This show still airs today. I was surprised at how well it holds up. The writing was excellent. The values Lucas McCain stood for are much needed today. I usually despise child actors because they are attempting to play cute and are given adult lines to recite., but Johnny Crawford was a natural and a delight to watch. Paul Fix was also excellent. Of course, there was no way in Hell that one man and a boy could have ranched that spread.
And unlike most any other tv show, McCain was not always right. Had a short fuse sometimes, making the show much more realistic. Seeming fallible, more human like the rest of us.
I always loved The Rifleman. Chuck Connors' portrayal of Lucas McCain was a fine inspiration for fathers and sons everywhere. Seldom is there the perfect match between actor and character. Clark Gable as Rhett Butler is one example. Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain is another. Connors was an underrated actor who should have been as big a star as John Wayne, maybe bigger.
Margaret Mitchell deliberately made Rhett Butler to resemble Clark Gable. That was so very obvious just reading the book. He was her favorite male actor so she basically chose him from the get go
I absolutely adore The Rifleman show! I still watch it daily on MeTV. Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford are two of westerns most revered Cowboys! 💙RIP💙
Chuck Connors was perfect as Lucas McCain. I loved this show. Introduced to my adult son. He thought it was an exceptional show, too. Characters, cast, stories. The father-son relationship was something to aspire to.
He used "teaching moments" with the boy--things happening around them brought about conversations about them, the right and wrongs of life and how people handle them. Writing this I realize I did the same with my kid. I got to know him better thru these chats, even as a little guy.
I loved this show as a kid in the 50's and many years later I married a lady from the Chicago area. My wife just happened to be the Neice of the Actress who played Millie. "Joan Taylor" the Dry Goods Store owner/ Lucas's Love Interest in the first years of the episode. IIRC she lasted one only a few episodes. I never got to meet her, but I did talk online with Johnny Crawford a few years before he died about her. It was quite interesting to hear him talk about her. Johnny was a real down to earth guy who I found easy to talk to. (I lived in Southern California for a few years in the 60's and found many actors were Obnoxious Jerks!) Joan Taylor (her stage name) (was actually a red head) later married Leanord Freeman the TV Producer of Hawaii 5 O. She did well. Their Children still live in the Hollywood area. She made several "B" Movies before marrying Uncle Lenny as my wife calls him. I own a Winchester rifle like the used in the Rifleman. I bought it in the 70's, well before I married my wife. Funny how things in life are connected.
I was doing my daily mail run traveling from our battalion to the brigade headquarters to pick up mail. This was in Vietnam in 1967. Passing us in the opposite direction in another small convoy was Chuck Connors standing up in the front seat of a jeep waving to us in our passing. With the tropical heat it must not have been easy for them...it takes more than a few days to adjust to the high heat and humidity. That year I also saw Jayne Mansfield and Martha Raye. I admire the moxie they had coming to visit us in these circumstances. Good people.
My grandfather's sister Peggy Diggins did some great USO work during WWII in Europe. She would visit the badly wounded troops n they adored her. She was a Warner Brothers Starlet and model n 1940s who almost married Kirk Douglas and dated JFK and Clark Gable.
We had a student in our high school who could have been his . So handsome and personable. I was one who had a crush on him. This was in the late 60's. He was a lawyer for many years. Johnny Crawford was so handsome.
I loved watching this show. Chuck Connors was the perfect guy for it. It's a shame there aren't alot of dads like he was on the show, there would be alot more respect with young kids today !
I loved and watched the Rifleman as a kid. Later in life I worked with Johnny Crawford here in Las Vegas around 12 years ago. He was a singer of old style jazz (Puttin' on the Ritz top hat style) and he had a few gigs, one at Nellis AFB, and one downtown as I remember. He was a very nice man and a good singer.
As a 10 year old boy, I watched this show religiously. Fortunately, I was raised by a loving father as Mark was & I think that’s why I loved this TV series. Thanks for the backstory on the director, Sam Peckinpah, who went on to do great things in the movie business.
