Wikipedia

The Rifleman

For the 2019 film also known asThe Rifleman,seeBlizzard of Souls(film).

The Riflemanis an AmericanWestern television seriesstarringChuck Connorsas rancher Lucas McCain andJohnny Crawfordas his sonMark McCain.It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork,New Mexico Territory.The show was filmed in black and white, in half-hour episodes.The Riflemanaired onABCfrom September 30, 1958, to April 8, 1963, as a production ofFour Star Television.It was one of the firstprimetimeseries on American television to show a single parent raising a child.

The Rifleman
DVD case forThe Rifleman,1958
GenreWestern
Created bySam Peckinpah(uncredited),Arnold Laven
Starring
ComposerHerschel Burke Gilbert
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No.of seasons5
No.of episodes168(list of episodes)
Production
ProducerLevy-Gardner-Laven[1]
Running time25 minutes
Production companyFour Star Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 30, 1958(1958-09-30)–
April 8, 1963(1963-04-08)
Related
Law of the Plainsman

The program was titled to reflect McCain's use of aWinchester Model 1892rifle(a historicalanachronism,as the show was set in the 1880s) which had been customized to allow repeated firing by cycling its lever action. He demonstrated this technique in the opening credits, as well as a second modification that allowed him to cycle the action with one hand using a technique known as "spin-cocking".[2]

Overview

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Main article:List of The Rifleman episodes

The series centers on Lucas McCain, a Union veteran of theAmerican Civil Warand widower. McCain had been alieutenantin the11th Indiana Infantry Regiment,and he had received a battlefield commission at theBattle of Five Forksjust before the end of the war.[3](This conflicts with episode 3/25, "The Prisoner", in which a former Confederate cavalry major states that he was Lieutenant McCain's prisoner after theBattle of Fort Donelson.[4]) Having previously been ahomesteader,McCain buys aranch"about three miles" outside the fictitious town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory, in thepilotepisode. His son Mark and he had come fromEnid, Oklahoma,following the death of his wife, Margaret (née Gibbs), when his son was six years old.

The series was set during the 1880s; a wooden plaque next to the McCain home states that the home was rebuilt by Lucas McCain and his son Mark in August 1881.[5]

A common thread in the series is that people deserve a second chance; Marshal Micah Torrance is a recoveringalcoholic,and McCain gives aconvicta job on his ranch in "The Marshal".Royal Danoappeared in "The Sheridan Story" as a formerConfederatesoldier who is given a job on the McCain ranch and encounters General William Sheridan, the man who cost him his arm in battle. Learning why the man wants him dead, Sheridan arranges for medical care for his wounded former foe, quotingAbraham Lincoln's last orders to "... bind up the nation's wounds".[6]

Despite his status as the series' protagonist, Lucas McCain is not without fault; he has a tendency to be stubborn and Boss y, he has a bit of an inflated ego, and he is at times over-protective of his son Mark. In "Death Trap", an episode withPhilip Careyas 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. In "Two Ounces of Tin", withSammy Davis Jr.as Tip Corey (a former circus trick-shot artist turned gunman), McCain angrily orders him off the ranch when he finds him demonstrating his skills to Mark. Corey suggests he is a hypocrite, because McCain has an equally deadly reputation in the Indian Territory of Oklahoma, where he first acquired the nickname "the Rifleman".

Sammy Davis Jr.,Johnny Crawford,andChuck Connorsin 1962

Cast

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Beverly Englander and Chuck Connors in the 1961 episode "Lariat"

Main

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Recurring

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Eight actors played the town doctor during the series (usually known as "Doc Burrage" ):Paul Fix(first episode only; he returned to the cast as Micah),Edgar Buchanan,Fay Roope,Rhys Williams,Jack Kruschen,Robert Burton,Ralph MoodyandBert Stevens.In addition to Joe Higgins, several actors also played blacksmith Nels (sometimes credited asNils) Swenson, includingRichard Alexander,John Dierkes,Henry RowlandandKarl Swenson.

