The Chain and the River

I've recently watched several episodes of "Goodyear Theatre" and have enjoyed them very much. However, "The Chain and the River" didn't impress me very much. Much of it was because the premise seemed silly.

When the story begins, a farmer (Paul Douglas) has been bit by a skunk and he's worried he's gonna contract Rabies. He sends his wife to get help and then tells his oldest daughter (Patty McCormack of "The Bad Seed" fame) that he's going to chain himself to a tree to keep his kids safe in case he loses his mind due to the Rabies. Later, he realizes that the nearby river might overflow and sweep the house away and he tries to reason with the daughter to unchain him...but he had also told her to shoot him if he gets unchained. What to do, what to do?

The acting is okay and the story seemed weird. Yes, Rabies is very dangerous and could make you pretty crazed but the episode never seemed real and the story a bit contrived.