I liked that show to, but thinking back it seemed kind of sick!! I mean think about having a dad, who seem to have to kill someone every so often?? I don't think that was to realistic. Seems Mark would grow up pretty traumatized!! Now days the state would come and take your kids away. Not to mention probably haul your dad to jail.
@@vbrigham not realistic? Your kidding right? This series took place in the 1880's to the 1890's, not the candy ass 2020's. There were no social workers coming for you back then & if they did, they'd would have gotten their butts kicked to high heaven. This show was very honest to the times & each story had a good moral lesson to learn from.
@@jwwj30 The time it took place is irrelevant really. The unrealistic part, as in many programs related or not, is the frequency of particular events. Nobody in real life would have gone through as much as McCain did in 5 years.
I grew up without a dad because mine was killed in a vehicle accident when I was 18 months old. My mom worked 2 jobs and took in others laundry to make ends meet because dad had left us nothing because he had no life insurance. No man came into my life until I was much older so I learned all my ethics and how to be a good person, and man from father figures of TV. Chuck Conners, Ward Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver, Sheriff Andy Taylor, the father from my three sons… I feel I turned out OK, Veteran, former cop turned R.N. never arrested, father of four… Our society has lost it’s way morally and one big reason is that we no longer have morality demonstrated and taught to us on TV, in the movie theaters and unfortunately in about half of all American homes. We see it everyday in the news when young men are punching and kicking women in order to steal their purses or worse. Just the other day in S.F. four boys from Oakland ages 13, 14, 16 and 18 beat an old Asian woman down and one of the youngest punks kicked her in the head while she was on the ground AFTER they had already gotten her purse. No father in the home means so much as far as how one’s life tuns out. For little boys it has a huge impact and will increase the likelihood of their incarceration. I lucked out.Different times.
@@westcarter3862 I was right there with you. I think I fell victim to the suggestive look of the cut and paste job for the picture used for the title page. Along with the "scream" prediction.
The narrator said that Chuck Connors died in 1992, but then says that wasn't the reason why the show ended. Makes no sense what he said. The rifleman ended in the 60s not 90s
Connor's was doing an HBO or cable tv series about "Werewolves" in the latter 80's before his death and Connor's was the head Werewolf who wore a patch over one eye and was always one step ahead of those to wanted to do him in to end the Werewolf curse, similar to Dracula, etc. He was awesome in this evil role. 👍👍
And some pills with a nice little paper cup of cheap brand apple juice. At least here at the home it is. And then we have to feign taking a nap or the CNAs will rough us up and slap us around.
Connors was so dedicated to the show he went door to door in his neighborhood and asked housewives if they thought Lucas McCain should get married. They all definitely said no. Also, Johnny Crawford won an emmy for the show.
I watch The Rifleman every day. The show started when I was about 8 years old. Is it violent? I don't know -- Lucas never looked for a fight and only shot when he was forced. Think about it -- how often do you turn on the news and hear about some crazy person walking into an elementary school and killing 21 people? The violence in today's society seems worse than what we see on this show. Lucas was protective and caring, and Mark was my first crush.
When I started watching Rifleman reruns, I was surprised so much by the number of killings that I did some research. Lucas McCain killed 120 men, more or less, and more were killed by others. That's an awful lot of murder for a show that takes place in the middle of nowhere. One resource claims there were 2 1/2 deaths per episode.
I'm the same age as Johnny Crawford. I also sing with a small group. He had a very successful career as a musician after his acting career ended. I was saddened to hear of his passing. I was a big fan of the show and still watch re-runs.
