Episode 42
Writer: Arthur Browne, Jr.
Director: Arthur Hiller
Original Air Date 10/06/1959
Cast
Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain
Johnny Crawford as Mark McCain
Paul Fix as Marshal Micah Torrance
Guest Cast
Christopher Dark, born Alfred Francis DeLeo, was a prolific American film and television actor. He appeared in 115 movies and television shows in a career spanning more than 20 years. He appeared primarily in westerns and crime dramas, including "Cavalcade of America" (1952–1957); the short-lived series "Code 3" (1957), in which he had a recurring role as Sgt. Zevala; "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" (1957–1960), starring David Janssen; the courtroom drama "Perry Mason" (1957–1966), starring Raymond Burr; "77 Sunset Strip" (1958–1964); and "The Untouchables" (1959–1963), starring Robert Stack. He also appeared in the action-adventure series "Sea Hunt" (1959–1961), starring Lloyd Bridges; the war drama "Combat!" (1962–1967), starring Vic Morrow; and "The Green Hornet" (1966–1967), starring Bruce Lee as Kato.
Dark made one guest appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Ben Malakie in "Bloodlines" (episode 42). He also guest-starred in many of the other major westerns, including "Hopalong Cassidy" (1952–1954); "The Long Ranger" (1949–1957), starring Clayton Moore; "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (1958–1961), starring Steve McQueen; "Laramie" (1959–1963), starring John Smith and Robert Fuller; "Gunsmoke" (1955–1975), starring James Arness; "Rawhide" (1959–1966), starring Clint Eastwood; "Bonanza" (1959–1973), starring Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts and Michael Landon; and "The Virginian" (1962–1971), starring James Drury and Doug McClure.
John Durren is an American film and television actor. He has appeared in more than 50 movies and television shows in a career spanning nearly 40 years. He has guest-starred in many of the popular shows of the 1950s through the 90s, including the courtroom crime drama "Perry Mason" (1957–1966), starring Raymond Burr; the family comedy "Dennis the Menace" (1959–1963), starring Jay North in the title role; the action-adventure series "The Fugitive" (1963–1967), starring David Janssen as a wrongly convicted doctor on the run; the detective drama "Kojak" (1973–1978), starring Telly Savalas in the title role; the war satire "M*A*S*H*" (1972–1983), starring an ensemble cast led by Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, Larry Linville, Harry Morgan and MacLean Stevenson; and the action-adventure series "The New Adventures of Wonder Woman" (1975–1979), starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman. Durren made his first television appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Davey Pardee in "The Challenge" (episode 28) and Stump Malakie in "Bloodlines" (episode 42). He also guest-starred in the westerns "Rawhide" (1959–1966), starring Clint Eastwood, and "Cheyenne" (1955–1963), starring Clint Walker.
Buddy Hackett, born Leonard Hacker, was an American stage, film, voice and television actor; however, he is best-remembered for his work as a comedian. He appeared in nearly 50 movies and television shows in a career spanning just over 50 years. Hackett became interested in acting during his high school years, after directing a school production entitled "What a Life." After serving in the army during World War II, he ventured into the entertainment industry as a stand-up comic, playing at venues from the Catskills to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. He and Lenny Bruce are credited with pioneering "blue" comedy. Their acts were built around adult humor and off-color jokes that were tame compared against later generations of comics. After a rough start with a string of unsuccessful east coast stints, Hackett went on to become so successful that he could be the headliner at any major nightclub in the US. He became well-known to mainstream America with his many appearances on late night talk shows hosted by Jack Paar, Arthur Godfrey, and later Johnny Carson. He also was a frequent guest on the game shows "What's My Line" and "Hollywood Squares."
Having a gift for physical humor, with a rubbery face and doughy physique, Hackett was typecast as clownish characters. His performances on stage and in film often were the most memorable feature in otherwise forgettable productions. His performance, for example, portraying a Coney Island soothsayer in the play "I Had a Ball" (1964) transformed it from a critical failure into a box office success. Seeing Hackett play serious roles did not resonate with audiences, so most of his movie and TV credits are for comedy-themed productions. His film credits include the racy humor-tinged film adaptation of "God's Little Acre" (1958), the animated adventure "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm" (1962), the musical comedy "The Music Man" (1962), and the madcap action-adventure film "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963). He also lent his voice to Scuttle in "The Little Mermaid" (1989). In television, Hackett played the title role in the short-lived sitcom "Stanley" (1956–1957), co-starring Carol Burnett, and toward the end of his career, he played the recurring role of Uncle Lonnie in the comedy drama "Action" (1999–2000), starring Jay Mohr. He made occasional appearances in popular shows over four decades, from the 1950s through the 90s, including the western "The Big Valley" (1965–1969), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Long and Lee Majors, the Buck Henry comedy spy spoof "Get Smart" (1965–1970), starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldman, the comedy variety show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (1967–1973), the action-adventure "The Fall Guy" (1981–1986), starring Lee Majors, the mystery whodunit "Murder, She Wrote" (1984–1996), starring Angela Lansbury, and many other shows. Hackett made two appearances in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Daniel "Pop" Malakie in "BloodLines" (episode 42) and the title character in "The Clarence Bibs Story" (episode 104).
