The father-son bond in The Rifleman is still considered to be among the greatest in television history, even after 60 years.
For those who grew up in the late 1950s, this Western classic was a must-watch in many homes because it emphasized timeless values like honesty and respect.
In addition to its iconic moments, The Rifleman contained a multitude of little mistakes, mishaps, and fascinating anecdotes that would only be known to die-hard fans.
As we uncover the hidden gems within this iconic Western, watch.
Who cares that The Rifleman and other early Westerns were riddled with historical inaccuracies? They are a lot of fun to watch and continue to offer more complex characters than anything currently available on TV. Every episode provided an insightful lesson, often highlighting basic human values with a heartfelt moral message.
The legendary Chuck Connors portrayed rancher and skilled marksman Lucas McCain in The Rifleman. McCain was widowed and raising his son, Mark, played by the charming Johnny Crawford. The two’s intimate bond and thrilling Old West adventures captivated the audience.
Despite being hailed as one of the greatest programs ever produced, even the best of the best can make blunders. Let’s peek behind the scenes and discover some things that most of us viewers didn’t know!
A trailblazer is Lucas McCain.
It’s no surprise that cowboy Lucas McCain liked jeans, but it turns out that he was at least fifty years ahead of his time! Those who watched “End of a Young Gun,” one of the first episodes starring Michael Landon, could have spotted a scene where Lucas adjusts a wagon wheel without wearing a shirt.
The “W” stitched on the back pocket of his pants indicates that he is wearing Wranglers. The catch? Those jeans weren’t manufactured until the 1940s, despite the fact that the series is set in the 1880s. In addition to being a fashionable cowboy, Lucas McCain is a great trendsetter who was well ahead of his time!
The genuine son of Connors
As I mentioned before, one element of the show that I really liked was the father-son relationship. But did you know that Chuck Connors’ real-life kid makes a cameo in the series? Mark and Lucas attend the McCains’ friend Sid Halpern’s funeral in the “Tension” episode.
The widow is there with her son, Toby, who is dressed in black. Chuck Connors’ second son with Faith Quabius, Jeff Connors, played that young Toby and had two lines. Regretfully, Jeff passed away in 2014.
Obtaining Chuck wasn’t simple.
Casting The Rifleman’s protagonist was challenging.
Although it was not certain, Chuck Connors had to defeat forty other actors to land the role. Since he might earn more money as a freelance actor, he first turned down ABC’s small compensation offer.
However, Connors ultimately secured the role in an unexpected manner. It all started when the producers brought their children to watch Connors in Old Yeller as a strong father figure. After the meeting, perhaps after the kids had voiced their concerns, the producers came back with a far better offer that included a five percent ownership part in the show. In a flash, everything was set!
The Winchester rifle of 1892
At the start of every episode of The Rifleman, Chuck Connors showed off his incredible skills by firing his saddle-ring carbine in an apparently endless stream of bullets. As he swung the gun, flung it effortlessly from his right to his left, and theatrically inserted a new cartridge, he would look fearfully directly into the camera.
To create these iconic shots, the production used two identical 1892 Winchester rifles, one for filming and the other as a backup.
It’s possible that the opening scene featuring the 1892 Winchester firearms was staged or featured trick photography. However, Connors was indeed that fast and agile with his carbine. Being a former athlete who played professional basketball and baseball in both major and minor leagues before pursuing acting, he possessed exceptional skills and coordination that made such quick movements seem natural. We do know, however, that the weapon was altered to change the lever action to enable rapid fire.
The Duke relationship
Lucas McCain’s dependable Winchester rifle has an interesting past and was more than simply a prop.
The Winchester rifle from 1892 could not have existed at the period of The Rifleman’s setting, which was the 1870s and 1880s.
But this iconic firearm had already made its big-screen debut in the classic 1939 John Wayne film Stagecoach. The exciting detail was eventually disclosed by producer Arnold Levin: the gun used by Lucas McCain was the identical one that the Duke used in his famous film.
The Hotel Madera
The Madera Hotel was a well-known landmark in North Fork and appeared in multiple episodes during the course of the series.
But in The Sharpshooter, the first episode, the eatery was renamed California House. Although there were reports of a possible ownership change in between occurrences, no one really understands why the restaurant suddenly changed its name.
Johnny Crawford was placed on a blacklist.
At the age of three, Johnny Crawford made his television debut during an audition. But it was a flop; in fact, he was blacklisted because he was portrayed as a 3-year-old actor.
Even though I can’t recall the photo, I ended up on the cutting room floor. However, in a scene where Rosalind Russell was meant to hand us all chocolate bars, I portrayed one of several refugee children. In 1973, Johnny Crawford told The Miami Herald, “I think I got blacklisted after this film because the scene had to be reshot and I refused to give back my chocolate bar for the second take.”
The “difficult” task of selecting a new female lead
Although there were several romantic partners in the series, widower Lucas McCain prioritized parenting his kid. In the third season, it seemed as though Lucas and Milly Scott, played by Joan Taylor, were about to begin dating.
However, when Milly left the show in season four, claiming vaguely that she had to go back east, this narrative was dropped.
Lou Mallory was born as a result of producers searching for a fresh female lead. It was challenging to find an actress that not only fit the role but also clicked well with Chuck Connors.
AMC (231) will broadcast 13 Rifleman episodes on March 14 from 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (EST). The Idol Broken (S4, etc.)
This was released by Johnny Crawford on Thursday, March 12, 2015.
Chuck participated completely in the casting procedure to ensure a good fit. However, this turned out to be more challenging than anticipated. Chuck interviewed about a dozen women who seemed perfect for the part but didn’t fit the bill.
