Rifleman how many episodes

In fact, the depiction of a widowed father grappling with the challenges of raising a son alone in THE RIFLEMAN may have been a television first in its departure from the traditional depiction of a family as mother, father and child.

Critics and viewers responded favorably to the novel family portrayal celebrating the father-son bond, and it appears to account for the enduring appeal of the series. Chuck Connors later remarked with admiration how young Johnny Crawford comported himself on THE RIFLEMAN set with deferential respect toward the crew, addressing them as "sir" and "ma'am" upon arriving to the set on his first day until departing on the last day. The narratives that elicited THE RIFLEMAN's central themes were compelling because of the characters' capacity to animate the viewers' imagination and ability to kindle an emotional connnection to them.

Bill Quinn , who began his career in the silent film era, played Sweeney the Bartender at the North Fork Saloon, appearing in 40 episodes, while John Harmon portrayed the quiet hotel clerk in 15 episodes. Harlan Warde, representing the stolid integrity of a civic-minded businessman, portrayed president of the North Fork Bank in 18 episodes.

She appeared in 16 episodes, imparting a warm, maternal counterbalance to an otherwise rough and tumble atmosphere. She would provide a romantic interest for Lucas in 18 episodes; however, in the fifth and final season of the show, actress Patricia Blair, potraying "Lou Mallory," would become the new romantic interest, taking ownership of the General Store from Miss Milly, who returned to her family the east.

Blair appeared in 17 episodes. Other recurring characters, some portrayed by different actors, would turn up North Fork, including Toomey the Blacksmith, played by Robert Foulk, who made five appearances, the reassuring stalwart Doc Burrage, who was played by six different actors, including Edgar Buchanan and Rhys Williams , and the character Nels Swenson also Swensen and Svenson , alternately North Fork's farrier or the blacksmith, who was played by several actors, including Richard Alexander, John Dierkes, Joe Higgins and Karl Swenson.

The last of episodes, "Old Tony," aired on April 8, Dan Maury, released from Yuma prison, arrives in North Fork with the intent on getting even with Marshal Torrance, who helped send him to jail.

The Wrong Man A crooked marshal from another territory intentionally kills an innocent man so that he can collect the bounty money and blackmails the real outlaw. Lyle Bettger - Robert H. Stone Jr. An escaped killer holds Hattie and Micah hostage at the General Store to prove that he is still good with a gun. The Hawk After saving Mark from a rattlesnake, the McCain's befriend a stranger; but the McCain's soon discover that he's not who he says he is.

Three Legged Terror After an orphaned teen being raised by his abusive uncle wrecks havoc on the school, Lucas takes him in. The Angry Man A neighboring rancher refuses medical assistance when his son is seriously hurt in an accident because he blames doctors for the death of his wife.

The Woman After a boy admits to his Pa that he and the school teacher are in love, the rancher chases the advocator for women's rights out of town; but Lucas wants to get at the truth. The Money Gun Bookkeeper Asa Manning hires a professional gunman to provoke his client, a bully rancher who suspects him of embezzlement, into a gunfight. A Matter of Faith Although a drought has forced local cowhands to seek work on a railroad construction project, railroad executives are afraid that their workers will desert them if they believe an old man's claim to have found a way to make rain.

Blood Brother Lucas is surprised when Micah wishes death on a dying man he brings into North Fork. Then Lucas discovers that Micah holds a big secret. Stranger at Night Mark stumbles across a dead man and the only clue to his identity is a belt with the initials RM.

The Raid A renegade band of Indians captures Mark and disappears into the hills of New Mexico. Outlaw's Inheritance The towns' people question the reputation of Lucas when he is named in a will of a notorious outlaw. Lucas takes in an orphan boy and teaches him how to use a gun, not knowing that the boy plans on killing the banker he believes is responsible for his father's death. The Mind Reader A young man accused of a murder he didn't commit, is finally cleared by the accidental discovery of a mind reader.

Bloopers Index Chit Chat on bloopers and things worth mentioning! Hard to find! The Rifleman I want to personally thank Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions for all the great Westerns and their other great shows that have brought us hours of enjoyment! And a special thanks to Herschel Burke Gilbert for that great Rifleman theme. Have you seen the lyrics to the Rifleman theme?

McCrea left the company soon after, and was replaced with Ida Lupino as the fourth star, even though she did not own any stock in the company. A special thank you to Michelle for all she has done for the ranch! He and his son Mark came from Enid, Oklahoma, after his wife died when Mark was 6 years old. Regulars on the program included Marshal Micah Torrance R. Fifty-one episodes of the series were directed by Joseph H.

Lewis director of s Gun Crazy and known for his film noir style. Ida Lupino directed one episode, "The Assault". Connors wrote several episodes. The series was set during the s; a wooden plaque next to the McCain home states that the home was rebuilt by Lucas McCain and his son Mark in August A common thread in the series is that people deserve a second chance; Marshal Micah Torrance is a recovering alcoholic, and McCain gives a convict a job on his ranch in "The Marshal".

Learning why the man wants him dead, Sheridan arranges for medical care for his wounded former foe, quoting Abraham Lincoln's last orders to " McCain has human foibles. In "Death Trap", an episode with Phil Carey as former gunman and old adversary Simon Battles, he is unwilling to believe the man has changed and become a doctor. It takes a gunfight with Battles fighting alongside him to make him admit he is wrong. McCain has a reputation in the Indian Territories of Oklahoma, where he first acquired the nickname "the Rifleman," and where Lucas' wife died in a smallpox epidemic.

The series was created by Arnold Laven and developed by Sam Peckinpah, who would become a director of Westerns. Peckinpah, who wrote and directed many episodes, based many characters and plots on his childhood on a ranch. His insistence on violent realism and complex characterizations and his refusal to sugarcoat the lessons he felt the Rifleman's son needed to learn about life put him at odds with the show's producers at Four Star.

Peckinpah left the show and created a short-lived series, The Westerner withBrian Keith. Westerns were popular when The Rifleman premiered, and producers tried to find gimmicks to distinguish one show from another. The Rifleman' s gimmick was a modified Winchester Model rifle, with a large ring lever drilled and tapped for a set screw. The lever design allowed him to cock the rifle by spinning it around his hand.

In addition, the screw could be positioned to depress the trigger every time he worked the lever, allowing for rapid fire, emptying the magazine in under five seconds during the opening credits on North Fork's main street.

In some episodes, the screw was removed, when rapid-fire action was not required. The rapid-fire mechanism was originally designed to keep Connors from puncturing his finger with the trigger as he quickly cycled the action of the rifle.

With this modification, it was not necessary for Connors to pull the trigger for each shot and therefore he did not have to place his finger in harm's way.