Lawman (TV series)

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Lawman
Lawman opening credits
Genre	Western
Starring	John Russell Peter Brown Peggie Castle
Theme music composer	Mack David (lyrics) Jerry Livingston
Composers	John Rarig William Lava David Buttolph
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	156
Production
Executive producer	William T. Orr
Producers	Jules Schermer (Production manager) Gordon Bau (make-up)
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	25 minutes
Production company	Warner Bros. Television
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Division
Release
Original network	ABC
Picture format	Black-and-white
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	October 5, 1958 (1958-10-05) – June 24, 1962 (1962-06-24)
Chronology
Related shows	Maverick Sugarfoot

Lawman is an American Western television series originally telecast on ABC from 1958 to 1962, starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and Peter Brown as Deputy Marshal Johnny McKay. The series was set in Laramie, Wyoming, during 1879 and the 1880s. Warner Bros. already had several Western series on the air at the time.

Prior to the beginning of production, Russell, Brown, and producer Jules Schermer made a pact to maintain the quality of the series so that it would not be seen as "just another Western". At the start of season two, Russell and Brown were joined by Peggie Castle as Lily Merrill, the owner of the Birdcage Saloon, and a love interest for Dan.

The main sponsor of the series was the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company through their Camel cigarettes brand. The alternate^{[clarification needed]} sponsor was General Mills. The two main stars did spots endorsing Camel cigarettes and Cheerios breakfast cereal.^{[citation needed]}

Premise[]

Dan Troop leaves Abilene, Kansas, for the town of Laramie, Wyoming. He is offered the town marshal's job after the previous marshal, David Lemp, is murdered. On the way into town, he meets Johnny McKay, who is placing a tombstone on Lemp's grave. Johnny mistakes Dan for a crook, but they meet up later again at the cafe owned by Lemp's widow Dru, played by , where Johnny works as a dishwasher. Dan puts a sign in the window of the marshal's office that reads, "Deputy Wanted". Johnny applies for the job, but Dan turns him down, because he believes that, at the age of 19, Johnny is too young. Dan later comes across Lacey Hawks, played by Edd Byrnes, in the Bluebonnet Saloon. Lacey tries to coax Dan into a gunfight, but Dan arrests him, instead. Lacey promises Dan that his two brothers Flynn, played by Jack Elam, and Walt, played by Lee Van Cleef, will come after him. Johnny tells Dan that Flynn is the one who killed Marshal Lemp, and that the whole town saw him do it, but were too afraid to stand up to him. He again volunteers to help Dan take them down, but Troop refuses. Johnny tells him that he cannot take both remaining Hawks brothers alone. Dan goes out to face them, anyway. Dan shoots Flynn, but then hears another shot from behind him. Dan sees Walt fall dead, and then turns around to see Johnny standing there with a rifle in his hand. Dan motions for Johnny to follow him back into the office, and then takes down the "Deputy Wanted" sign.^[1]

During the course of season one, Troop teaches Johnny the fundamentals of law enforcement. Frequently, while Troop is pursuing outlaws, Johnny remains behind to guard the town. In seasons two through four, though, Johnny becomes more involved in the action and carries some entire episodes by himself (such as in the season-three episode "Chantey" and season-four episode2 "The Youngest"). During season one, the episodes maintain a serious tone, but when Lily arrives at the start of season two, the scripts begin incorporating some comedic elements that lighten the tone, as well as some elements of romance, as Dan Troop and Lily Merrill's friendship grows. Johnny always addressed Marshal Dan Troop as "Mr. Troop" or "Sir" throughout the series run. Throughout season one, Troop usually called Johnny "Boy" with a tone indicating that it was aimed at Johnny's age; as the series progressed, Troop called Johnny by name more often than not, and only occasionally called him "Boy", though now with a tone indicating it was a term of friendship.

Episodes[]

