Synopsis
Wilde West
Published by Dramatists Play Service
5 Female
He arrives just as the local good-old-boys are about to dispense swift justice to a young bandit, part of the Jesse James gang, who was captured after robbing the local bank
Immediately smitten by the fetching youth, Wilde, with the town's ladies in support, out-talks the impatient judge and demands a new trial - at which he will appear for the defense
Drawing on his devastating wit and verbal agility, Wilde soon convinces the awed citizenry that the boy, Jody, is the real victim - which is fine until Jesse James himself bursts in to recapture his coveted protégé
From then on the action becomes an hilarious contest between the menacing gunman - abetted by a definitely jealous Belle Starr
Along with the bumbling sheriff (who first arrests and then is overcome by the outlaws); and the resourceful Wilde (who has promised Jody a position as his "private secretary")
When James and his cohorts finally saddle up and gallop out of town the resigned Wilde dutifully begins to regale the ladies with his scheduled lecture on "The Beautification of Boudoir"
Then a dusty Jody quietly tiptoes in and, with a shy glance at Wilde, surreptitiously seats himself in the back row