Photo Provided Peter Brown, Peggie Castle and John Russell of “Lawman.”

The most straightforward western series to come out of the Warner Brothers stable was most definitely “Lawman.”

This was strictly the story of tough Marshal Dan Troop of Laramie, Wyo., doing what he was hired to do; and that was to enforce the law.

There were no speeches, no philosophying and no mercy given. If you messed up in Troop’s jurisdiction, he came down on you hard. He believed in the law and had upheld his sworn duty all his adult life.

Granite jawed Dan Troop and his young deputy, Johnny McKay, simply brought the bad guys to justice. They were not averse to using their guns, with Troop for the most part carrying a double-barreled shotgun to back up his play. McKay, while new to the job of deputy, was no slouch with a gun and was lightning fast on the draw.

Veteran actor and early TV star in a previous series, namely “Soldiers of Fortune,” stern John Russell was given the role of Marshal Dan Troop. He looked the part, but for some reason, Russell had a silver streak in his hair the entire series, that detracted from his overall Dan Troop persona.

Photo Provided A photo autographed by “Lawman” actor Peter Brown.

Up and coming future star, Peter Brown was selected as Deputy John McKay. He took his role seriously and learned gun handling, riding, etc., to make him convincing in the job. Peter Brown brought a lot of life to McKay and he drew huge amounts of fan mail at Warner Brothers Studios.

Western leading lady Peggie Castle arrived in Laramie in the second season. She played Lily Merrill, owner of the Birdcage Saloon, and was the only person in town that Troop would let his guard down with. Starlet Bek Nelson was around in the first season as cafe owner Dru Lemp, but soon disappeared. Longtime character actor Dan Sheridan was Jake, handyman around the Birdcage.

Many actors from films were finding new employment as guest stars on TV shows and some that appeared on “Lawman” were: Wayne Morris, Joel Gray, Bill Williams, Robert Fuller, Jack Elam and Clu Culager.

“Lawman” was shot in black and white and was 30 minutes in length. Most filming was done on the back lot and not the show’s real western town of Laramie. Premiering on Oct. 5, 1958, and leaving the air on Oct. 2, 1962, “Lawman” had a healthy run of four years on ABC.

John Russell, Peggie Castle and Peter Brown have all passed away. Of the hundreds of westerns that have been on television, “Lawman” was a standout. Mr. Russell and Mr. Brown can be proud of their time spent on the dusty streets of Laramie. Peter Brown co-starred in another series called “Laredo” with Neville Brown, William Smith and Phil Carey.

Side notes on “Lawman:”

I met John Russell at the Memphis Film Festival in the late 1980s. He was very gracious to his fans and talked highly of the “Lawman” series. Peter Brown came into the film festivals in the early ’90s, after canceling several times previously. Once he found how enjoyable the festivals were, and how popular he was, he became a regular. I did about four festivals with Peter Brown and got to enjoy his company.

I worked for the government in 1958 and we had a group from the apartment complex we lived in that gathered on Sunday night to watch “Maverick,” “Lawman” and “Colt .45.” It was a treat years later to meet the stars of these series and the many actors that were guest stars on the shows.

Some of the guest stars I met that appeared on “Lawman” were: Jack Elam, Peter Breck, Harry Lauter, R.G. Armstrong, Robert Fuller and Edward Byrnes.

In March of this year while attending the “High Chaparral” reunion at the Old Tucson Studio, Tucson, Ariz., word came that Peter Brown had passed away at the age of 80 in Phoenix, Ariz., where he was living with his wife.

This would be a great show, along with the other Warner Brothers TV westerns such as: “Maverick,” “Bronco,” “Colt .45,” “The Dakotas,” “Sugarfoot,” and of course “Lawman,” for the INSP and MY TV network.

Arvo Ojala produced the many holsters used in the above shows, and trained many of the actors in the art of fast draw and gun handling.

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