The Real McCoys - Synopsis

Synopsis

The Real McCoys revolves around the lives of a mountain family who originally hailed from the fictional community of Smoky Corners, West Virginia. The McCoys moved to California, where they became dirt farmers. The family consisted of Grandpa Amos McCoy, the head of the family (Walter Brennan); his grandson Luke (Richard Crenna), Luke's new bride Kate (Kathleen Nolan), teenage sister Hassie (Lydia Reed), and 11-year-old brother Little Luke (Michael Winkelman). The double-naming of the brothers was explained in the first episode by the elder Luke: Because their parents were so excited over the birth of the younger boy, "they forgot all about me!"

When they arrived at the new ranch, which had been in the family (it was originally owned by an uncle, Ben McCoy, who had died), they gained a Mexican ranch hand named Pepino Garcia, played by the Puerto Rican-born Tony Martinez, who worked with them and eventually became a part of the family. The McMichaels, a brother-and-sister family played by Andy Clyde and Madge Blake, lived on the hill not far from the McCoys. Amos and George would sometimes quarrel, particularly over playing horseshoes. Kate was friendly with Flora McMichael, George's sister, and became involved with life in the community. Though still in her twenties, she was a mother figure for Luke's younger siblings, Hassie and Little Luke. Many of the episodes had a moral theme consisent with the views of Walter Brennan, such as one of the 1957 segments entitled "You Can't Cheat an Honest Man" with Joseph Kearns, later of Dennis the Menace.

Just before the show ended its run on ABC, Nolan left the series in a contract dispute. She, Winkelman, and Reed were written out of the script: the character of Kate was killed off, Hassie left home to attend college, and Little Luke joined the Army. Luke became a widower, and many of the stories revolved around Grandpa trying to match him up with a new wife. This nearly worked when Luke met Louise Howard (played by Janet De Gore), a widow with a young son, Greg (played by Butch Patrick).