My Cart
Return to Season 5 Index

Quiet Night, Deadly Night
Episode 146
Writer: Arthur Browne, Jr.
Director: Arnold Laven
Original Air Date 10/22/1962

Cast

Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain

Johnny Crawford as Mark McCain

Paul Fix as Marshal Micah Torrance



Guest Cast
Ed Ames as Lee Coyle

Ed Ames, born Edmund Dantes Urick, is an American singer and actor.  He has 16 credits as an actor in a career spanning more than 30 years.  Despite a modest upbringing, Ames was educated in classical music, as well as opera.  He is known for performing in a group called The Ames Brothers, a popular 1950s singing group.  As a solo artist, Ames had four top-twenty singles on the national charts.  In his television career, Ames is perhaps best-remembered for his recurring role as Mingo in the western series "Daniel Boone" (1964–1970).  Ames made his first television appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Lee Coyle in "Quiet Night, Deadly Night" (episode 146).

Patricia Blair as Lou Mallory, Owner of the General Store and the Madera House Hotel
Patricia Blair as Lou Mallory with Chuck Connors a

Patricia Blair was an American television actress whose career was active primarily in the 1950s and 1960s.   The Texas-born beauty began her career as a teenage model who went on to apprentice in summer stock before being discovered by Warner Bros.  She began acting in films under the names Patricia Blake and Pat Blake.   She appeared in a few films, including "Jump Into Hell" (1955), "Crime Against Joe" (1956) and "The Black Sleep" (1956), which reunited screen icons of the horror film genre Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Basil Rathbone and John Carradine.   She also appeared in the suspense thriller "City of Fear" (1959), starring Vince Edwards.  She portrayed the Fashion Narrator in the Robert Redford romantic western "The Electric Horseman" (1979), co-starring Jane Fonda.

In 1962, Blair replaced actress Joan Taylor in a semi-regular role as Lou Mallory, Chuck Connor's love interest in the last season of THE RIFLEMAN.  Blair played the attractive red-haired, fiery Irish businesswoman, whose character was savvy Landowner and Owner of the General Store and the Madera House Hotel.  Blair's character of Lou Mallory appeared in 17 episodes of THE RIFLEMAN; she debuted in the title role of episode 145.  Blair also made guest television appearances on "The Bob Cummings Show" (1955–1959), "The Virginian" (1962–1971), "Perry Mason" (1957–1966), "Bonanza" (1959–1973), and she co-starred in "Daniel Boone" (1964–1970), playing wife Rebecca Boone opposite Fess Parker.   She also had a recurring role as Goldy in the western adventure series "Yancy Derringer" (1958–1959). 

Maureen Dawson as Molly Carpenter

Maureen Dawson was an American actress who primarily worked in television.  She appeared in 15 movies and television shows in 15 years.  In her brief career, Dawson guest-starred in quite a variety of shows, including the action-adventure series "Burke's Law" (1963–1966), starring Gene Barry; the war comedy, "McHale's Navy" (1962–1966), starring Ernest Borgnine; the espionage series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (1964–1968), starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum; the crime drama "Honey West" (1965–1966), starring Anne Francis; and Buck Henry's spy spoof series, "Get Smart" (1965–1970), starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldman.  Dawson made one guest appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Molly Carpenter in "Quiet Night, Deadly Night" (episode 146).  She also guest-starred in an episode of the western series "Maverick" (1957–1962), starring James Garner.

Charles Harrison as the Stagecoach Driver

Charles Harrison was a one-time actor, as well as a radio and television personality.  He worked for local television stations in Texas and Michigan, and he was also a field reporter for ABC during the Gemini space flight program.  At the beginning of the Korean War, he conducted the only radio interview with Jonathan M. Wainwright, the World War II "hero of the Bataan."  Charles Harrison made one appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying the stagecoach driver in "Quiet Night, Deadly Night" (episode 146).  Originally, he was going to play the part of Lee Coyle, the villain, but the part went to Ed Ames instead, because the show's producers decided Harrison's build was to too slight for the role, and he looked over-matched by Chuck Connors, who stood 6' 4" tall.

Joe Higgins as Nils Swenson
Joe Higgins as Nils Swenson

Joe Higgins was an American actor working primarily in television and commercials from the 1960's through the 1980's.  His acting career began at age nine and while attending the University of Dayton in Ohio, he worked in radio.  He became a prolific character actor who often portrayed a sheriff in commercials, public service announcements and in print ads.  He won the CLIO award on two occasions for his acting in commercials.  His portrayal as a sheriff, "You in a heap o' trouble, boy!," in a series of memorable Dodge car commercials in the 1970's became his iconic signature role.

Higgins appeared in four episodes of THE RIFLEMAN playing different characters, and he played the semi-regular character, Nils Swenson, the Blacksmith, in 16 episodes.  He played recurring roles on other television series in addition to THE RIFLEMAN, including "Arrest and Trial" and later, he co-starred again with Chuck Connors in "Flipper" and "Geronimo."

Carol Leigh as Betty Leigh

Carol Leigh is an American television actress.  She has appeared in 12 television shows in five-years.  She guest-starred in several popular shows of the 1950s and 60s, including the comedy "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" (1950–1958), the family comedy "Father Knows Best" (1954–1960) and the legal dramas "Perry Mason" (1957–1966) and "Naked City" (1958–1963).  Leigh made one appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Betty Lind in "Quiet Night, Deadly Night" (episode 146).  She also guest-starred in the westerns "The Adventures of Jim Bowie" (1956–1958), starring Scott Forbes, and "The Deputy" (1959–1961), starring Henry Fonda.

Ralph R. Moody as Doc Burrage
Ralph Moody

Ralph Moody was an American actor who appeared in over 50 movies and 100 television shows.  Often cast in Westerns as indians, his many television credits include "The Lone Ranger" (1949 1950), "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" (1955–1959), "Dragnet" (1952 1959), "The Texan" (1959), "Have Gun – Will Travel" (1958–1961), "Perry Mason" (1958–1964), "Gunsmoke" (1959–1966), "Dragnet 1967" (1967–1970) and "Bonanza" (1960 1971).

Moody appeared in 12 episodes of THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Jonathan Dodd in "The Visitor" (episode 58), Roy Merrick in "The Spoiler" (episode 61), and Eban Muchen in "The Hangman" (episode 76).  Moody also played the recurring character of Doc Burrage in nine episodes, including "Six Years and a Day" (episode 91), "The Actress" (episode 94), "Dark Day at North Fork" (episode 100), "The Mescalero Curse" (episode 106), "Man From Salinas" (episode 130), "Quiet Night, Deadly Night" (episode 146), "Mark's Rifle" (episode 150), "Conflict" (episode 155), "Requiem at Mission Springs" (episode 164).


Lucas, Lou Mallory, Doctor Burrage and two innocent bystanders are trapped in the hotel with a dangerous outlaw when the hotel is quarantined by a threat of a smallpox epidemic.