Law of the Plainsman#ep2
{{Short description|1959 American western television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Michael Ansara Law of the Plainsman 1959.JPG
| caption = Michael Ansara as Sam Buckhart.
| runtime = 25 minutes
| starring = {{Plainlist|
}}
| country = United States
| network = NBC
| first_aired = {{start date|1959|10|1}}
| last_aired = {{end date|1960|9|22}}
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 30
}}
Law of the Plainsman is a Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on NBC from October 1, 1959, until September 22, 1960.{{cite book |last1=Hyatt |first1=Wesley |title=Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-0515-9 |pages=99–100 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ty21CgAAQBAJ&q=%22Law+of+the+Plainsman%22&pg=PA100 |accessdate=July 3, 2020 |language=en}}
The character of Native American U.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart was introduced in two episodes ("The Indian" and "The Raid") of the popular ABC Western television series The Rifleman starring Chuck Connors. As with The Rifleman, this series was produced by Four Star Productions in association with Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions.
Law of the Plainsman is distinctive in that it was one of the few television programs that featured a Native American as the lead character, a bold move for American network television at that time. Ansara had earlier appeared in the series Broken Arrow, having portrayed the Apache chief, Cochise. Ansara, however, was not Native American but of Syrian descent.{{cite news |last=Peterson |first=Alison J. |date=August 2, 2013 |title=Michael Ansara, Actor Who Played Cochise and Kang, Dies at 91 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/03/arts/michael-ansara-actor-who-played-cochise-and-kang-dies-at-91.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130803051803/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/03/arts/michael-ansara-actor-who-played-cochise-and-kang-dies-at-91.html |archive-date=August 3, 2013 |access-date=August 2, 2013 |work=The New York Times}}
Plot
Ansara played Sam Buckhart, an Apache Indian who saved the life of a U.S. Cavalry officer after an Indian ambush. When the officer later died, he left Sam money that was used for an education at private schools and Harvard University. After school, he returned to New Mexico where he became a deputy marshal working for Marshal Andy Morrison. He lived in a boarding house run by Martha Commager. Other continuing characters include 8-year old Tess Logan, an orphan who had been rescued by Buckhart, and a second Deputy Marshal, Billy Lordan.{{cite book|last1=Brooks|first1=Tim|last2=Marsh|first2=Earle|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present|date=1999|publisher=The Ballentine Publishing Group|location=New York|isbn=0-345-42923-0|page=567|edition=7th}}
Cast
- Michael Ansara as Deputy Marshal Sam Buckhart
=Recurring=
- Gina Gillespie as Tess Wilkins (15 episodes)
- Dayton Lummis as Marshal Andy Morrison (9 episodes)
- Nora Marlowe as Martha Commager (7 episodes)
- Robert Harland as Deputy Billy Lordan{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eWVZAAAAMAAJ|title=Western and Frontier Film and Television Credits 1903-1995: Section I. Actors and actresses. Section II. Directors, producers, and writers|first=Harris|last=Lentz|page=353|date=1996|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786402175|via=Google Books}} (7 episodes)
- Wayne Rogers as Deputy Billy Lordan (3 episodes)
=Guest cast=
{{Cast listing|
- Chris Alcaide appeared three times, including the role of Charlie Wolf in "Blood Trails" (1960)
- John Anderson appeared three times
- Richard Anderson
- Rayford Barnes
- Lane Bradford
- Paul Carr
- Roberto Contreras appeared twice
- Richard Devon
- Don Dubbins
- Bill Erwin as Dr. Palmer in the episode "The Gibbet" (1959)
- Gene Evans
- Paul Fix
- William Fawcett
- Dabbs Greer
- Robert Hoy
- Clegg Hoyt as Hungerford in "The Dude"
- Ray Kellogg appeared twice.
- Brett King appeared as Costello in the episode "A Matter of Life and Death" (1959)
- Jess Kirkpatrick
- Scott Marlowe as Clancy Jones in "The Show-Off"
- Ken Mayer
- Tyler McVey as Marshal Penrose in "The Imposter"
- John Milford appeared twice
- George Mitchell
- Gene Nelson
- J. Pat O'Malley appeared twice
- Michael Pate
- Joseph V. Perry appeared twice
- Denver Pyle
- Michael Raffetto as Father Robles in "Endurance" (1960)
- Sam Reese
- Robert F. Simon as Frank Keller in the episode "The Gibbet"
- Hope Summers
- Stephen Talbot as Stevie Mullen in the episode "Fear" (1960)
- Lee Van Cleef
- Robert Vaughn appeared as Theodore Roosevelt in "The Dude" and as Ross Drake in "The Innocents" (both 1959)
- Garry Walberg
- Peter Whitney appeared three times
- Robert J. Wilke
}}
Episodes
{{Episode table |background= |season= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=1
|Title = Prairie Incident
|DirectedBy = Douglas Heyes
|WrittenBy = Harry Kronman
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|10|1}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=2
|Title = Full Circle
|DirectedBy = Jerry Hopper
|WrittenBy = David Lang
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|10|8}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=3
|Title = A Matter of Life and Death
|DirectedBy = Richard Whorf
|WrittenBy = Cyril Hume
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|10|15}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=4
|Title = The Hostiles
|DirectedBy = Don Medford
|WrittenBy = Calvin Clements Sr.
