| Law of the Plainsman | |
|---|---|
 Michael Ansara as Sam Buckhart. | |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 30 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 1, 1959 (1959-10-01) – September 22, 1960 (1960-09-22) |
Law of the Plainsman is aWestern television series starringMichael Ansara that aired onNBC from October 1, 1959, until September 22, 1960.[1]
The character ofNative American DeputyU.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart was introduced in two episodes ("The Indian" and "The Raid") of the popularABC Western television seriesThe Rifleman starringChuck Connors. As withThe Rifleman, this series was produced byFour Star Productions in association withLevy-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 seriesBroken Arrow, having portrayed theApache chief,Cochise. Ansara, however, was not Native American but of Syrian descent.[2]
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 andHarvard University. After school, he returned to New Mexico where he became a Deputy U.S. Marshal working for U.S. Marshal Andy Morrison. He lived in aboarding 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 U.S. Marshal, Billy Lordan.[3]
| No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Prairie Incident" | Douglas Heyes | Harry Kronman | October 1, 1959 (1959-10-01) |
| 2 | "Full Circle" | Jerry Hopper | David Lang | October 8, 1959 (1959-10-08) |
| 3 | "A Matter of Life and Death" | Richard Whorf | Cyril Hume | October 15, 1959 (1959-10-15) |
| 4 | "The Hostiles" | Don Medford | Calvin Clements Sr. | October 22, 1959 (1959-10-22) |
| 5 | "Passenger to Mescalero" | William F. Claxton | Palmer Thompson | October 29, 1959 (1959-10-29) |
| 6 | "Blood Trails" | Richard Whorf | Arthur Browne, Jr. | November 5, 1959 (1959-11-05) |
| 7 | "Desperate Decision" | Robert Gordon | David Lang | November 12, 1959 (1959-11-12) |
| 8 | "Appointment in Santa Fe" | William F. Claxton | Arthur Browne, Jr. | November 19, 1959 (1959-11-19) |
| 9 | "The Gibbet" | William F. Claxton | Pat Fielder | November 26, 1959 (1959-11-26) |
| 10 | "The Dude" | Ted Post | Cyril Hume | December 3, 1959 (1959-12-03) |
| 11 | "The Innocent" | Ted Post | Bob Barbash | December 10, 1959 (1959-12-10) |
| 12 | "Clear Title" | John Peyser | David P. Harmon | December 17, 1959 (1959-12-17) |
| 13 | "Toll Road" | James Sheldon | Calvin Clements Sr. | December 24, 1959 (1959-12-24) |
| 14 | "Calculated Risk" | James Neilson | Arthur Dales | December 31, 1959 (1959-12-31) |
| 15 | "Fear" | Paul Wendkos | Arthur Browne, Jr. | January 7, 1960 (1960-01-07) |
| 16 | "Endurance" | John Peyser | Milton S. Gelman | January 14, 1960 (1960-01-14) |
| 17 | "The Comet" | John Peyser | Cyril Hume | January 21, 1960 (1960-01-21) |
| 18 | "The Rawhiders" | Paul Landres | Jay Simms | January 28, 1960 (1960-01-28) |
| 19 | "The Imposter" | David Lowell Rich | David Lang | February 4, 1960 (1960-02-04) |
| 20 | "Common Ground" | John Peyser | Calvin Clements Sr. | February 11, 1960 (1960-02-11) |
| 21 | "The Matriarch" | Arthur Hilton | Teddi Sherman | February 18, 1960 (1960-02-18) |
| 22 | "A Question of Courage" | John Rich | Donn Mullally | February 25, 1960 (1960-02-25) |
| 23 | "Dangerous Barriers" | Paul Landres | Harry Kronman | March 10, 1960 (1960-03-10) |
| 24 | "The Show-Off" | John Peyser | John Dunkel | March 17, 1960 (1960-03-17) |
| 25 | "Rabbit's Fang" | Paul Landres | Jay Simms | March 24, 1960 (1960-03-24) |
| 26 | "Stella" | Paul Landres | James Edwards | March 31, 1960 (1960-03-31) |
| 27 | "Amnesty" | Robert Gordon | Lee Berg | April 7, 1960 (1960-04-07) |
| 28 | "Jeb's Daughter" | Paul Landres | Arthur Browne, Jr. | April 14, 1960 (1960-04-14) |
| 29 | "Cavern of the Wind" | Paul Landres | Richard Fielder | April 21, 1960 (1960-04-21) |
| 30 | "Trojan Horse" | Paul Wendkos | Bob Barbash | May 5, 1960 (1960-05-05) |
The series was produced byFour Star Television withLevy-Gardner-Laven Productions.[5]
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 starringPeter Breck,Johnny Ringo starringDon Durant andSam Peckinpah's critically acclaimed creation,The Westerner starringBrian Keith, under the umbrella titleThe Westerners, with new introductions and wrap-ups byKeenan Wynn.[6][7]
