The Deputy (5 Oct. 1958)

A marshal with a reputation, finished with his last job in Abilene, comes to a town needing a new one. His job priorities are to find the killer of who he replaced and to hire a deputy, a hard job to fill.

Director:

Montgomery Pittman

Writers:

Dean Riesner, Harry Whittington (novel)

Stars:

John Russell, Peter Brown, Bek Nelson

Cast

Episode cast overview:
John Russell	...	Marshal Dan Troop
Peter Brown	...	Deputy Johnny McKay
Bek Nelson	...	Dru L. Lemp
Edd Byrnes	...	Lacy Hawks (as Edward Byrnes)
Jack Elam	...	Flynn Hawks
Lee Van Cleef	...	Walt Hawks (as Lee VanCleef)
Stanley Farrar	...	Judge Patterson (credit only)
Lane Chandler	...	Tom Pike
Rankin Mansfield	...	Carl Shoemaker

Storyline

The new Laramie marshal arrives as Johnny McKay is installing the headstone for the previous marshal. Dan Troop is from Abilene where he cleaned up the town. His first two tasks are hiring a deputy and finding out who killed the previous marshal. Johnny McKay, who works part time for the previous marshal's wife in her café, applies for the deputy job but Troop believes him to be too green. However, Johnny tells Troop that Flynn Hawks killed Marshal Lemp and that half the town saw it. Troop locks up the younger Lacy Hawks while looking for Flynn putting the town on edge. During a discussion with Mrs. Lemp on why he does such a thankless job he indicates a woman very close to him was killed by a random bullet. The older Hawks brothers Walt and Flynn draw Troop into a shootout of two versus one he can't win. However, McKay comes to Troop's aid and the deputy job is filled.

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Plot Keywords:

shootout | pistol | street shootout | winchester rifle | tv pilot | 

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 1958 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 28, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The configuration of the Marshal's office shown in this episode was only used for this episode. The jail cells were moved to a different location and the furniture moved and a railing added with a gate in all future episodes.

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Goofs

When Dan is first talking to Mrs. Lemp in her shop, his hat is down over the front of his head as he normally wears it. After the camera angle changes, it is pushed back do you can see his hair.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Marshal Dan Troop: How far to town?
Deputy Johnny McKay: Just over the next rise.
Marshal Dan Troop: Was there something you wanted?
Deputy Johnny McKay: Just lookin'.

User Reviews

Outstanding cast features in this first episode

"The Deputy" was the debut of LAWMAN, a half hour Western that lasted four seasons and 156 episodes (1958-1962), starring John Russell in the title role of Dan Troop, new Marshal of Laramie, a lawless town in need of a strong authority figure. Learning that the previous marshal was murdered, he comforts the young widow (Bek Nelson) while waiting for the killers to come to him. A better cast of villains couldn't have been cast, with Jack Elam and Lee Van Cleef sneering appropriately, yet taking a back seat to a surprisingly effective Edd (Kookie) Byrnes, definitely cast against type, the same year his series 77 SUNSET STRIP also debuted. The only disappointment is that the half hour running time means less screen time for any nefarious doings from the bad guys. The only other debut episode to feature such a high power cast is the following season's THE REBEL, starring Nick Adams as Civil War veteran Johnny Yuma (the subject of Johnny Cash's title theme song), dealing with Strother Martin as a cowardly deputy, villains Dan Blocker and Richard Bakalyan, and veteran scene stealer John Carradine as the town newspaper editor, who inspires Yuma to stick around and avenge his father's untimely death in yet another lawless Western town.