About this season
Lawman is an American western television series originally telecast on ABC from 1958 to 1962 starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and featuring 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, having launched Cheyenne with Clint Walker as early as 1955. The studio continued the trend in 1957 with the additions of Maverick with James Garner and Jack Kelly, Colt .45 with Wayde Preston, and Sugarfoot with Will Hutchins. One year later, Warner Bros. added Lawman and Bronco with Ty Hardin. Prior to the beginning of production, Russell and 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.
Episodes (41)
1. Trapped
Aired 17 September 1961 • 30 min
Outlaw leader Hale Connors arrives in Laramie to notify Troop that the stage won't be arriving.
2. The Juror
Aired 24 September 1961
One member of the Cauley gang is captured and brought to Laramie for trial, because the town where he was caught couldn't find anyone willing to serve on a jury. The other 5 Cauleys have threatened to kill anyone who served. Dan is sure Laramie will rally to the cause, but finds that fear is contagious. Finally, learning that it only takes one juror, under extreme circumstances, to try a case, Dan pulls one name out of the tax register list at random to be that juror. To his shock, it's Lily's name. She accepts, and then he must worry about her safety until the trial.
3. The Four
Aired 1 October 1961 • 30 min
Four men ride into Laramie, all carrying rifles, and station themselves around town. After one of them is shot and killed, the leader tells Dan they are searching for a young, innocent looking young man who was reported to them as being in the area. He was a cold-blooded killer they had been tracking. Dan deputizes the three remaining men since Johnny was out of town, and together they track the boy down.
4. The Son
Aired 8 October 1961 • 30 min
Troop's only witness to a brutal murder is a blind youngster---who heard the killer's voice. Cole: Chad Everett. Troop: John Russell. McKay: Peter Brown. Herod: James Westerfield. Mengis: Tom Reese. Lily: Peggie Castle.
5. Owny O'Reilly, Esq.
Aired 15 October 1961
Millie Cotton, the governor's daughter, has run away from home and landed in Laramie. Desperate for money, she robs Owny in an alley with her hairbrush in his back. Both are scared. Owny later describes the robber as a huge, vicious man. Dan, told to be on the lookout for the governor's daughter, recognizes Millie, who sings for Lily and is told honestly that she has a lovely voice. Owny is struck by her, not knowing that she is his assailant. When he finds out, his hurt feelings take over. Later, an escaped convict, Millie, Owny, his horse, and his dog all combine for a scene of pandemonium before everything is sorted out.
6. The Substitute
Aired 22 October 1961 • 30 min
In another rather light-hearted episode, the school teacher leaves to get married in a fit of what is deemed 'spring fever'. A search for a substitute teacher until the new one can arrive turns up a man who is very educated, but is now a drunk. Lily volunteers over Dan's objections - he's worried about what the women in town will do to her. His suspicions are proved right, but Lily once again wins over hearts by her kindness.
7. The Stalker
Aired 29 October 1961
Alteeka McClintock, a trapper friend of Troop's, comes to town and accidentally kills a man during some horse play at the Birdcage. Running away, Dan must bring him in before the brother of the man he killed gets his revenge.
8. The Catalog Woman
Aired 5 November 1961 • 30 min
When one of Laramie's citizens disappears the day after his wedding to a woman he met through a marriage catalog, Dan does some investigating. Learning that several other men have also disappeared after marrying someone from that agency, he decides to try to flush her out by posing as an eligible bachelor, Arthur Daniels. Lily at first thinks it's funny, but gets serious (and jealous) once Johnny points out that this could be for real - or even fatal.
9. The Cold One
Aired 12 November 1961 • 30 min
An escaped convict blazes a trail of vengeance leading to the woman who betrayed him---his wife. Harris: Michael Pate. Barbara: Joyce Meadows. Troop: John Russell. McKay: Peter Brown. Lily: Peggie Castle. Rio: Tom Bilson.
10. Porphyria's Lover
Aired 19 November 1961 • 30 min
During a terrible, windy storm, Lily is suddenly terrified by the sight of a book of poetry. She explains that the poem, ""Porphyria's Lover"", by Robert Browning reminds her of a man she helped put in prison. Dan tries to convince her that it's only the storm. The next day her bartender is sent by Dan to go help the men work on rebuilding the schoolhouse, with Lily's blessing. Then while she is alone, the escaped prisoner shows up and carries her off, and Dan must piece together clues from the poem to locate her before she is killed by the madman.
11. The Appointment
Aired 26 November 1961 • 30 min
Dan's old friend, Major Jason Leeds, has come to Laramie to offer Johnny an appointment to West Point. Johnny has never considered a military career, and wants Dan to tell him to stay. Dan can't and won't make the decision for him. We can tell he really cares about Johnny and doesn't want him to go, but he knows it's a very good opportunity for him and doesn't want to stand in his way. Johnny must make a hard decision, made easier by his saving the major's life.
