LAW OF THE PLAINSMAN – "Prairie Incident" - 1959 This is the first episode from the 1959-60 western series, LAW OF THE PLAINSMAN. Michael Ansara stars as a Native American U.S. Marshal. Ansara had been sent to Harvard for an education and returned to the west to take up the law.
Ansara is out riding when he comes upon a covered wagon stopped in the road. He taps the man on the shoulder and asks if all is OK? The man falls out onto the ground. He has a large bullet hole in his chest. Ansara now sees the barrel of a rifle pointing at him from inside the wagon.
He stands and raises his hands. Ansara sees that a small girl is the one with the rifle. He talks her into handing him the gun. After Ansara has buried the man, he asks the girl, Gina Gillespe, what had happened? Gillespe answers that a pair of gunmen had robbed her father and then shot him. She had been hiding in the back. "I can identify the man who shot my pa. He had a knife scar on his gun hand too!" Ansara takes the girl back to town to report the robbery and murder. While this is happening, the scene switches to a small ranch cabin. Two men, Richard Devon and William D. Gordon ride up. The men enter the cabin where they meet a third, Harry Swoger.
Swoger it seems is the hired man for the just murdered rancher. He had informed his buddies, Devon and Gordon about the cash being taken into the bank by his boss. Devon however thinks a three way split is not needed. He pulls on Swoger and fires. Before Swoger expires though, he asks what happened to the little girl? Devon and Gordon look at each other. "What little girl?" They stash the money in the barn and ride hard back to where they left the wagon. They find the buried man but no wagon. They track the wagon tracks into town. There they see the just arrived wagon, Ansara and the little girl. Gordon suggest they high tail out of town. Devon wonders if they need to. "What if she never saw us?" As Ansara is taking Gillepse to the Marshal's office, Devon rides up in front of them and stops. Ansara and the girl just walk right by. Devon smiles and heads for the salon for a drink. The girl however stops and looks at Devon as he rides towards the saloon. While Ansara is reporting to his boss, Dayton Dummis, Gillespe follows Devon to the saloon. She crawls under the door for a look.
Ansara now shows and grabs the girl. "It's him, it's him!" She says as she points at Devon. Ansara walks up behind Devon and yanks the man's gun out of his holster. Devon just smiles and nods at the saloon door. Standing over the girl is Gordon with his hand on his pistol. Ansara sets down Devon's weapon and backs out taking the girl with him. He drops her off at a local boarding house for safe-keeping. He then returns to the saloon.
The two gunmen though have split town. They plan on returning to the ranch, grabbing the money, and then beating the feet out of the area. The girl has also fled town. She thinks Ansara was frightened of Devon and had backed off arresting him. The kid grabs a horse and rides back to the ranch getting there just before Devon and Gordon.
Our man Ansara likewise jumps on a horse and rides hard for the ranch. All four end up in the dark barn with the only light coming from the gun-flashes of the .45's.Devon and Gordon are killed while Ansara catches a round in the arm. He picks up the girl and heads back to town.
Not a bad little western imo. Ansara in quite good here and the always dependable, Devon delivers as the nasty. (B/W)
Ansara is out riding when he comes upon a covered wagon stopped in the road. He taps the man on the shoulder and asks if all is OK? The man falls out onto the ground. He has a large bullet hole in his chest. Ansara now sees the barrel of a rifle pointing at him from inside the wagon.
He stands and raises his hands. Ansara sees that a small girl is the one with the rifle. He talks her into handing him the gun. After Ansara has buried the man, he asks the girl, Gina Gillespe, what had happened? Gillespe answers that a pair of gunmen had robbed her father and then shot him. She had been hiding in the back. "I can identify the man who shot my pa. He had a knife scar on his gun hand too!" Ansara takes the girl back to town to report the robbery and murder. While this is happening, the scene switches to a small ranch cabin. Two men, Richard Devon and William D. Gordon ride up. The men enter the cabin where they meet a third, Harry Swoger.
Swoger it seems is the hired man for the just murdered rancher. He had informed his buddies, Devon and Gordon about the cash being taken into the bank by his boss. Devon however thinks a three way split is not needed. He pulls on Swoger and fires. Before Swoger expires though, he asks what happened to the little girl? Devon and Gordon look at each other. "What little girl?" They stash the money in the barn and ride hard back to where they left the wagon. They find the buried man but no wagon. They track the wagon tracks into town. There they see the just arrived wagon, Ansara and the little girl. Gordon suggest they high tail out of town. Devon wonders if they need to. "What if she never saw us?" As Ansara is taking Gillepse to the Marshal's office, Devon rides up in front of them and stops. Ansara and the girl just walk right by. Devon smiles and heads for the salon for a drink. The girl however stops and looks at Devon as he rides towards the saloon. While Ansara is reporting to his boss, Dayton Dummis, Gillespe follows Devon to the saloon. She crawls under the door for a look.
Ansara now shows and grabs the girl. "It's him, it's him!" She says as she points at Devon. Ansara walks up behind Devon and yanks the man's gun out of his holster. Devon just smiles and nods at the saloon door. Standing over the girl is Gordon with his hand on his pistol. Ansara sets down Devon's weapon and backs out taking the girl with him. He drops her off at a local boarding house for safe-keeping. He then returns to the saloon.
The two gunmen though have split town. They plan on returning to the ranch, grabbing the money, and then beating the feet out of the area. The girl has also fled town. She thinks Ansara was frightened of Devon and had backed off arresting him. The kid grabs a horse and rides back to the ranch getting there just before Devon and Gordon.
Our man Ansara likewise jumps on a horse and rides hard for the ranch. All four end up in the dark barn with the only light coming from the gun-flashes of the .45's.Devon and Gordon are killed while Ansara catches a round in the arm. He picks up the girl and heads back to town.
Not a bad little western imo. Ansara in quite good here and the always dependable, Devon delivers as the nasty. (B/W)