Season Two, Episode Twenty.

I know what you’re thinking out there. “A soldier’s way, saves the day!”. That’s right, that is a baby, baby, baby Bruce Dern here in “First To Thine Own Self”.

This is, I suppose, a Betsy (Roberta Shore) episode. Shore shines (as per usual!) as Betsy takes a liking to a young drifter named Randy (Randy Boone) who is on the run after being framed for murder. Being the good-hearted soul that she is though, Betsy knows Randy is innocent. He has to be! Can Betsy get The Virginian (James Drury) to also understand? Mary LaRoche guest stars in the episode.

For those who might not know the name, LaRoche was one of the quintessential 1950s/1960s moms in Hollywood. She played Gidget’s mom! She was Kim’s mom in Bye Bye Birdie. Heck, she didn’t just play Ann-Margret’s mother once. She also played the role in The Swinger. However, get ready for a shock… she’s not playing a mom in this episode of The Virginian.

Getting back to The Virginian, “First to Thine Own Self” is likely most notable in the grand-scheme of the western series as Randy Boone’s introductory episode. The young actor would join the cast from this point through the end of season four.

Even in this first episode, it’s easy to see right off why Boone stayed around. While he doesn’t quite match Shore’s adorably Disney vibe (remember kids, she was in The Shaggy Dog) she finally has someone to sing with! These two match up really well and Betsy finally has someone to sneak around with who actually feels like a peer. Randy feels like he’s Betsy’s age and can side-step the big brother tone that hangs over her interactions with Steve, Trampas and The Virginian.

With all that being said though, I’d be lying if I tried to claim baby Bruce Dern didn’t make this episode for me. While Dern was primarily a TV player during this point in his career, this episode is listed just after Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte and Marnie which (according to IMDB) marked his feature film breakout. His earliest roles are listed in 1960 in shows like Sea Hunt, Route 66 and Naked City.

Despite this episode being so early in Dern’s career (he’d been active in Hollywood just four years at this point), he’s already fully “Bruce Dern”. The attitude, the presence, the thinly veiled insanity. This all comes to the forefront in an entertaining and ever-so-slightly unhinged fight with Drury towards the end of the episode. It’s all there and it’s delightful to see. I wasn’t expecting to see him and boy, was I glad I did. Dern’s guest-starring role here ranks right alongside Hugh O’Brian for me in the pilot. (More on that later, kids).

When trying to think of where this episode stands in my brain, it’s difficult to say. I think Dern dominated the frame for me and this one didn’t have quite enough of the main players for me (I love a good Virginian episode). At the same time though, I can’t wait to see how the narrative evolves to fit Randy. Even in this first episode, he’s more than a bit adorable.

At this point, The Virginian is not easy to find on streaming. I’m still salty at Starz for pulling it off their site in July 2025. Those looking to access the long-running western will have the best luck on DVD. However, based on my trolling through various Facebook groups spotlighting The Virginian, it may also be streaming on “Inspiration” if you happen to have that channel.

Come back Thursday for my next installment of The Virginian Vault!