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Rifleman Winchester

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:10,000.00 USD Estimated At:20,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD
Rifleman Winchester
Preview: Phoenix Marriott Mesa - 200 N Centennial Way, Mesa, AZ 85201
Preview Period:
Thursday January 27 -- 3:00 pm-7:00 pm
Friday January 28 -- 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday January 29 – 9:00 am -4:30 pm
Winchester 1892, 44-40 Carbine, Ser #497689 The rifle was made to be used in the 6th season of The Rifleman. As the producers contemplated expanding to one hour and upgrading to color due to tough competition from other Westerns, Connors chose to leave and pursue other acting opportunities. The 6th season was never produced. Chuck Connors (1921-1992) The Rifleman was a classic of TV Westerns, the saga of rancher Lucas McCain, a homesteader in 1880s New Mexico Territory, struggling to make ends meet while raising his young son, Mark. Lucas was never without his trick rifle, and his expertise with it had earned the reputation as The Rifleman. Chuck Connors was Lucas and Johnny Crawford played Mark. The two actors worked perfectly together and brought a lot of humanity to their scenes. The Rifleman was shot in black and white at half-hour in length. It debuted on ABC in 1958 and ran until 1963, often in the top 10 of the week’s ratings. Westerns were popular when The Rifleman premiered, and producers aimed to find ways to distinguish one show from another. The Rifleman’s hook was a modified Winchester Model 1892 rifle with a trigger mechanism allowing for rapid-fire shots. The episodes of The Rifleman promoted fair play, neighborliness, equal rights, and the need to use violence in a highly controlled manner (“A man doesn't run from a fight,” Mark, McCain tells his son, “But that doesn't mean you go looking to run TO one!”) The show was created and initially developed by a young Sam Peckinpah, who would go on to become the director of classic Westerns. Peckinpah, who wrote and directed many of the best episodes from the first season, based many of the characters and situations on real-life scenarios from his childhood growing up on a ranch. After four decades of roles in television and film, Chuck Connors died from lung cancer in 1992 at the age of 71. Jeff Connors is one of four sons born to actor Chuck Connors, and at 6’ 2” is the smallest of the lot! An accomplished singer/songwriter, Jeff is a self-taught musician, and began playing music when he was 22 years old. He has very fond personal memories of his famous father, and enjoyed working with him professionally, as well. He guest starred in The Rifleman as a child and says that growing up with the name Connors has always been a positive part of his life and he is proud of his father’s legacy. An additional bit of history from son Jeff Connors: Chuck took this rifle out on a Sunday morning and decided to shoot it to see how much it would smoke. On stage he used quarter load blanks and for outside filming he used half loads. But he mistakenly used full load bullets that morning and shot off 11 rounds. The deafening noise startled and woke up his children and his wife, Betty. When a dozen police officers showed up at the door, all they could say when he answered was, “It’s him!”, and promptly requested and received autographs. And all he got was a warning. Good thing that most of the neighbors were away at church.