The Rifleman
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'Duel of Honor' — Wavs/Sound Bytes

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How many actors played Nils or was it Niles or Nels?  There is actually another version--in the very first scene, stage driver Glenn Strange calls him Nile (three times). Later, Lucas calls him Niles.

There's a strange thing about the scene where Lucas & Mark visit Niles as he fixes the stagecoach: when Lucas asks Niles, "How's that wheel comin', Niles?" --it is not Chuck Connors' voice.  Compare it with Lucas' next lines, and you can tell that the first line was dubbed in by someone else.


Nile 3 times


Lucas calls him Niles

Groder calls Sweeney "Frank" in the bar scene.  That may be Sweeney's first name - but I never heard it before.  In 'Seven' May calls him "Bill"

Glenn Strange --the ever-present stagecoach driver-- this time he's a clean-shaven "Mr. Cole"... goes to the blacksmith "Nils" and says: he has "a bent tire and broke several spokes on the left rear wheel". 
Interesting since tires weren't invented until 1887!

Also as Mr.Cole's talking to Nils... the blacksmith's flue over his smithing-table comes down to Nils's shoulders --but as Mr.Cole turns and walks away... the flue suddenly retracts several feet up into the air and is now above Nils head!  

I know, I know... it was a switch from a location shot to a studio shot... but they could have kept the cardboard studio version lower and it would have been less noticeable.
But then again, (as noted elsewhere in the Rifleman Ranch Bloopers) this is also where the blacksmith shop suddenly lost its entire ceiling!   So a guess the flue didn't matter that much, since with no ceiling it was just suspended from thin-air anyway. :  )  Thanks KC!

Notice the difference in the flues.  Cowgirl!

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