lives in perfect order.
I didn’t have a child to worry about, but I sometimes wonder if I had found my way sooner in life I might have settled down and become a full-fledged adult with a wife and a family. Who's to say?
Paul Savage was nominated for a Writer's Guild award for this episode and it’s a shame he didn’t win. For what it’s worth, he has my admiration and gratitude for turning out such a terrific, heartfelt story.
Comments
This particular episode certainly had a bittersweet ending. I was kind of surprised because a lot of the old western TV shows were pretty simple and straightforward in their storytelling.
And thank so much for the compliment. It's either the writer or the nerd in me, not sure which!
Take care!
I think we all at some time or another think, "what if..." However, I've learned (and am continuing to learn) that my life is happening exactly as it should, and as you said, "in perfect order."
I had no idea that Paul Savage used to write for "Murder She Wrote." I LOVED that show!
Have a super week, buddy!
I would encourage you to see this particular episode if you get a chance. It's way beyond the "draw your shootin' iron" type of westerns we saw so often on TV.
I like how you think regarding your life happening exactly as it should. Sounds quite healthy. And my mom LOVED "Murder, She Wrote," too!
Take care!