ReaderKenka
Let's be realistic.
Skunkyrate
Gripping story with well-crafted characters
Contentar
Best movie of this year hands down!
zardoz-13
Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford made a thoroughly believable father and son duo in "The Rifleman" for its 168 episodes during its five season run. Lucas McCain was a widowed rancher whose expertise with a Winchester repeater was phenomenal. As it turned out, "The Rifleman" broke new ground as the first prime time series about a widower and his son. Mark and he moved to North Folk, New Mexico, and he bought a ranch sprawling over 4000 acres. Virtually everybody in North Fork admired Lucas, and he was instrumental in helping the town drunk, Micah Torrance (Paul Fix), recover his position of town marshal. Indeed, whenever Micah is away, Lucas serves as the interim lawman. In one episode when North Fork landed their first bank, Judge Hanavan (Sidney Blackmer) drove out to see Lucas and try to convince him to invest his money in the bank. Apparently, Hanavan met many North Fork residents who were reluctant about putting their money in the bank because Lucas refused to get a bank account. Reportedly, Sam Peckinpah originated the show after "Gunsmoke" producers rejected his teleplay. Director Arnold Laven tweaked the idea by giving Lucas a son. Each episode depicted the moral lessons that Lucas taught his son as well as adhered to western conventions. The exciting opening scene where Lucas storms down main street rapid firing with his Winchester was always electrifying material as was composer Herschel Burke Gilbert's orchestral music. Gilbert's music never left you in doubt about what was about to transpire. Often the producers repeated the same musical cues, but Gilbert's music was so exemplary that it didn't matter. Some gifted directors called the shots on "The Rifleman," including Sam Peckinpah of "The Wild Bunch," Paul Wendkos of "Guns of the Magnificent Seven," Richard Donner of the "Lethal Weapon" franchise, Ted Post of "Hang'em High," Arthur Hiller of "Love Story," Arnold Laven of "Rough Night in Jericho," James Clavell of "To Sir, With Love,"and Joseph H. Lewis of "Gun Crazy." Actually, Lewis helmed the largest number of episodes, approximately 52, while Laven came in second with 22 episodes. Mind you, all 168 episodes were lensed in black & white and broadcast by ABC-TV. According to the Neilson Ratings, "The Rifleman" started out strong during its initial season, claiming 4th place. However, the show slipped in its successive seasons to 13th and didn't crack the top 3o during its final season.
duanelee46
***This is not really a review but more of a long question that's been bothering me for years *** *No real Spoiler just a reference to a later episode*I love Westerns so for the review part: This has great western action, story lines and drama. There is nothing more to say about a great show like that. Here's my question. Can anyone tell me if there is a back story for Lucas McCain? There are several references to how good he is with the rifle (The show is called "The Rifleman") however there seems to be no back story on how he got so good and where/how he used this skill. Was he an ex-lawman, Bounty Hunter, or Straight Outlaw? There were multiple episodes where outlaws or gunslingers make comments like; Watch out, you know how good he is with that rifle or I've always wanted to test the famous Lucas McCain etc. Like in Season 3, EP 33 - Death Trap, where he comes across a famous fast gunslinger (Simon Battle) whom was shot by McCain years earlier and thought to be dead. During the episode they talk back and forth on how they would not back down from each other and wanting to shoot it out again. I can't seem to find any story/episode to where all this skill came from and how come so many outlaws etc. know that deadly skill of his. I can understand the lack of back story for Clint Eastwood"The man with no name" kind of story/movie. But for this to be an ongoing series I was a bit unsettled not to know this answer.
christopher48273
If anyone thinks The Rifleman is good, wholesome family fun, they need to take a human rights course. Naturally, since the show was created in the 50's, it displays typical 1950's American social values. The show is rife with misogynistic, bigoted and otherwise ignorant attitudes which are mostly (and surprisingly) expressed by Mark, the young boy in the show.This is pretty frightening, as young people watching the show today could certainly adopt these outdated, and dangerous views of women and minorities. I am further surprised at some of the other reviews which applaud the show for its messages, high morals and good examples. Have another look, and listen more closely to what the messages really are. Here is a quote from a show aired this morning: Mark: "An Indian Marshall? What's the world coming to?" To which his father replies something like: "Well, what are you gonna do?"This series should at least carry a disclaimer which warns viewers about what they are about to see.
