My vote for most outrageous TV episode

[Thomas Thorne]

How about 1950's Westerns depicting John Surratt?

In a "Bat Masterson" episode Bat[Gene Barry] is enlisted by Surratt's beautiful niece, Lynne Surratt,-and I thought Issac was childless-to find her missing uncle. It turns out that John Surratt has conspired to fake his own death. Masterson apprehends Surratt and hands him over to the sheriff -I guess it's against the law in this jurisdiction to fake your own death.

The episode concludes with Bat saying that John Surratt will now have to clear up all the mysteries surrounding the Lincoln Assassination. But the show abruptly ends before he does so.

In a "Have Gun Will Travel" episode our hero Paladin[Richard Boone} encounters a middle aged John Surratt just a few years after the War. Surratt's beautiful young wife lusts after Paladin who manfully resists her allures. The jealous John Surratt tries to shoot Paladin who kills him in self defense.

It seems very unimaginative to have encounters with John Surratt and not have him reveal everything. If I met Surratt and he did not tell all,I would be prepared to go to extreme lengths to make him do so. I haven't decided whether to resort to tickling with a feather,water boarding or making him listen to Tiny Tim records.
Tom