Season 1 (1958–59)[]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"The Deputy"	Montgomery Pittman	Dean Riesner	October 5, 1958 (1958-10-05)
2	2	"The Prisoner"	Richard L. Bare	Story by : Frank Gruber Teleplay by : Edmund Morris	October 12, 1958 (1958-10-12)
3	3	"The Joker"	Stuart Heisler	Finlay McDermid	October 19, 1958 (1958-10-19)
4	4	"The Oath"	Leslie H. Martinson	Story by : Irving Rubine Teleplay by : William F. Leicester	October 26, 1958 (1958-10-26)
5	5	"The Outcast"	Stuart Hiesler	Story by : Jack Emanuel & William F. Leicester Teleplay by : William F. Leicester	November 2, 1958 (1958-11-02)
6	6	"The Jury"	Richard L. Bare	Edmund Morris	November 9, 1958 (1958-11-09)
7	7	"Wanted"	Leslie H. Martinson	Finlay McDermid	November 16, 1958 (1958-11-16)
8	8	"The Badge"	Lee Sholem	Finlay McDermid & Bernard C. Schoenfeld	November 23, 1958 (1958-11-23)
9	9	"Bloodline"	Leslie H. Martinson	Story by : Budd & Burt Arthur Teleplay by : Finlay McDermid	November 30, 1958 (1958-11-30)
10	10	"The Intruders"	Stuart Heisler	Story by : David Lang Teleplay by : David Lang & Edmund Morris	December 7, 1958 (1958-12-07)
11	11	"Short Straw"	Stuart Heisler	Clair Huffaker	December 14, 1958 (1958-12-14)
12	12	"Lady in Question"	Alan Crosland Jr.	David Lang	December 21, 1958 (1958-12-21)
13	13	"The Master"	Anton Leader	Story by : Finlay McDermid Teleplay by : Finlay McDermid & Edmund Morris	December 28, 1958 (1958-12-28)
14	14	"The Outsider"	Stuart Heisler	William F. Leicester	January 4, 1959 (1959-01-04)
15	15	"The Captives"	Stuart Heisler	Edmund Morris	January 11, 1959 (1959-01-11)
16	16	"The Encounter"	Stuart Heisler	Clair Huffaker	January 18, 1959 (1959-01-18)
17	17	"The Brand Release"	Stuart Heisler	Story by : Oliver Crawford Teleplay by : Oliver Crawford & Edmund Morris	January 25, 1959 (1959-01-25)
18	18	"The Runaway"	Stuart Heisler	William F. Leicester	February 1, 1959 (1959-02-01)
19	19	"Warpath"	Stuart Heisler	Dean Riesner	February 8, 1959 (1959-02-08)
20	20	"The Gunman"	Stuart Heisler	Clair Huffaker	February 15, 1959 (1959-02-15)
21	21	"The Big Hat"	Stuart Heisler	William F. Leicester	February 22, 1959 (1959-02-22)
22	22	"The Chef"	Stuart Heisler	Story by : Mortimer Braus Teleplay by : Edmund Morris	March 1, 1959 (1959-03-01)
23	23	"The Posse"	Stuart Heisler	William F. Leicester	March 8, 1959 (1959-03-08)
24	24	"The Visitor"	Stuart Heisler	Edmund Morris	March 15, 1959 (1959-03-15)
25	25	"Battle Scar"	Stuart Heisler	Story by : Lawrence Menkin & Don Tait Teleplay by : Edmund Morris	March 22, 1959 (1959-03-22)
26	26	"The Gang"	Stuart Heisler	Story by : Eddie Anderson & Frederick Louis Fox Teleplay by : Clair Huffaker & Edmund Morris	March 29, 1959 (1959-03-29)
27	27	"The Souvenir"	Stuart Heisler	Story by : Frederick Louis Fox Teleplay by : Edmund Morris	April 5, 1959 (1959-04-05)
28	28	"The Young Toughs"	Leslie H. Martinson	Clair Huffaker	April 12, 1959 (1959-04-12)
29	29	"Riding Shotgun"	Alan Crosland Jr.	Story by : Kenneth Perkins Teleplay by : William F. Leicester	April 19, 1959 (1959-04-19)
30	30	"The Journey"	Stuart Heisler	Edmund Morris	April 26, 1959 (1959-04-26)
31	31	"The Huntress"	Stuart Heisler	Clair Huffaker	May 3, 1959 (1959-05-03)
32	32	"The Return"	Stuart Heisler	Story by : James Barnett & Jules Schermer Teleplay by : Finlay McDermid	May 10, 1959 (1959-05-10)
33	33	"The Senator"	Stuart Heisler	Story by : Booker McClay Teleplay by : Booker McClay & Clair Huffaker	May 17, 1959 (1959-05-17)
34	34	"The Ring"	Leslie H. Martinson	Story by : Harry Whittington Teleplay by : Edmund Morris	May 24, 1959 (1959-05-24)
35	35	"The Bandit"	Lee Sholem	Oliver Crawford	May 31, 1959 (1959-05-31)
36	36	"The Wayfarer"	Lee Sholem	Story by : William F. Leicester Teleplay by : William F. Leicester & Edmund Morris	June 7, 1959 (1959-06-07)
37	37	"The Conclave"	Mark Sandrich Jr.	Edmund Morris	June 14, 1959 (1959-06-14)
38	38	"Bad Ransom"	Leslie H. Martinson	William F. Leicester	June 21, 1959 (1959-06-21)
39	39	"The Friend"	Mark Sandrich Jr.	Clair Huffaker	June 28, 1959 (1959-06-28)

