The Night of the Surreal McCoy - Recap

In Denver, Jim and Artie arrive at a museum with the ambassador of Herzburg, who is touring with the Herzburg Crown Jewels. The ambassador is satisfied with the arrangements and stops to admire a painting of a Western town. The museum director explains that it’s a Wellington, and that the artist didn’t receive great acclaim during his lifetime. He explains that the painting belongs to Axel Morgan, a wealthy rancher who insisted that the painting hang in the gallery with the Crown Jewels. Once everyone departs, the guard pulls up a chair and sits facing the jewels.

The ambassador realizes that he forgot his gloves and they return to the gallery. Opening the only door, locked or otherwise, they discover that the guard is dead with a knife in his back and the Crown Jewels are gone



Later, Jim and Artie go over the gallery with the museum director but find no signs of forced entrance or secret tunnels. Artie notices something about a section of the street in the Wellington painting and calls Jim however. Before they can examine it further, Morgan arrives to remove his painting before someone steals it as well. Artie comments that the painting is a masterpiece and introduces himself. Morgan apologizes on behalf of the United States for the theft and invites everyone to his ranch to view his collection of Wellington paintings. Once Morgan departs, Artie says that he finds Morgan fascinating and tells Jim that the painting is a forgery, and Morgan is too skilled a collector to be fooled. The Herzburg ambassador insists on going with them despite the risk.

Jim, Artie, and the ambassador arrive at Morgan’s home along with the crate containing the painting. Once they’re shown to their rooms, Morgan goes through a secret panel into a vault holding his collection of paintings. His partner Dr. Loveless is waiting for him. Loveless assures him that he has the Crown Jewels and is happy to know that Jim is there. Morgan suggests that they kill Jim immediately but Loveless explains that he’s summoned Lightnin’ McCoy, the fastest draw in the West. Until McCoy arrives, however, Loveless plans to have some fun with the agents.



Artie goes to his own room and Jim checks the ambassador’s room for any passages or traps. Once he’s sure the room is secure, Jim steps outside and lets the ambassador prepare for supper. He checks the hallway and then goes back inside, locks the door, and pours himself a glass of wine. Before he drinks it, Jim smells something odd about it and pours it back into the carafe without drinking it. He then removes his gunbelt and lies down on the couch. Four men emerge from the ambassador’s room and attack Jim, who wakes up and fights them. He knocks them out and lets Artie in when he arrives, and the agents go to the ambassador’s room. The man has disappeared and the windows are still locked from the inside. There’s no sign of how the men entered the room to attack Jim, and when the agents go back to the other room, the men have disappeared even though the only door out is locked from the inside. As they go to talk to Morgan, a saloon shown in the Wellington painting on the wall lights up and Dr. Loveless’ laughter emerges.

Loveless returns to his lab and Morgan complains about his actions, noting that he found the half-dead Loveless in a mountain cave, nursed him back to health, and financed his experiments with sound. Loveless refuses to be bullied and comments on Morgan’s lack of manners. Morgan threatens to break him but Loveless says that he is the key to more wealth and power than has ever existed. Morgan is welcome to them as long as Loveless gets West. The rancher warns that Jim is more than a match for Loveless, but Loveless is unimpressed. He opens a two-way mirror and watches the agents in the living room. Artie has confirmed that half of the paintings are forgeries. There’s also a newspaper article talking about how Morgan is giving away his paintings to international rulers across the world as a goodwill gesture.

Jim and Artie examine one painting and find what appears to be a child’s fingerprint on it, even though Morgan is unmarried. There are fresh purple smears on the painting, and when Artie touches them, the painting slides up to reveal a safe. Artie opens the safe and finds the Crown Jewels inside. Morgan comes in and holds the agents at gunpoint, and then summons his men to disarm them.



Angry at Morgan’s interference, Loveless fires an explosive pellet at a vase. The agents use the distraction to take on Morgan’s men. Loveless runs upstairs to the ambassador’s room and secure the doors, and the agents follow. There's no sign of Loveless, and Jim fires a line out the window and onto a tree. Using a towel, Artie slides down to safety. Jim prepares to go after him, but Loveless suddenly appears out of nowhere, wielding a revolver. Morgan and his men burst in and Loveless calls him a bungler for losing Artie. However, Loveless is sure that Artie will be somewhere nearby, hoping to rescue Jim. A clock chimes and Loveless invites Jim to supper. Morgan prepares to kill Jim but Loveless insists that his “friend” deserves a dignified reception until Lightnin’ McCoy arrives. Jim has heard of the gunslinger but has never met him.

