This is a startlingly blunt show (for its time) about racism.
"The Rifleman" doesn't portray Lucas McCain as "perfect", but sometimes comes dangerously close. His tolerance and open-mindedness are far too 20th-century liberal to be believable. This outstanding episode -- surprise, another Cyril Hume script! -- shows the bigoted side of his nature.
Right at the start, when Lucas and Mark see an Indian with another Indian (bound with a leather lash) as his prisoner, Lucas assumes something nasty must be going on and is about to step in to lay down the law to this savage -- after all, "The government is trying to teach these people to be civilized!" OUCH!
The Indian (Buckhart -- Michael Ansara) turns out to be a Harvard-educated US Marshall (a decade before Brisco County Jr)! He goes into the saloon for a drink -- and delivers the "If you prick us, do we not bleed?" speech in defense of Indian rights, which no one (except perhaps Micah and Lucas) recognizes. When the patrons discover they've been drinking with an Apache, they're disgusted and carry the saloon's glassware to the streets, where they destroy it. *
Lucas follows Buckhart to a meeting with other Apaches, and learns exactly what's going on. (The chief is played by Frank DeKova, who made a career out of playing Indians -- qv, "F Troop".) Seeing things solely from a white point of view, Lucas urges Buckhart to call in a second, white Marshall, rather than trying to enforce the law by himself. Buckhart refuses, recognizing that such an act would destroy his authority -- and self-respect. "Which is worse, to be a coward, or to be dead?" Lucas responds "I know these people, you stupid savage!" (OUCH!, again.)
It turns out that a white man is actually guilty of the crime Buckhart's Indian prisoner was accused of. When Buckhart tries to arrest him, a good chunk of the town (who were so cowardly an episode or two back) taunts him and threatens to kill him.
Lucas can't let this happen, and -- pretending at first to side with the townspeople -- uses reverse psychology to embarrass them, and they disperse. (This is implausible, but if they'd fired on Buckhart, Lucas and Micah would have had to return fire. This would put Lucas and Micah in an untenable and series-terminating position -- white men do not shoot white men to protect Indians.)
A superior episode that shows how you can Make A Point without getting unduly "cute".
* This apparently mirrors the draining/refilling of Las Vegas hotel pool when it was learned Nat Cole had swum in it.
"The Rifleman" doesn't portray Lucas McCain as "perfect", but sometimes comes dangerously close. His tolerance and open-mindedness are far too 20th-century liberal to be believable. This outstanding episode -- surprise, another Cyril Hume script! -- shows the bigoted side of his nature.
Right at the start, when Lucas and Mark see an Indian with another Indian (bound with a leather lash) as his prisoner, Lucas assumes something nasty must be going on and is about to step in to lay down the law to this savage -- after all, "The government is trying to teach these people to be civilized!" OUCH!
The Indian (Buckhart -- Michael Ansara) turns out to be a Harvard-educated US Marshall (a decade before Brisco County Jr)! He goes into the saloon for a drink -- and delivers the "If you prick us, do we not bleed?" speech in defense of Indian rights, which no one (except perhaps Micah and Lucas) recognizes. When the patrons discover they've been drinking with an Apache, they're disgusted and carry the saloon's glassware to the streets, where they destroy it. *
Lucas follows Buckhart to a meeting with other Apaches, and learns exactly what's going on. (The chief is played by Frank DeKova, who made a career out of playing Indians -- qv, "F Troop".) Seeing things solely from a white point of view, Lucas urges Buckhart to call in a second, white Marshall, rather than trying to enforce the law by himself. Buckhart refuses, recognizing that such an act would destroy his authority -- and self-respect. "Which is worse, to be a coward, or to be dead?" Lucas responds "I know these people, you stupid savage!" (OUCH!, again.)
It turns out that a white man is actually guilty of the crime Buckhart's Indian prisoner was accused of. When Buckhart tries to arrest him, a good chunk of the town (who were so cowardly an episode or two back) taunts him and threatens to kill him.
Lucas can't let this happen, and -- pretending at first to side with the townspeople -- uses reverse psychology to embarrass them, and they disperse. (This is implausible, but if they'd fired on Buckhart, Lucas and Micah would have had to return fire. This would put Lucas and Micah in an untenable and series-terminating position -- white men do not shoot white men to protect Indians.)
A superior episode that shows how you can Make A Point without getting unduly "cute".
* This apparently mirrors the draining/refilling of Las Vegas hotel pool when it was learned Nat Cole had swum in it.