Season 2 (1959–60)[]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
40	1	"Lily"	Leslie H. Martinson	Story by : Clair Huffaker Teleplay by : Dean Riesner	October 4, 1959 (1959-10-04)
41	2	"The Hunch"	Robert Sparr	William F. Leicester	October 11, 1959 (1959-10-11)
42	3	"Shackled"	Leslie H. Martinson	William F. Leicester	October 18, 1959 (1959-10-18)
43	4	"The Exchange"	Robert Sparr	Edmund Morris	October 25, 1959 (1959-10-25)
44	5	"The Last Man"	Robert Sparr	Clair Huffaker	November 1, 1959 (1959-11-01)
45	6	"The Breakup"	Paul Guilfoyle	Clair Huffaker	November 8, 1959 (1959-11-08)
46	7	"Shadow Witness"	Everett Sloane	William F. Leicester	November 15, 1959 (1959-11-15)
47	8	"The Prodigal"	Paul Stewart	William F. Leicester	November 22, 1959 (1959-11-22)
48	9	"The Press"	Robert Sparr	Ric Hardman	November 29, 1959 (1959-11-29)
49	10	"9:05 to North Platte"	Robert Sparr	Clair Huffaker	December 6, 1959 (1959-12-06)
50	11	"The Hoax"	Robert Sparr	Dean Riesner	December 20, 1959 (1959-12-20)
51	12	"The Shelter"	Paul Gulifoyle	Edmund Morris	December 27, 1959 (1959-12-27)
52	13	"Last Stop"	Robert Sparr	Clair Huffaker	January 3, 1960 (1960-01-03)
53	14	"The Showdown"	Robert Sparr	William F. Leicester	January 10, 1960 (1960-01-10)
54	15	"The Stranger"	Robert Sparr	Clair Huffaker	January 17, 1960 (1960-01-17)
55	16	"The Wolfer"	Robert Sparr	Ric Hardman	January 24, 1960 (1960-01-24)
56	17	"The Hardcase"	Robert Sparr	William F. Leicester	January 31, 1960 (1960-01-31)
57	18	"To Capture the West"	Robert Sparr	Clair Huffaker	February 7, 1960 (1960-02-07)
58	19	"The Ugly Man"	Robert Sparr	Clair Huffaker	February 14, 1960 (1960-02-14)
59	20	"The Kids"	Robert Sparr	Ric Hardman	February 21, 1960 (1960-02-21)
60	21	"The Thimblerigger"	Robert Sparr	Ric Hardman	February 28, 1960 (1960-02-28)
61	22	"The Truce"	Robert Sparr	Ric Hardman	March 6, 1960 (1960-03-06)
62	23	"Reunion in Laramie"	Robert Sparr	William F. Leicester	March 13, 1960 (1960-03-13)
63	24	"Thirty Minutes"	Robert Sparr	Richard Matheson	March 20, 1960 (1960-03-20)
64	25	"Left Hand of the Law"	Robert Sparr	Story by : Margaret Armen Teleplay by : Edmund Morris	March 27, 1960 (1960-03-27)
65	26	"Belding's Girl"	Robert Sparr	William F. Leicester	April 3, 1960 (1960-04-03)
66	27	"Girl from Grantsville"	Robert Sparr	Clair Huffaker	April 10, 1960 (1960-04-10)
67	28	"Surface of Truth"	Robert Sparr	Ric Hardman	April 17, 1960 (1960-04-17)
68	29	"The Salvation of Owny O'Reilly"	Robert Sparr	Ric Hardman	April 24, 1960 (1960-04-24)
69	30	"The Lady Belle"	Robert Sparr	Ric Hardman	May 1, 1960 (1960-05-01)
70	31	"The Payment"	Robert Sparr	Story by : Harry S. Franklin & Lewis Reed Teleplay by : Berne Giler	May 8, 1960 (1960-05-08)
71	32	"The Judge"	Robert Sparr	Story by : Montgomery Pittman Teleplay by : W. Hermanos & Montgomery Pittman	May 15, 1960 (1960-05-15)
72	33	"Man on a Wire"	Robert Sparr	W. Hermanos	May 22, 1960 (1960-05-22)
73	34	"The Parting"	Robert Sparr	David Lang	May 29, 1960 (1960-05-29)
74	35	"The Swamper"	Mark Sandrich Jr.	Story by : Finlay McDermid Teleplay by : Edmund Morris	June 5, 1960 (1960-06-05)
75	36	"Man on a Mountain"	Paul Guilfoyle, Arthur Lubin (uncredited)	Clair Huffaker	June 12, 1960 (1960-06-12)
76	37	"Fast Trip to Cheyenne"	Robert Sparr	Story by : Jules Schermer Teleplay by : W. Hermanos	June 19, 1960 (1960-06-19)

