Michael Pate

            On Tuesday morning I got up without enough sleep and was groggy all morning. 

            I worked out the chords for the third verse of “Allons z'enfants” (Be All You Can Be) by Boris Vian. 

            I searched for the chords for “Ophélie” (Ophelia) by Serge Gainsbourg but no one had posted them. I worked them out for the intro and for line one of the first verse. 

            I played my Martin acoustic guitar during song practice for the third of four sessions. 

            I weighed 84.9 kilos before breakfast. 

            Between breakfast and lunch I worked on updating my journal because I fell behind yesterday. 

            I weighed 83.4 kilos before lunch. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and back. 

            I weighed 88.3 kilos at 18:42. I don’t know how I ate five kilograms of food at lunch. 

            I was caught up on my journal at 23:00. 

            I made a new batch of gravy with the roast beef drippings from yesterday. I had some with a potato and a slice of roast beef while watching season 2, episodes 25 and 26 of Branded. These were part 2 and 3 of a three part story. 

            In the first episode Jason McCord is tasked by President Grant to spy on his old friend Armstrong Custer to find out who is trying to get him to break the treaty with the Sioux. 

            In Part 2, Custer has made McCord the chief scout for the 7th Cavalry. He is out on patrol with Lieutenant Briggs in command when they see a Sioux fishing while wearing a cavalry jacket. Briggs assumes the Sioux must have killed a soldier to get it and plans to attack him. McCord reminds him that he is on the other side of the stream that marks the border of Sioux territory as established by the treaty. McCord sees that there are other Sioux up on the ridge. Briggs charges towards the Sioux fisherman but McCord knocks him off his horse. McCord is thrown in the Brigg for attacking an officer. Custer gets Briggs to drop the charges and that night McCord is invited to a party for General Sheridan being thrown by Libby Custer. While everyone is dancing there is a dramatic thunder storm outside and in a flash of lightning Crazy Horse appears on the balcony, then steps into the room. He says he comes in peace. He says his people are going to follow the buffalo because the food promised in the treaty has been withheld. He points to Jennie’s father Timothy Galvin, who is the Indian Agent and says that he has cheated the Sioux. Crazy Horse turns to leave but Briggs places a sword to his throat. McCord reminds Custer that Crazy Horse came in peace and so Custer tells Briggs to let him go. When McCord leaves the party he reports to General Sheridan who is aware of McCord’s undercover operation. McCord tells him that Custer is being used and one of the men behind it is Lionel McCallister, who is convincing Custer that he could be nominated for president if he wins an Indian war. McCord goes to see Galvin and suggests that the Sioux are being short changed on their rations but he is evasive. Galvin goes in the other room and McCord hears a blow and Galvin’s grunt of pain. He rushes in and he is knocked out as well. While McCord is unconscious someone sets fire to the Indian office. McCord comes to and looks for Galvin but he’s disappeared. He finds a Sioux war lance outside. If Galvin has been captured by the Sioux he will be in greater danger if the cavalry moves in. McCord wants to go in alone. Custer gives him a day. McCord ventures into Sioux territory and is surrounded. Meanwhile a horse runs into the fort carrying Galvin’s dead body. On the horse is the symbol of Crazy Horse. Custer and his men head for Sioux territory. 

            In Part 3 McCord is surrounded by Sioux and then Crazy Horse comes. He tells McCord to go back but McCord says it’s too late and he needs to talk to Sitting Bull. Crazy Horse takes him to the chief and speaks favourably on his behalf. He says McCord has helped the Sioux three times. Sitting Bull tells McCord that his warriors did not take Galvin even though he robbed his people. He says white men don’t accept that there is evil among them and it’s easier to blame the red man. Custer has been seen on the boundary of Sioux territory. Crazy Horse tells McCord to ride to him and explain. On McCord’s way he is captured by Charlie Yates who is part of the plot. Yates admits to killing Galvin. He lets it slip that he’s the right hand man of Greg Hazin. He knocks out McCord and drags him to a bear trap. He is about to put McCord’s head in it when he is shot and killed with an arrow from the bow of Young Hawk, who McCord helped before. McCord tells Custer about the plot to get the Black Hills gold by forcing the Sioux to break the treaty. McCord takes Custer and Briggs to Hazin but has Custer and Briggs watching and listening at the window while McCord pretends to want to join Hazin’s plan. He tells him that nine tenths of the ore in the Black Hills is fool’s gold. McCord knows where the real gold is located and says he’ll tell them where gold is for $20,000 (That would be half a million now). Hazin agrees and that’s enough for Custer. They bust in and take care of Hazin, McCallister and their men. McCord saves Briggs’s life so now Briggs likes him. This is before Custer’s big failures and so he is treated like a hero at the end of this story. 

            Crazy Horse was played by Australian actor Michael Pate, who started in 1938 as an interviewer for ABC Radio on a program called “Youth Speaks”. He wrote newspaper and magazine articles and criticisms, radio plays as well as a book of short stories. His play Bonaventure was made into the movie Thunder on the Hill. His film debut was in 40,000 Horsemen. His first lead part as an actor was in Sons of Matthew. He moved to Hollywood in the 50s and early 60s to work in film and on television. He co-starred in Curse of the Undead. He was associate producer of the film Age of Consent. He wrote screenplays for Rawhide and The Most Dangerous Man Alive. He starred in the TV film Tragedy in a Temporary Town. In the late 60s he returned to Australia to do films and TV there. He starred in the series Matlock Police. He wrote, produced and directed “Tim”, starring Mel Gibson in his film debut. He wrote and produced The Mango Tree starring his son Christopher Pate. He said he always played villains as if they were the heroes.