My Mother, Grandmother, and Grandfather would talk about this show when I was growing up. I was born with n 67, and didn't watch it then. I saw bits of it here and there over the years. In 2018, my Grandmother went into a nursing home and the old shows were in the TV in the common room. In her more lucid moments, Gram and I would watch old shows. The Rifleman was one of my favorites. The stories had morals,but my favorite parts were the relationship between the father and son and also the many guest stars. My dad was never in my life, my Grandfather was my father figure. Being a girl it wasn't like the show, but it was nice seeing it represented.
We don't know all the back stories. He could of had an older child that died along with the wife that we were never told about. They kept sad issues out of the shows back then. 😪
My high school drama teacher, Don Levey, was college room mates & lifelong friends with Sam Peackinpah, and wrote several scripts for The Rifleman as well as other television series.
The 50's were MAGICAL years to be alive, TV had only been widely available for a few years, most actors and actresses integrated from Radio, and Movies so REAL talent was there, Chuck was a large part of my entertainment life along with so many more..
I'm a young pup. I had to watch this as reruns. My old lady bought me the entire DVD collection from the Rifleman website. Great show. Met Johnny Crawford here in Dodge City in 2015 I believe he led the cattle drive down Wyatt Earp during Dodge City Days. It was also the 60th anniversary of Gunsmoke.
13 shots! As soon as the narrator said 12 I took out my dvd and checked. I always knew it was 13! HA! I knew I was right. It's almost sad what makes me happy these days!! HA,HA!!!! I'm just glad everyone liked and respected the show as much as I did. I loved reading your comments. Made me smile.
Yes - good for you! I, too, knew it was 13 shots! My friends dumped all over me to 'get a life! ' when I confessed how much time I'd spent studying replays of the opening scene. Haha, but "I hads to know!"
These old Westerns were a hugh part of my childhood once we got a television which was around 1964 when I was 10 years old. I loved every one that our tv reception would bring to me which was CBS and NBC. I wore my sixguns with pride and rode a many mile on my imaginary horse tracking down bad guys. I will never forget the joy they brought me and the morals they left me with. All the actors are my heros an even though they were human and had flaws like all of us they will remain my heros for the rest of my life. Each time we lose one I am saddened. There is no actor today that I feel that way about.
I religiously watched The Rifleman when I was a kid. I can understand why Johnny Crawford picked the episode that he did as his favorite. It was mine, too. Of course I had to have the toy Rifle from the show when it hit the stores. It was almost as big as I was. I'll bet it would be worth some serious coin if I had it today. Of course it would not be mint in box. I HAD to play with it! C'mon!
I truly believe Chuck & Johnny was born to play these rolls! I loved the relationship between the two it is still awesome all these years later! And Johnny should have sang more on & off the show!!
Chuck Connors actually got THIRTEEN shots off in the opening sequence of The Rifleman- immediately follow’d by the glorious sound of 5 French horns playing in wondrous harmony introducing the famous Rifleman Theme …
I remember watching the Rifleman growing up with my grandfather as I was in school. I wake up every morning around 5:30a.m. when he wakes up and it just happens to be on and all of a sudden,, my little sister at the time began watching it.
My husband watched Chuck Connors in the movie Old Yeller, he tells me, on his 7th birthday in the summer of 1957. He says he watched it with his family at the Marda theatre in Calgary, Alberta after they had gone to a pretty rare family dinner out . He remembers the date pretty well , because he cried throughout the movie, which was the saddest one he had ever watched at that young age.
I am 55 years old I grew up watching The rifleman in reruns. I still get up early on Saturday morning no matter what I have to do that day and watch The rifleman. My youngest son who is now in the military at 18 years old would always watch it with me on Saturday mornings. And even one he come back from all his military training just recently we still watch it together on Saturday mornings and drink coffee and have a great time. He says he like that show because of the Father and son. I totally agree it was one of the best shows on television ever.
Chuck was so magnificent as the villain in ‘The Big Country’ that he should have been nominated for a Oscar at least. The ‘Rifleman’ was a pretty standard TV western for the time. Wish he could of brought some of the energy and look to the show that he had in the earlier movie, but then he just would not have been the ‘Rifleman’.
