Incident of the Widowed Dove

Sally Forest was born in 1925 and she was 34 when this episode was filmed. She had an incredible look for her age, and it was no wonder that Clint was smitten by her. Clint was five years younger, but at 29 he had all the energy that Sally Forest needed.

The catch was that she was married to Jay Flippen, who was sixty years old at the time and could have passed for 70. This episode would have been better if some back-story had been included, such as why a young beautiful woman would marry a very creepy and ugly old man.

The audience is given a few crumbs about her, such as Sally mentions that Flippen will never give her money to buy new clothes, so she always has to wear her old saloon girl clothing. Though it is never stated, you get the feeling that Flippen probably forced and intimidated her into a relationship. I would have liked that angle to have been explored, as it would have made the character of Sheriff Lindstrom (Flippen) even more vile and dangerous.

There is a sad scene with his drunken deputy Claggert (played by Harry Shannon) crying over the grave of his daughter, and Vic Perrin (as Poke), taunting Shannon about the death of his daughter. This is a very cruel scene, and again, there is no back-story.

This was a very strong episode that could have been great if there had been less of Clint Eastwood & Gil Favor talking about Sally Forest, and a couple of those minutes dedicated to a deeper back-story.