I grew up with "The Rifleman" and rediscovered it on "retro TV" just recently. It's odd, sometimes in your later years you rediscover things from your childhood and wonder "what was I thinking?" Not the case here, the show is even better than I remember; just great acting by Chuck Connors, Paul Fix, Johnny Crawford (Emmy nominated best supporting actor), and the impressive array of guest stars. I can just imagine 'liberal' moms of today shunning the show as "too violent" and the "wrong message". But in fact, practically every show had a lesson in 'right and wrong', and a warmth you could feel in the interaction between the main characters. I'm sure back when, every boy in America wished he were Mark McCain. As I see the episodes now, I realize you really have to pay attention. You expect a handful of "but Pa!(s)" and the 'bad guys' getting it in the end, but the plots twist and turn and can get quite involved considering the era of the show's heyday. The show's simple premise was capable of telling interesting and occasionally historic stories with some eclectic characters. This unheralded gem is pure Americana, and it sad that this type of family entertainment has evaporated only to be replaced with "poison" (as Madona calls it) on America's living room screens. So much for progress.
Review of The Rifleman
