Lloyd Bridges plays an ex-Union officer who was forced to kill a teenage Confederate during a skirmish. Adding to his self reproach and soul searching is the news that arrives moments later the same day that Lee surrendered. Disillusioned, his post-war journeys in the West brings him to a variety of situations, many quite original. Rod Serling created The Loner and wrote many scripts. The dialogue is excellent and if Bridges sounds smooth, he plays a West Point officer with 12 years in the cavalry. This is one of those great shows the network programmers were afraid to relocate and probably had little interest in saving. It's amazing what NBC did for Star Trek to keep it going for 3 seasons because of.... letter-writing from fans? If a show like The Loner is a ratings loser, the head honchos have the power to try and save it. Regrettably, no one wanted to see this great show by Rod Serling succeed. It's now on DVD and the stories hold up and prints are crystal clear.