classicsoncall
Starting out, I have to say right up front that I enjoy watching every single episode of "The Rifleman". Any given story is a classic example of an enviable father/son relationship, with Lucas McCain teaching son Mark an important life lesson. Taken as an entire body of work however, I see how a lot of fans are really put into a quandary about McCain's body count as a result of that quick lever action tricked out Winchester rifle. On that score I would have to say that old Lucas Boy has to go down in classic TV Western history as the great white shark of New Mexico Territory. Simply put, he's a killing machine. There's probably not another character with more kills than Lucas McCain, except MAYBE Matt Dillon, but he had twenty seasons and five tele-films going for him, and Lucas had only five. I was so intrigued by this that with the Encore Western Channel's latest go round with The Rifleman series, I began keeping track. I even had a friend of mine help me (Thanks Will), who taped the episodes so we could discuss them when there was a question mark, and indeed there were many. It seems the writers must have known someone would eventually try to keep track of the Lucas body count, so they threw innovative situations out there to keep everyone guessing. Like Episode #2.45 when Jack Elam falls on a pitchfork during a fight with McCain, dying in the process. Does that count as a 'kill' for Lucas? Or how about #3.105 when an outlaw grabs McCain's gun to shoot his partner who's bailing out on him? Lucas plugged it and it explodes, killing the shooter. See what I mean. There would have to be a tribunal of respected Western TV critics to arrive at an official Lucas McCain body count to account for all the controversial scenarios. But for what it's worth, I can offer interested observers my entirely unofficial analysis based on a five season viewing of 'The Rifleman' on the Encore Western Channel. Let me preface though by first commenting on Episode #1.12 - 'Young Englishman' - in which Lucas McCain explains to son Mark (Johnny Crawford) that killing is always to be considered a means of last resort when facing a life or death situation. By that reckoning, Lucas was the master of last resort for a total of 108 times! Can you imagine ANYONE with their life on the line as many times as The Rifleman? I mean, how do you go through life and find yourself in so many precarious situations? But wait, that was only during the run of the series. If you watch the shows and pay attention, Lucas alludes to even MORE people he's killed during the Civil War and the Indian Nation Wars before he ever got to North Fork. So how does that square with the real life gunfighters of the Old West? Well, during his lifetime, the legend of Wild Bill Hickok had him killing over a hundred men. However before he died, Wild Bill 'confessed' that he killed 'only' thirty seven. In terms of accuracy, quick draw and ruthlessness, John Wesley Hardin had no match, and his count of just over forty men killed is probably tops among known gunfighters. Heck, by the time Lucas McCain killed forty men, it was still only the second season! Getting back to the show itself, it's hard to come up with a few favorites out of the series run of 168 stories, but two that would be in my Top Ten are the Sammy Davis Jr. episodes. In #4.130 - 'Two Ounces of Tin' - Davis comes gunning for the man who killed his father, Lucas McCain. It's kind of a poignant story since Davis' character makes friends with Mark before calling out his father. In #5.151 - 'The Most Amazing Man' - Davis is put on the spot by a local gunman who challenges him to a gunfight. I guess I'm intrigued by the idea of the former 'Rat Packer' in a TV Western, which seems so out of character for the variety entertainer I'm more familiar with. And say, could he handle those six-shooters! There's also the intriguing episode #4.131, 'The Deadly Image', in which Chuck Connors plays two characters, Lucas and a fierce villain look alike. I had to chuckle at the end of the story, because if you think about it, the Rifleman is so bad a-- cool in this one that he winds up actually 'killing himself'!!! Anyway, I tried to have some fun with the whole Lucas body count thing. Again, I want to state that by no means is my reckoning meant to be an official count, but I'd say it's pretty close. You had a few episodes where Lucas teamed with Micah or some other gunslinger firing on a group of villains, so there again you have a toss up as to who shot who. Still, over a hundred 'kills' would qualify Lucas McCain as a Wild Bill Hickok, John Wesley Hardin, Tom Horn and Billy the Kid all rolled up into one!
