Lee Van Cleef meets the Rifleman 

The very first time I watched this show was when I went to visit my dad at home 8.5 years ago when he was dying of cancer. I fell in love with the show and have seen every episode several times. Whenever I watch it, it reminds me of watching it with him.

When is the last time you seen that kind of raw tension created in under a minute in any TV show produced today? Good writing, good acting, good dialogue, good story telling, good action -- all in under 4 minutes.

Even in this small part Lee had a huge presence. There are no small parts.....for an actor like Lee.🤠

The Rifleman was a great show. It taught morals, hard work & respect towards one another & eachother's property. It taught Courage and to stand up to bullies.

Met Lee Van Cleef in Hawaii in 1984 he was a really nice person. RIP

I meant Lee Van cleef's son in Colorado he looks like his twin brother. He actually took me out to his cabin in the mountains and showed me all the memorabilia. Very cool guy.

The good old days of television...westerns on all channels every night of the week, Roy Rogers on Saturday morning.

Love Chuck Connors!!!! Rest In Peace.....

Chuck Connors was absolutely great in The Rifleman!! Lee Van Cleef was a terrific actor, too!

Van Cleef was a better actor than almost anyone out there today....but in his time he was almost relegated to character actor status because there was so much real talent floating around...

In real life Lee Van Cleef was the fastest gun in Hollywood unless it was Sammy Davis, Jr. Lee told John Wayne while waiting to do a scene in "Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" he could draw & pull trigger before Wayne could clap his hands together while holding them just a few feet apart. They got Lee Marvin to count it off and Van Cleef did it. Wayne said"How am I suppose to out draw you in this scene?" Van Cleef said "I'll slow down for you Duke" & Wayne said "Nice of you to give me a break".

Lee Van Cleef was just awesome.

Lee Van was the ultimate villain in westerns, The good, the bad and the ugly.

Lee Van Cleef, Chuck Conners and Clint Eastwood walk into a bar. It's no joke.

Lee van cleef !! What a great actor very underrated actor/man always played a great part

Great show. Loved it as a kid and I still watch the reruns.

I'll bet Van Cleef said more lines in this scene than he did in every spaghetti western he ever did combined.

Ha ha, that old tv-serie out of my youth... :-). That Chuck Connors guy certainly was fast with that ol' Winchester...

My beloved uncle took me to my first American movie. His favorite actors were James Coburn and Lee Van Cleef. My uncle said Van Cleef says everything with his eyes. I've never forgotten that nor forgotten my uncle. My only regret was my uncle never live long enough to his nephew actually making a career in motion pictures. I was Sean Connery's asst on my first movie. Then I got out of that racket and became a sound mixer. Burt Reynolds and Anthony Quinn's paths crossed with mine and I told all those 3 legends about my uncle's influence on me and Lee Van Cleef. They all agree with my uncle Lee Van Cleef was the original real stuff. Period

One of the classic "Rifeleman" episodes. This is the backstory of how Micah lost use of his right arm and hand. He was the fastest draw and most feared lawman in the West before Van Cleef's character wounded him. Luke loved him like a son to father. Cool shizz. The Rifleman was always a morality play. Great stories of human struggle. Virtue and Honor won the day.

This is one of my favorite Rifleman episodes. Van Cleef is the ultimate bad guy.

A million thanks for sharing this screen gems clip ... BRAVO....! Well done..indeed. LVC was always fantastic caricature actor of the absolute highest order, when ever he is on camera the tension always skyrockets.. "A golden haired angel watches over him"

Omg Van Cleef was GORGEOUS. He had fantastic eyes and he knew exactly how to use them! So charming!

These actors were really good

Funny that Conners was so effective as this ramrod straight, and dead serious, hero, but I think in real life he was kind of a cut-up. Loved this show

Lee was so under rated as an actor.

Lee Van cleef is the man whoooo

Barkeep at 1:29: Aw, shit. Here we go again...

Lee Van Cleef, what a legend!

Best damn TV Western ever made. Gunsmoke and Bonanza got all the ratings, but this somehow managed to be both the most exciting and the most genuinely human program in the genre. Could just as well have been called 'A Boy And His Pa'. I just never get tired of watching it...

Bad guys in westerns were always good talkers.

If there ever was a "Black Bart" in the movies it would have been Van Cleaf.