Season 3 (1960–61)[]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
77	1	"The Town Boys"	Robert Sparr	Story by : Jules Schermer Teleplay by : George Lairden	September 18, 1960 (1960-09-18)
78	2	"The Go-Between"	Stuart Heisler	Story by : Jules Schermer Teleplay by : Thomas Hyatt	September 26, 1960 (1960-09-26)
79	3	"The Mad Bunch"	Robert Sparr	Ric Hardman	October 2, 1960 (1960-10-02)
80	4	"The Old War Horse"	Robert Sparr	Ric Hardman	October 9, 1960 (1960-10-09)
81	5	"Return of Owny O'Reilly"	Stuart Heisler	Ric Hardman	October 16, 1960 (1960-10-16)
82	6	"Yawkey"	Stuart Heisler	Richard Matheson	October 23, 1960 (1960-10-23)
83	7	"Dilemma"	Robert B. Sinclair	William F. Leicester	October 30, 1960 (1960-10-30)
84	8	"The Post"	Marc Lawrence	Ric Hardman	November 6, 1960 (1960-11-06)
85	9	"Chantay"	Robert B. Sinclair	Ric Hardman	November 13, 1960 (1960-11-13)
86	10	"Samson the Great"	Stuart Heisler	Richard Matheson	November 20, 1960 (1960-11-20)
87	11	"The Second Son"	Robert B. Sinclair	Ric Hardman	November 27, 1960 (1960-11-27)
88	12	"The Catcher"	Marc Lawrence	William F. Leicester	December 4, 1960 (1960-12-04)
89	13	"Cornered"	Marc Lawrence	Richard Matheson	December 11, 1960 (1960-12-11)
90	14	"The Escape of Joe Kilmer"	Robert Sparr	Story by : Jules Schermer Teleplay by : James Pitts	December 18, 1960 (1960-12-18)
91	15	"Old Stefano"	Robert B. Sinclair	Ric Hardman	December 25, 1960 (1960-12-25)
92	16	"The Robbery"	Robert Altman	Dean Riesner	January 1, 1961 (1961-01-01)
93	17	"Firehouse Lil"	Leslie H. Martinson	Ric Hardman	January 8, 1961 (1961-01-08)
94	18	"The Frame-Up"	Marc Lawrence	John Tomerlin	January 15, 1961 (1961-01-15)
95	19	"The Marked Man"	Marc Lawrence	Story by : Victoria Schermer & Peter Schermer Teleplay by : Paul Savage and Bronson Howitzer (aka Ric Hardman)	January 22, 1961 (1961-01-22)
96	20	"The Squatters"	Marc Lawrence	William F. Leicester	January 29, 1961 (1961-01-29)
97	21	"Homecoming"	Robert B. Sinclair	Richard Matheson	February 5, 1961 (1961-02-05)
98	22	"Hassayampa"	Marc Lawrence	Ric Hardman	February 12, 1961 (1961-02-12)
99	23	"The Promoter"	Leslie H. Martinson	Howard Browne	February 19, 1961 (1961-02-19)
100	24	"Detweiler's Kid"	Marc Lawrence	Ric Hardman	February 26, 1961 (1961-02-26)
101	25	"The Inheritance"	Marc Lawrence	John Tomerlin	March 5, 1961 (1961-03-05)
102	26	"Blue Boss & Willie Shay"	Stuart Heisler	Ric Hardman	March 12, 1961 (1961-03-12)
103	27	"The Man from New York"	Jim Faris	Rik Vollaerts	March 19, 1961 (1961-03-19)
104	28	"Mark of Cain"	Marc Lawrence	Paul Savage	March 26, 1961 (1961-03-26)
105	29	"Fugitive"	Marc Lawrence	Story by : John Downing Teleplay by : John Downing and Bronson Howitzer (aka Ric Hardman)	April 2, 1961 (1961-04-02)
106	30	"The Persecuted"	Richard C. Sarafian	Leonard Paul Smith	April 9, 1961 (1961-04-09)
107	31	"The Grubstake"	Robert B. Sinclair	Bronson Howitzer (aka Ric Hardman) & Marc Mccarty	April 16, 1961 (1961-04-16)
108	32	"Whiphand"	Marc Lawrence	Sheldon Stark	April 23, 1961 (1961-04-23)
109	33	"The Threat"	Richard C. Sarafian	John Tomerlin	April 30, 1961 (1961-04-30)
110	34	"The Trial"	Marc Lawrence	John Tomerlin	May 7, 1961 (1961-05-07)
111	35	"Blind Hate"	Marc Lawrence	Rik Vollaerts	May 14, 1961 (1961-05-14)
112	36	"The Break-In"	Richard C. Sarafian	Montgomery Pittman	May 21, 1961 (1961-05-21)
113	37	"Conditional Surrender"	Marc Lawrence	Walter Wagner	May 28, 1961 (1961-05-28)
114	38	"Cold Fear"	Richard C. Sarafian	Rik Vollaerts	June 4, 1961 (1961-06-04)
115	39	"The Promise"	Irving J. Moore	John D.F. Black	June 11, 1961 (1961-06-11)

