'The Rifleman' Taught Me 5 Important Lessons About Life

It's Old School, Black & White TV, but You Still Might Learn Something

Chuck Conners and Johnny Crawford
as "The Rifleman" Lucas McCain, and his son, Mark.
Wikimedia. public domain. 1960

Since I don't have cable, I watch a lot of reruns. That's okay with me. I love reruns. They take me way back.

Today's TV dramas do little to inspire, motivate or teach me; that's why I was excited when original episodes of "The Rifleman" made a comeback. As a kid, I learned a lot of life lessons from Lucas McCain (Chuck Conners). He was hard working, fast with a gun, and a loving father to his son Mark (Johnny Crawford). Lucas' portrayal of a strong fatherhood role model reminds me of my own father. That's probably why these lessons stuck with me all these years.

Lesson #1- It's tough being a single parent

Lucas was a former union soldier, a rancher, and a widower. He was a single father long before single parenthood was trendy on TV. Money was tight and chores were never-ending. Both Lucas and Mark struggled to fill the void left by their absent wife and mother. Weekly slices of life with "The Rifleman" showed me the hardships of single parenthood long before it became my reality.

Lesson #2- Being original has its benefits

"The Rifleman" was so fast with his Winchester rifle that he could beat any cowpoke, bank robber, or gunslinger to the draw. Lucas was an original. He was tall, handsome, cool-headed, loyal, and an all round nice guy. He re-worked his rifle into an original as well. He gave it an unusual looking repeating trigger that helped him shoot faster than any bad guy around.

Lesson #3- Sometimes you have to get angry, wild and crazy to protect those you love

Lucas was cool-headed, except for when it came to protecting his son. Then he might just shoot a few holes in somebody and ask questions later. Mark was smart, but his innocence-bordering-on-stupidity got him into a lot of trouble. He routinely offered bad guys food and water, told killers the way to the ranch, and took the shortcut through the dangerous canyon where criminals hung out. Mark's troubles were often his own fault. Still Lucas would get wild and crazy with any culprit who'd dare take advantage of his son's poor judgment.

Lesson #4- Don't let anyone force you to give up what's yours 

People were always trying to buy the McCain ranch... or steal it, but Lucas wouldn't budge. The ranch belonged to him and his son, just like his horses, his rifle, his cattle, his shabby little home, or anything else with the McCain brand. Anyone who tried to take what Lucas and his son worked hard for got a personal demo of his shooting skills. (Rethink this lesson if the bad guys have a gun and you don't)

Lesson #5- Some guys do know how to say "I love you"

During the late 50s and early 60s, an era when TV men were tough and on-screen families included a mom, a dad and a few kids, it was just Mark and Lucas alone on the ranch. They worked hard most of the time, but they also shared lots of laughs, hugs, tender moments, and expressions of love.

You can learn everything you need to know about "The Rifleman" at therifleman.net. You can catch your own Rifleman wisdom with episodes on Memorable Entertainment Television (Metv), AMC, and other vintage TV networks.

Originally published on Yahoo Voices