Guest stars

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More than 500 actors made guest appearances in more than 970 credited roles during the five-year run of the series.[7]Guest stars included veteran actors:John Anderson,Richard Anderson,Lyle Bettger,Whit Bissell,Harry Carey Jr.,John Carradine,Lon Chaney Jr.,Ellen Corby,Royal Dano,John Dehner,Jack Elam,Med Flory,Dabbs Greer,Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.,John Milford,Agnes Moorehead,Denver Pyle,Lee Van Cleef,andAdam West,most appearing multiple times in different roles. Several then-newcomers appeared in the series, includingClaude Akins,Dan Blocker,James Coburn,Mark Goddard,James Drury,Dennis Hopper,L. Q. Jones,Michael Landon,Warren Oates,Marian Seldes,Harry Dean Stanton,andRobert Vaughn.Other notable guest stars and character actors who madecameo appearanceswereSammy Davis Jr.,future baseball Hall of FamersDuke SniderandDon Drysdale,comedianBuddy Hackett,Pernell Roberts(who was onBonanzaat the time),Bobby Crawford Jr.(elder brother of series star Johnny Crawford; himself a star onLaramiefrom 1959 to 1960), and writer/director/producerPaul Mazursky.[7]

Episodes

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Main article:List of The Rifleman episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
140September 30, 1958(1958-09-30)June 30, 1959(1959-06-30)
236September 29, 1959(1959-09-29)May 31, 1960(1960-05-31)
334September 27, 1960(1960-09-27)May 16, 1961(1961-05-16)
432October 2, 1961(1961-10-02)May 7, 1962(1962-05-07)
526October 1, 1962(1962-10-01)April 8, 1963(1963-04-08)

Production

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The Riflemanwas partially filmed inWildwood Regional Parkin Thousand Oaks, California.[8][9]

Development

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The series was created byArnold Lavenand developed bySam Peckinpah,who became a director of Western movies. Peckinpah, who wrote and directed many early episodes, based many characters and plots on his own childhood on a ranch.[10][11]His insistence on violentrealismand complex characterizations, as well as 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.[11][12]Peckinpah left the show and created a short-lived series,The Westerner.[12]

Opening credits

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The opening theme at the beginning of each episode depicted McCain walking down the street of a town while rapid-firing hisWinchester 44-40 1892model rifle that had been modified at the trigger and lever. The rifle's modification allowed McCain to fire the rifle only by hand pumping the lever, which had a setscrew imbedded in it to trip the weapon's trigger.[13][14]At various points during the series, episodes would show McCain deftly handling and shooting the rifle ambidextrously.[15]When Connors auditioned for the show, the director suddenly threw a rifle at him; the formerMajor League Baseballplayer caught it and got the job.[16]

Rifle

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Large lever firing loop on the Rifleman's rifle

Westerns were popular whenThe Riflemanpremiered, and producers tried to find gimmicks to distinguish one show from another.The Rifleman's gimmick was a modified Winchester Model 1892 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 six seconds during the opening credits on North Fork's main street.[17]

The trigger-trip screw pin was used in two configurations: with the screw head turned inside (close to the trigger), or more often, outside the trigger guard with a locknut on the outside (to secure its position). In some episodes, the screw was removed, when rapid-fire action was not required. When properly adjusted, the screw “squeezed” the trigger when the lever was fully closed. 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, Connors pulling the trigger for each shot was not necessary, so he did not have to place his finger in harm's way. A close-up of the rifle's large looped lever and trigger-set screw can be seen in the third-season episode "Miss Bertie."

The rifle may have appeared in every episode, but it was not always fired; some plots did not require violent solutions (for example, one involving Mark's rigid new teacher). McCain attempts to solve as many problems as possible without resorting to shooting, yet still manages to kill 120 villains over the show's five-year run. Notably, McCain almost never carried a pistol, although he is a good shot with it, especially when he improvised a crudegunstockfrom a board, when facing a villain who had stolen his rifle.

The rifle used on the set ofThe Rifleman,an 1892 Winchester caliber.44-40carbine with a standard 20-inch barrel, was an historical anachronism, as the show was set in 1881, 12 years beforeJohn Browninghad designed the rifle. It appeared with two different types of levers. The backwards, round-D-style loop was used in the early episodes. Sometimes, the rifle McCain uses has asaddle ring.The lever style later changed to a flatter lever (instead of the large loop) with no saddle ring.

