Duel of Honor

"Duel of Honor" is the 7th episode of The Rifleman Season One and the 7th episode overall. Directed by Joseph H. Lewis and written by Ken Kolb, it aired on November 11, 1958.
==Synopsis==
When an Italian count arrives in North Fork, his strange attire attracts the attention of Groder, a town bully, eventually leading to the count challenging Groder to a duel.
==Watch==
==Plot==
A stagecoach en route from New Orleans to San Francisco stops overnight in North Fork due to a broken axle. Among the passengers is Count Di Montova, an elegantly dressed Italian nobleman who quickly becomes the center of attention in the town. Sim Groder, a local cattle herder, harasses the Count, but Lucas, acting as Marshal in Micah's absence, intervenes and defuses the situation.
At the Last Chance Saloon, Groder and his friends mock the Count, who arrives to exchange Italian currency for American money. Groder grabs and tears the Count's money, leading to a confrontation. Groder challenges the Count to a shootout at dawn, which the Count accepts. Lucas agrees to be the Count's "second" to the shootout.
The following morning, at the outskirts of town, Groder offers the Count a gun, but the Count tells Groder to pick from his two fancy dueling pistols instead, as it is customary for the insulted party to have his choice of weapons. Becoming increasingly apprehensive, Groder finds that the guns each only have a single bullet.
The duel is set with formal rules: they will stand back-to-back and take ten paces before turning to shoot. When the ten paces are completed, Groder fires first but misses and has no more bullets. One of Groder's men attempts to draw on the Count, but Lucas intervenes by shooting the man's gun out of his hand.
As the Count prepares to shoot, Groder pleads for his life, claiming the Count would gain nothing by killing him. The Count then reveals that the rules entitle him to a free shot, which he hands over to Lucas. Lucas threatens Groder with the shot, and Groder, frightened, flees as the onlookers laugh.
The next morning, as the Count leaves on the now repaired stage, Lucas tries to give the dueling pistol back to him but the Count insists Lucas keeps it as a token of their friendship.
==Cast==
===Main===
*Lucas McCain - Chuck Connors
*Mark McCain - Johnny Crawford
*Micah Torrance - Paul Fix
===Recurring===
*Sweeney - Bill Quinn
*Nils Svenson - John Dierkes
*Eddie Halstead - John Harmon
*Stage Driver - Glenn Strange
===Guests===
*Count Alfredo Di Montova - Cesare Danova
*Sim Groder - Jack Elam
*Nat Gilkey - Joe Bassett
Category:Episodes
Category:Season One episodes
Category:Episodes where Lucas is acting marshal
Category:Episodes with no fatalities
Category:Episode pages with completed plot sections