Chuck Connors was going around to Blockbuster video stores for grand openings about 2 years before he passed. We went to the store and waited a couple of hours for him to arrive. He finally did, people rushed to line up to meet him and somehow we were close to the end. Mr. Connors handlers said time was up and Mr. Connors had to leave. People left in line left but my husband was just standing there. He was and is a big fan. He knew all trivia answers about Mr. Connors, they had prizes to hand out to people that knew answers. Mr. Connors turned, saw my husband standing there and told him to come on over, asked hubby to wait while he, Chuck, took a quick break. Hubby waited and Mr. Connors came back, stood next to my husband and let me take pictures. Hubby ended up with several pictures and not just the 1-2 that others got. A sad day when Mr. Connors passed.
The rifle he carried was a Winchester M92: instead of a Model 73. He also carried a Spanish version of it for a lot of stunts. This was to spare the main gun
Connors played this part just right Crawford as his son just right I love the show it was an excellent show The Rifleman Connors did the rifle just perfect 🎉🎉❤❤
Chuck Conners married a lady from India. I went to High School with his son. His son received a new GM car to use every 6 months as part of payment from an ad Chuck Conners did for GM
A terrific show. My brother and I would watch it along with Wanted Dead or Alive, Wagon Train and Sugarfoot. We would race home from school to watch Kukla, Fran & Ollie but that’s another story. By the way, none of these shows made me scream.
@@alanolson6913 I looked up Sugarfoot show on youtube,all they had was the intro music.I watched Captain Kangaroo as a kid-LOVED it. LOL.Gonna look for those cartoon shows too.
This was a very interesting and positive piece about "The Rifleman" series. I have no idea why the person posting it (Viral Nater??) would cheapen it with the title, Try Not to Scream at These Secrets from Rifleman.
I'm screaming because I watched the entire video and only heard teasers of why Conners' Rifleman ended. I remember reading how Chuck Conners got bored of the role and pulled away. Then he was offered Branded yet still continued his petulance. That's why!
This is such a good show. The reality of a single father is spot on, because back then a lot of women died in childbirth. It was well written, directed and acted.
I love watching the Rifleman my brother and I was raised by our grandma my grandma loved the Rifleman us three would watch it when grandma would say come on babies it’s Rifleman time 🥰❤️❤️those are one of my favorite memories I miss Grandma my Angel ❤️😇
How many people know that Chuck Conners was a pro athlete in three sports. Not many athletes can say that. Also he was the first man in the NBA to brake the backboard! I
Always like the rifleman when I was young and even since I’ve grown up and now I’m in my 70s I still love this show it was well done and enjoyed it. I will done show you can look at 40 to 50 years later and still great
Yep... ...Color broadcast is what kept westerns like "Bonanza" and the "High Chaparral" alive late 1960s/early 1970s but overall "Westerns" had ran their course by then.
I think I would vote for Ben Cartwright as the better father after Chuck Connors passed out & left a child in the ring with a Brahman bull that had gotten loose!
I have enjoyed the show for many years and still watch it today on tv and RU-vid. Just one correction. The basketball team he played on was the Boston Celtics, but pronounced like seltics, not keltics. I got to meet Chuck Connors in 1984 and told him how much I had enjoyed his work. He was a very nice guy. And by the way he was also on several other tv series including Arrest and Trial, Branded and Cowboy in Africa.
I made a video based on this show in black and white. My son and I watched this show a lot. We used a mini bike instead of a horse and put a BB gun and blanket on the front of the bike. My son rode the bike and we came up with a story about our garden and growing food. My son and I always talk about episodes. Such an awesome plot that children should watch today.
When I sit down to watch two great actors entertain me when I am relaxing. Its then when I want to just be entertained, not trying to be a historian. Thanks so much for your research I am sure you spent lots of time but with all shows, I just want to be entertained. :)
