Today we take another look at the Cowboy G-Men episode “Gypsy Traders,” first broadcast on February 28, 1953. The Tall Gypsy is about to have an unfortunate run-in (make that itch-in) with Zerbo (Phil Arnold) and his Siphonaptera circus.
In spite of this series being readily available on commercial DVDs from Alpha Video, the picture quality just isn’t that great. I imagine we should be grateful that they still exist and leave it at that. Still, one can dream.
Today’s pic looks in once again on “Gypsy Traders,” the episode of Cowboy G-Men that first aired on February 28, 1953. The titular gypsies are worried about a big court case that threatens to take away their copper mining rights.
Timothy must have had some difficulty early in his career trying to figure out what to do with his tall gangly atmosphere player self. What he’s doing there looks really uncomfortable. It does, however, remind me of the old MST3K riff, “This actor’s really using his where.”
Our Video of the Week is one from the archives. It’s the Cowboy G-Men episode “Gypsy Traders,” first airing on February 28, 1953. Timothy is uncredited and silent as “Tall Gypsy,” but he does have an amusing bit during an encounter with a flea circus.
Tim appeared in six episodes of the series, in parts ranging from fairly important supporting character to barely-there walk-on. I do believe they’re all commercially available, so check ’em out today!
Today we revisit “Gypsy Traders,” the Cowboy G-Men episode that first aired on February 28, 1953. Timothy gets to indulge in a bit of comedy as the “Tall Gypsy” has an itchy encounter with Zerbo (Phil Arnold) and his flea circus.
Arnold was a hard-working character actor, often uncredited in his early film bits. He fared much better on television, turning in memorable character roles in the 1950s and ’60s. His career was cut short when he died of a heart attack at the age of 58 in 1968.
Today’s quote is not exactly a quote. It’s The Vagabond, a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson. Timothy’s character Morgan Morgan recites parts of it in John Cassavetes‘ Minnie and Moskowitz (1971). It also turns up in Fiore (1982), the screenplay that Tim wrote with his wife Doris. I think it expresses a side of his psyche that he rarely got to indulge. I truly believe Timothy was a gypsy at heart.
Give to me the life I love,
Let the lave go by me,
Give the jolly heaven above
And the byway nigh me.
Bed in the bush with stars to see,
Bread I dip in the river –
There’s the life for a man like me,
There’s the life for ever.
Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o’er me;
Give the face of earth around
And the road before me.
Wealth I seek not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I seek, the heaven above
And the road below me.
Or let autumn fall on me
Where afield I linger,
Silencing the bird on tree,
Biting the blue finger.
White as meal the frosty field –
Warm the fireside haven –
Not to autumn will I yield,
Not to winter even!
Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o’er me;
Give the face of earth around,
And the road before me.
Wealth I ask not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I ask, the heaven above
And the road below me.
As Morgan Morgan, Minnie and Moskowitz
In the Cowboy G-Men episode “Gypsy Traders” (1953), with Charlita
The Pic of the Day for your Monday takes another look at the Cowboy G-Men episode “Gypsy Traders,” first airing on February 28, 1953. Timothy and his fellow Gypsies, including Charlita and X Brands, are skeptical of the motives of federal crimebuster Pat Gallagher (Russell Hayden).
X Brands was a familiar face in Westerns, both on television (including two more Cowboy G-Men episodes with Tim) and in theaters, throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed Native Americans, although he was not one in real life. However, according to his granddaughter, he was so convincing in his portrayals that he was honored by several Native American tribes. She also states that he was born Jay X Brands, but dropped the “Jay” after his father died and became legally known as X. This was a tradition that the oldest son in the family had carried out for generations.
OK, this one is literally one of Tim’s don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-him roles. It’s from the Cowboy G-Men episode “California Bullets,” first shown on June 13, 1953. Tim is seen at the very beginning as “Man at boat dock.” He enthusiastically greets one of the passengers coming off the boat, shakes his hand, they exit the frame. That’s it. It’s all over in a few seconds.
I apologize for the dreadful quality of this shot! Starting with a poor quality print to begin with doesn’t help, and the rapidity with which Tim enters and leaves the frame of action just makes it worse. It looks like he’s wearing much the same outfit as he wore in the “Gypsy Traders” episode. This was the last episode of the series he appears in. He was definitely on his way to much bigger and better things by this point.
Seek and ye shall find! Our video of the week is the Cowboy G-Men episode “Gypsy Traders,” first broadcast on February 28, 1953. This is the only one of the episodes that Tim appears in that I don’t have on DVD (will fix that ASAP). He is uncredited (listed on IMDb as “Tall Gypsy”) and has no lines, but true to form, makes sure that he’s in front of the camera as often as possible.
Tim as a Gypsy – how awesome is that?
The Timothy Carey Experience 