McCain fires 12 shots from his rifle during the opening credits - seven shots in the first close-up and five more as the camera switches to another view. The blank cartridges are shorter than standard cartridges, so the magazine can hold more of the blanks. The soundtrack contained a dubbed 13th shot, to allow the firing to end with a section of the theme music. The rifle was chambered for the.44-40 Winchester center fire cartridge, which was used in both revolvers and rifles.[18]He could supposedly fire off his first round in three-tenths of a second, which certainly helped in a showdown.

Rifle replica

Gunsmith James S. Stembridge modified two Model 1892s for use in regular and close-up filming.[19]In addition, a Spanish-made Gárate y Anitúa "El Tigre"lever action, a near-copy of the Model 1892, was modified for use as a knockabout gun. The El Tigre is seen in scenes where the rifle is in a saddle scabbard and is not drawn, and in stunts where the rifle was thrown to the ground, used as a club, or in any stunt where a possibility of damage to the original Winchester 1892s existed.[20]These three rifles were the only ones used by Connors during the run of the series.

The now-defunctStembridge Gun Rentalsprovided the rifles and ammunition. Ammunition was quarter-load5-in-1 blank cartridgescontainingsmokeless powder,which did not produce the thick clouds of smoke the genuineblack powdercartridges of the 1880s did. Most (if not all) of the sound effects for the rifle shots were dubbed, which is why the rifle sounded so different from the other gunshots on the show.

The 1892 Winchester is a top-eject rifle (opening the action by pushing the finger-lever forward moves the bolt rearward and thereby opens the top of the receiver). Loaded rounds or empty cases from the chamber eject straight up when the lever is pushed fully open (forward). When Connors cycled the action by spinning the rifle to his side, the cartridge in the action could fall out. Therefore, the rifle was modified with a plunger, which would hold the round in place.

The Winchester Model 1892 rifle was designed byJohn Moses Browning,and other than general appearance, it has nothing in common with earlier lever-action rifles using the same class of cartridges. The significant improvement was the addition of vertical lugs that securely lock the bolt and receiver when the gun fires. Winchester originally produced this gun from 1892 to 1941; total production was slightly over 1,000,000; 27 variations in five chamberings were made over the course of production, but the basic design was largely unaltered. As with the earlier Model 1873, the light and handy Model 1892 was chambered for handgun cartridges, favored by many Westerners to simplify ammunition supply problems by using the same cartridge in both a handgun and a rifle. The Model 1892 was replaced by the Browning-designedModel 1894,which also had an impressive manufacturing history, with over 7,000,000 produced; it is still being produced to this day by a successor to Winchester. The Model 94's popularity and long production history may be related to its being the first Winchester to be designed for the then-new"smokeless" powder.

Directing and writing

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The pilot episode, "The Sharpshooter", was originally telecast onCBSas part ofDick Powell's Zane Grey Theatreon March 7, 1958; it was repeated (in edited form) as the first episode of the series on ABC. The episode was written by Sam Peckinpah, and guest starredDennis Hopper.

Regulars on the program included Marshal Micah Torrance (R. G. Armstrongwas the original marshal for two episodes, the first and the fourth), Sweeney the bartender (Bill Quinn), and a half-dozen other residents of North Fork (played byHope Summers,Joan Taylor,Patricia Blair,John Harmon,andHarlan Warde).

Fifty-one episodes of the series were directed byJoseph H. Lewis(director of 1950'sGun Crazyand known for hisfilm noirstyle).Ida Lupinodirected one episode, "The Assault".

Connors wrote several episodes.Robert Culp(star of CBS'sTrackdown,another Four Star production), wrote one two-part episode, andFrank D. Gilroy(creator of ABC'sBurke's Law,another Four Star production), wrote "End of a Young Gun".