Season 4 (1961–62)[]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
116	1	"Trapped"	Richard C. Sarafian	Walter Wagner	September 17, 1961 (1961-09-17)
117	2	"The Juror"	Marc Lawrence	Ric Hardman	September 24, 1961 (1961-09-24)
118	3	"The Four"	Richard C. Sarafian	John D.F. Black	October 1, 1961 (1961-10-01)
119	4	"The Son"	Richard C. Sarafian	John D.F. Black	October 8, 1961 (1961-10-08)
120	5	"Owny O'Reilly, Esquire"	Leslie H. Martinson	Ric Hardman	October 15, 1961 (1961-10-15)
121	6	"The Substitute"	Robert B. Sinclair	Story by : Robert L. Palmer Teleplay by : Bronson Howitzer (aka Ric Hardman)	October 22, 1961 (1961-10-22)
122	7	"The Stalker"	Richard C. Sarafian	John Tomerlin	October 29, 1961 (1961-10-29)
123	8	"The Catalog Woman"	Leslie H. Martinson	Ric Hardman	November 5, 1961 (1961-11-05)
124	9	"The Cold One"	Richard C. Sarafian	Mark Rodgers	November 12, 1961 (1961-11-12)
125	10	"Porphyria's Lover"	Richard C. Sarafian	Margaret Armen	November 19, 1961 (1961-11-19)
126	11	"The Appointment"	Richard Benedict	John D.F. Black	November 26, 1961 (1961-11-26)
127	12	"The Lords of Darkness"	Richard C. Sarafian	Mark Rodgers	December 3, 1961 (1961-12-03)
128	13	"Tarot"	Robert B. Sinclair	Mark Rodgers	December 10, 1961 (1961-12-10)
129	14	"The Prodigal Mother"	Robert B. Sinclair	Story by : Fanya Foss Teleplay by : Paul Savage	December 17, 1961 (1961-12-17)
130	15	"By the Book"	Irving J. Moore	John Tomerlin	December 24, 1961 (1961-12-24)
131	16	"Trojan Horse"	Richard C. Sarafian	John Tomerlin	December 31, 1961 (1961-12-31)
132	17	"The Locket"	Robert B. Sinclair	Margaret Armen	January 7, 1962 (1962-01-07)
133	18	"A Friend of the Family"	Richard C. Sarafian	John Tomerlin	January 14, 1962 (1962-01-14)
134	19	"The Vintage"	Richard C. Sarafian	John D.F. Black	January 21, 1962 (1962-01-21)
135	20	"The Tarnished Badge"	Richard C. Sarafian	Margaret Armen	January 28, 1962 (1962-01-28)
136	21	"No Contest"	Irving J. Moore	Berne Giler	February 4, 1962 (1962-02-04)
137	22	"Change of Venue"	Richard C. Sarafian	Mark Rodgers	February 11, 1962 (1962-02-11)
138	23	"The Holdout"	Richard C. Sarafian	Story by : Oc Rich Teleplay by : Anthony Spinner	February 18, 1962 (1962-02-18)
139	24	"The Barber"	Richard C. Sarafian	John D.F. Black	February 25, 1962 (1962-02-25)
140	25	"The Long Gun"	Burt Kennedy	Burt Kennedy	March 4, 1962 (1962-03-04)
141	26	"Clootey Hutter"	Richard C. Sarafian	Robert Vincent Wright	March 11, 1962 (1962-03-11)
142	27	"Heritage of Hate"	Robert B. Sinclair	William F. Leicester	March 18, 1962 (1962-03-18)
143	28	"Mountain Man"	Robert B. Sinclair	Sheldon Stark	March 25, 1962 (1962-03-25)
144	29	"The Bride"	Richard C. Sarafian	Story by : Berne Giler Teleplay by : John Tomerlin	April 1, 1962 (1962-04-01)
145	30	"The Wanted Man"	Burt Kennedy	Burt Kennedy	April 8, 1962 (1962-04-08)
146	31	"Sunday"	Burt Kennedy	Burt Kennedy	April 15, 1962 (1962-04-15)
147	32	"The Youngest"	Robert B. SInclair	Story by : Eric Stone Teleplay by : Eric Stone & John Tomerlin	April 22, 1962 (1962-04-22)
148	33	"Cort"	Burt Kennedy	Anthony Spinner	April 29, 1962 (1962-04-29)
149	34	"The Doctor"	Gunther von Fritsch	Story by : Oc Rich Teleplay by : John D.F. Black & Oc Rich	May 6, 1962 (1962-05-06)
150	35	"The Man Behind the News"	Robert B. Sinclair	Bill Idelson & John Tomerlin	May 13, 1962 (1962-05-13)
151	36	"Get Out of Town"	Richard Benedict	Story by : Leo Gordon & Paul Leslie Pail Teleplay by : John D.F. Black	May 20, 1962 (1962-05-20)
152	37	"The Actor"	Richard C. Sarafian	Richard Matheson	May 27, 1962 (1962-05-27)
153	38	"Explosion"	Richard C. Sarafian	Rik Vollaerts	June 3, 1962 (1962-06-03)
154	39	"Jailbreak"	Paul Landres	Story by : Don Tait & Coles Trapnell Teleplay by : John D.F. Black & Wells Root	June 10, 1962 (1962-06-10)
155	40	"The Unmasked"	Robert B. Sinclair	Charles Smith	June 17, 1962 (1962-06-17)
156	41	"The Witness"	Gunther von Fritsch	Jack Hawn	June 24, 1962 (1962-06-24)