"Was that you or your gun talking?" Wrong question.

I remember Mad Magazine version of The Rifleman. First panel Lucas was telling his son, "I'm a peace lovin' man." Second panel had bodies with flies buzzing around. Lucas says, "And there ain't nuthin' more peaceful than a corpse."

I've always liked Lee Van Cleef.

Yup, Van Cleef stood 6' 2", still, Connors at 6'5½" towers above him..

So THAT'S how Lee Van Cleef lost the tip of his finger.

Chuck Conners and Lee Van Cleff…..Two awesome actors!

I WAS BORN IN 1954, WE GREW UP ON A FARM LIKE THE RIFLE MAN ..WE HAD NO TV--NO ELECTRIC--NO SHOWER--NO TOILET...I WENT TO A FRIEND WHO HAD A T.V AND THE RIFLE MAN WAS THE FIRST T.V. SHOW I EVER SAW, I WAS 8 YEARS OLD TODAY I'M 65..I GREW UP TO BE A WESTERN JUNKIE, I SEEN ALL WESTERNS EXCEPT FOR ROY RODGERS , ROY RODGERS DIDN'T SEEN REAL LIKE THE OTHERS...

It tickles me still,to this very day, the way my Dad would come in from work while i was watching Chuck, and make the same comment... Who the Hell's McCain runnin out of town this time? -gilpin 7-26-16

Shooting someones whiskey is a total party foul.

Sorry my phone is down and I'm in bed , busted up . I met Chuck Conners in 1976 taking him from Philly airport to a hotel. I was 19. ( Do the math ) we talked about his favorite thing, baseball. He was the nicest gentlemen you could meet. I'll always consider myself blessed for meeting him. Rich

I can´t determine which one of these two is the most badass. What whe´ve got here is...badass to the max.

That's a young Lee Van Cleef! 🙂

Lee van Cleef was one of my favorite actors.

Lee Van Cleef (Dan Mowry) shares a drink with The Rifleman (Chuck Connors)This was their first scene together. Although, Van Cleef stood over six feet tall, at nearly 6'6", Connors towers above him. Van Cleef would go on to appear in a total of 4 "RIFLEMAN" episodes.....Mr. Billespie.

Two guys walk into a Bar and sees a dog licking himself. One of the guys says , wish I could do that! The other ones says," Me too, but he mite Bite" !

One of my fav. Shows growing up and til this day I have those same feelings..Must be 💘 Love.

He's not that young in this production, but compared to his work in the spaghetti westerns, this makes me go "awww just a little baba".

whoa nellie --you can only call the rifleman a sodbuster one too many times without getting a hatfull of lead sprayed your way!

Arguably, the best ever western on tv. Certainly, the most symbolically phallic opening of any show ever!! Two different camera angles of a headless cowboy repeatedly "blowing his load" walking down a street. When they finally go full frame and show Chuck's face, his expression might be described as "Nailed it!"

Lee was a hottie from back then. A true talent. He still lives in many people's hearts and now mine. I'm a new fan

Angel Eyes meets Geronimo!

I met him at the produce counter , sensing a presence to the right of me I glanced over ,all I saw was pants, following the pants up ,I was shocked to see Connors face to face,we talked for a spell at the checkout and I was on my way.A brief but lasting meeting .

Always loved the show The Rifleman, I still watch it to this day whenever they show it.

oh man chuck connors my favorite.and lee vancleef.man that guy could portray a bad ass dude.he was one hell of an actor

"that's enough, you're riding outa here right now"

so I guess he answered the question......the gun was talking.

I remember watching this with my brothers and sisters and my mom and dad. Thanks for the Post y'all be good be safe

I met Lee Van Cleef in the middle 80s at a car dealership in New Jersey . He looked like a bad hombre. Yes, I told him that also.

Angel eyes 😁

Lee Van Cleef era "o cara" em qualquer situação. Artistas como esse só faz é falta!

Lee Van Cleef, Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, three American actors that will be NEVER forget in Italy.Also James Coburn and Rod Steiger.

Two great actors that starred in some wonderful films. Chuck was terrific in The Big Country, and Lee was brilliant in Good, Bad and the Ugly.