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|10|22}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=5
|Title = Passenger to Mescalero
|DirectedBy = William F. Claxton
|WrittenBy = Palmer Thompson
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|10|29}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=6
|Title = Blood Trails
|DirectedBy = Richard Whorf
|WrittenBy = Arthur Browne, Jr.
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|11|5}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=7
|Title = Desperate Decision
|DirectedBy = Robert Gordon
|WrittenBy = David Lang
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|11|12}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=8
|Title = Appointment in Santa Fe
|DirectedBy = William F. Claxton
|WrittenBy = Arthur Browne, Jr.
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|11|19}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=9
|Title = The Gibbet
|DirectedBy = William F. Claxton
|WrittenBy = Pat Fielder
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|11|26}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=10
|Title = The Dude
|DirectedBy = Ted Post
|WrittenBy = Cyril Hume
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|12|3}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=11
|Title = The Innocent
|DirectedBy = Ted Post
|WrittenBy = Bob Barbash
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|12|10}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=12
|Title = Clear Title
|DirectedBy = John Peyser
|WrittenBy = David P. Harmon
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|12|17}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=13
|Title = Toll Road
|DirectedBy = James Sheldon
|WrittenBy = Calvin Clements Sr.
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|12|24}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=14
|Title = Calculated Risk
|DirectedBy = James Neilson
|WrittenBy = Arthur Dales
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1959|12|31}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=15
|Title = Fear
|DirectedBy = Paul Wendkos
|WrittenBy = Arthur Browne, Jr.
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|1|7}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=16
|Title = Endurance
|DirectedBy = John Peyser
|WrittenBy = Milton S. Gelman
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|1|14}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=17
|Title = The Comet
|DirectedBy = John Peyser
|WrittenBy = Cyril Hume
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|1|21}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=18
|Title = The Rawhiders
|DirectedBy = Paul Landres
|WrittenBy = Jay Simms
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|1|28}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=19
|Title = The Imposter
|DirectedBy = David Lowell Rich
|WrittenBy = David Lang
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|2|4}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=20
|Title = Common Ground
|DirectedBy = John Peyser
|WrittenBy = Calvin Clements Sr.
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|2|11}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=21
|Title = The Matriarch
|DirectedBy = Arthur Hilton
|WrittenBy = Teddi Sherman
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|2|18}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=22
|Title = A Question of Courage
|DirectedBy = John Rich
|WrittenBy = Donn Mullally
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|2|25}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=23
|Title = Dangerous Barriers
|DirectedBy = Paul Landres
|WrittenBy = Harry Kronman
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|3|10}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=24
|Title = The Show-Off
|DirectedBy = John Peyser
|WrittenBy = John Dunkel
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|3|17}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=25
|Title = Rabbit's Fang
|DirectedBy = Paul Landres
|WrittenBy = Jay Simms
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|3|24}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=26
|Title = Stella
|DirectedBy = Paul Landres
|WrittenBy = James Edwards
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|3|31}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=27
|Title = Amnesty
|DirectedBy = Robert Gordon
|WrittenBy = Lee Berg
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|4|7}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=28
|Title = Jeb's Daughter
|DirectedBy = Paul Landres
|WrittenBy = Arthur Browne, Jr.
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|4|14}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=29
|Title = Cavern of the Wind
|DirectedBy = Paul Landres
|WrittenBy = Richard Fielder
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|4|21}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=30
|Title = Trojan Horse
|DirectedBy = Paul Wendkos
|WrittenBy = Bob Barbash
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1960|5|5}}
|ShortSummary=
|LineColor=
}}
}}
Production
The series was produced by Four Star Television with Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions.{{Cite book |last=FitzGerald |first=Michael Ray |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yFVzAgAAQBAJ |title=Native Americans on Network TV: Stereotypes, Myths, and the "Good Indian" |date=2013-12-24 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-2962-4 |pages=77 |language=en}}
Broadcast
The show only lasted one season. For syndicated reruns it was grouped with three other short-lived Western series from the same company, Black Saddle starring Peter Breck, Johnny Ringo starring Don Durant and Sam Peckinpah's critically acclaimed creation, The Westerner starring Brian Keith, under the umbrella title The Westerners, with new introductions and wrap-ups by Keenan Wynn.{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows: Factual and Fictional Series About Judges, Lawyers and the Courtroom, 1948-2008 |date=2009 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-5452-5 |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RXQNIs12SzQC&q=%22Law+of+the+Plainsman%22&pg=PA46 |accessdate=July 3, 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Marill |first=Alvin H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TrIspiOaqboC |title=Television Westerns: Six Decades of Sagebrush Sheriffs, Scalawags, and Sidewinders |date=2011-06-01 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-8133-4 |pages=65 |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{IMDb title|0052483|Law of the Plainsman}}
- McNeil, Alex. Total Television (1996). New York: Penguin Books {{ISBN|0-14-024916-8}}
- Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows (1999). New York: Ballantine Books {{ISBN|0-345-42923-0}}
Category:1950s Western (genre) television series
Category:NBC television dramas
Category:1959 American television series debuts
Category:1960 American television series endings
Category:Television series by 20th Century Fox Television
Category:Television series by Four Star Television
Category:Black-and-white American television shows
Category:United States Marshals Service in fiction
Category:1960s Western (genre) television series