Presenting 
      Undressed Under Duress

A number of you who view my blogs have one thing in common. A vivid memory of an episode from the old 1957 to 1959 NBC television show, The Restless Gun. This western featured John Payne (1912-1989) as Vint Bonner, a theater and movie star whose career began in the 1930's. This series began on radio as The Six Shooter starring Jimmy Stewart,* It ran for one season before transitioning to television.

In “The Englishman,” Bonner finds himself ordered to undress at gun point down to his union suit and boots and forced to hike back to town and down main street in his long underwear. He is ridiculed by the gunmen who robbed and stripped him and again later by townsfolk who mocked him as “the underwear kid.”

Over the years many of you remember seeing this memorable scene as young boys. I must confess, I had not seen “The Englishman” until Stan, Joe, Rich and, most recently, Ron Payne in his posting, had brought it to my attention. As far as I know John Payne is not related to Ron Payne, guest contributor to this blog. See “A Thespian Union Suit Fan Growing Up” and “An Innocent Rube,” from November 14, 2019 in Union Suit Fan.

Back in the late 1960's and early 1970's, my dad and I enjoyed numerous westerns. It was a time I associated cowboys with union suits. Countless movies and television shows had them running around in their one-piece long underwear.

With so many of you mentioning the particular episode of The Restless Gun, I began thinking of other movie and television westerns as well as other mediums (theatre, books, comics) wherein the protagonist (and sometimes the antagonist) was forced to strip to his union suit. Remember Mortimer in the movie, They Call Me Trinity? So I decided to create a multi-part series about just that. And so, Undressed Under Duress was born. Hope you enjoy my picks over the next few weeks.... Chris

Part I The Restless Gun (October 31, 1957)

In the episode “The Englishman” Vint Bonner, a smart rambling and restless gunfighter, hooks up not only with an old prankster friend but with a journalist from the United Kingdom. But things aren't what they seem and poor Vint pays the price. Vint's old buddy plays the ultimate joke on him. The polite and proper Englishman turns out to be a scoundrel. Check out these scenes from that memorable episode.

Vint is tasked with taking a large sum of money from the town's mercantile to a safe bank in a nearby town. The Englishman asks to ride along so he might document a typical day in the life of a cowboy. Vint agrees to take him along.

 A mile or two out of town Vint is held up and robbed of not only the money but his clothes too. The “thieves” demand Vint strip to his union suit and require him to walk back to town in just his long underwear and boots. But not before one of the gunmen slaps his hat back on this head telling him "a man just don't look right without his hat." 

The men tag him with his new nickname, “The Underwear Kid.” 

Vint trudges back to town in his union suit.

At the edge of town, the folks can't help but notice a furious cowboy in his union suit determinedly walking back to the mercantile store where the tricksters and the Englishman have gathered. He is followed and ridiculed all along the way. A mother and daughter pass not believing their eyes upon seeing a man out in public in his underwear.

As he is explaining the robbery to the owner of the general store, the day takes an ominous turn. From his laugh, Vint realizes his old friend was in on the "robbery." Just a harmless practical joke.

Upon entering the mercantile, the Englishman soon shoots Vint's friend and the shop owner. He then makes Vint tie up the other men. 

Attempting to abscond with the money, the Englishman has plans for Vint and motions him back outside. 

 

But when the Englishman asks for a leg up on to his horse, fast thinking Vint spoils the escape by slapping the horse on the rump making him rear.

As the Englishman lies stunned on the ground Vint grabs the saddle bag full of money and the thief's gun. And off to jail they go. Similar to most westerns in the 1950's through the 1970's, everything works out well in the end. 

*Twenty two year old Jimmy Steward made his Broadway debut in George Abbott's and John Cecil Holm's “Three Men On A Horse.”  In a brief appearance at the end of Act II, the young actor ran on stage in a red union suit extolling a single line lost to history. By most accounts, Stewart “brought down the house” with that short appearance. As a result one of the most successful acting careers of all time was launched with him appearing on stage in a suit of long red underwear. 

Added February 7, 2020: MacHeath48 directed me to another episode, "The Sweet Sisters," in which Vint again is caught in his long underwear. This time getting out of bed one morning at a boarding house in his union suit:

See MacHeath48 in the comments section below. 

Thanks, pal... Chris  

Don't miss Part II of Undressed Under Duress coming soon!