Despite her name comprising the title of this episode of "Tales of Wells Fargo," Lola Montez, the famed 19th century entertainer, is just a supporting character here, one of several stagecoach passengers caught up in a dispute with Arizona Apaches as Jim Hardie (Dale Robertson) endeavors to take his prisoner to trial in Tucson rather than turn him over to the Apaches who want to mete out their own brand of justice to a man who killed two of their own. After a harrowing chase, the stagecoach makes it to Earle Hodgins' relay station, which has a stockade wall around it, making it look more like a fort than a relay station. The passengers want Hardie to turn his prisoner, Zach Bradley (Bob Anderson), over to the Apaches so they can get on their way safely, but Hardie wants Bradley to be tried and hung in Tucson for the murder of a Wells Fargo man. This puts Hardie in a doubly dangerous situation. The Apaches are attacking from without and the passengers are threatening to turn on him from within.
In the course of all this, Lola Montez (Rita Moreno), in the midst of an Arizona tour, is squabbling with her pianist and traveling companion, Chris Hurley (John Holland), the one man among the passengers who supports Hardie's position. Hardie even engages in a bit of couples therapy, frontier-style, for the two. To answer the previous commenter's questions, we don't see Lola perform at all in this episode, which is too bad, given Moreno's singing and dancing skills. Also, the question of Lola's actual national origin is addressed here, requiring Lola to drop her carefully cultivated accent in some scenes. Frankly, I wish the writers had dropped the standard stagecoach-and-Indians plot and found a more creative way to have Hardie meet Lola, preferably one that would have allowed a musical sequence or two. This episode ran on the Encore Western cable channel on Tuesday, June 20, 2017, as part of the channel's regular weekday afternoon schedule of "Tales of Wells Fargo."
For the record, Lola Montez lived from 1821 to 1861, so she would have been long dead by the time this episode takes place. Rita Moreno was 26 when she made this. At that age, Montez was enjoying life as the mistress of King Ludwig of Bavaria.
In the course of all this, Lola Montez (Rita Moreno), in the midst of an Arizona tour, is squabbling with her pianist and traveling companion, Chris Hurley (John Holland), the one man among the passengers who supports Hardie's position. Hardie even engages in a bit of couples therapy, frontier-style, for the two. To answer the previous commenter's questions, we don't see Lola perform at all in this episode, which is too bad, given Moreno's singing and dancing skills. Also, the question of Lola's actual national origin is addressed here, requiring Lola to drop her carefully cultivated accent in some scenes. Frankly, I wish the writers had dropped the standard stagecoach-and-Indians plot and found a more creative way to have Hardie meet Lola, preferably one that would have allowed a musical sequence or two. This episode ran on the Encore Western cable channel on Tuesday, June 20, 2017, as part of the channel's regular weekday afternoon schedule of "Tales of Wells Fargo."
For the record, Lola Montez lived from 1821 to 1861, so she would have been long dead by the time this episode takes place. Rita Moreno was 26 when she made this. At that age, Montez was enjoying life as the mistress of King Ludwig of Bavaria.
