The Rifleman and Superman
                                   by John Raspanti  

When I was a small child westerns still dominated television. Shows like…Death Valley Days…Bonanza…Life and Legend Of Wyatt Earp…Gunsmoke…Cheyenne…The Restless Gun…Colt 45 …Wanted Dead or Alive…and Lawman played over and over on our small black and white television. 

The 1960’s brought a new batch of westerns. Laramie, The Rebel…and the cult western The Westerner.

My dad watched them all. My mom watched my dad watching them, and my sister and I glanced over at the TV and wondered what the ruckus was all about. 

I had already found my favorite television show. The Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves. I watched it religiously every week, plopping down every Tuesday at 4:30. My mom had prepped my red cape and had it ready for me. At each commercial I would jump up and ‘fly’…that is flying around the house and jumping off anything I could find.  My mom would tell me to stop, but I was too fast for her. I mean come on…I’m flying here. I always made a point of going into my sister’s room to jump off her bed because…well… doing that ALWAYS annoyed her.

Dad would takeover the TV when he got home. After dinner he would sit in his favorite chair and read the paper and wait for one of his westerns to come on. I would sometimes join him until I saw what show was on.  He would ask me to stay for a few minutes and watch and sometimes I would but my restless nature would soon take over. Then…I was gone. I wasn’t into cowboys and Indians…at least not yet.

There was one show that he watched every week that bothered me. As the show began, the camera would pull back in unison…the main character moving forward…slightly crouching and then repeatedly firing and cocking his modified, altered rifle. No music, just…bang…bang…bang…bang...bang…bang…bang…bang. ` The narrator would say the name of the show…THE RIFLEMAN...in a very aggressive and commanding way. Then…at least to a four year old, the main character would glare at the camera. I thought he was glaring at me and I didn’t like it, this guy was menacing and a bad man. The guy was NO Superman.

 So that was it, off I went to my room while my Dad watched a show about a bad guy who fired a funny looking gun. My dad would tell me what a good show it was…but I wasn’t listening. I never watched any episodes of The Rifleman. As I grew up I certainly knew about it…but still had no interest.

 That is until about six months ago when bored one night and flipping through On Demand I spotted that familiar title. It was the middle of the night, and I thought what the hell…so there I was watching that ominous opening again and…NOT feeling a desire to bolt to my room. Later…after it was over, I was stunned. The show was good…very good actually.

 I watched another episode the following week. I was hooked.  I’ve since watched 24 episodes. Almost immediately I was struck by the cinematography. Sometimes they shot on a set which at times is painfully obvious but like Superman, it doesn’t detract from the finished product. I’ve read somewhere that the first two years are the best. Most of the writing is top notch. Sam Peckinpah wrote six episodes and directed four. His episode titled The Boarding House is excellent. Katy Jurado guest starred, seven years earlier she had stared alongside Gary Cooper in the classic High Noon. A repeated theme of the show is personal integrity…which nowadays we are in great need of.

Chuck Connors who played Lucas McCain brought a heroic like charisma to his portrayal. Never considered a great actor he’s a revelation here. Was this the part he was born to play? He’s the strong silent type, cut from the same cloth as Clint Eastwood. Before becoming an actor Connors played two seasons of professional basketball with the Boston Celtics. A few years later he was in the major leagues playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers and then the Chicago Cubs. Connors who was born in 1921 and stood 6’5, made his acting debut in the 1952 classic Pat and Mike, starring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. In 1955 he guest starred on The Adventures of Superman. Recently I watched that rather forgettable episode. Connors’ acting appeared a little green but still he’s so likeable and funny that all else is forgotten

 Johnny Crawford played Lucas’s son Mark. Interviewing 20 or 30 other kids before production began Connors knew Crawford was right for the role even before talking to him. As 12 year old Johnny walked towards him and a producer Connors remarked…

“That’s him…that’s the Rifleman’s son”

Connors was oh so right. Crawford more then held his own with Connors. The interaction between them is very believable. You can feel the warmth as if they really are father and son. Their acting is touching and honest, and very much on a par with some scenes from Superman.

The background music by Herschel Burke Gilbert is excellent and again like Superman, dramatic in its composing. Gilbert sets the tone very nicely, .composing a soft and quiet sound when Mark and Lucas are seen together…and then higher in tone when Mark is sad. The action scenes have a very dramatic drum roll or a stop and go quality that only heightens the suspense.

 Of the 24 episodes I’ve watched all have been good and some have been almost great.

I guess it proves the old adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover or in this case judge a show by it’s opening. The Rifleman is a real gem and if you haven’t watched it in awhile, don’t wait 44 years like yours truly.  Get to it!!!

Oh and Dad if you’re reading this…YOU WERE RIGHT!

A BIG THANKS goes out to Carl at…www.glasshousepresents.com

Superman—Flight of the North

©John Raspanti

Thank you John for this great story!  Although I watched 'The Rifleman as a kid, it was not until much later that I had gotten such appreciation for this great show.

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