The Rifleman

[CJB]

The more I re-watch the episodes, the more I become convinced that The Rifleman, with Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford, is the most morally upright television show ever produced.

[sharpetop]

I just watched two or three episodes this morning.

[b4uqzme]

I think there were others from that era: The Andy Griffith Show, Father Knows Best, etc. I really think they were great tools for educating our young to be good citizens. In contrast to the crap on TV today: Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, even Seinfeld...

But the Rifleman is one of my favorites too.

[ripley16]

Many of the shows from that era freely used religious morality as the theme and involved God in the script. I'm amazed at what I see on "Gunsmoke" sometimes. Hollywood would flog and revile those writers today.

[cigarrodog]

One of the many gifts my Dad gave me was a love of Westerns. Shows like the Rifleman taught that being honest, brave, responsible, etc. was the the best path. Loved that rifle. Even had a Fanner 50.
http://www.riflemansrifle.com/the_riflemans_rifle.htm

[SlowBurn]

Blue Bloods is pretty good that way.

[berettabone]

Lucas McCain wasn't always an angel....if you see some of the first shows. There is an episode where he suggests such......when he first bought his ranch.

[CJB]

Oh absolutely correct..... and that plays into the ever recurring theme of the show, which is repmption.

In a good deal of the episodes, the plotline revolves around a person who has made a mistake, sometimes a bad mistake, and must either redeem themselves (and face the consequences) or die.

[Barth]

I watched a couple of episodes this morning - LOL!
In high school I had a friend saw off the butt and fashion a pistol grip on my 10/22 Ruger.
Used to practice shooting from the hip regularly in the Mojave desert.
Still remember a teenage girl watching me shoot and saying -
"OMG it's the Rifleman!"
http://www.valdefierro.com/rifleman241.jpg

[berettabone]

A kid in my neighborhood had the rifle. I believe it used caps. He never got the shooting part down though.........................

[GLOCKROCKER]

Love the Rifleman and Rawhide - watched them as a kid and watch them every chance I get now.

[mr surveyor]

and Gun Smoke .... the show about the upstanding Marshall that was sweet on the town madam of the local bar and brothel????

Yep, even when I was a young un watching the "new season episodes" of Gun Smoke, I was having conflicting thoughts.

It really hasn't changed that much ... just gotten more raunchy in presentation.

[CJB]

Ha! I had the cap rifle too, as a kid!

[CJB]

Gunsmoke was great.... I love the old B&W ones with Dennis Weaver

[Harrylee]

Watch it all the time, gives me back some youth. Times where different then as with the morals, I still enjoy watching this compared to some of the new crap they put out now. Tend to watch the old shows they just seem to have more meaning when life was a better and a simpler thing. We have got way far from that now so it’s good to reflect on the times when The Lone Ranger, Sky King, Bonanza, Gun Smoke where around. I still enjoy the old shows

[223fan]

Another good one is Palidan.

[getsome]

Love westerns like the Rifleman, good clean wholesome entertainment even if the bad guys get killed, they deserved it....I did find out the hard way that twirling a rifle is harder than it looks...I tried it once with my trusty daisy and busted out a tooth and had several lip stitches for a couple weeks....Guess it helps to have long arms and at least some coordination but on the bright side I told my 6th grade girlfriend I got um in a fight over her.....:lie:

I still catch Gunsmoke and Bonanza on TV Land when I get the chance....I do have a couple questions I always wondered about those shows though, like was Matt boffing Miss Kitty after the Long Branch closed at night and on Bonanza since the Cartwrights owned half the state of Nevada why did they only have one outfit each they wore every day of the week I mean you'd think they could afford at least a change of cloths once in a while...

Inquiring minds want to know....:D

[berettabone]

Love westerns like the Rifleman, good clean wholesome entertainment even if the bad guys get killed, they deserved it....I did find out the hard way that twirling a rifle is harder than it looks...I tried it once with my trusty daisy and busted out a tooth and had several lip stitches for a couple weeks....Guess it helps to have long arms and at least some coordination but on the bright side I told my 6th grade girlfriend I got um in a fight over her.....:lie:

I still catch Gunsmoke and Bonanza on TV Land when I get the chance....I do have a couple questions I always wondered about those shows though, like was Matt boffing Miss Kitty after the Long Branch closed at night and on Bonanza since the Cartwrights owned half the state of Nevada why did they only have one outfit each they wore every day of the week I mean you'd think they could afford at least a change of cloths once in a while...

Inquiring minds want to know....:D
Miss Kitty was boinked so much when she was younger, and she was going through menopause during the show. She wished that she was 20 yrs. younger so she could polish the sheriffs badge. As far as Bonanza, the I assume Chinese housekeeper said, " I do everything round heeeere, but I not doing raundry."http://kahrtalk.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[Tinman507]

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o542/tinman507/HopSingjocko_zps999bad69.jpg

[JMI]

So does anyone know where a complete set of "The Rifleman" DVDs can be had that are good quality and cost less then $100?

Jim

[getsome]

Try Amazon, if they don't have it nobody will....

Went to Google to try and find out if they knew how many times little Joe got shot or stabbed during the series, Google didn't even know the answer but little Joe must have been a one tough son of a gun because about every 3rd or 4th episode he got plugged or stuck but by the end of the show he was always back on his feet....

While Googling Bonanza I did find one interesting thing, there are words to the familiar guitar/horn theme song played at the start of every show where the map of Nevada burns...Goes like this:

We chased lady luck, till we finally struck Bonanza
With a gun and a rope and a hat full of hope, planted a family tree.
We got a hold of a pot full of gold Bonanza
With a horse and a saddle, and a range full of cattle
How rich can a fellow be?

You learn the dangest things here at Kahrtalk

[berettabone]

Like Artie used to say.................." veeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy interestink."

[CJB]

Better than Star Trek original series lyrics.....

[Armybrat]

I used to enjoy all those fanciful westerns too, but none will come close to touching Lonesome Dove.
But maybe that's my Texas bias showing.

[Bawanna]

Lonesome Dove is my all time favorite and I never been to Texas. The sequel I thought sucked. The prequel was pretty good I thought.

I think I've watched it so many times I could close caption all the parts without help.

Only seen the prequel once, I'd like to find it and watch it again.

[cigarrodog]

Lonesome Dove is arguably one of the finest Westerns in any medium. The dialogue is so memorable.

"Cap'n Call: That was a dang stupid thing to do--bringing that old sign along--you'll have us the laughing stock of the whole country--with that--we don't rent pigs part. Gus: Well, we don't rent pigs. I figured it's better to say it right up front--'cause a man that does like to rent pigs is--is hard to stop. Cap'n Call: If that ain't bad enough you got all those Greek words on there too-- Gus: I told you Woodrow a long time ago it ain't Greek -- it's Latin. Cap'n Call: What does it say in Latin? Gus: Well, it's a motto--it just says itself -uva uvam vivendo varia fit (captain chimes in) Cap'n Call: You don't have any idea what it says--you found that in some old book or something-- for all you know it invites people to rob us. Gus: Well, the first man that comes along that reads Latin is welcome to rob us as far as I'm concerned. I'd like the chance to shoot at an educated man once in my life."