I was given what I believed to be a dream assignment a few months ago. At least it began as a dream, but the actor revealed that it nearly turned into a nightmare.
After more than 60 ladies were carefully scrutinized, Patricia Blair, a gorgeous red-haired beauty from Texas, was chosen as the winner.
Do you know this baseball legend?
As was already mentioned, Lucas McCain was a very good baseball player. However, Duke Snider, a former Dodgers player who was a guest on the show, was always more skilled than he was. Chuck Connors only managed two home runs throughout his time in Major League Baseball.
Even though I can’t recall the photo, I ended up on the cutting room floor. However, in a scene where Rosalind Russell was meant to hand us all chocolate bars, I portrayed one of several refugee children. In 1973, Johnny Crawford told The Miami Herald, “I think I got blacklisted after this film because the scene had to be reshot and I refused to give back my chocolate bar for the second take.”
The “difficult” task of selecting a new female lead
Although there were several romantic partners in the series, widower Lucas McCain prioritized parenting his kid. In the third season, it seemed as though Lucas and Milly Scott, played by Joan Taylor, were about to begin dating.
However, when Milly left the show in season four, claiming vaguely that she had to go back east, this narrative was dropped.
Lou Mallory was born as a result of producers searching for a fresh female lead. It was challenging to find an actress that not only fit the role but also clicked well with Chuck Connors.
AMC (231) will broadcast 13 Rifleman episodes on March 14 from 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (EST). The Idol Broken (S4, etc.)
This was released by Johnny Crawford on Thursday, March 12, 2015.
Chuck participated completely in the casting procedure to ensure a good fit. However, this turned out to be more challenging than anticipated. Chuck interviewed about a dozen women who seemed perfect for the part but didn’t fit the bill.
I was given what I believed to be a dream assignment a few months ago. At least it began as a dream, but the actor revealed that it nearly turned into a nightmare.
After more than 60 ladies were carefully scrutinized, Patricia Blair, a gorgeous red-haired beauty from Texas, was chosen as the winner.
Do you know this baseball legend?
As was already mentioned, Lucas McCain was a very good baseball player. However, Duke Snider, a former Dodgers player who was a guest on the show, was always more skilled than he was. Chuck Connors only managed two home runs throughout his time in Major League Baseball.
Their special link is brilliantly captured in the timeless image below, which emphasizes their deep regard and unity.
Paul Fix, who played Marshal Micah Torrence on The Rifleman, was another actor who felt a great feeling of obligation to Crawford.
During the shoot, he acted as Crawford’s surrogate father and made sure that every gun was locked. Crawford’s safety was a personal concern for Paul Fix.
Fix nearly died when a weapon misfired while he was playing with his brother when he was younger. Fix barely survived the bullet; it was a miracle he survived.
The twist of Buddy Hackett
In a surprising casting decision, Buddy Hackett, the comic genius, played the father of an actor who was actually four years younger than him.
In one episode of The Rifleman, Buddy Hackett plays Daniel Malakie, a parent who finds out that both of his children, Ben and Jud, have been arrested. Interestingly, Christopher Dark, who played the “boy” Ben, was born in 1920, whereas Hackett was born in 1924. Hollywood’s ability to challenge conventional family roles and age expectations is demonstrated by the imaginative casting that arises from this age dynamic.
A baby boy played with a baby girl.
Do you know who Robert Anacher is? No? That’s logical! His performance in the episode as the adorable baby girl Fancy His most famous feature was the newborn Sitter. But it came out that the female was a boy.
Deadly shot with a pistol
Originally planned for Gunsmoke (1955), the pilot starred Chuck Connors as John McCain. According to IMDB, he was a pistol-wielding dead shooter without children.
The crew was impressed with Sammy Davis Jr.
A beloved celebrity who left his mark on American history, Sammy Davis Jr. is known as “Mr. Show Business” and “the greatest entertainer ever to grace a stage in these United States.”
But did you know he had a role in The Rifleman? In the episode Two Ounces of Tin, Sammy Davis Jr. portrayed outlaw Tip Corey. It was astounding how fast he could draw a rifle and how well he could twist. The astounding thing is that Davis performed each of these actions without the help of a stand-in!
The hairstyles
Although The Rifleman is set in the 1880s, most of the actors sported hairstyles that mirrored the fashions of the 1950s and 1960s, when the program was actually filmed.
This anachronism is further highlighted by the fact that many of the men were dressed in full-front button-down shirts, a fashion that didn’t even exist until the 1920s and didn’t gain popularity until the 1930s. The classic Western gains a startling new depth thanks to this fascinating blend of historical context and mid-century design!
The headstone for Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors, renowned for his physical prowess, smoked three packs of Camel cigarettes daily. Remarkably, he was one of only twelve athletes in history to play Major League Baseball and the NBA.
In the fall of 1992, Connors was hospitalized due to pneumonia. Three weeks later, he tragically died of lung cancer. The emblems of the three sports teams he played for—the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Cubs, and the Brooklyn Dodgers—are prominently displayed on his headstone in San Fernando Mission Cemetery, where he was laid to rest.
Kevin Joseph “Chuck” Connors was one of the twelve athletes in the history of the sport from April 10, 1921, to November 10, 1992.
Published on Friday, November 10, 2023 by the Death Page in Hollywood
As we conclude our examination of the fabled world of The Rifleman, it is clear that the show has left a lasting influence on television history.
The show’s timeless popularity is a result of its enduring father-son bond, lovable characters, and perfect balance of morality and action. I’m still watching the replays today. Rest in peace, Johnny and Chuck
