The special bond between a father and son in The Rifleman is still remembered as one of the best in television history, even now.
If you grew up in the late 1950s, Shane was probably watched in many homes and taught important morals such as respect and honesty.
However, besides its big triumphs, The Rifleman had little-known errors, accidents and fun points that only avid fans could notice.
Find out the secret stories behind this popular Western with us…
Early Westerns often portrayed events wrong, but that did not matter back then. They may not have a huge story, but they’re still a lot of fun and provide more interesting characters than you’ll find anywhere on TV today. Each episode taught an important lesson, usually centered on human values and ended with a kind and thoughtful message.
In The Rifleman, Chuck Connors played Lucas McCain, a widower and master with guns raising his son, Mark, who was played by Johnny Crawford. Millions of viewers were moved by their close bond and exciting trips into the wild Old West.
While the series is known as among the finest ever, even top movies sometimes make errors. There’s much more going on behind the scenes than most of us viewers know.
Lucas McCain led the way for others.
Lucas McCain liked wearing jeans and it turns out that jeans weren’t really popular until half a century later! Some sharp eyes might have noticed in “End of a Young Gun” that a bare-chested Lucas is seen fixing a wagon wheel.
A “W” has been sewn on the back pocket of Fate’s jeans and you can confirm he’s donning a pair of Wranglers. The catch? The show was set back in the 1880s, though Levi’s didn’t create jeans until the 1940s. He was not only a cowboy who wore the latest styles; Lucas McCain actually led the way in setting fashion trends for his generation.
Connors’ true biological son
Let me mention that one thing I especially liked was the father-son relationship. Did you know Chuck Connors’ actual son appears in the series? They are there for the funeral of Sid Halpern, a friend of the McCains, as shown in “Tension.”
The boy, Toby and his mother stand beside the coffin, wearing black. Chuck and Faith Quabius’ second son, Jeff Connors, was the actor chosen to play young Toby for the show; he appeared only briefly and delivered only two lines. Unfortunately, Jeff died in 2014.
It took a lot of effort to get Chuck
Choosing who would play the lead in The Rifleman was a big challenge.
To land the role, Connors had to beat out 40 other competitors, yet it was never certain that he would get the part. Officially, when ABC offered him the job, he refused thanks to his option to earn more by acting on his own.
Unexpectedly, Connors landed the role after he impressed the directors. It began with the producers showing their kids Old Yeller, featuring Connors as an influential father role. With their thoughts shared, the producers returned offering much better terms such as a five-percent stake in the show. And before we knew it, everything was done!
The 1892 Winchester model.
The beginning of every Rifleman episode had Chuck Connors demonstrate his abilities by shooting rapidly from his saddle-ring carbine. He would make the rifle spin, toss it from right hand to left, load a fresh cartridge and stare angrily at the camera as he did it.
The filmmakers had two exact 1892 Winchester rifles, using one for filming and keeping the other as a backup.
Many people might have thought that the scene where the 1892 Winchester rifles appear was filmed using illusions or fake effects. It is true that Connors maneuvered his carbine exactly as he did in the movies. Because he had played in both the major and minor leagues for baseball and basketball, he moved very quickly and gracefully for his roles. Even so, we know that the weapon was modifed to shoot bullets rapidly with each rotation of the lever.
The link to the Duke system
Lucas McCain’s Winchester rifle was not just there for show; it played a big role and had an interesting history behind it.
Because The Rifleman is set in the 1870s and 1880s, the 1892 Winchester rifle was not part of that era.
Even so, John Wayne’s classic 1939 film, Stagecoach, featured the Winchester rifle before it became an icon. Later, the show’s producer, Arnold Levin, announced that the rifle used by Lucas McCain was identical to the famous one the Duke had wielded in his film.
Madera Hotel
Throughout the series, the Madera Hotel was a famous place in North Fork that appeared commonly in different episodes.
While in the second episode, California House went by a different name than it had originally been given. Some thought that a new owner took over the restaurant, yet there hasn’t been any explanation for the name change.
Johnny Crawford was put on a blacklist.
At the age of 3, Johnny Crawford began his career in acting on camera when he auditioned. Still, he didn’t do well in the industry and was actually put on a blacklist after acting as a 3-year-old.
I didn’t even see the finished product because I got cut from the film. However, I was one of several refugee children and I was in the scene with Rosealind Russell that featured giving us chocolate bars. “After this scene, I got blacklisted and it was because I didn’t want to give up my chocolate bar for the reshoot,” Johnson Crawford said to The Miami Herald in 1973.
The problem with casting a new woman in the lead role
Despite spending most of his time looking after his son, the series included romantic encounters for widower Lucas McCain. By the beginning of the third season, Lucas and Milly, played by Joan Taylor, appeared to be about to start a romance.
When Milly moved on in season four and went back east, her character’s story did not develop much further.
For this reason, the producers introduced a new female character called Lou Mallory. The main issue was finding a woman who looked good in the part and shared great chemistry with Chuck Connors.
