Shilohbloo I absolutely LOVE this show, the characters, and the actors who portray them. The relationship between father and son can't be beat!!! (and let's not forget that incredible rifle!! ;) A truly blessed sight to behold - especially considering the heartbreaking state of things these days - is the absolutely shameless way they pray, read the Bible, and love learning to live the way our Lord would have them live. Truly beautiful. My most favorite episode is "The Wyoming Story - Part 2", at the end, when Mark not only speedily jumps into his pa's arms, but tearfully, fervently kisses him for pure joy of having him back home for good. Serious, heartwarming sweetness, that. Lumpy throat, teary eyes, every time I see it!!

blakeneyd I'm 43 and have loved this show since I was a kid - and it was in reruns then. It's special in so many ways. The open affection between father and son (a rarity in the '50's). The moral lessons that are woven into the narrative - without seeming preachy. The faith in the basic decency and goodness of people. The urge to help others out, even if there isn't an obvious reward. The humor, the heart, and the warmth of the principal characters (all wonderfully played by the actors who give them life).In addition to this, there's the writing! I tend to drift with modern shows, even my favorites - but I always pay attention when I'm watching The Riflemen. TV writers could learn something from this show which presented all of the above qualities *and* an engaging entertaining story, lasting only about half an hour.No, it's not reality - or even realism - and thank God! I've had enough of that after an 8 hour day. Keep your Housewives of Whatever! And your LO:SVU! Give me the Rifleman any day!

classicsoncall Starting out, I have to say right up front that I enjoy watching every single episode of "The Rifleman". Any given story is a classic example of an enviable father/son relationship, with Lucas McCain teaching son Mark an important life lesson. Taken as an entire body of work however, I see how a lot of fans are really put into a quandary about McCain's body count as a result of that quick lever action tricked out Winchester rifle. On that score I would have to say that old Lucas Boy has to go down in classic TV Western history as the great white shark of New Mexico Territory. Simply put, he's a killing machine. There's probably not another character with more kills than Lucas McCain, except MAYBE Matt Dillon, but he had twenty seasons and five tele-films going for him, and Lucas had only five. I was so intrigued by this that with the Encore Western Channel's latest go round with The Rifleman series, I began keeping track. I even had a friend of mine help me (Thanks Will), who taped the episodes so we could discuss them when there was a question mark, and indeed there were many. It seems the writers must have known someone would eventually try to keep track of the Lucas body count, so they threw innovative situations out there to keep everyone guessing. Like Episode #2.45 when Jack Elam falls on a pitchfork during a fight with McCain, dying in the process. Does that count as a 'kill' for Lucas? Or how about #3.105 when an outlaw grabs McCain's gun to shoot his partner who's bailing out on him? Lucas plugged it and it explodes, killing the shooter. See what I mean. There would have to be a tribunal of respected Western TV critics to arrive at an official Lucas McCain body count to account for all the controversial scenarios. But for what it's worth, I can offer interested observers my entirely unofficial analysis based on a five season viewing of 'The Rifleman' on the Encore Western Channel. Let me preface though by first commenting on Episode #1.12 - 'Young Englishman' - in which Lucas McCain explains to son Mark (Johnny Crawford) that killing is always to be considered a means of last resort when facing a life or death situation. By that reckoning, Lucas was the master of last resort for a total of 108 times! Can you imagine ANYONE with their life on the line as many times as The Rifleman? I mean, how do you go through life and find yourself in so many precarious situations? But wait, that was only during the run of the series. If you watch the shows and pay attention, Lucas alludes to even MORE people he's killed during the Civil War and the Indian Nation Wars before he ever got to North Fork. So how does that square with the real life gunfighters of the Old West? Well, during his lifetime, the legend of Wild Bill Hickok had him killing over a hundred men. However before he died, Wild Bill 'confessed' that he killed 'only' thirty seven. In terms of accuracy, quick draw and ruthlessness, John Wesley Hardin had no match, and his count of just over forty men killed is probably tops among known gunfighters. Heck, by the time Lucas McCain killed forty men, it was still only the second season! Getting back to the show itself, it's hard to come up with a few favorites out of the series run of 168 stories, but two that would be in my Top Ten are the Sammy Davis Jr. episodes. In #4.130 - 'Two Ounces of Tin' - Davis comes gunning for the man who killed his father, Lucas McCain. It's kind of a poignant story since Davis' character makes friends with Mark before calling out his father. In #5.151 - 'The Most Amazing Man' - Davis is put on the spot by a local gunman who challenges him to a gunfight. I guess I'm intrigued by the idea of the former 'Rat Packer' in a TV Western, which seems so out of character for the variety entertainer I'm more familiar with. And say, could he handle those six-shooters! There's also the intriguing episode #4.131, 'The Deadly Image', in which Chuck Connors plays two characters, Lucas and a fierce villain look alike. I had to chuckle at the end of the story, because if you think about it, the Rifleman is so bad a-- cool in this one that he winds up actually 'killing himself'!!! Anyway, I tried to have some fun with the whole Lucas body count thing. Again, I want to state that by no means is my reckoning meant to be an official count, but I'd say it's pretty close. You had a few episodes where Lucas teamed with Micah or some other gunslinger firing on a group of villains, so there again you have a toss up as to who shot who. Still, over a hundred 'kills' would qualify Lucas McCain as a Wild Bill Hickok, John Wesley Hardin, Tom Horn and Billy the Kid all rolled up into one!

ellis1947 Two things in this episode are worth mentioning. First, as Mark is sent away from the ranch by Lucas, due to the possibility of his catching Yellow Fever, Mark says something to the effect of: "See you tomorrow night, dad!" This is the only time in the entire run of the show that he ever addresses his father as "Dad". Usually he calls him Pa ("Paw").The other thing in this episode is a distant shot of what appears to be an automobile driving across a field far behind the outdoor location of the McCain Ranch. As Luoas says goodbye to Mark as he prepares to go into town with the doctor, behind them far in the hills you can see what appears to be a vehicle driving along. It happens quickly, but is very noticeable.As usual, a great episode, but a remarkable one due to these two things.