12. The Lords of Darkness
Aired 3 December 1961 • 30 min
Troop finds himself without allies in the town of Darkness. His mission: arrest the town boss's sons for murder. Troop: John Russell. Robert: Jim De Closs. William: Corey Allen. Lord: Arch Johnson. McKay: Peter Brown. Lily: Peggie Castle. Caroline: Elen Willard.
13. Tarot
Aired 10 December 1961 • 30 min
An amateur fortuneteller tries to conceal his own future from the lawmen: he's planning a robbery. Wyatt: Robert McQueeney. Troop: John Russell. McKay: Peter Brown. Lily: Peggie Castle. Luther: William Zuckert. Jess: K.L. Smith. Jake: Dan Sheridan.
14. The Prodigal Mother
Aired 17 December 1961 • 30 min
Dave and Ella McCallan seek Troop's help when the mother of their foster child returns---after nine years---to take custody of her son. Tad: Billy Booth. Margaret: Catherine Mc Leod. Troop: John Russell. Ella: Mina Brown. Dave: King Calder. McKay: Peter Brown.
15. By the Book
Aired 24 December 1961 • 30 min
Troop (John Russell) faces the loss of his badge when a Government inspector objects to his "flexible" method of law enforcement. Luster: Lyle Talbot. McKay: Peter Brown. Teakwood: Sheldon Allman. Ernie: Walter Burke. Lily: Peggie Castle.
16. The Trojan Horse
Aired 31 December 1961 • 30 min
Armed with a wagonload of nitroglycerin, a Scottish engineer demands the bank's money. Clooney: Kenneth Tobey. Troop: John Russell. McKay: Peter Brown. Lily: Peggie Castle. Falk: Charles Briggs.
17. The Locket
Aired 7 January 1962 • 30 min
When a friend of Lily's comes in on the stagecoach - unconscious and the only one aboard - a worried Lily nurses her, while her husband waits for her to regain consciousness so he can talk to her. Lily is suspicious of him, and finds the secret to his identity is hidden in her friend's locket.
18. Friend of the Family
Aired 14 January 1962 • 30 min
McKay is stunned to learn that the bank robber he arrested was his father's best friend. Henny: Frank Ferguson. McKay: Peter Brown. Lily: Peggie Castle. Troop: John Russell. Slauson: Vinton Hayworth. Lowell: Don O'Kelly. Selma: Gertrude Flynn.
19. The Vintage
Aired 21 January 1962 • 30 min
Mr. Lazarino is an Italian immigrant who has a wagon full of transported grapevines to plant in his new home, hoping to become a wine maker. After two men destroy most of them in a brawl in the street, his son, Tonio, opens fire and is killed by one of the men. The older man is devastated by the destruction that has occurred, and one of the two men feels strong pangs of conscience.
20. The Tarnished Badge
Aired 28 January 1962 • 30 min
Lon Chaney is cast as an ex-lawman who returns to Laramie---wearing a stolen badge---to rob the stage. Troop: John Russell. McKay: Peter Brown. Lily: Peggie Castle. Slick: Jack Searl. Jake: Marshall Reed.
21. No Contest
Aired 4 February 1962 • 30 min
McKay's Boston cousin (Richard Rogers) finds the West wilder than he expected. He's mistaken for an outlaw, seduced by a pretty flirt and clobbered by a jealous cowboy. McKay: Peter Brown. Troop: John Russell. Lily: Peggie Castle. Elly: Dawn Wells.
22. Change of Venue
Aired 11 February 1962 • 30 min
Troop (John Russell) tries to keep an accused murderer from the lynch mob trying to hang him---and the gang members bent on freeing him. Shaw: Philip Carey. McKay: Peter Brown. Madelyn: Jan Shepard. Lily: Peggie Castle. Tennant: Roy Barcroft. Clay: Jack C. Williams.
23. The Hold-Out
Aired 18 February 1962
Blake Stevens is a well respected businessman. When he doesn't fight back against a vigilante group of thugs determined to take over Laramie, the remaining town council want Troop's badge, and he isn't going along with their decision.
24. The Barber
Aired 25 February 1962 • 30 min
An outlaw gang engineers a bold plot to rob the Laramie bank. McKay: Peter Brown. Troop: John Russell. O'Toole: Pitt Herbert. Jake: Dan Sheridan. Lily: Peggie Castle. Slauson: Vinton Hayworth.
25. The Long Gun
Aired 4 March 1962
26. Clootey Hutter
Aired 11 March 1962 • 30 min
Clootey is a female gunslinger who lives up in the hills and has just come into Laramie for supplies. In a pouring rainstorm at night, after spurning his advances in the Bird Cage, she is called in the street by a drunken Earl and shoots him down in a fair fight. Dan is forced to try to arrest her, but she tells him she knows she can outdraw him. Earl's cooler headed brother, Paul, suggests instead she try to 'take him' in a gunfight to prove she really could outdraw the dead man.
27. Heritage of Hate
Aired 18 March 1962 • 30 min
Laurie Kemper (Kathie Browne), who was convicted of killing her husband, returns from prison to face her unforgiving father-in-law. Kemper: Roy Roberts. Troop: John Russell. McKay: Peter Brown. Billy: Frank Albertson. Fells: William Joyce. Judge: Harry Cheshire.
