So today is the great Wesley Lau’s birthday. I
watched The Hateful Hero to celebrate, at least for openers, and I’ve
been pondering on what sort of original topic I could bring to the post today.
I went over all the entries tagged with his name, and to my surprise, I don’t
even see any mention of his Virginian characters. He guest-starred on
the show three times, twice playing very unusual law enforcement agents.
Wesley’s law enforcement characters are very
often similar to Andy, at least on the surface. They are generally very smooth
and businesslike in demeanor, but each one is unique in his own way, such as
the visionary Captain Gottleib on The Magician.
On The Virginian, Wesley’s first law
enforcement character is Sheriff Ben Morris in the season 5 episode Vengeance
Trail. He comes across as a not entirely upright fellow, who sanctions and
even participates in actions such as burning the surrounding grasslands to
force people driving cattle to pass through his town and pay a toll for doing
so. Apparently the town is in dire straits and badly needs the toll money.
I don’t remember too much about the episode
beyond that, except that for some reason, he and his cohorts were not going to
be reported for their actions and were going to keep their jobs. I do seem to
recall that towards the end, he either did something upright or else refused to
let his comrades take things what he deemed too far. When all is said and done,
Morris is honestly trying to do what he feels is best for his town, even if in
actuality it isn’t the best thing for either the town or his integrity. But he
seems, in some way, to redeem himself by the end. It’s an interesting look at
poor Old West towns and what they sometimes resorted to in order to survive.
I remember his character from the season 6
episode The Gentle Tamers far better. He starts out as a mysterious
ranch hand who has recently joined the Shiloh crew, just in time to witness a
very experimental procedure: three convicts are going to be tried out as ranch
hands on the new probation program. If it works out, it could mean important
long-term effects for prisoners everywhere.
Wesley’s character, Hoyt, doesn’t seem to like
the convicts very much. He’s often mysterious and quiet, and when he does
speak, it’s usually in an unfriendly tone of voice, such as seemingly mocking
when he accidentally upsets a horse one of them is working with.
Throughout a good portion of the episode, his
intentions are not clear. He shadows the convicts when they go into town and
eventually ends up in trouble with one of them over a card game back at Shiloh
Ranch.
Finally he reveals the full truth about himself:
he’s a law enforcement agent undercover to see how the probation idea is coming
along. He is deeply against the concept of probation in general, and in a
bitterly hurt speech, he reveals why. He used to work at a prison and he saw
all kinds of people come through. He never saw anyone that he felt might be
worthy of a second chance, except one. But when he tried to give that one the
chance, he was betrayed in return. Removing his shirt, he displays the horrific
scars of a brutal attack.
Despite how very personal any probation-related
case is to him because of that, he is still overall a fair and decent human
being. During the climax, the cattle spook and stampede and the convicts have
to help round them up. The nastiest one, who had planned to steal the cattle
and run, is trampled and killed when he finally tries to do the right thing.
The other two, also rounding up the cattle and trying to protect the people,
make it through alive. Neither of them had wanted to participate in the other’s
unseemly plan. At the end of the episode, Hoyt leaves to report to his
superiors. Impressed by the men’s actions, he promises he’ll make a fair
report.
Wesley had such an amazing talent throughout his
life. He brought characters such as Andy, Sheriff Morris, and Hoyt to life
beautifully and made them seem three-dimensional and real. Hoyt, with his gruff
exterior, saddening backstory, and honestly good soul, reminds me of a lot of
Simon Oakland’s characters. While very different from Andy in a lot of ways,
Hoyt’s core fairness and goodness is the same.
Wesley was often asked to play law enforcement
characters throughout his career, no doubt because they knew he could deliver.
Always excellent, Wesley added a great deal to any show he was cast in, whether
that was as a law enforcement agent, military, a common citizen, or a villain.
I’m happy to use this day to remember him, although of course, I remember him
on every day.
