Lawman (1958)

The song the Guitar Player (Tony Romano) is singing through the episode is based on the popular poem of the time, "The Ballad of Jesse James". through the years, songs based on the poem have been recorded many times, by artists such as, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few.

Robert Ford(1862 –1892) was an outlaw best known for killing his friend and gang leader Jesse James.

In 1882, (according to Ford) after hearing of a gang members confession for murder, James became suspicious of Ford and his brother, Charles, and that they were there to betray him for the reward. However, instead of confronting the brothers, James walked across the living room, laid his pistols on the sofa, and turned around to dust a picture above the mantle. As he stood on a chair to clean it, Ford drew his gun, and shot James in the back of the head.

Ford was later killed by Ed O'Kelly in his saloon with a shotgun. He was buried with "The man who shot Jesse James" inscribed on his tombstone.