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'The Argonauts' is a rip-off of 'Treasure of the Sierra Madre'

posted 16 years ago by gschwertley
19 replies | jump to latest

I watched the 1955 "Cheyenne" episode entitled "The Argonauts" today and just about laughed myself silly. This episode is a very thinly rewritten version of the 1948 movie "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." Some of the dialog is line-for-line. I know this because I have seen "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" so many times that I can recite much of the dialog right along with the original actors when I watch it (drives my wife crazy). Still, I enjoyed watching the Cheyenne version. It was akin to seeing a major production play or motion picture, then going to a local community playhouse to see the same work. There is a lot of enjoyment to be had in making the comparisons. The author, B. Traven, who inspired "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" is also credited in the Cheyenne episode, with John Huston credited as screenwriter (although he hired much of it out) for "Sierra Madre", and someone else did the rewrite for the Cheyenne version.

[–] g8856 16 years ago

Warner Bros produced both versions and both are very entertaining in their own right.In fact WB,has a habit of doing this with some other CHEYENNE episodes from other movies.
I thought the chemistry between Clint Walker and Rod Taylor was excellent.It is a shame,that they didn't work on more occasions.
One of my favourite episodes from Season 1 and never get tired of watching this episode on my dvd.

[–] pjwoodall1 16 years ago

There was also a Cheyenne comic book which adapted the story. Warner also did Gary Cooper's SPRINGFIELD RIFLE and DIAL M FOR MURDER was adapted for 77 SUNSET STRIP.
I guess I shouldn't complain because my first screenplay was a variation on THE WAGES OF FEAR. What did I do differently? Actually a number of things, but the biggest was having four women driving the trucks instead of four tough guys. Why? Because they couldn't find men who were crazy enough to take the job.
Of course, Hollywood didn't buy it, but I had fun writing it.

[–] cvalance 16 years ago

The episode entitled Storm Riders was a ripoff of the old Warner's film, They Drive by Night. That film was based on a novel whose author later was a creator of The Big Valley.

[–] g8856 16 years ago

Personally,I'd rather watch the remake "CHEYENNE" episodes than the original movies.To me,Clint Walker makes it more entertaining and enjoyable to watch.
Talking about movies,Paramount made a movie called One Sunday Afternoon(1933)starring Gary Cooper.
Warner Brothers(Naturally),made NOT 1 BUT 2 remakes of the same movie i.e.
The Strawberry Blonde(1941) with James Cagney
One Sunday Afternoon (1949) with Dennis Morgan(Even The Same Movie Title of 1933 from Paramount).
So,when it comes to "Remakes",Warner Brothers are the "Gold Champions".

[–] schappe1 15 years ago

...and saw nothing wrong with re-using them. Recent movies would not have been on TV yet, (it was mostly stuff from the 30's), so they felt they could use scripts from late 40's and 50's movies reworked for their TV series. There are at least 6 episodes from the first season of Cheyenne alone that are based on movies and 77 Sunset Strip did both "Dial M for Murder" and "Strangers on a Train" while Bourbon Street Beat did "White Heat", (Richard Long is in all three of those).

You'd never be able to get away with that today. it would be like Law and Order doing "The Departed".

[–] tbrittreid 14 years ago

Concerning the "Argonauts/Sierra Madre" episode, it does not deserve to be called a rip-off, as B. Traven's novel is credited. "Fury at Rio Hondo' on the other hand does not credit the film To Have and Have Not, which it follows quite closely. The setting is changed from World War II Martinique to Maximillian-era Mexico, and the characters' names are all different as well, but the storyline is unmistakable. Was the TV division unaware of the sale of the novel's film rights to then-unrelated Seven Arts Productions, which filmed it in 1958 with Audie Murphy as The Gun Runners, until too much was in the proverbial can to do anything but go ahead and pray SAP didn't notice? And then there is "West of the River" which bears the credit "from a screenplay by James R. Webb." I can find nothing earlier in Webb's filmography that resembles this, even if I don't restrict myself, as is obviously necessary, to his Warner Bros. output! Any ideas?

The GREEN HORNET Strikes Again!

[–] Skye_Reynolds 13 years ago

The Argonauts is going to be showing on the 6th. I can't wait.

[–] Skye_Reynolds 13 years ago

I finally got around to watching the fabled Argonauts. Naturally, it had nothing on The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but it was still a fun episode. Going into the episode, I wasn't sure if Cheyenne was going to be taking on the role of Howard or Curtin. I guess it should have stood to reason that he'd be filling in for Walter Huston. Still, I thought it was possible that he might end up being Curtin.

I also thought it was interesting that Indians replaced the Mexican bandits. Gold Hat's replacement even got a name, Acuna, though it was never spoken in the episode itself. I was also kind of surprised that they glossed over the part about how gold has to be refined before it shines. Nope. Here, they had shiny, glittering gold dust pooring across the desert plain.

