Old Time Radio Westerns: "Trail For Willie the Mouse" | Dr. Sixgun (03-27-55)
Podcast: Old Time Radio Westerns
Host: Andrew Rhynes
Episode Air Date: December 26, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode of Dr. Sixgun, "Trail For Willie the Mouse," immerses listeners in a comedic yet poignant tale set in the chaotic world of an Old West saloon. The drama unfolds when an unlikely incident—the death of a white pet mouse, Willie—spirals into a full-blown town controversy, challenging notions of justice, loyalty, and grief. Through the eyes of Pablo, the gypsy peddler, and his clever raven Midnight, the story explores the weight even the smallest life can hold in a community longing for companionship and fairness amid the wild unpredictability of frontier life.
Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown
1. Setting the Scene—Frontier Justice and the Cast
- [03:12] Pablo’s Introduction: Pablo, the wandering gypsy, reflects on the extremes of justice in the Territory—a place where judgments are either swift or absent.
- [03:54] We meet O’Shea, the sardonic saloon owner, Piney the formidable cook, and Dr. Sixgun himself. A mouse infestation in the kitchen sets the comedic tone.
2. A Bet and Midnight’s Prowess
- [07:04] Pablo proposes using his raven, Midnight, to clear out the mice, challenging O’Shea to a $5 wager.
- [08:50] Midnight, to everyone’s amazement, catches a mouse, earning Pablo the wager and impressing the skeptical regulars.
Memorable moment:
- "If Pablo claims that the moon's in your rain barrel and he's willing to put money on it, that's where the moon is going to be." – O'Shea [09:05]
3. Enter Willie the Mouse and Brazos Charlie
- [09:55] The saloon is crowded with rowdy Texas cowhands. Brazos Charlie introduces his unusual companion—a white mouse named Willie, whom he treats as a traveling friend.
- [12:21] The jovial tone shifts when Willie is found dead, apparently from a wound similar to those inflicted by Midnight.
4. Grief, Accusation, and Suspicion
- [13:26] The next morning, a mourning Brazos has Willie buried “natural as life” by the undertaker, highlighting the mouse’s significance as more than just a companion.
- [14:22] Another mouse is found dead with a similar wound, escalating suspicions against Midnight the raven.
Key Quote:
- "Now just a minute, Brazier. Just like my Willie. I seen it with my own eyes this time. Right in the head with that beak. That's the way my pal Willie got it." – Brazos Charlie [14:37]
5. The Town Divided—Talk of Justice
- [19:34] The town is split: Texas cowhands call for retribution against Midnight, while locals argue for reason and lack of evidence.
- [20:47] Tensions reach absurd heights, including a bar brawl and warning shots aimed at Pablo and Midnight.
Notable Exchange:
- "Would they seriously try to revenge themselves... Over a white mouse?" – Pablo [21:34] - "When you've been running a saloon as long as I have, you get to know there's darn near nothing that a hell raising Texas cowpoke won't do if he sets his mind to it." – O'Shea [21:38]
6. Kidnapping and Midnight on Trial
- [24:16] Midnight is kidnapped in the night. Pablo and O’Shea suspect Brazos and the Texas boys have taken justice into their own hands.
- [25:14] At dawn, in the Texas cowhands' camp, a "trial" is convened. Midnight is accused of murder, sentenced to be hanged, and Doc Sixgun is called to defend him.
7. Doc Sixgun’s Plea for Mercy and Justice
- [27:15] Doc delivers an eloquent defense, elevating the dispute from absurdity to a universal meditation on justice, innocence, and the ties between man and animal.
Quotable Moment:
- "Justice, which must reach to the very lowest of the law. The bar before which all men and all creatures are equal." – Doc Sixgun (paraphrased by Pablo) [27:15] - [28:53] Touched by the plea, the cowhands relent and release Midnight—a testament to both reason and the emotional connections formed in the Wild West.
8. Aftermath and Reflection
-
[29:12] As the sun rises, Pablo thanks Doc for his speech, remarking on its beauty and truth. Memorable Exchange:
- "No, whether I could get to the end without busting out laughing right then and there. You know, I want you to promise me never to tell a soul about what happened..." – O'Shea [29:23] - "But it wasn't. You know, all the doc said about justice and mercy? It was true, every word of it..." – Pablo [29:46] -
[30:04] The episode closes with a wry acknowledgment that even the most outlandish disputes can reveal real human truths.
Notable Quotes
-
On Justice in the Frontier:
"In the Territory, it is either slow or completely missing, or as swift as the snap of a rope thrown over the limb of a cottonwood tree. Rarely is there anything in between."
— Pablo [03:12] -
On Loyalty and Loss:
"Willie may have been a mouse, but he was my friend."
— Brazos Charlie [12:21] -
On Friendship and Grief:
"This bird is a friend of this man. If you take Midnight's life this morning, another man will suffer the dregs of grief and sorrow that you yourself drained to the bitter end."
— Doc Sixgun (defense speech, paraphrased by Pablo) [28:08] -
On the Absurdity of the Drama:
"Because it is undoubtedly the most ridiculous thing I ever did in my life."
— O'Shea [29:23]
Important Timestamps
- 03:12: Pablo introduces the theme of frontier justice and the main cast
- 08:50: Midnight catches the mouse, winning the wager
- 12:21: Willie the Mouse is discovered dead
- 14:37: The accusation against Midnight intensifies
- 21:34: The town brawl and warnings as tensions rise
- 24:16: Midnight is kidnapped from Pablo's room
- 25:14-28:53: Midnight's trial at the cowboys' camp; Doc Sixgun’s defense speech; the verdict
- 29:12-30:04: Closing reflections between Pablo and O'Shea
Episode Tone and Style
The episode is marked by a playful yet poignant interplay: dry humor, Western camaraderie, and moments of genuine pathos. The routine absurdities of frontier life are treated both with affectionate satire and with an undercurrent of real emotion for lost companions and the need for justice—even when the stakes are humorously trivial.
Final Reflections
"Trail For Willie the Mouse" stands out as both an earnest comedy and a meditation on the ways humans ascribe importance and dignity to even the smallest lives. Through sharp dialogue, memorable character moments, and a tongue-in-cheek "trial," the episode captures the essence of Old Time Radio Westerns—celebrating not just the surface drama of the West, but the bonds and values woven through its dustiest tales.