Steve, thanks for the link and I finally got to see the episode. Ya know, it may seem far fetched, but this episode of Rifleman had a similar ring to it of E.D.B.'s second novel "The Chinese Parrot"(T.C.P.)! Not a lot, but it wouldn't be far fetched to say they borrowed from it. And we find the tellplay and writers all lived in Los Angeles, not far from Earl Derr Biggers...bet they read the novels! And of course there's the Victor Sen Yung's connection.
In T.C.P. Charlie masquerades as a Chinese cook out west, while here Victor Sen Young is a Chinese Laundry man "out west". And then there's the "Aphorism" that Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors) says during the beginning of the episode to Sheriff Micah: Ya know Micah, I remember hearing an old Chinese saying once, "He who makes trouble gets more than his share". The most famous aphorism from The Chinese Parrot is "Man who rides tiger, cannot dismount"! Same meaning if you think about it, yes? Perhaps they revised it to better fit Lucas McCain pontificating it?
But really, the true mystery of this episode is what happened to the "Other bad guy", the tall one, Les Foster, played by actor Paul Wexler? After all he was the one who manhandled the kid, Wang Lee! He helped the main baddie, Noah Ferguson, push over Vic's wagon and everything else. AND, he was the one who cut off Vic's "Queue". But we only find the big guy, Noah Ferguson and his son, run outta town!
OK, I'm done. Let it be a lesson to us all, this is what happens when Charlie Chan fans, veer off the course and watch to many Rifleman (or other) shows. T.Y.S.M. Lou
One would suspect that the writers of "The Queue" episode had a little fun with the Charlie Chan references.
The Chinese aphorisms and the boy referring to his father, played by Victor Sen Yung, as "pop" are nice touches. Even Mr. Yung's character is humble, just like Charlie Chan. The acting is first-rate is this little 25 minute drama.
The message that people are different from one another is the point that impressed me the most about this episode. This was a heavy topic in the early 1960s. 54 years after its original TV broadcast, the message from "The Queue" is as important today as it was in 1961.