To make sure the show was a success, Chuck participated in selecting the cast. Even so, it turned out to be much more difficult than expected. There were more than a dozen women who Chuck thought would work great for the role, but they never felt right.
A few months ago, I got what I thought was the perfect job. It started with great expectations, yet soon turned into a concerning problem,” the actor said.
After looking at more than 60 candidates, the experts decided on the breathtaking red-haired Texan, Patricia Blair.
Are you familiar with this person in the baseball hall of fame?
We already mentioned that Lucas McCain was very talented at baseball. But he never reached the same level as Duke Snider, who appeared as a guest on the program. The Major League Baseball career of Chuck Connors shelved him with just two home runs.
Well-known baseball player Jackie Robinson—who was dubbed “the Duke of Flatbush”—performed the role of Wallace in The Retired Gun. Don Drysdale also made an appearance on The Danny Kaye Show.
Johnny Crawford’s brother entered the program.
Many Rifleman episodes centered on family issues and it was the first show on network television to highlight a single parent looking after a child.
Along with Jeff Connors, the stand-up routine featured the appearance of Johnny Crawford’s brother, Bobby.
Johnny played Freddy in the episode Second Witness and because they both performed so well, they each got nominated for Emmy Awards in 1959. After being cast as Bobby, the full name of which is Robert Lawrence Crawford Jr., he went on to play Andy Sherman on the NBC show Laramie from 1959 to 1960. He hasn’t died yet and is 80 years old.
Tried to avoid Johnny Crawford from personal risks
Chuck Connors had cared for the young Johnny and the two kept their friendship for many years after the show ended.
At a young age, Johnny looked up to Chuck Connors, mainly because of his strong interest in baseball. The close relationship he shared with Sheckard while filming The Rifleman had a strong impact on Crawford and taught him many important lessons.
It was a lot of fun to experience Chuck tell about his baseball times or recite famous poems or give speeches.” This fact always amazes people: that Chuck Connors is familiar with Shakespeare, said Crawford in The Buffalo News.
The close bond and mutual respect between them can easily be seen in the classic photo below.
Micah Torrence’s actor, Paul Fix, shared much of Crawford’s responsibilities.
While filming, he was like a second father to Crawford and checked that every weapon used stayed secure. Security was a deeply personal concern for Paul Fix around Crawford.
As a kid, Fix himself almost died when he played with his brother and a weapon went off. It was just an inch away from hitting Fix and it was a miraculous escape that he survived.
Buddy Hackett’s version
Buddy Hackett, who was famous for his comedy, appeared as the father of a famous actor who was just four years younger than himself.
In the episode, “Three for the Price of One,” Buddy Hackett acts as Daniel Malakie, whose two sons, Ben and Jud, have ended up in jail. It’s interesting that Christopher Dark, who was Ben, was actually born two years before Hackett. Because of this difference in age, movies are able to feature actors in roles that break from standard family boundaries.
A baby boy portrayed the character of baby girl in the film
Have you ever heard of the name Robert Anacher? No? That’s understandable! His most prominent part was appearing as the adorable baby girl Fancy in the episode The Baby Sitter. Actually, it was a boy who was dressed in a girl’s outfit.
Her killer fired a pistol and fatally shot her.
His character first appeared in the Gunsmoke (1955) pilot under the name John McCain. IMDB asserts that he never had kids and was an outstanding marksman with pistols.
Sammy Davis Jr. made an impression on the crew.
Called “Mr Show Business” and “the greatest entertainer in America today” – Sammy Davis Jr. holds a memorable spot in the minds of those who knew him.
Do you know he actually starred in one episode of The Rifleman? In the episode Two Oounces of Tin, the famous Sammy Davis Jr. acted as the outlaw Tip Corey. He performed deft moves and flashy twirling tricks when using a gun. One thing that makes these stunts special is that Davis acted in each of them.
Hair styles
Although the events happened in the 1880s, most of the Rifleman actors still rocked hairstyles from the 1950s and 1960s filming era.
Even the clothing style used in this film makes the time shift clearer, as most of the men are seen wearing button-down shirts which became popular in the 1930s. It brings together old Western history and the look of the mid-1960s to give the classic film a completely new feeling.
Chuck Connors’ gravestone
The remarkable athlete Chuck Connors smoked at least three packs of Camels each day. Strangely enough, only twelve athletes in history were able to compete in both the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, among them was Bill Veeck.
In October 1992, Connors was admitted to the hospital because of pneumonia. The cancer progressed rapidly and he was soon lost to lung cancer. The place where he was buried, San Fernando Mission Cemetery, has a noticeable headstone that puts the logos of the Boston Celtics, Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers all side by side.
Coming to the end of our visit to The Rifleman, there is no doubt that the show made a significant impression on the world of TV.
Because of its strong father-son bond, fun characters and mix of thrilling events and right versus wrong messages, the show remains popular today. I sometimes watch the reruns these days. Rest In Peace Johnny and Chuck❤️
