My Cart
Return to Season 5 Index

The Assailants
Episode 149
Writer: Herman Groves
Director: Arthur Nadel
Original Air Date 11/12/1962

Cast

Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain

Johnny Crawford as Mark McCain

Paul Fix as Marshal Micah Torrance



Guest Cast
Henry Allin as Tom Burroughs

Henry Allin was an American actor.  He made one appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Tom Burroughs in "The Assailants" (episode 149).  In addition to the RIFLEMAN, Allin also guest-starred in an unsold pilot, "Call to Danger" (1968).  A second pilot with the same title was made in 1973, starring Peter Graves.  The second pilot also went unsold, but it won Graves the leading role in "Mission Impossible" (1966–1973).

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). 

William Bryant as Trooper Coley

William Bryant was an American actor who appeared in over 200 film and television roles in a career spanning 45 years.  He made four guest appearances in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying different characters in each episode.  He played Sandy in "The Apprentice Sheriff" (episode 11), Jerry in "Shivaree" (episode 19), Karl Hollis in "Gunfire" (episode 126), and Trooper Coley in "The Assailants" (episode 149).

Benny Carle as Amos Blaine, the Telegraph Clerk

Benny Carle is an American television and radio personality.  He was given the opportunity to make a guest appearance in THE RIFLEMAN while working for WAFF-TV, the ABC affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama.  At the time, ABC was working on a publicity campaign in which one on-air personality from each of its affiliate stations was selected to make cameo appearances in various network programs.  Carle is remembered for his afternoon kids' show (1965 to 1977) in which Chuck Connors, who offered him the part in THE RIFLEMAN, had appeared several months earlier.  Carle portrayed Amos Blaine in "The Assailants" (episode 149).

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."

Steve Marlo as Sgt. Will
Steve Marlo as Sgt. Will in The Assailants

Steve Marlo made four appearances in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Doke Marvin in "The Patsy" (episode 41), The Domino Kid in "The Hero" (episode 59), Sgt. Will in "The Assailants" (episode 149), Stagg in "The Anvil Chorus" (episode 154).  An alumnus of Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio, New York, Marlo had a prolific career on the stage.  He won the Pulitzer Prize and Drama Critic's Award for his role in "Picnic."  Marlo also had many screen credits in film and television.  He appeared in "The Bob Cummings Show," "Law of the Plainsman," "Ben Casey," "Death Valley Days," "Combat!," "Bonanza," "Mission: Impossible," "Star Trek," "The F.B.I.," "Land of the Giants," "Emergency," "Eight Is Enough," "Falcon Crest," among many other TV series.  He also was a dialogue coach.

John Milford as Lt. Price
John Milford

John Milford was an American actor, whose long career, primarily in television, included more than 164 acting roles spanning five decades.  His first big break came with an uncredited appearance in the 1956 Oscar awarding winning film "Marty," starring Ernest Borgnine.  Milford appeared in every television genre, from crime dramas, including "The F.B.I." (1965–1974) and "Mannix" (1967–1975), among many others, to sci-fi adventures, including "The Six Million Dollar Man" (1974–1978) and its spin-off "The Bionic Woman" (1976–1978).  He appeared in many of the most popular series of their eras, including the sci-fi thriller "The Invaders" (1967–1968), sci-fi mini-series "The Planet of the Apes (1974), the family dramas "Little House on the Prairie" (1974–1983) and "Highway to Heaven" (1984–1989), and the sci-fi mystery "The X-Files" (1993–2002).

Milford played recurring roles in several series, including Ike Clanton for one season in "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955–1961), Sgt. Kagey in "The Lieutenant" (1963–1964), Lt. Paul Hewitt in "The Bold Ones: The Lawyers" (1969–1972), and a co-starring role as Captain Dempsey in the action comedy "Enos" (1980–1981).  In addition to the Wyatt Earp series, Milford appeared in many of the most popular western series of the 1950s through '70s, including "Bonanza" (1959–1973), "The Virginian" (1962–1971) and "The Big Valley" (1965–1969).

John Milford made eleven appearances in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Ross Porter in "The Blowout" (episode 43), Dub in "The Coward" (episode 53), Jonas Winters in "The Horsetraders" (episode 60), Bro Hadley in "A Time for Singing" (episode 64), Morgan in "Meeting at Midnight" (episode 74), Marsh Watson in "The Pitchman" (episode 80), Hadley in "Baranca" (episode 82), Jack Solby in "Dark Day at North Fork" (episode 100), Reade in "The Clarence Bibs Story" (episode 104), Jess Grady in "The Journey Back" (episode 115) and Lt. Price in "The Assailants" (episode 149).  Milford also appeared in two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN spin-off "Law of the Plainsman" (1959–1960).

