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The Blowout
Episode 43
Writer: Arthur Browne, Jr.
Director: James Nielson
Original Air Date 10/13/1959

Cast

Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain

Johnny Crawford as Mark McCain



Guest Cast
George Brenlin as the Kid

George Brenlin, born George Henry Brendlinger, was an American actor who primarily worked in television.  He appeared in more than 60 television shows over his 30–year career.  Although he appeared mostly in westerns, Brenlin worked in other genres, including the crime drama "Perry Mason" (1957–1966), the war–themed "Combat!" (1962–1967) and the police drama "Adam-12" (1969&@8211;1970).  He made one appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying The Kid in "The Blowout" (episode 43).  He also guest-starred in other iconic westerns of the 50s, 60s and 70s, including "Gunsmoke" (1955–1975), "Tales of Wells Fargo" (1957–1962), "Bonanza" (1959–1973) and "The Virginian" (1962–1971).

John Dehner as Al Walker
John Dehner

John Dehner was an American actor of radio, film and television.  In a career spanning nearly 50 years he appeared in more than 260 movies and television shows.  Often cast as villains, he was tall and distinguished and lent an urbane and droll personae to the characters he played.  Dehner made four guest appearances in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying different characters in each episode, including Tom King in "The Money Gun" (episode 33), Al Walker in "The Blowout" (episode 43), Wood Bartell in "The Baby Sitter" (episode 52), and Major Aaron King in "The Prisoner" (episode 101).

Howard Ledig as Jake Porter

Howard Ledig was an American television actor who appeared in nearly 20 television shows during his 10-year career.  Despite the brevity of his career, Ledig guest-starred in several popular shows of the 1950s and 60s, including the crime dramas "M Squad" (1957–1960) and "Arrest and Trial" (1963–1964), as well as the action series "Highway Patrol" (1955–1959) and the mystery action series "Peter Gunn" (1958–1961).  Ledig made one appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying Jake Porter in "The Blowout" (episode 43).  He also guest-starred in the westerns "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (1958–1961), starring Steve McQueen, and "Bonanza" (1959–1973), starring Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker and Pernell Roberts.

John Milford as Ross Porter
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.

James Parnell as the Drunk

James Parnell was an American film and television actor.  He appeared in more than 80 films and television shows in just over a decade.  Although most of his major guest appearances were in westerns, he also guest-starred in the mystery action series "Peter Gunn" (1958–1961), the classic family comedy series of the 1950s, "Leave It to Beaver" (1957–1963), and Boris Karloff's gothic horror series "Thriller" (1960–1962).  Parnell made one appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, portraying the drunk in "The Blowout" (episode 43).  In addition to THE RIFLEMAN, Parnell guest-starred in numerous other westerns, including "The Lone Ranger" (1949–1957), starring Clayton Moore, "Maverick" (1957–1962), starring James Garner, "Have Gun – Will Travel" (1957–1963), starring Richard Boone, "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" (1955–1961), starring Hugh O'Brien, "Bonanza" (1959–1973), starring Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts and Michael Landon, "Bat Masterson" (1958–1961), starring Gene Barry, and "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (1958–1961), starring Steve McQueen.

Bill Quinn as Sweeney, the Bartender
Bill Quinn as Sweeney, the Bartender

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.

Hugh Sanders as Ben Waller

Hugh Sanders was an American actor who worked primarily in television.  He appeared in more than 200 movies and television shows during a career of two decades.  He portrayed Charlie Thomas in the drama "The Wild One" (1953), starring Marlon Brando.  He had minor parts in a few other memorable films, including the musical drama "Jailhouse Rock" (1957), starring Elvis Presley, and the film adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962), starring Gregory Peck.

Sanders guest-starred in many popular television shows of the 1950s and 60s, including the action crime drama "Highway Patrol" (1955–1959), the anthology series "Playhouse 90" (1956–1960), the suspense anthology series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955–1962), the detective drama "Richard Diamond: Private Detective" (1957–1960), the private detective series "77 Sunset Strip" (1958–1964), the crime drama "The Untouchables" (1959–1963), the legal drama "Perry Mason" (1957–1966), Rod Serling's iconic anthology series "The Twilight Zone" (1959–1964), the comedy "Hazel" (1961–1966), the anthology series "The Outer Limits" (1963–1965), the medical drama "Dr. Kildare" (1961–1966), the family comedy "The Addams Family" (1964–1966) and the adventure drama "The Fugitive" (1963–1967).

Sanders made one appearance in THE RIFLEMAN, potraying Ben Waller in "The Blowout" (episode 43).  He guest-starred in many other westerns, including "The Lone Ranger" (1949–1957), "Zane Grey Theater" (1956–1961), "Maverick" (1957–1962), "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (1958–1961), "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" (1955–1961), "Bat Masterson" (1958–1961), "Gunsmoke" (1955–1975), "Rawhide" (1959–1966) and "Bonanza" (1959–1973).

Glenn Strange as Stagecoach Driver
Glenn Strange

Glenn Strange was an American actor most well known for playing roles in the Western and Horror genres.  Growing up in New Mexico, he had been a rancher, cowboy and rodeo performer—a background that lent authenticity to the Western characters he played.  In the 1920's he learned to play the fiddle and guitar, and toured the country with a radio singing group, the Arizona Wranglers.  He came to Hollywood in 1930 with the ensemble and began landing small parts in "B" Westerns.  At 6' 5" tall, he had a large, rugged frame and heavy features—attributes that tended to typecast him as villainous and nefarious characters.  Later, a different Western characterization would supplant the archetypal villains he portrayed earlier in his career—Sam Noonan, the bartender on CBS's "Gunsmoke" (1961–1973) television series would become his most enduring TV personae.  He appeared in 215 episodes of "Gunsmoke."

Boris Karloff, the quintessential Horror genre star, portrayed Frankenstein's monster in three films, but in 1944 passed the baton to Strange, who played the monster role in three Universal films, "House of Frankenstein" (1944), "House of Dracula" (1945) and the camp horror-comedy film, "Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948).  Ironically, in "House of Frankenstein" Karloff was cast as the villainous Dr. Niemann opposite Strange as the monster, formerly Karloff's signature character.

Beginning in the late 1940's, Strange segued into television and for the rest of his career appeared in numerous shows, again, frequently appearing in Westerns.   He guest-starred in six episodes of THE RIFLEMAN, playing variations of the same character in each outing.  He was Cole, the stagecoach driver, in "Duel of Honor" (episode 7) and a shotgun guard on the stagecoach in "The Dead-eye Kid" (episode 20), then Joey, the stagecoach driver, in "The Woman" (episode 32), followed by appearances as an unnamed stagecoach driver in "The Blowout" (episode 43), "The Spiked Rifle" (episode 49) and "Miss Bertie" (episode 90).  Among the many television shows in which he appeared, Strange guest-starred in "Annie Oakley" (1954–1956), "Death Valley Days" (1954 1958), "The Adventures of Champion" (1955–1956), "The Cisco Kid" (1955–1956) and "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" (1955 1960).  He passed away in 1973, ending his career playing Sam Noonan, the bartender on "Gunsmoke," whom he played for 12 years.


A famous gunslinger appears in North Fork.  Knowing that his reputation will attract other outlaws, Micah tries to persuade him to leave town, but the man refuses.  He came to North Fork knowing that he is dying of tuberculosis, and hopes to die in peace.  Micah and Lucas take him into protective custody when three gunslingers arrive in town.  Angered because they cannot have their hoped-for gunfight, they set fire to the town, which the dying man then saves by putting it out.