A good episode of a great series, including some future (and former) big names. Names like Dennis Hopper, R.G. Armstrong, Leif Erickson from the series High Chaparral, Tony Award-winner Sidney Blackmer, and very busy (though not very famous) character actor Charles Arnt. Perhaps the biggest name of all is series creator and episode writer Sam Peckinpah, director of The Wild Bunch and many other highly regarded films. What brings the Rifleman series above the typical Action/Western series of the time was the relationship between Lucas & son Mark McCain: The respect they had for each other, as well as the elder McCain's attempts to teach his boy how to be a man. This episode doesn't really show that. Like most series, the producers probably developed the show a lot during its first year or so. Yet it's a compelling story, told quickly (in a half-hour). That, plus the great cast of supporters, are what makes this such a good episode.
