In today’s day and age, TV lovers have countless shows at their fingertips. From scheduled cable programs to on-demand streaming, viewers at home can pick and choose any genre they like. And while the options weren’t as endless back in the 1950s and 1960s, audiences didn’t seem to mind, as they couldn’t get enough of Westerns like The Rifleman. Chuck Connors took on the leading role in The Rifleman for a whopping five seasons, and fans tuned in to watch the widowed ranch owner Lucas McCain every single week without fail. But what most of these fans didn’t realize was that there was a lot more going on behind the scenes.
The Role of Lucas McCain Almost Went to Another Actor
When you think of The Rifleman, you immediately think of Chuck Connors. Although the show had an impressive storyline and production team, Chuck was the man who brought fans back week after week. It seemed as though he was made for the role of Lucas McCain, and his place on the show helped it become the smash hit that it was. However, the role of Lucas McCain almost went to another actor. But why?
Well, the production team offered Chuck a lower salary than he was willing to accept. Because of this, they had to consider the likes of James Whitmore and John Anderson instead – but not for long.
The Team Eventually Upped Their Price to Keep Him
Although the producers tried to convince Chuck to come down to their salary expectations, he wouldn’t budge and held his own. And while the team knew that they should put all of their eggs into the other candidates instead, they just couldn’t stop thinking about Chuck. They had been big fans of him since the 1957 Disney movie Old Yeller and knew that he’d make the perfect Lucas McCain if they could just get him onboard.
In the end, it was child actors Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran who sealed the deal for Chuck. They wanted to work alongside Connors, too, so the team had no option but to raise their offer.
The Show Almost Didn’t Exist
We have David Samuel Peckinpah to thank for bringing The Rifleman to life. But what many people don’t realize is that this Western-loving film director and screenwriter sold many of his scripts to other showrunners. In fact, he sold scripts to the likes of Klondike, Broken Arrow, and Gunsmoke. Many of these scripts were then used, but others weren’t – and The Rifleman was actually created when Gunsmoke executives passed on his script for the pilot.
Although the Gunsmoke team didn’t want the script, Sam knew that there was something in it. So, he sat down with it some more and developed it into The Rifleman.
The Show Isn’t as Accurate as History Buffs Would Like
Although The Rifleman came onto our screens in the 1950s, the show was actually set in the 1870s and 1880s—and this made a lot of history buffs happy. They were over the moon to see a proper Western on their screens and loved all of the historical touches that came with it. However, some inaccuracies also occurred. One of these inaccuracies focused on McCain’s famous Winchester rifle, which famously spun around in the opening credits.
Although the rifle made great television, it wasn’t exactly accurate, as that particular Winchester rifle with a large ring lever wasn’t made until 1892 – which was many years after the show was set.
At First, It Wasn’t as Emotional as They’d Hoped
Although the changes that Sam Peckinpah made to his script worked in his favor, producer Arnold Laven still wasn’t 100% happy with the concept and the idea of the show. He loved the character of Lucas McCain and knew that he would go down well with the audience at home. However, he also thought that something was missing. He wanted Lucas to be the most important character on TV – so, he needed a softer side to him.
In the end, the team decided to make Lucas a widower and a single dad to pull at the heartstrings of those watching from behind the screens. This decision ultimately made the show a hit.
The Producers Also Wanted to Add More Romance
As the show began airing, it was clear to see that the gentle yet brave character of Lucas McCain went down extremely well. And while the single-dad angle seemed to have women falling to their knees and the Western action catered for men who wanted to see gunfights on their screens, the producer also wanted to add some romance into the mix. So, they began to introduce some love interests into the mix.
Actresses such as Joan Taylor, Katherine Bard, and Patricia Barry all made the cut for the show, and they all had their fans. But there’s no doubt that Taylor had a special place in The Rifleman fans’ hearts.
Lucas’s Love Interests Were Well Thought Out
Lucas is undoubtedly the main character in The Rifleman. But in an effort to expand the show’s horizons and offer new storylines, many of his lady friends were also introduced – from short-term flings to much more meaningful relationships. But these women weren’t just written into the show for the fun of it. These women were well thought out to make sense with the show, and this was especially the case for Milly Scott.
The producers wanted Milly to be a feminine woman, but they also wanted her to be incredibly strong and independent. The end result was a character that both Lucas and the rest of the world fell in love with.
Chuck Was Just as Impressive as Lucas
As with any Western, The Rifleman focused on gunslinging and shooting. And while many assumed that Lucas McCain’s 99.99% accuracy in the show was the work of special effects or a proper cowboy waiting in the wings, it might surprise you to learn that it was all Chuck Connors’s handiwork. In fact, his impressive shooting skills were linked to his impressive height mixed with his talent as both a professional basketball and baseball player.
Not only that, but Chuck was ambidextrous – which meant that he could toss the gun from one hand to the other and still hit his targets with impressive accuracy.
Chuck’s Eventual Cause of Death Wasn’t Given Screen Time
During the 1950s, it wasn’t uncommon to see smoking on television. Almost every show had at least one character who smoked, and it wasn’t seen as the negative trait that it is today – especially as Chuck Connors was a heavy smoker himself. In fact, the lead actor in The Rifleman had such a bad habit that he would smoke up to 60 each day while he was filming the show.
Despite the fact that this smoking habit eventually led to a lung cancer diagnosis, the producers of The Rifleman chose not to show Lucas McCain smoking on the show. It’s not known why, though.
There Was a Very Famous Prop on Set
Things are often swapped and shared in the world of Hollywood. Sets that are used for one TV show are repurposed for another, costumes and accessories are borrowed from one movie to the next, and props are often handed down from production to production. This was the case in The Rifleman, and producer Arnold Laven confirmed that the gun that Connors used in the show was the same one used in the iconic Western movie Stagecoach.
The fact that the rifle used in the legendary opening credits of The Rifleman was also used in another major Western production has gone down extremely well with fans of the genre.
The Abrupt Ending Didn’t Go Down Well With Fans
In 1963, it was announced that The Rifleman was no more. The incredible show had already given us five hugely popular seasons, and most fans were itching to see more of Lucas and Mark McCain on their screens. Because of this, the abrupt ending of the show didn’t go down well with fans, and everyone wanted to know why it had been canceled. And one theory stated that Johnny Crawford’s age led to the cancelation of the show.
After all, the older he got, the more the dynamic between between him and his on-screen dad started to change. Another theory is that the show simply ran its natural course.
Lucas Mccain Became the First of His Kind
Many people were stuck in their old-fashioned ways during the 1950s and 1960s, but it seemed as though The Rifleman wanted to take a stand against some of these beliefs – especially when it came to family values and set-ups. In fact, Lucas McCain became the first television character in history to lead a show as a widowed single parent. Before him, there had only really been space for nuclear families.
Although it was a risk to write Lucas as a single father, it was this family dynamic that made the show so popular as it showcased the true, heartfelt bond between a father and his son.
One Character Got His Own Show
While Chuck Connors was the lead in The Rifleman, he shared the screen with countless other actors over the years. One of them was Michael Ansara, who starred as Lucas McCain’s plainsman in the show. And despite the fact that he only appeared in two episodes, he made such an impact that he was given his very own spin-off by the name of Law of the Plainsman. This was a huge step forward for the world of television.
This show was one of the first in television’s history to offer a lead role for a Native American character, and fans were over the moon. However, it was sadly canceled after just one season.