Law of the Plainsman | |
---|---|
Starring | |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 30 |
Production | |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | October 1, 1959 – September 22, 1960 |
Law of the Plainsman is a Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on NBC from October 1, 1959, until September 22, 1960. [1]
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 . [2]
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 U.S. 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 Lebanese descent.
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. [3]
No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Prairie Incident" | Douglas Heyes | Harry Kronman | October 1, 1959 |
2 | "Full Circle" | Jerry Hopper | David Lang | October 8, 1959 |
3 | "A Matter of Life and Death" | Richard Whorf | Cyril Hume | October 15, 1959 |
4 | "The Hostiles" | Don Medford | Calvin Clements Sr. | October 22, 1959 |
5 | "Passenger to Mescalero" | William F. Claxton | Palmer Thompson | October 29, 1959 |
6 | "Blood Trails" | Richard Whorf | Arthur Browne, Jr. | November 5, 1959 |
7 | "Desperate Decision" | Robert Gordon | David Lang | November 12, 1959 |
8 | "Appointment in Santa Fe" | William F. Claxton | Arthur Browne, Jr. | November 19, 1959 |
9 | "The Gibbet" | William F. Claxton | Pat Fielder | November 26, 1959 |
10 | "The Dude" | Ted Post | Cyril Hume | December 3, 1959 |
11 | "The Innocent" | Ted Post | Bob Barbash | December 10, 1959 |
12 | "Clear Title" | John Peyser | David P. Harmon | December 17, 1959 |
13 | "Toll Road" | James Sheldon | Calvin Clements Sr. | December 24, 1959 |
14 | "Calculated Risk" | James Neilson | Arthur Dales | December 31, 1959 |
15 | "Fear" | Paul Wendkos | Arthur Browne, Jr. | January 7, 1960 |
16 | "Endurance" | John Peyser | Milton S. Gelman | January 14, 1960 |
17 | "The Comet" | John Peyser | Cyril Hume | January 21, 1960 |
18 | "The Rawhiders" | Paul Landres | Jay Simms | January 28, 1960 |
19 | "The Imposter" | David Lowell Rich | David Lang | February 4, 1960 |
20 | "Common Ground" | John Peyser | Calvin Clements Sr. | February 11, 1960 |
21 | "The Matriarch" | Arthur Hilton | Teddi Sherman | February 18, 1960 |
22 | "A Question of Courage" | John Rich | Donn Mullally | February 25, 1960 |
23 | "Dangerous Barriers" | Paul Landres | Harry Kronman | March 10, 1960 |
24 | "The Show-Off" | John Peyser | John Dunkel | March 17, 1960 |
25 | "Rabbit's Fang" | Paul Landres | Jay Simms | March 24, 1960 |
26 | "Stella" | Paul Landres | James Edwards | March 31, 1960 |
27 | "Amnesty" | Robert Gordon | Lee Berg | April 7, 1960 |
28 | "Jeb's Daughter" | Paul Landres | Arthur Browne, Jr. | April 14, 1960 |
29 | "Cavern of the Wind" | Paul Landres | Richard Fielder | April 21, 1960 |
30 | "Trojan Horse" | Paul Wendkos | Bob Barbash | May 5, 1960 |
The series was produced by Four Star Television and was filmed at CBS Studio Center.[ citation needed ]
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 [5] starring Brian Keith, under the umbrella title The Westerners, with new introductions and wrap-ups by Keenan Wynn.[ citation needed ]
Michael George Ansara was an American actor. He portrayed Cochise in the television series Broken Arrow 1956-1958, Kane in the 1979–1981 series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Commander Kang in Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart in the NBC series Law of the Plainsman, and provided the voice for Mr. Freeze in the DC Animated Universe. Ansara received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in the television industry, located at 6666 Hollywood Boulevard.
The Rifleman is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show was filmed in black and white, in half-hour episodes. The Rifleman aired on ABC from September 30, 1958, to April 8, 1963, as a production of Four Star Television. It was one of the first primetime series on US television to show a single parent raising a child.
Claude Aubrey Akins was a Cherokee-American character actor with a long career on stage, screen, and television. He was best known as Sheriff Lobo on the 1979–1981 television series B. J. and the Bear, and later The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, a spin-off series.
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