Artie circles around to the patio and sees Loveless and the others with Jim. The agent then rides off into town. Meanwhile, Loveless escorts Jim into his laboratory and art studio. He explains that the ambassador is enjoying an excellent supper in his bedroom, and tells Jim that the ambassador has always been there. Loveless then uses a tuning fork to activate his sonic equipment and a ringing noise fills the room. Jim stares as three Chinese servants appear out of nowhere,



Artie rides into the nearest town and discovers that the telegraph office is closed. He goes into a bar and the barkeep explains that the machine is busted and the operator went to Denver to get some parts. A gunslinger enters the bar and tells everyone to get out, insisting that he drinks alone. The customers and the barkeep all leave. Artie goes to the door last while the gunslinger notices one customer who has remained. The gunman shoots his bottle and gives him three seconds to clear out. The customer refuses and the gunman draws, but the customer is faster and kills the gunman. Artie comes over and realizes the customer is Lightnin’ McCoy. He pours the man a drink and says that he came to collect McCoy, and secretly drugs the drink.



Loveless has his servants serve dinner and explains that his paintings are the most remarkable known to man. He calls the servants over to the wall and explains that they are the best in their tongs. One of them raps a gong, activating Loveless’ machinery. They disappear as silently as they came, and Loveless explains that they have entered a nearby painting and are secure until he needs them. Loveless receives word that McCoy has arrived and has his men escort him to his room. Meanwhile, Jim works out that Loveless plans to have his assassins leave the paintings at the proper time, kill the world leaders, and then assume control. Other paintings will be delivered to museums and mints and Morgan will collect the money. Loveless explains that he studied the properties of sound and pitch, and then determined how to use sound to alter matter and density, and then trained himself in how to paint and construct buildings.

Morgan finally has enough and takes Jim and Loveless captive. Jim explains that Morgan has had a double-cross planned all along. The agent then uses an exploding vest button to distract Morgan so he can make a break for it. While Jim fights Morgan’s men, Loveless runs upstairs to the ambassador’s room, which McCoy is now using. McCoy is Artie in disguise, and Loveless orders him into the adjoining bedroom. When Jim charges in, Loveless activates the sonic device and Jim disappears into the Wellington painting while Artie stares in surprise.



Jim comes to and finds himself lying in a street that is a match for the one in the Wellington painting. He staggers toward the saloon but collapses, and Loveless and his men come out. Loveless tells him that Jim will soon recover and the agent manages to get to his feet. The villain explains that he has discovered a new dimension and then introduces his six men: the second through seventh fastest gunmen in the West. They take Jim into the saloon and Loveless admits that he’s always been curious how fast Jim is with a gun, and now he plans to find out. Artie enters the room and Loveless explains that Jim will take on the gunfighter in a fair fight. He then takes Artie out to meet the other gunmen while Jim recovers and the seventh-fastest gunmen watches him.

Once Jim has recovered, the other gunmen hide in the buildings while Loveless has the seventh gunmen give the agent his gun while keeping him covered. Artie steps out onto the street and the two men approach each other. They get close enough to whisper and coordinate their plans, and then they open fire on the gunmen. Loveless takes cover while the surviving gunmen return fire. Artie goes to rescue the ambassador, who is in the saloon basement, while Jim covers him. The agent then grabs a spool of twine and runs to the alley where one gunman lies dead. Two others gunmen see Jim apparently firing from behind a wagon but when they close in, they discover that he’s rigged his own gun to shoot while he pulls the twine. Jim fires from the alleyway using the dead gunman’s gun, and then takes out the last shooter.

Jim runs into the saloon where Artie has rescued the ambassador. Artie has found a painting of Morgan’s ranch and figures that’s the escape route. Jim uses a triangle hanging from a lamp and Artie bangs it. The sound triggers the transference and the trio find themselves lying in front of the house. They go inside and find Loveless and the real McCoy waiting for them. Jim has no choice but to draw and the two men shoot simultaneously. McCoy congratulates Jim on his speed... and then collapses, dead. Loveless runs into his studio and the agents follow, but there’s no sign of the diminutive villain. The sound machinery is running and they realize that Loveless ducked into one of the dozens of paintings. The agents crate them all and take them away.



Later aboard the Wanderer, the Herzburg Ambassador thanks them for their help and accepts the crown jewels. As they retire for the night, the agents assure the ambassador that Loveless can’t get out of the crates and when they return to Washington, the paintings will be put in a secure vault. As they leave the room, they’re unaware of the sawing noises coming from a painting of carpenters at work...

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