Main characters[]

Dan Troop, played by John Russell, is the town marshal of Laramie. Russell based the character on an officer that he knew in the United States Marine Corps. Dan is a hardnosed, by-the-book, seasoned lawman, who is quick with a gun, and also good with his fists. Russell, who was 37 years old when he got the part, theorized that Dan would have to be older to have this much experience as a lawman. After the third episode, Russell had white streaks added to his hair to make him appear older. In addition to being marshal, Dan was both a mentor and friend to his deputy, Johnny McKay. According to Peter Brown on his website, Dan and Johnny's relationship mirrored the relationship that he had with Russell. While Dan was teaching Johnny how to be a lawman, Russell was teaching Brown how to be an actor. Dan also had a romantic relationship with saloon owner Lily Merrill. Dan cared for Lily very deeply, but his job often thwarted their happiness. He had one brother, Clay Troop, played by James Drury, four years before the premiere of The Virginian. Clay Troop was killed in the season one episode, "The Gang". It was revealed that the woman Dan loved and wanted to marry, before her death, had instead wed Clay, a gunfighter and an outlaw. Clay said that his wife "couldn't resist trying to reform" him though she had loved Dan a little more. There were times when the townspeople would second guess Troop, but he always stuck to his guns and was determined to do the right thing.

Johnny McKay, played by Peter Brown, is the deputy marshal of Laramie. Dan had been hesitant to hire Johnny as his deputy, because of his young age, but he later proved his worth. Johnny was orphaned at age ten in Kansas. His father was killed by raiders, and his mother died on a wagon train. The season one episode, "The Joker," dealt with Johnny's origin when an outlaw named Barney Tremain, played by Jeff York in the first of two appearances on the series, rides into Laramie and claims to be Johnny's real father. It was never revealed whether or not he was telling the truth. Johnny was more easy going, but he was also brave, extremely fast with a gun, and loyal to Dan, whom he always referred to as "Mr. Troop." He was like a younger brother to Lily. In the first season, Dan many times left Johnny behind while he left Laramie to pursue criminals. In the later years, Johnny got more involved in the action as Dan began to see him as a partner in the fight against crime than as his humble apprentice. Johnny actually quit three times. Once because if Tremain was his father, he thought that meant he had outlaw blood in him. The second time, he thought Dan was taking credit for a kill he made, but he later found out Dan was trying to protect him. The third time, Johnny had to shoot a friend of his, and lost his nerve to be a lawman. Somehow though, he would eventually come back.

In an attempt to attract female viewers,^{[citation needed]} the producers tried to find the right love interest for Dan. They started off with Dru Lemp, widow of the previous town marshal. Dan admitted in the first episode he had a previous relationship with a woman who was killed by a stray bullet. Midway through the first season, the character was dropped due to Russell and Nelson having a lack of chemistry.

Later in the first season, Barbara Lang was brought in as Julie Tate, the daughter of Harry Tate, played by Jon Lormer, who was the editor of the town newspaper. She and Dan did not hit it off right away, because she felt he was not doing enough to find her father's killer. After four episodes, she was never seen again.

Lily Merrill (Peggie Castle) then came to town as the owner of the Birdcage Saloon.^[2] Lily had been run out of Billings, Montana, by a crooked sheriff. At first she and Dan thought each other were crooked. After finding out that they were both wrong, Dan and Lily became very close during the remainder of the run of the series. As their relationship grew, Lily often dropped hints about wanting to marry Dan, and he would pretend that he did not hear. Lily was formerly married to outlaw Frank Quinlaven, played by Mike Road in the season two episode, "The Exchange." They had a son named Tommy, played by , who lived with her sister. Frank tried to use Tommy as a bargaining chip to get Lily to help him rob the Laramie bank, but Dan stopped him at the last minute. Dan and Johnny often used Lily as a sounding board whenever they had a problem. Lily is beautiful, feisty, courageous, extremely loyal, and occasionally even uses a gun herself to help Dan and Johnny when no one else will. In addition to running her saloon, Lily was also elected the town fire chief, and briefly filled in as schoolmarm.

Recurring characters[]

• Dru Lemp (Bek Nelson) appeared in eight episodes of season one. She owns a local cafe and is the widow of the previous town marshal, David Lemp.
• Judge Trager (Harry Cheshire) appeared in fifteen episodes over all four seasons. He oversees all of the court cases in Laramie. He is a member of the town council and a close friend of Dan's.
• Harry Tate (Jon Lormer) appeared in five episodes in season one as the editor of the town newspaper, the bi-weekly "Laramie Free Press", and a close friend of Dan's. He was killed by mistake when wearing the hat of the intended victim. Tate had a daughter, Julie.
• Julie Tate (Barbara Lang) appeared in four episodes of season one. She takes over as editor for the newspaper after her father was killed.

