
The Rifleman
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Lonny Chapman

Lonny Chapman
appeared in two episodes of The Rifleman ―
The Long Trek
as Stanley, the prisoner Micah was transporting to Santa Fe ―
And the Devil Makes Five as Scully Potter,
Michael was taking him back to North Fork to stand trial before the
circuit judge, he shot and killed Ted Bennett, the sheriff of Marietta.
*I dedicate this episode
And the Devil makes Five to Marshall.
Was this suppose to be the last episode?
*And the Devil Makes Five the entry for the late great Arthur Browne Jr. says,
“When asked about the final episode of The Rifleman, Browne said
they came up with the plot of the snake in the bedroll because there was no
money in the budget. The show was being canceled and they had one more show
to do, so he wrote a plot in which Luke (Chuck Connors) and his son were out
on the trail. They didn't have to hire any big name stars to appear in the
episode and the scenery was cheap to put together.” The episode being referred to seems unmistakably to be
And The Devil Makes Five, which, as you note on your site, was not the last episode
shown, whatever order it was written in. It was shown eighth from last, on
Feb 11, 1963. I wonder why it would have aired so far out of sequence. But
that’s definitely the only episode that takes place on the trail and
involves a snake in a sleeping bag, and was written by Mr. Browne. Or
could it be that after Mr. Browne wrote what he was told
would be the show’s last episode, some producer was able to
come up with enough money to write, shoot and show seven
more episodes, to fill out the final season? If so, that
could mean that this hypothetical producer was cherishing
the hope that a successful conclusion to the season might
prevent its cancellation after all. A tantalizing
possibility, if so....but sadly, one that didn’t pay off. Thanks Woody Smith!
He appeared with Chuck in
The Yellow Rose as Del Horton.
He also had starring roles in two TV series ~
The Investigator
as Jeff Prior ― For the People as Frank Malloy.
He appeared in
The Cowboys as the preacher with John Wayne.
His last movie role was in 2003's
The Hunted.
The Lonny
Chapman Theatre "First to entertain, then to enlighten...and
never to be boring!" Although Lonny is known for his career in movies and television, he
had a great love for the theatre. In May 1973,
Lonny Chapman became
the Artistic Director of the Group Repertory Theatre, since renamed
the Lonny Chapman Group Repertory Theatre (LCGRT) in 1999. He was
also a teacher, director, producer and actor.
Lonny Chapman: The theatre is a place of sharing. At its
best, it is audience, play and actor participating at
the same given moment in an experience. The theatre is
unique in that respect. All three of the elements above
must be involved for this to come about. One of them, by
itself, cannot exist. So we are dependent upon each
other; we must share the experience.
This cowboy has done just about everything!
I tip my cowgirl hat to
you!
*Lonny sure does an excellent job in
both of these
episodes. Can't help but like this Cowboy!
Lonny Chapman was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on October 1, 1920
Birth Name: Lon Leonard Chapman
He died October 12, 1007 in Sherman Oaks, California of heart disease and pneumonia
Character Actors Index Page
Have you ever been watching TV or a movie and wondered who is that guy?

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