Law of the Plainsman (1959– )

Sam Buckhart was an Apache Indian who had saved the life of a U.S. Cavalry officer after an Indian ambush. When the officer died, he left Sam money that was used for an education at private... See full summary »

Stars:

Michael Ansara, Gina Gillespie, Dayton Lummis

Cast

Series cast summary:
Michael Ansara	...	Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart (30 episodes, 1959-1960)
Gina Gillespie	...	Tess (15 episodes, 1959-1960)

Storyline

Sam Buckhart was an Apache Indian who had saved the life of a U.S. Cavalry officer after an Indian ambush. When the officer 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 and living in a boarding house run by Martha Commager. The only other continuing cast member was 8-year old Tess Logan, an orphan who had been rescued by Buckhart.

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Westerners

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cardiff Productions, Four Star Productions, Levy-Gardner-Laven

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (30 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Ansara first played his character in this series on 17 Feb 1959 in the episode "The Indian" and again on 9 June 1959 in the episode "The Raid," both on the series The Rifleman, but neither actually plays like a pilot for this program.

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Connections

Spun-off from The Rifleman (1958)

User Reviews

Music

The Score for Law of the Plainsman was composed by Leonard Rosenman (also composed theme). This information comes from a classic TV Western web site. This show was a fun show to watch and my first exposure to Michael Ansara as a performer and actor. The character originality and plots using a native American character in this show were to me the first sign that the 1960's and the decades following were not going to be just, Old Anglo Saxon knockoffs with guns, on the little or big screen any more. Typically Hollywood: a Syrian, playing a native American. The opening screen of the main character riding across the western plains on a pure white horse still holds my imagination.