• Tom Pike (Lane Chandler) appeared in four episodes of season one. He is a member of the town council and was constantly second guessing Dan's decisions.
• Hank the Bartender, (Emory Parnell) appeared in eleven episodes of the first two seasons. He is the bartender at the Bluebonnet Saloon, a precursor to the Birdcage.
• Doc Stewart, the town physician, is initially portrayed by James Bell and for seven other episodes by .
• Timmo McQueeney (Clancy Cooper) appeared in fifteen episodes in season two. He is Lily's main bartender, a big burly guy, who talks with a thick Irish accent.
• Jake Summers (Dan Sheridan) appeared in thirty-eight episodes in seasons three and four. Jake became Lily's main bartender who informs Dan and Johnny if any strangers come into town. Prior to becoming Jake, Sheridan guest starred twice in two separate roles.
• Owny O'Reilly (Joel Grey) appeared three times in seasons 2-4. In the episode "The Salvation of Owny O'Reilly" (April 24, 1960), Grey, at twenty-eight, plays the teenager Owny O'Reilly, who is befriended by Deputy McKay. After he finds gold thrown into a well by the partner of his outlaw brother, Owny decides to return the money but only after coming into the crossfire of the marshal and the outlaws.^[3] In time, Owny becomes close friends with Dan and Johnny. In the season 3 episode "The Return of Owny O'Reilly", he plays a comical sidekick as Dan's deputy while Johnny is away. Finally, in the season 4 episode "Owny O'Reilly, Esq.", Grey's character blunders his way yet again into catching an escaped criminal.
• Jack Stiles (Doodles Weaver) appeared in four episodes of season two as the clerk at the Hotel Laramie and one of Dan and Johnny's informants.
• Oren Slauson (Vinton Hayworth) appeared in nine episodes of seasons 2-4. He is the manager of the Laramie Bank, which seemed to get robbed regularly.
• Ben Toomey (Grady Sutton) appeared in twelve episodes of seasons 3-4. He took over as clerk at the Hotel Laramie and like Jack before him gave Dan and Johnny information on a regular basis.

In the next-to-the last episode entitled "The Unmasked" (June 17, 1962), Lawman presents an entirely fictitious portrayal of Boston Corbett, the man who shot and mortally wounded John Wilkes Booth after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Played by character actor Dabbs Greer, Corbett is given the name "Joe Brockway" and depicted as a hotel owner in Laramie. In the story line, two former Confederates from Georgia, played by Barry Atwater and Charles Maxwell, arrive in Laramie in search of Brockway, the key, they claim, to the settlement of an estate to which they are all a party. Jack Albertson is cast in the episode as a somewhat comical traveling elixir salesman named "Doc" Peters.^[4]

Guest stars[]

• Steve Pendleton and Lee Van Cleef played deputies Kelsey and Clyde Wilson, respectively, in the episode "Man on a Mountain" (June 12, 1960).
• Vivi Janiss appeared as Alice Welch in "The Visitor", along with Charles Cooper as gunfighter Jack Rollins, Stephen Talbot as Jamie Rollins, Doug McClure as Jed Ryan, and Roscoe Ates as The Old Timer (March 15, 1959).
• DeForest Kelley, five years before Star Trek, was cast as Bent Carr, a greedy ranch foreman, in the episode "Squatters" (January 29, 1961). Carr contributes to the death of his pneumonia-stricken employer by raising the window and removing his cover on a cold night. Armed with power of attorney, he then proceeds to expunge from the ranch lands several farm families who had received permission to settle there by his departed employer.^[5] On February 28, 1960, he was cast as Sam White, in "The Thimblerigger", in an earlier episode.
• Sammy Davis, Jr., appears in the episode "Blue Boss and Willie Shay" (March 12, 1961) as singing cowboy Willie Shay, who sings part of the western song, "The Streets of Laredo," also known as "The Cowboy's Lament".
• Peter Breck, formerly of Black Saddle and later of The Big Valley, appears as the arrogant Hale Connors in "Trapped" (September 17, 1961), the first episode of the last season of Lawman. In the story line, Connors places "Plague" warning signs to keep people from entering Laramie while he demands all $150,000 of the assets of the bank as the price for releasing stagecoach passengers being held hostage under threat of death. Marshal Troop devises a plan to thwart Connors and return the money to the bank.^[6]
• Robert McQueeney is cast in the episode "Tarot" (December 10, 1961) as Joe Wyatt, an old friend of Lily Merrill's who arrives at the Birdcage. He reads fortune cards for her friends; all become true, but one suddenly points to death. Wyatt tries to halt a robbery but is fatally wounded in the attempt.^[7]
• Billy Booth appears as a young boy, Tad McCallan, in the episode "The Prodigal Mother" (December 17, 1961). Tad's birth mother, now the married Margaret Coleson, played by Catherine McLeod, returns to Laramie to reclaim him legally from his foster parents, who are poor, hardworking farmers. When Tad tells Mrs. Coleson that she is his mother, but not his "maw", she decides to leave the boy with the McCallans but agrees to keep in contact with him.^[8]
• Lyle Talbot in the episode "By the Book" (December 24, 1961) plays Orville Luster, an overbearing assistant to the territorial marshal, who arrives in Laramie questioning Dan Troop's methods of law enforcement. Troop makes a decision to release two drunken patrons of the Birdcage against Luster's recommendation, and the results are unexpected. Luster soon turns into an admirer of Troop because the two drunks save Luster's life from an attack by others. Walter Burke appears in a comical role as Ernie.^[9]
• Stephen Talbot (Lyle Talbot's son) played Jamie Rollins in the 1959 episode, "The Visitor."
• Marie Windsor in the episode "The Wanted Man" (April 8, 1962) portrays Ann Jesse, a woman who dies in childbirth. Her wanted husband, Frank (Dick Foran), orders their grown son, Ben (Jan Stine) to turn him into Marshal Dan Troop in order to collect the $5,000 reward to have the means to rear his infant brother. Meanwhile, Troop counters Joe Street (Alan Baxter), a bounty hunter seeking the same reward.^[10]

