The Rifleman: Season 1

Lucas (Chuck Connors) and Mark McCain (Johnny Crawford) finally find the ranch they have been looking for, but the ranch comes with a price, and Lucas may have to decide between the ranch and his son's life. Guest stars: Dennis Hopper, Leif Erickson, Sidney Blackmer, R. G. Armstrong as Marshal Fred Tomlinson, Charles Arnt, Mickey Simpson, Kathleen Mulqueen, Jesse Wayne (uncredited), Paul Fix (uncredited) Note: This episode was originally an episode from Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre and became

Two hired hands of a wealthy cattleman, who has been using the ranch for grazing his cattle, demand that Lucas move out. When Lucas refuses, he is beaten and dragged and then the ranch house is burned down. They left Lucas and Mark with the burning house and rode off with Lucas' rifle. Leaving Mark to tend to the animals, Lucas tracks them down and confronts their boss, Mr. Jackford.

Lucas is forced to give refuge to Will Fulton, a young bank robber, who was injured while saving Mark's life. While staying at the McCain ranch Will gets a taste of a life better than the one he's been leading. He's met a girl and grows tired of a life on the run. Will this young man have a change of heart before his brother returns for him and the stolen money?

The notorious Shelton brothers (Robert J. Wilke, Warren Oates) ride into North Fork to take revenge on Micah Torrance (Paul Fix), an ex-lawman who is now crippled with alcoholism. When Marshal Fred Tomlinson (R. G. Armstrong) is killed by the Sheltons, Micah is called upon to take his place. Guest stars: James Drury, Abby Dalton, Bill Quinn, Bert Stevens (uncredited)

Mark's uncle, Johnny Gibb, a big time rodeo rider, comes to visit. While Mark idolizes his uncle, Lucas discovers that Johnny is on the run from the law for an Express Office Robbery. Stacy has a bronco named Lucifer, that nobody's been able to ride for 15 seconds. Alvah, wanting to humble the almighty Mr. Stacy, asks Johnny if he'd ride Lucifer, so that he and the townsfolk could bet that Johnny would ride Lucifer for 30 seconds. Johnny agrees and then makes a deal with Stacy to throw the ride

Judge Burton seeks ""Justice"" against the Hangman, who hanged his son; the Judge, who sentenced his son; and Lucas, the man who caught his son. When Judge Burton discovers that Lucas has a son, he decides that the best way to serve justice is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son. Judge Burton tied Lucas to a wagon and went to hang Mark, feeling that Lucas should feel the same agony that he had felt waiting for is son to be hanged.

When an Italian Count arrives in North Fork, his strange attire attracts the attention of Groder, a town bully. Groder trying to have fun with this stranger, destroys some of the Counts currency, mocks him, and tries to humiliate him. Eventually the Count challenges Groder to a duel and asks Lucas to be his Second. They meet at dawn and the Count, the offended party, brings his single shot dueling pistols, something Groder is unaccustomed to. Lucas as second must see that all rules of the duel a

Floyd Doniger comes to North Fork, looking to start a new life. He's got a steady job as the guard at the new bank and he's entertaining ideas of settling down on a spread of his own. Also arriving in North Fork are three men who followed the bank's new safe, figuring any town needing a safe like that must have money to put into it. At the grand opening celebration of the bank, the three men discover the new bank guard is their old pal, Floyd. The three men try to convince Floyd to join them in

Rebecca Snipe is returning to North Fork after a long visit away. Before her stage left, she over hears a man saying he's going to North Fork to kill a big man with a big mouth. Upon Rebecca's arrival in North Fork, Mark is smitten with her and gets it in his head to play matchmaker between her and his pa. Thinking Lucas has intentions on their sister, the Snipe brothers come looking for Lucas to see if he measures up to their standard of being good enough for her.

Tiffauges, a wealthy and sadistic Frenchman, who is used to getting whatever he wants, decides he wishes to purchase the McCain Ranch. Tiffauges' lead man, Xavier, proclaims Lucas to be muy macho, and does not believe Lucas will give in so easily. Xavier and the other men are tiring of being subjected to Tiffauges' whippings and cruel treatment. Lucas plays on the men's longing for freedom to keep his ranch.

Dan Willard is filling in as temporary marshal while Micah is away. Some Texas cowhands are in North Fork looking for some fun and relaxation, but Dan keeps coming down hard on them. Dan's father tells Lucas that he feels Dan is trying to prove himself as a man to compensate from being dropped from West Point Academy because of his poor eyesight. The Texas cowhands have had enough of being pushed around when Marshal Dan posts an ordinance that all visitors must check their guns at the Marshal's

Lucas and Mark return from a cattle sale when their stagecoach is robbed by three outlaws led by sharpshooter Johnny Cotton (Vic Morrow). Lucas sends Mark on with the stagecoach while he goes after the outlaws on foot without his rifle. Guest stars: Gregory Walcott, Leo Gordon, Harry Hickox

Lucas and Mark return from a cattle sale when their stagecoach is robbed by three outlaws led by sharpshooter Johnny Cotton (Vic Morrow). Lucas sends Mark on in the stagecoach while he goes after the outlaws on foot without his rifle.