Milford ran the Chamber Theatre on Cahuenga Blvd. West in Hollywood, where he helped many young actors get a start in the entertainment industry.  He is also credited with the original design for the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Noam Pitlik as Trooper Daft

Noam Pitlik was an American film and television actor, and also director and producer.  He appeared in more than 80 movies and television shows during a career spanning nearly 40 years.  He had minor parts in a few memorable films, including the drama "A Child Is Waiting" (1963), starring Burt Lancaster and Judy Garland; and the 1960s counter-culture film "The Graduate" (1967), starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross and William Daniels.

Pitlik guest-starred in many popular television shows of the 1960s and 70s, including the medical drama "Dr. Kildare" (1961–1966), the war drama "Combat!" (1962–1967), the adventure drama "The Fugitive" (1963–1967), the musical comedy "The Monkees" (1966–1968), the Buck Henry spy spoof "Get Smart" (1965–1970), the Sally Field comedy "The Flying Nun" (1967–1970), the police drama "Mod Squad" (1968–1973), the crime drama "Mannix" (1967–1975) and the crime drama anthology series "Police Story" (1973–1977).  He had a few recurring roles in television, including Bentley in the comedy "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster" (1962–1963) and Officer "Swanny" Swanhouser in the comedy "Sanford and Son" (1972–1977).   He made one appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Trooper Daft in "The Assailants" (episode 149).  He also guest-starred in the western "Gunsmoke" (1955–1975), starring James Arness.

In 1975, after a successful career in acting, Pitlik moved behind the camera, directing 30 television shows, including the sitcoms "One Day at a Time" (1975–1984), "Mr. Belvedere" (1985–1990) and "Wings" (1990–1997).  In 1979, he received an Emmy award for "Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series" for his direction of the sitcom "Barney Miller" (1975–1982), starring Hal Linden.

Edward Platt as Senator Borden

Edward Platt, born Edward Curthbert Platt, was an American character actor of stage, film and television, who appeared in more than 120 movies and television shows during his 30-year career.  He studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York and spent time performing on Broadway, making his stage debut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Allegro."   He appeared with Jose Ferrer in the Broadway production of Joseph Kramm's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "The Shrike" (1952) and made his movie debut in 1955 in a film adaption of the play, again appeared opposite Jose Ferrer.  He was known for his distinctive resonant voice, which suited the sophisticated roles he played.  He is best-remembered for his portrayal of "The Chief" in the Buck Henry spy spoof "Get Smart" (1965–1970).  Behind the camera, he produced the western film "Santee" (1973), starring Glenn Ford, which was one of the first independent color motion pictures recorded on videotape.

Platt had a minor part in the romantic war comedy "I was a Male War Bride" (1949), starring Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan.  He had a few other roles in memorable films, including Ray Fremick in the romantic drama "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955), starring James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo; and Victor Larrabee in the Alfred Hitchcock's thriller "North by Northwest" (1959), starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason.  Platt guest-starred in several popular television shows of the 1950s through the 70s, including the private detective series "77 Sunset Strip" (1958–1964), the legal drama "Perry Mason" (1957–1966), the suspense anthology series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955–1962), Rod Serling's iconic anthology series "The Twilight Zone" (1959–1964), the medical drama "Dr. Kildare" (1961–1966), the daytime drama "General Hospital" (1963–2007), the crime drama "Arrest and Trial" (1963–1964) and the anthology series "The Outer Limits" (1963–1965).  After his stint on "Get Smart, " Platt garnered another recurring role in the 1970 sitcom "The Governor and J.J. "

Platt made one appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Senator Borden in "The Assailants" (episode 149).  He guest-starred in many other westerns, including "Gunsmoke" (1955–1975), starring James Arness; "Have Gun – Will Travel" (1957–1963), starring Richard Boone; "Bat Masterson" (1958–1961), starring Gene Barry, "Rawhide" (1959–1966), starring Clint Eastwood; "Death Valley Days" (1952–1975), hosted by Robert Taylor; "Wagon Train" (1957–1965), starring John McIntyre and Ward Bond; "Bonanza" (1959–1973), starring Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker and Pernell Roberts; and "The Virginian" (1962–1971), starring James Drury.


A group of assassins disguised as cavalry soldiers try to murder an influential senator who comes to visit North Fork.  Lucas gets wind of the plot and prevents the killing.