In one episode North Fork's bank gets a new security guard (popular actor Claude Akins in an excellent performance). He shows a crowd his outstanding skills shooting by shooting objects thrown up in the air.

Some years ago I explained to a friend how the US under Jimmy Carter was so weak during the Iranian hostage crisis. We had virtually and in most ways the strongest military on Earth but James Earl was too timid to use it. I analogized (having never seen the above ep at that time) an old west scenario of a bank hiring a security guard and having the guard show off to a crowd his outstanding shooting skills by throwing objects in the air.As I told this scenario I imagined a man rather similar to Akins as the guard. But the bank owner states the guard will only shoot armed robbers --not unarmed ones. Eerie how my bank analogy that I made up was used once on the Rifleman many years ago.

PS This is alot like that ep of "Get Smart' where beautiful guest Merry Anders was so tragically killed in a phone booth (horrible scene). Later, Max goes to a psychiatrist and tells a bogus story about how when he was a kid he dreamed he was secretary of the US Army and suddenly a tragedy took place and all his men were captured and he realized he was suddenly out a job. After the case ends Max and the Chief are in the latter's office and the latter admits he had that very same dream (that Max made up under cover!) for real when he himself was a kid!