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Law of the Plainsman

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Law of the Plainsman
Michael Ansara as Sam Buckhart.
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes30
Production
Running time25 minutes
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 1, 1959 (1959-10-01) –
September 22, 1960 (1960-09-22)

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.

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 Syrian descent.[2]

Plot

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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]

Cast

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Recurring

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Guest cast

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Episodes

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No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Prairie Incident"Douglas HeyesHarry KronmanOctober 1, 1959 (1959-10-01)
2"Full Circle"Jerry HopperDavid LangOctober 8, 1959 (1959-10-08)
3"A Matter of Life and Death"Richard WhorfCyril HumeOctober 15, 1959 (1959-10-15)
4"The Hostiles"Don MedfordCalvin Clements Sr.October 22, 1959 (1959-10-22)
5"Passenger to Mescalero"William F. ClaxtonPalmer ThompsonOctober 29, 1959 (1959-10-29)
6"Blood Trails"Richard WhorfArthur Browne, Jr.November 5, 1959 (1959-11-05)
7"Desperate Decision"Robert GordonDavid LangNovember 12, 1959 (1959-11-12)
8"Appointment in Santa Fe"William F. ClaxtonArthur Browne, Jr.November 19, 1959 (1959-11-19)
9"The Gibbet"William F. ClaxtonPat FielderNovember 26, 1959 (1959-11-26)
10"The Dude"Ted PostCyril HumeDecember 3, 1959 (1959-12-03)
11"The Innocent"Ted PostBob BarbashDecember 10, 1959 (1959-12-10)
12"Clear Title"John PeyserDavid P. HarmonDecember 17, 1959 (1959-12-17)
13"Toll Road"James SheldonCalvin Clements Sr.December 24, 1959 (1959-12-24)
14"Calculated Risk"James NeilsonArthur DalesDecember 31, 1959 (1959-12-31)
15"Fear"Paul WendkosArthur Browne, Jr.January 7, 1960 (1960-01-07)
16"Endurance"John PeyserMilton S. GelmanJanuary 14, 1960 (1960-01-14)
17"The Comet"John PeyserCyril HumeJanuary 21, 1960 (1960-01-21)
18"The Rawhiders"Paul LandresJay SimmsJanuary 28, 1960 (1960-01-28)
19"The Imposter"David Lowell RichDavid LangFebruary 4, 1960 (1960-02-04)
20"Common Ground"John PeyserCalvin Clements Sr.February 11, 1960 (1960-02-11)
21"The Matriarch"Arthur HiltonTeddi ShermanFebruary 18, 1960 (1960-02-18)
22"A Question of Courage"John RichDonn MullallyFebruary 25, 1960 (1960-02-25)
23"Dangerous Barriers"Paul LandresHarry KronmanMarch 10, 1960 (1960-03-10)
24"The Show-Off"John PeyserJohn DunkelMarch 17, 1960 (1960-03-17)
25"Rabbit's Fang"Paul LandresJay SimmsMarch 24, 1960 (1960-03-24)
26"Stella"Paul LandresJames EdwardsMarch 31, 1960 (1960-03-31)
27"Amnesty"Robert GordonLee BergApril 7, 1960 (1960-04-07)
28"Jeb's Daughter"Paul LandresArthur Browne, Jr.April 14, 1960 (1960-04-14)
29"Cavern of the Wind"Paul LandresRichard FielderApril 21, 1960 (1960-04-21)
30"Trojan Horse"Paul WendkosBob BarbashMay 5, 1960 (1960-05-05)

Production

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The series was produced by Four Star Television with Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions.[5]

Broadcast

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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.[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  2. ^ Peterson, Alison J. (August 2, 2013). "Michael Ansara, Actor Who Played Cochise and Kang, Dies at 91". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 3, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  3. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 567. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
  4. ^ Lentz, Harris (1996). Western and Frontier Film and Television Credits 1903-1995: Section I. Actors and actresses. Section II. Directors, producers, and writers. McFarland. p. 353. ISBN 9780786402175 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ FitzGerald, Michael Ray (2013-12-24). Native Americans on Network TV: Stereotypes, Myths, and the "Good Indian". Rowman & Littlefield. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-4422-2962-4.
  6. ^ Erickson, Hal (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows: Factual and Fictional Series About Judges, Lawyers and the Courtroom, 1948-2008. McFarland. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-7864-5452-5. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  7. ^ Marill, Alvin H. (2011-06-01). Television Westerns: Six Decades of Sagebrush Sheriffs, Scalawags, and Sidewinders. Scarecrow Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-8108-8133-4.
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