The Apprentice Sheriff

"The Apprentice Sheriff" is the 11th episode of The Rifleman Season One and the 11th episode overall. Directed by Arthur Hiller and written by Barney Slater, it aired on December 9, 1958.
==Synopsis==
While Micah is away, he appoints young Dan Willard as temporary marshal, who thinks he has something to prove and gets in over his head with some rowdy Texas cowhands.
==Watch==
==Plot==
Lucas McCain drops Mark off at school in North Fork, where a group of unruly Texas cowhands is causing trouble by recklessly firing their guns. At the general store, Lucas learns from the owner, Charlie Willard, that his son Dan is the new Acting Marshal while Micah Torrance is away. Dan, eager to prove himself, has been strict with the cowhands, who respond by deliberately provoking him.
Lucas advises Dan on handling the situation, but Dan insists on using force to assert his authority. The cowhands stage a bar fight to lure Dan into a saloon, where they ambush and beat him until Lucas intervenes. Despite being bruised and bloodied, Dan refuses to back down and posts a new rule requiring all non-residents to check their guns by noon.
When one of the cowboys, Sandy Dixon, defies the order, Dan shoots and kills him. Lucas chastises Dan for his actions and warns him against confronting another quick-drawing cowboy, Keely Thompson. However, Dan is determined, leading to a standoff. Despite Lucas’s attempt to mediate, Keely wounds Dan in the hand during the shootout.
When Keely goes to draw on Lucas, Lucas shoots him in the hand. Keely asks Lucas, "You could have killed me. Why didn't you?", to which Lucas replies, "You could have killed the boy, why didn't you?" Keely gathers the cowhands and ride out of North Fork.
==Cast==
===Main===
*Lucas McCain - Chuck Connors
*Mark McCain - Johnny Crawford
===Recurring===
===Guests===
*Dan Willard - Robert Vaughn
*Keely Thompson - Edward Binns
*Charlie Willard - Russell Collins
*Sandy Dixon - William Bryant
*Reed Barns - Grant Richards
*Cowhand - Fritz Ford
*Schoolchildren - Elyse Gordon, Steven Gardner
==Trivia==
*This is one of two episodes in which an acting marshal standing in for Micah enacts a gun restriction in North Fork, the other being The Anvil Chorus.
Category:Episodes
Category:Season One episodes
Category:Episodes where Micah is out of town
Category:Episode pages with completed plot sections