The Rifleman

Chuck Connors stars in "The Rifleman" as Lucas McCain - A man with a strong sense of morality and a rifle to back him up!

Widower Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors) is a struggling homesteader on the outskirts of North Folk, New Mexico. He has a son, Mark (Johnny Crawford), that he is raising alone and trying to instill with moral values.

What sets Lucas apart from the average homesteader, though, is his gun - a modified Winchester Rifle with a special ring that makes it cock faster. With this special cocking ring, Lucas McCain can repeatedly fire his rifle to quickly shoot his opponents.

Since the town's marshal, Micah Torrance (Paul Fix), can't always handle the trouble that comes to North Folk, McCain is often called in to help the town and his neighbors. "The Rifleman" - Lucas McCain and his special Winchester Rifle can be depended on to save the day.

"The Rifleman" aired on television for five years from 1958 to 1963. During this time, it was one of the top-rated western shows on television. Many generations have become familiar with "The Rifleman" because it has been syndicated and shown on TV for many years since 1963.

• Chuck Connors was a professional athlete before he became an actor. He played baketball fo rthe Boston Celtics as a center from 1946-1947. He also played professional baseball for a few years, primarily with farm teams. His crowning achievement in baseball was playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949. Chuck Connors began acting in 1952 after he was discovered by a casting director who was also a baseball fan.

• Johnny Crawford, who played the son Mark McCain, was child star who began acting at the age of eight years old. He had performed in a number of television programs, including westerns, before being cast in "The Rifleman." One of Crawford's most notable early tv roles was as a Mouseketeer on "The Mickey Mouse Club."

• Movie director Sam Peckinpah wrote six of the episodes for "The Rifleman" including the very first episode named "The Sharpshooter." Sam Peckinpah is famous for writing and directing these classic western movies: "Ride the High Country", "The Wild Bunch" and "The Ballad of Cable Hogue."