Rumson, without even saying to whom he had sold his property, left the bill of sale with the bank and moved away from North Fork. Curge, who's highest offer was upped by $1,000.00 is upset because Rumson sold out to a ""peppergut"". The Argentez family who bought the place are from Argentina. Lucas arranges for Mark to hang out with Manolo, who teaches Mark to use the Bolas. Manolo is angered at anyone who shows interest in his sister, he believes she is only for a ""Caballero"". Her latest suit

Ward Haskins guns down Joe Flecker, who has evidence that could be used to blackmail him. Haskins thinks the information was given to Lucas, since he brought Flecker to the doctor before he died. Stirred up by Haskins behavior, Lucas goes through Flecker's things, finding a wanted poster for Haskins in the sole of Flecker's boot. He also finds Doc Burrage drinking. Doc is discouraged because three children have died of an anthrax epidemic that he has the new serum for, but nobody is willing to

Frank Blandon, a man with only one good arm, wanders on to the ranch. Lucas gave Blandon a job to ""hire him and Mark a clear conscience"". General Sheridan and his patrol wandered by and Lucas offered to let them stay the night at the ranch. Blandon pulled a gun on General Sheridan, as it turned out Blandon was a confederate soldier, who once had General Sheridan in his gun sight during the war. Blandon hung fire, but Sheridan did not hesitate and blew out Blandon's shoulder. General Sheridan s

Wes Carney and his wife Clair want to settle down and they figure North Fork might do fine. Wes is a well known gunfighter, who has promised Clair that he would hang up his guns for good. The Carney's want to live a simple, honest life and the Feed and Grain Store, which is up for sale, seems like it might work for them. Carney's reputation and the news that he's settling down brings troublemakers to North Fork. Lucas is the only man willing to stand as deputy with Micah. After Lucas tells the C

Abel Goss, the photographer who took Lucas' wedding photograph, is in North Fork doing a portrait of Mark standing in the street. When Goss sees Col. Whiteside and his sidekick Jamison, he recognizes them as the butchers who tortured him and others while he was captive in their prisoners of war camp. When Lucas stops him from killing them, Goss swears to kill those men. Whiteside planned to call Goss out, but he had Jamison shooting from the upstairs hotel window, as his insurance. When the shot

Aaron Pelser's wagon train came across a pair of young boys on a buck board heading west and invited them to join the train. When he found out that one of the boys was actually a girl and the two claimed to be headed to Yuma to get married, Pelser and his crowd force them to be married in North Fork. The wagon train folks want to throw a shivaree, which may have been innocent enough except for two reasons. The first reason being that the couple does not count it as their wedding because they wan

McCain befriends Donnel O'Mahoney, a tough kid from Brooklyn, and arranges with two men for the young man to continue his travels on their wagon, but then one of them is murdered and the other accuses the boy of having done it.

U.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart (Michael Ansara) arrives in North Fork to look for Indians who are suspected in the brutal murder of a Ranger and his family. Guest stars: Herbert Rudley, Mickey Simpson, Frank DeKova, Eddie Little Sky, Bill Quinn Note: This is the pilot for the series Law of the Plainsman

Julia Massini (Katy Jurado), a reformed gambler, runs a respectable boarding house in North Fork, but her old boss (Alan Baxter) shows up and tries to force her to turn her place into a gambling house. Guest stars: Harlan Warde, Sarah Selby, Peggy Maley, Kay Cousins, Charles Fredericks, Bill Quinn

After the witness in a murder case is killed, Lucas agrees to testify in order to convict a murderer, but someone wants the prosecution stopped. Mark and the townsfolk try to talk Lucas out of testifying. Guest stars: Michael Pate, Hope Summers, Robert Foulk, Robert L. Crawford, Jr., Edgar Buchanan

After falling in love with a sick young woman, fugitive Sam Morley (Paul Richards) asks his friend Lucas to turn him in and use the reward money to pay for the woman's medical needs. Guest stars: Chris Alcaide, Dan Sheridan, Michael Fox, John Harmon, Edgar Buchanan, Katharine Bard

Lucas' friend and renowned bank robber Tom Birch (Richard Anderson) comes for a surprise visit, upsetting Mark. Neither know the man has plans to rob the North Fork bank. Guest stars: Jack Kruschen, Harlan Warde, Bill Quinn

Released from Yuma prison, Dan Maury (Lee Van Cleef) arrives in North Fork intent on getting even with Marshal Torrance, who helped send him to jail. Guest stars: Edgar Buchanan, Bill Quinn

A crooked marshal from another territory intentionally kills an innocent man to collect the bounty money. Guest stars: Robert H. Harris, Gordon Jones, Frank Sully, Lyle Bettger

An escaped killer holds Hattie and Micah hostage at the General Store to prove that he is still good with a gun. Guest stars: Les Tremayne, John Durren, Hope Summers, Harlan Warde, John Maxwell, Bill Quinn, Adam Williams

The McCains befriend a stranger (Patrick McVey) after he saves Mark from a rattlesnake, but they soon discover that he is not who he says he is. Guest star: John Anderson

Lucas takes in an orphaned teen (Dennis Hopper) being raised by his abusive uncle after trouble is caused at the school. Guest stars: John Hoyt, Robert Foulk, Bill Quinn, Patricia Barry