Warren Oates was an American actor who began his acting career in 1957, starring in a live New York production of the television series "Studio One." He moved to Los Angeles and appeared in numerous television western series. Oates made four appearances in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Andrew Shelton in "The Marshal" (episode 4), Jud Malackie in "Bloodlines" (episode 42), Santos in "The Prodigal" (episode 71), Marty Ryan in "Miss Milly" (episode 84), Will Breen in "Day of Reckoning" (episode 139). He met Sam Peckinpah working on THE RIFLEMAN, which began a collaborative relationship on later film projects. He was a prolific actor best-known for his roles in the Peckinpah classics, "The Wild Bunch" (1969) and "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" (1974). His most critically acclaimed role was playing GTO in the 1971 Monte Hellman cult classic "Two-Lane Blacktop." Oates passed away in 1983 and a decade later, in 1993, Tom Thurman produced a documentary tribute film honoring his career, "Warren Oates: Across the Border."
Denver Pyle appeared in five episodes of THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Henry Trumble in "Bloodlines" (episode 42), Seth Mitchell in "Legacy" (episode 51), Harold Tenner in "The Hangman" (episode 76), George Tanner in "The Clarence Bibs Story" (episodes 104), and Frank Hazlitt in "The Decision" (episode 116). Pyle was a highly recognizable character actor who worked in film and television, mostly in the 1950's through 1970's. Frequently cast in westerns, he appeared in two classic John Ford films,"The Horse Soldiers," with William Holden, and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." Pyle played recurring characters in several television series, including the role of Mad Jack in "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams" (1977-1978; 36 episodes), Buck Webb, Doris Day's father, during the first two seasons of "The Doris Day Show" (1968-1970), and Briscoe Darling on The Andy Griffith Show. Pyle's best-known television role may have been the hillbilly, Uncle Jesse Duke, in "The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979-1985; 146 episodes). In later life, Pyle made cameo appearances, notably 1994's "Maverick," with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster, and the original Maverick, James Garner.
Bill Quinn was an American actor whose early career began in the 1920's in silent films and ended with the 1989 science fiction film, "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier." Perhaps, his best-known role was Mr. Ranseleer, Archie Bunker's blind friend in "All In The Family" (1971-1978). He also was a regular character in the Carroll O'Connor spin-off, "Archie Bunker's Place." Quinn's other television credits include roles in "The Odd Couple" (1970-1975), "McHale's Navy" (1962-1966), and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1970-1977), in which he play Mary Richard's father. In 1971, he appeared in Universal Pictures' "How to Frame a Figg" starring Don Knotts. Quinn was a regular character in THE RIFLEMAN, appearing in 40 episodes as Sweeney, the Owner/Bartender of the North Fork Saloon.
Rhys Williams was a Welsh character actor in movies and television, whose career spanned the 1940's through 1970. He made his film debut in "How Green Was My Valley" (1941). Rural Wales was the setting of this John Ford classic film, and it featured a large cast of Welsh characters; although, it was actually filmed in Hollywood with American, Irish and Scottish actors. Williams, who was the only genuine Welshman in the cast, originally was hired as a dialect coach for the other actors, but director John Ford gave Williams a role in the film.
Williams is recognizable to fans of the television series "Adventures of Superman," in which he played a sadistic character in one of the show's early episodes, "The Evil Three." Other television appearances included CBS's anthology series, "The DuPont Show with June Allyson," co-starring Steve Allen in the 1960 episode "Play Acting," and five episodes of General Electric Theater between 1956 and 1961. Williams also appeared in "The Donna Reed Show" (1958), "Temple Houston" (1963), "77 Sunset Strip" (1964), "Twelve O'Clock High" (1964-1966), "The F.B.I." (1966), "The Wild Wild West" (1966), "Mission Impossible" (1967), the "Andy Griffith Show" (1967), "Mannix" (1969), "Here Comes the Brides" (1969), among many other shows. Williams appeared in six episodes of THE RIFLEMAN, one of six actors to portray the regular character, Doc Burrage. He appeared in "Blood Brothers" (episode 35), "Bloodlines" (episode 42), "Letter of the Law" (episode 50), "A Case of Identity" (episode 57), "Sins of the Father" (episode 70), and "The Prodigal" (episode 71).
The three Malakie brothers, unruly mountain men, appear in the North Fork Saloon and start breaking up the place. When Micah and Lucas arrive to stop the ruckus, a fight ensues, and one of the brothers is killed. The other two are hustled off to jail, vowing vengeance on Lucas for causing their brother's death. Old Man Malakie arrives in town looking for his boys, and learning what happened, goes after Lucas bent on revenge.