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.