Ep 10. Undercover Man
- October 23, 1942
- 65 min
Hopalong Cassidy season 4 episode 10, titled "Undercover Man," is set in the Wild West and follows the adventures of cowboy hero Hopalong Cassidy and his friends as they work to bring justice to the frontier towns they visit.
The episode begins with Hopalong Cassidy (played by William Boyd) and his partners, Lucky Jenkins (Russell Hayden) and California Carlson (Andy Clyde), arriving in the small town of El Dorado to investigate a series of bank robberies. The local law enforcement are stumped and the citizens are growing increasingly fearful of the robbers, who seem to strike with impunity.
To get to the bottom of the crime wave, Hoppy comes up with a risky plan: he'll go undercover as a notorious outlaw named Jim Bender. With his quick wit and uncanny ability to mimic other people's voices, Hoppy is confident that he can infiltrate the criminal gang responsible for the robberies and bring them to justice.
As Jim Bender, Hoppy ingratiates himself with the gang and wins the trust of its leader, a surly character named Marvin Tabor (Jack Lambert). Along the way, he uncovers some shocking information about Tabor's true motives and the shadowy figure pulling his strings from behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, Lucky and California are keeping a watchful eye on things from the outside. They're worried about Hoppy's safety and are determined to be ready to back him up if things go wrong. They're also trying to gather as much information as possible about the robbers' movements and plans, in order to facilitate Hoppy's infiltration.
As the tension mounts and the stakes get higher, Hoppy finds himself in some dangerous situations. He narrowly escapes being exposed as a fraud more than once, and he has to rely on his wits and his sharpshooting skills to get out of some tough scrapes.
At one point, Hoppy's true identity is almost revealed when he has to make a daring escape from a room full of armed robbers. He manages to evade them by crawling through an air duct and jumping out a window, but the close call leaves him shaken.
Despite the risks, Hoppy stays the course and eventually succeeds in bringing down the gang and restoring law and order to El Dorado. Along the way, he gains the respect and admiration of the townspeople, who are grateful for his heroic efforts.
Overall, "Undercover Man" is a thrilling episode that showcases Hopalong Cassidy's bravery and resourcefulness. It's a classic example of the Western genre, complete with shootouts, horseback chases, and daring heists. Fans of Hoppy and his crew are sure to enjoy it.