Release

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Home media

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MPI Home Videohas releasedThe Riflemanon DVD inRegion 1in a number of versions. It has released single-disc DVDs with five episodes; from 2002 to 2006 it released six sets, each with 20 episodes. The releases are random collections of episodes, rather than the original broadcast order. These releases are out of print, since MPI Home Video no longer owns the rights to the series. Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions, the original producer, is again the sole copyright owner ofThe Riflemanseries.[21]

In late 2013, Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions, Inc. announced it would be the only authorized outlet to offer for the first time all 168 episodes ofThe Rifleman,the original series, newly restored and assembled in DVD box sets. The episodes were to be released in sequential order, by season, in high-quality boxed sets with exclusive special features. The first boxed set of all Season 1 episodes was made available on December 4, 2013, for $69.95.[22]The second season was released on November 28, 2014.[23]Season 3 was released on December 2, 2015.[24]Season 4 was released on December 4, 2016.[25][26]Season 5 was released on November 27, 2017.[27]

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
The Complete First Season 40 December 4, 2013
The Complete Second Season 36 November 28, 2014
The Complete Third Season 34 December 2, 2015
The Complete Fourth Season 32 December 4, 2016
The Complete Fifth Season 26 November 27, 2017

Reception

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U.S. Nielsen ratings

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Season Episodes Originally aired Rank Rating
Season premiere Season finale
1 40 September 30, 1958(1958-09-30) June 30, 1959(1959-06-30) 4 33.1[28]
2 36 September 29, 1959(1959-09-29) May 31, 1960(1960-05-31) 13 27.5[28]
3 34 September 27, 1960(1960-09-27) May 16, 1961(1961-05-16) 27 22.1[28]
4 32 October 2, 1961(1961-10-02) May 7, 1962(1962-05-07) 28 22.3[28]
5 26 October 1, 1962(1962-10-01) April 8, 1963(1963-04-08) Not in the Top 30[28]

Spin-offs and remakes

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Law of the Plainsman(1959)

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The February 17, 1959 episode ofThe Riflemanwas a pilot for anNBCseries,Law of the Plainsman,starringMichael Ansaraas Marshal Sam Buckhart. In the episode "The Indian", Buckhart comes to North Fork to look forIndianssuspected of murdering aTexas Rangerand his family.[29]He subsequently reappeared in "The Raid". Three episodes of "The Rifleman" served as pilots for Westerns that never became a series. These were: "The Lariat" (March 29, 1960) starring Richard Anderson as a gambler and sharpshooter; "Death Trap" (May 9, 1961) featuring Phil Carey as Simon Battle, a gunslinger turned doctor; and "Which Way'd They Go?" (April 1, 1963), a comedy-western with Peter Whitney.[30]

The Gambler Returns(1991)

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Chuck Connors briefly played the same character again in 1991'sThe Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw,which featured a number of 1950s and 1960s television Western series leads reprising their roles in quick cameo appearances (Gene BarryasBat Masterson,Hugh O'BrianasWyatt Earp,Jack KellyasBart Maverick,Clint WalkerasCheyenne Bodie,Brian KeithasThe Westerner,David CarradineasKung Fu's Caine).

2011 attempted remake

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In late 2011, CBS announced plans to remake the originalRiflemanseries.[31]Chris Columbuswas slated to be the executive producer and direct, withRobert Levy,Steven Gardner, and Arthur Gardner (related to original producersLevy-Gardner-Laven) as executive producers.[32]The remake project was canceled a few months later, without a pilot episode being made.[33]

Merchandising

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The TV show was also adapted into a comic book byDan Spiegle,distributed byDell Comics.[34]

