pjdee One of the BEST shows on air from the late 50s, early 60s. I grew up pretty rebellious as a child in the 60s yet so fortunate to have been growing up in a time of amazing movies and shows like 'The Rifleman.' I never cared for Chuck Connors looks, it was some the shape of his eyes, yet as I got older I learned to realize just how ignorant that I was to judge someone from their looks and the shape of their eyes or facial features. So here I am a progressive yet a woman with strong values and morals and a heart that still enjoys watching 'The Rifleman' everyday when home. I find comfort in the story lines that more kids these days should learn from. The acting was wonderful by Chuck Connors showed more acting in this show than he did in any other, and seems to have been made for the part. The series reflected an Emphasis on character building and morals to the stories. I realized later in life that it was this exact same style of strong, silent type walk which Clint Eastwood in making his trademark that was lead by Chuck Connors yet Lucas McCain was a FAMIY MAN and always showed a great fathers love for his son. He was what any child would want as a father. A father that was raising a child alone without a mother or any families help. Instead he was a man what was respected by the town, a man with integrity yet would also admit when he was wrong.My favorite child actor wasn't Shirley Temple yet Johnny Crawford in the late 60's because he played is character Mark McCain so real and genuine and showed great respect for his father. And as a female I grew up a "Tomboy" and wished I had a brother like Mark McCain.They just don't make shows like those these days. The shows I adore as a MODERN VEGAN WOMAN that also grew up on Rock & Roll. I still also watch Bonanza and Gunsmoke too. I'm even friends with the wife of Michaal Landon, Cindy Landon, and we talk about the making of Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie and the VALUES that are so important to be taught to children. To be truthful, honest and spiritual. Odd that a thin progressive woman that doesn't eat animals could love these old time series yet that tough the heart and spirit of man and in the end it's just a life of peace that we long to have in this world. Peace for animals and all humans. Love this classic "The Rifleman."

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.

rook01 Like many people I always wondered why Micah Torrence was sheriff. Today, I saw how he came to the series.Micah was a good law man who was a fast gun but got tired of being challenged in gun fights. He is wandering around as a drunk when Lucas gives him a job at his ranch to clean him up. He no longer carries a hand gun.Three guys (two who had been previously shot by Micah) come to town to kill Micah. Two go out to the ranch to kill Micah but back off because of McCain and his reputation with the rifle. The leaders of the three kills the existing sheriff and sets a trap to ambush McCain in town. The three plan to kill McCain and then kill Micah.In the ambush, McCain kills one of the three but is shot twice from behind by one of the two other gun men. Micah rode into town to help Lucas because he suspected a trap. He guns down the guy who shot Lucas with a shotgun. He reloads the shotgun and then wins the shootout with the ringleader.It explains why McCain was so loyal to Micah. He definitely would have died if it was not for Micah.It is the only episode I can remember where Micah bailed out Lucas McCain. It would be ironic if it was the first one where Micah Torrence was introduced to the show.

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!