Over all though, it did a pretty good job of streamlining the story. I wouldn't mind seeing the episode again sometime.

[–] jumpinjohntaylor 13 years ago

I just watched the first three episodes on Netflix. I did not know ahead that this episode would be the script of "Treasure of the Sierra Madre". I thoroughly enjoyed the first two episodes, but had a hard time getting through this one. It didn't really realize it fully until the gila monster scene, and then I was like "you've got to be kidding me!".

It was nice to see both Rod Taylor and Edward Andrews again, but it just wasn't the same for me without LQ Jones. Don't get me wrong, I'll stick with it as long as it's available to view. I know Peter Breck, whom we just lost, is in a few episodes, so I'm looking forward to that.

[–] pwc1011 13 years ago

If you watch Lawman, you'll see many of the Cheyenne scripts reused.

[–] dalbrech 13 years ago

And of course Warner's "Maverick" series did deliberate spoofs of famous Western films and TV shows.
And there was a crossover episode of Maverick where Bret Maverick ran into Cheyenne Bodie and company......
I'll Teach You To Laugh At Something's That's Funny
Homer Simpson

[–] sachaput50 11 years ago

According to the credits on the CHEYENNE DVD collection, D.D. Beauchamp (who was pretty prolific up until his death in '69 when he was working on the Daniel Boone series) did the teleplay.

I loved this series as a kid, as I did most of the WB westerns of the era. I remember watching most of them with my father, who was also an avid western film & TV fan. Walker never made it big in films after the show went off the air, like some of his contemporaries, but he did continue acting into the '90s.

[–] ben-thayer 11 years ago

I know I'm joining this conversation *very* late, but I just had to post this.

I just saw one on The Westerns Channel tonite that's a perfect example. The episode is called "The Brand".

Cheyenne's friend is killed, and the evidence points to a brash young man (Edd Byrnes) with a younger sister and brother. Cheyenne is fond of the sister and little brother, and is troubled when he finds evidence of the young man's guilt. The young man is eventually found guilty and is sentenced to hang. Cheyenne visits the young man before the hanging and asks him to act terrified and pretend to die like a coward so his little brother won't worship him as a hero and follow his path. The young man refuses at first, but going up the stairs to the hangman he sees his little brother looking on and decides to honor Cheyenne's request.

This is straight from the James Cagney/Pat O'Brien classic, Angels with Dirty Faces...another WB film if I'm not mistaken.

[–] ben-thayer 10 years ago

Just saw The Argonauts tonite. Man, were you guys spot on correct about The Treasure of the Sierra Madre!

But I was hoping they would work in "we don't need no stinking badges" with the renegades...but no luck. Rats!

The Gila Monster scene was pretty much word for word. But sorry, Walter Huston had a much better laugh than Clint Walker at the end. Not to mention the inimitable gold dance.

But yeah, the Cheyenne version was pretty good! I agree with the OP gschwertley...it was like seeing a smaller version of a movie in a local playhouse.

[–] Skye_Reynolds 10 years ago

But I was hoping they would work in "we don't need no stinking badges" with the renegades...but no luck. Rats!

It would have been pretty funny to see the renegades try to pass themselves off as federales.

[–] Skye_Reynolds 10 years ago

Watching The Argonauts a second time, it makes for a potentially strange episode if you're not familiar with the source material. Since Cheyenne replaced a supporting character, he's not the central focus of the story. Now, it's okay for Duncan to drive the episode. But since the conflict is between Duncan and Clancy, Cheyenne becomes a third wheel at times.

Clancy rescues Duncan from the cave-in, Duncan shoots Clancy in the back, and Duncan is killed by the renegades. All of these things happen without Cheyenne being involved. Taking as a TV episode, it's a surprisingly passive role for the hero to play.

As best as I can tell, none of the other episodes quite removed Cheyenne from the equation like this one did.

[–] ben-thayer 10 years ago

It would have been pretty funny to see the renegades try to pass themselves off as federales.

Yeah...! I should've said "something similar to the stinking badges"...didn't notice that.

"If you're from the local settlement, show us one the blankets they trade!"
"Blankets? We don't got to show you no *stinking* blankets!"

OK...it's lame, I know...but it's all I got... :D

[–] Skye_Reynolds 10 years ago

Stinkin' blankets...



That would have been hilarious.

[–] PussyCrusher_Principal 10 years ago

Thank you all for this thread - I watched They Drive By Night last night on TCM, and Robet Osboene spoke of how it was the same basic premise as Bordertown with Paul Muni and Bette Davis. So on the TDBN board I read how there was also a Cheyenne ep that followed the same plot. I know NOTHING about Cheyenne, but it sparked my interest, so I'm DVRing the series, but I was wondering which eps were rehashes of older films (I had read that this was a common idea on Cheyenne, recycling older plots). This helps!

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