American toymakerHubleyproduced a well made toy copy of McCain's Model 1892 known variously as The Rifleman Rifle, the Flip Special, and the Ring Rifle.Marx Toysalso marketed a version called the Wild West that was simply the Lone Ranger/Roy Rogers Winchester with the loop lever used by McCain replacing the standard straight lever.[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^In those episodes which Laven received director credit, the producers are credited as Levy and Gardner, only, as simultaneous producer and director credit was not then allowed.
  2. ^"Loop lever".rdougwicker.RetrievedAugust 25,2020.
  3. ^Hume, Cyril. The Rifleman, episode 1/16, first aired January 13, 1959
  4. ^The Rifleman, episode 3/25, The Prisoner. First aired March 14, 1961.
  5. ^The Wyoming Story part 1 & 2 (season 3)
  6. ^Sheridan is quoting Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, specifically the final paragraph:"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
  7. ^abThoresen, Lisbet."The Rifleman - Guest Stars".therifleman.net.RetrievedAugust 10,2012.
  8. ^Stone, Robert (2011).Day Hikes Around Ventura County.Day Hike Books. p. 216.ISBN978-1-57342-062-4.
  9. ^McKinney, John (2013).HIKE Ventura County: Best Day Hikes Around Ventura, Ojai and the Simi Hills.Olympus Press. p. 85.ISBN978-0-934161-53-4.
  10. ^Sharrett, Christopher (2005).The Rifleman.Wayne State University Press. p. 28.ISBN978-0-8143-3082-1.
  11. ^abWeddle, David (March 29, 2016)."If They Move... Kill 'Em!": The Life and Times of Sam Peckinpah.New York, NY: Open Road.ISBN978-0-8021-9008-6.
  12. ^abSimmons, Garner (July 1, 2004).Peckinpah.Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. pp.30–32.ISBN978-1-61774-449-5.
  13. ^Spangenberger, Phil."The Rifleman's Rifle Returns".True West Magazine.RetrievedJune 13,2024.
  14. ^"NRA Museums".nramuseum.org.RetrievedJune 13,2024.
  15. ^Mike DiMuzio (April 22, 2008)."The Rifleman's Rifle".tv.RetrievedMarch 19,2016.
  16. ^"The Six-Gun Galahad".TIME.March 30, 1959. Archived fromthe originalon February 14, 2008.
  17. ^Hacker, Rick (May 3, 2021)."Loop-Lever Rifle Shootout: History of The Rifleman's Carbine".RifleShooter.RetrievedFebruary 4,2022.
  18. ^"The Legendary Rifle: A Closer Look".members.tripod.
  19. ^"Northforkproduction".northforkproduction.
  20. ^http:// riflemanconnors /Rifle/Ed/ed3.html[dead link‍]
  21. ^"Home".therifleman.net.
  22. ^"The Rifleman DVD news: Announcement for The Rifleman - Season 1 - TVShowsOnDVD".tvshowsondvd.May 28, 2024.
  23. ^"The Rifleman DVD news: Release Date for The Official Season 2: Episodes 41 – 76 - TVShowsOnDVD".tvshowsondvd.May 28, 2024.
  24. ^"The Rifleman DVD news: Announcement for The Official Season 3: Episodes 77 - 110 - TVShowsOnDVD".tvshowsondvd.May 28, 2024.
  25. ^"The Rifleman DVD news: DVD Plans for The Official Season 4: Episodes 111 - 142 - TVShowsOnDVD".tvshowsondvd.May 28, 2024.
  26. ^"The Rifleman DVD news: Release Date for The Official Season 4: Episodes 111 - 142 - TVShowsOnDVD".tvshowsondvd.May 28, 2024.
  27. ^"The Rifleman DVD news: Release Date for The Official Season 5: Episodes 143-168 - TVShowsOnDVD".tvshowsondvd.May 28, 2024.
  28. ^abcdeThoresen."The Rifleman - Program History".therifleman.net.RetrievedAugust 10,2012.
  29. ^"The Rifleman Episode Guide List - Season 1".riflemanconnors.
  30. ^Irvin, Richard (2019).Four Star Television Productions.BearManor Media. pp.75–76.ISBN978-1-62933-416-5.
  31. ^Littleton, Cynthia (November 8, 2011)."CBS developing 'Rifleman' remake".Variety.RetrievedAugust 10,2012.
  32. ^Hank, Melissa (November 10, 2011)."'The Rifleman' remake on the way ".TV Guide.RetrievedAugust 10,2012.
  33. ^Andreeva, Nellie (August 21, 2012)."David Mamet to Reboot 'Have Gun - Will Travel' for CBS".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedApril 29,2013.
  34. ^"Dan Spiegle".lambiek.net.
  35. ^http://riflemanconnorsforum /viewtopic.php?t=1751&p=12291.[dead link‍]Retrieved August 25, 2020.

Further reading

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  • Christopher Sharrett,The Rifleman(TV Milestones Series), Wayne State University Press, 2005
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