"The Rifleman" (1958) TV series 1958-1963

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Otto Lang

Writer:

John Wilder (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

30 September 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Western

Plot:

Lucas McCain can fire a round with his specially modified Winchester in three-tenths of a second. That...

Plot Keywords:

Father Son Relationship | Rifle | Widower | Outlaw | 1880s

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Chuck Connors	...	Lucas McCain / ... (168 episodes, 1958-1963)
Johnny Crawford	...	Mark McCain (168 episodes, 1958-1963)
Paul Fix	...	Marshal Micah Torrance / ... (148 episodes, 1958-1963)

Runtime:

30 min (168 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Four Star Productions

Trivia:

In the pilot for the series, by Sam Peckinpah (originally written for "Gunsmoke" (1955) but turned down for that show), Chuck Connors' character was named John McCain, not Lucas McCain, and he didn't have a son. It was producer Arnold Laven's idea to make McCain a widower with a son. Also, McCain was originally supposed to have been a dead shot with a pistol. Laven had the idea to use a customized Winchester rifle as McCain's weapon of choice.

Quotes:

Lucas McCain: A man doesn't run from a fight, Mark...but that doesn't mean you should go running *to* one, either.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Mitchell (#6.12)" (1993)

A "bad guy" playing a "good guy"

I think much of the success of "The Rifleman" TV series was due to the casting of Chuck Connors as the "hero." We quickly grew used to him in this part but at the time the series started, he was probably regarded by many casting directors as a "bad guy" -- such as the part he played in "The Big Country." There was something mean and menacing about him. But by casting him as the boy's father in "The Rifleman," the show used Connors' toughness to counteract the sentimentality that might otherwise have enveloped this series. (Can you imagine how syrupy "The Rifleman" would have been had Doug McClure played the lead?)