| Law of the Plainsman | |
|---|---|
 Michael Ansara as Sam Buckhart. | |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 30 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 1, 1959 – September 22, 1960 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Law of the Plainsman is a Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on NBC from October 1, 1959, until September 22, 1960.[1]
The character of Native American U.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart was introduced in two episodes ("The Indian" and "The Raid") of the popular ABC Western television series The Rifleman starring Chuck Connors. As with The Rifleman, this series was produced by Four Star Productions in association with Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions.
Law of the Plainsman is distinctive in that it was one of the few television programs that featured a Native American as the lead character, a bold move for U.S. network television at that time. Ansara had earlier appeared in the series Broken Arrow, having portrayed the Apache chief, Cochise. Ansara, however, was not Native American but of Syrian descent.[2]
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ Peterson, Alison J. (August 2, 2013). "Michael Ansara, Actor Who Played Cochise and Kang, Dies at 91". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 3, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2013.