"Big ugly sodbuster", Lee? This is not the way you want to start a conversation with Lucas McCain. You didn't listen to that cellmate in Yuma very well. McCain is is a straight up killing machine.

the rifleman was my favorite

Lee Van Cleef had this ' sumpthin' bad is about to happen ' screen presence.

Lee Van cleef was and still is the Man !!

Lee Van Cleef was the best of the smirking, sinister-faced badmen. Leo Gordon was right with him. The epitaph on Cleef's headstone reads: "THE BEST OF THE BAD."

There was 4 great bad guys in westerns.Jack Palance,Lee van Cleef,Strother Martin,and L.Q.Jones.The best.

I watched the Rifleman as a child. Still do as a senior citizen. Some things never change. Thank God.

Of all the tv shows that have been made into movies The Rifleman has the most potential . How did Lucas 's wife die ? Where did he get his Winchester modded ? What did he do during the Civil war .? .A movie is needed to answer these questions .

Many baseball connections for The Rifleman. Chuck Connors played part of a season with the Cubs. Marshal Michael (Mike) Torrez pitched for many teams from the late 60s through the mid 80s. Johnny Crawford's son Carl plays for the Dodgers and his nephew Brandon plays short for the Giants.

he really likes his guitars! jeez

One of the greatest shows in TV history.

Met most everyone in Hollywood but missed out on Lee Van C he died Dec 1989 if memory is correct in Oxnard California! I was going to go his funeral at Forest Lawn but got a Commercial to do that day!

"sodbuster", classic

Chuck Connors was a real athlete. He was a professional baseball player and before that he was a pro basketball player. He played center for the Boston Celtics. That was before Bill Russel. Playing both baseball and basketball ain't easy. Michael Jordan tried to do as much but failed.

One of my favourite western. The Rifleman! Love the straight-talking, no-nonsense hero!

On his headstone it is engraved "The best of the Bad". You were awesome Lee, God Speed to you.

Then Ol' Lee rode off into the Sunset, just to get shot by Clint Eastwood. LOL

Lee Van did enough here to send Connors to the shallows; he was the man.

Used to live these style of westerns in England. Sunday midday telly. Love how the only four folk relevant to the discussion theyre having are the only four in the scene too. No one else in the pub , sorry..bar...no passers by and no onlookers. Great stuff. Lee Van Cleef got to be one of the all time great villains.

The rifleman performed a preemptive strike. The best defense is a strong offense.

LEVER ACTION FOR LIFE!

Branded, with Chuck Connors as Jason McCord was on around the same time as this, but I always preferred The Rifleman.

Lee Van Cleef also had a bit part (but a very important one) in the Sci-Fi classic, "Beast From 20,000 Fathoms." He played the sharpshooter who fires the lethal shell at the monster who is chowing down on the roller coaster. The film is in black and white, and we see LVC in profile at first, but he is easily recognizable.

This aired in March of 1959. It probably was made in late 1958. Lee does die in this episode but in a couple other Rifleman episodes he does not die. But if you're gonna watch a lot of Lee Van Cleef, most of the time, he will die. If you want to see Lee REALLY young, type in "Lee Van Cleef Space Patrol". This is from 1952.

When I get paid I always see my job through.

"I live my life to accoording what Lucas McCain would do"

Lee Van Cleef....awesome actor

Chuck Connors played in the NBA, and was actually the first recorded player to break a Backboard while dunking! To bad He smoked his life away

Lee van cleef was a good actor.. so was chuck conner..

Van Cleef was so cool ... he shit dry ice . I admired him over any so called good guy .

Angel Eyes, we'll never see another like him. R.I.P.

Lee Van Cleef will always be "angel eyes" to me.

Thanks so much for sharing all these rare Van Cleef clips. He's one of my favorites.

I'm surprised Sergio Leone never hired Chuck Connors for any of his westerns. Anyone who thinks Chuck Connors wasn't a good actor should catch him in "The Big Country" where he plays Burl Ives' cowardly, bully son. I loved Connors as the heroic dad in "The Rifleman" but I hated him in "The Big Country". It takes a fine actor to play someone you hate even after seeing him as the hero in a TV series.

THE RIFLEMAN was one of the best Westerns from back in the day; I really miss those shows. Great post MrBILLESPIE.

Such a classic 60's cowboy show, Loved it.We were spoilt for choice , Bonanza, Wagontrain, Rawhide, Sugarfoot, and The Rifleman. What a collection !!