• Andrew Duggan appeared several times on Lawman, including the part of Frank Boone in "Sunday" (April 15, 1962). In the story line, Boone desperately demands that he be allowed to take a young outlaw, Billy Deal (Richard Evans), to Montana Territory, where Boone can receive amnesty for his own past crimes in return for bringing Deal to the gallows. At great risk to himself, Marshal Troop is determined to send Deal on the Sunday train to answer for another crime in Casper.^[11]
• Olive Carey delivers a noteworthy performance as a bullying mother, "Ma" Martin, of three grown sons in the episode "The Youngest" (April 22, 1962). In the story line, Mrs. Martin pushes her sons, particularly the youngest, Jim Martin, Jr. (Joseph Gallison), to take revenge on Marshal Troop for the rightful shooting death of their father, who pulled a gun while involved in a crooked poker game. Jim, however, decides to stand up to his mother upon realizing that his father provoked the shooting.^[12]
• Kevin Hagen and Harry Carey, Jr., appeared as estranged brothers in the episode "Cort" (April 29, 1962). In the story line, Cort Evers (Hagen) seeks revenge against his brother Mitch (Carey), whom he mistakenly blames for betraying six Union Army prisoners from their hometown during the American Civil War. Mitch is compelled to confront Cort in a shootout during which he explains that it had been Cort himself, under the influence of a fever, who betrayed the prisoners. Cort faints to the ground as he remembers the startling truth of the betrayal.^[13]

Other guest stars:

Production notes[]

Being part of the Warner Bros. array of westerns, Lawman participated in two crossovers. Russell and Brown appeared in the "Hadley's Hunters" episode of Maverick with Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick. Peter Brown and Adam West also appeared as Johnny McKay and Doc Holliday, respectively, in the Sugarfoot episode "The Trial of the Canary Kid", which was a sequel to the Lawman episode, "The Wayfarer." The premise was that the Canary Kid, Sugarfoot's twin cousin, was in the Laramie jail at the same time as Holliday, and McKay and Holliday were called in to testify accordingly.

The studio routinely recycled scripts through their various series to save money on writers, frequently crediting the results to "W. Hermanos" (Spanish for W. Brothers). Two Lawman scripts, "The Payment" and "The Judge" were renamed from episodes of Cheyenne and reduced from sixty to thirty minutes.

Merchandise[]

Lawman also spawned a variety of merchandise during the run of the series, including lunchboxes, puzzles, boots, arcade cards, sheet music, action figures, toy rifles, and cap pistols. There was also a Lawman comic, drawn by Dan Spiegle, which ran for eleven issues (1958–1962).^[14]

Home media[]

Warner Archive has released all four seasons on DVD in Region 1.^[15][16][17] These are manufacture-on-demand (MOD) releases, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release Date
The Complete First Season	39	July 7, 2015
The Complete Second Season	39	August 25, 2015
The Complete Third Season	39	December 1, 2015
The Complete Fourth Season	41	February 2, 2016

Syndication[]

Lawman can currently be seen in re-runs Monday through Friday at 6:20 p.m. ET on the Encore Westerns Channel. The 156th and final episode of the series aired on June 18, 2013. Encore also rebroadcasts Laredo, which aired on NBC from 1965 to 1967 which also co-starred Peter Brown.^[18]

Notes[]

References[]

Lackmabb, Ron (2003). The Encyclopedia of 20th-Century American Television. Checkmark Books. p. 195. ISBN 0-8160-4555-0.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lawman (TV series).

• Lawman at IMDb
• Unofficial Lawman homepage
• Roy Huggins' Archive of American Television interview