28. Mountain Man
Aired 25 March 1962 • 30 min
Lex Buckman, a mountain man - huge, dirty, and unshaven - gives the men in Laramie a lot to talk about-and admire- by his shows of strength and prowess. However, once he sees Lily, he tells her he needs a wife and ""You're it!"". Nothing she can say can dissuade him, until she wheedles Dan into telling him they're engaged. Instead of running Lex off, he decides to eliminate the competition. Lily and Johnny spend the rest of the show trying to protect Dan from Lex, some with comic results.
29. The Bride
Aired 1 April 1962 • 30 min
A wealthy rancher refuses to believe Troop's warnings that his beautiful fiancee is a swindler. Melanie: Jo Morrow. Troop: John Russell. Ollie: L.Q. Jones. McKay: Peter Brown. Farnum: William Mims. Lily: Peggie Castle. Jake: Dan Sheridan. Toomey: Grady Sutton.
30. The Wanted Man
Aired 8 April 1962 • 30 min
Troop's efforts to reunite an outlaw with his seriously ill pregnant wife are hampered by a treacherous bounty hunter. Anne: Marie Windsor. Frank: Dick Foran. Ben: Jan Stine. Troop: John Russell. McKay: Peter Brown.
31. Sunday
Aired 15 April 1962 • 30 min
A lynch mob and a reformed outlaw have their own reasons for wanting to take custody of Troop's prisoner. Boone: Andrew Duggan. Deal: Richard Evans. Troop: John Russell. McKay: Peter Brown. Lily: Peggie Castle. Young: Greg Benedict.
32. The Youngest
Aired 22 April 1962 • 30 min
A sinister matriarch brings her brood to Laramie to wreak vengeance on Troop (John Russell) for killing her outlaw husband. Ma Martin: Olive Carey. Jim: Evan McCord. Sam: Tom Gilson. Darrell: Charles Briggs. McKay: Peter Brown. Lily: Peggie Castle.
33. Cort
Aired 29 April 1962 • 30 min
A stranger rides into town and collapses. After the doctor's examination, Troop tries to question him, but gets nowhere. All the stranger will say is that there's going to be a lot of trouble around sundown.
34. The Doctor
Aired 6 May 1962 • 30 min
Troop (John Russell) is forced to rely on a booze-soaked doctor when a plague threatens to engulf Laramie. Evans: Sherwood Price. McKay: Peter Brown. Cissy: Eloise Hardt. Weeks: Charles Lane. Burrell: Whit Bissell. Sims: I. Stanford Jolley.
35. Man Behind the News
Aired 13 May 1962 • 30 min
Luther Boardman is the new owner of the Laramie Free Press, and he is in love with the outlaw persona. Feeling the outlaws are the real story in the wild west, he begins a smear campaign against Dan. He accuses him of police brutality because Dan knocked out a man who was rowdy and drunk and threatening to shoot people in the Bird Cage, even though Boardman wasn't in the saloon at the time. He soon has the drunk convinced he needs a public apology from Dan.
36. Get Out of Town
Aired 20 May 1962 • 30 min
Troop (John Russell) is helplessly caught in the middle of a steadily escalating battle between bitter enemies Jim Bushrod and Amos Hall. Bushrod: Bill Williams. Hall: Tim Graham. McKay: Peter Brown. Lily: Peggie Castle. Slauson: Vinton Hayworth.
37. The Actor
Aired 27 May 1962 • 30 min
Troop tries to save a fading Shakespearean actor from the bottle and a scorned woman's vengeance. Troop: John Russell. Hendon: John Carradine. Martha: Mary Anderson. McKay: Peter Brown. Lily: Peggie Castle. Jake: Dan Sheridan. Wilson: Harry Harvey Sr. Carson: Warren Kemmerling.
38. Explosion
Aired 3 June 1962 • 30 min
The lawmen put their lives on the line to shield an emotionally disturbed youth from a lynch mob. Billings: Gary Vinson. Shay: John Qualen. Troop: John Russell. McKay: Peter Brown. Bobbie: Miranda Jones. Lily: Peggie Castle.
39. Jailbreak
Aired 10 June 1962 • 30 min
McKay (Peter Brown) is hoodwinked by a reckless---but naive---young lady determined to spring her sinister fiance from jail. Bole: Peter Breck. Little Britches: Pamela Austin. Troop: John Russell. Snead: James Griffith. Callaghan: Frank Ferguson.
40. The Unmasked
Aired 17 June 1962 • 30 min
Troop (John Russell) stands between two bloodthirsty bounty hunters and their quarry: the man who shot John Wilkes Booth. Banks: Barry Atwater. Davidson: Charles Maxwell. McKay: Peter Brown. Marion: Angela Greene. Lily: Peggie Castle.
41. The Witness
Aired 24 June 1962 • 30 min
Murder suspect Jim Martin (John Agar) is in double jeopardy: if the jury doesn't convict him, the victim's husband will carry out the punishment. Anna: Sarah Selby. Troop: John Russell. McKay: Peter Brown.