Earlier today, we reported that CBS wants to revive the classic Western series, The Rifleman. They’ve signed Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier to a script deal and Harry Potter director Chris Columbus is on board to direct the pilot episode if the project gets that far.
As fans of the old ABC TV series know, the original Western is set in New Mexico and stars former pro-baseball player Chuck Connors as tough rancher named Lucas McCain. A widower, he’s a single dad to his only son, Mark (Johnny Crawford). Lucas is also a crack shot with a Winchester rifle but uses it only when necessary.
Connors died from lung cancer in 1992 but Crawford is still active in the industry. He continued to act when the show went off the air in 1963 and currently focuses on music. He’s a singer and leads the California-based Johnny Crawford Orchestra which specializes in vintage dance music.
Crawford tells us that he finds the possibility of a new Rifleman series “intriguing.” We asked if he’d be interested in being connected with a new show in some way and Crawford said, “I would love to be involved as an actor, director or music supervisor. I’ve always loved Westerns and I loved working on the original series.” He noted, “It was a great childhood.”
Crawford kept in touch with Connors up until the latter’s demise. They actually reprised their beloved roles not long before Connors died, in a 1991 Kenny Rogers TV movie called The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw.
What do you think? If the new Rifleman series gets made, would you like to see Crawford involved somehow? In a cameo role or something more permanent?
I’d think Johnny Crawford would be good as a regular on remake of rifleman. Hey maybe you could cast him as the marshal of northfork, NM. you know the role that the late late great actor Paul Fix had. I think that would be great. And maybe you can ask Mr. Crawford if he’ll accept the script. Because so many actors turn this and that role because it didn’t have the right content in the script. I guess I mean it wasn’t a believable script. Yes I think Johnny Crawford would be a good choice.Well that’s my opinion. Hope you… Read more »
i’d love to see the new remake of the rifleman with Johnny Crawford playing Luckas Mc Caines father, also new two new actors as The Rifleman and his son Mark
If the actors chosen blend well together as in the original series and if the scripts as well written as those of the original, it could be well worth watching. I have the exact copy 1892 rifle used in the show.
Great! Watch the reruns everyday. Looking forward to it.
I would love to see Johnny Crawford in the rifleman… I think he would be good for the music…
I grew up seeing this show on tv in black an white, to change from that would an could be hard to watch, but I’m as a tv watcher of classic tv, would hope that Johnny Crawford would somehow be connected with it, even as a grandpa. Let’s see what happens.