The Rifleman

Lucas and Mark decide to enter a local turkey shoot to raise money to buy a ranch. The competition pits Lucas against the young sharpshooter, Vernon Tippert, who is sponsored by his bullying uncle, Wes Tippert. Although Vernon is a crack shot, he is no match against Lucas's superior skills as a marksman. The dramatic tension in "The Sharpshooter" turns on McCain throwing the match after the competition's promoter threatens to harm Lucas' young son should Tippert lose the competition. The unfolding story shows Lucas McCain reconciling the moral dilemma of protecting his young son and participating in a rigged competition.

"The Sharpshooter" introduced not only the main characters, setting and back story for THE RIFLEMAN series, but also established its thematic distinctions from other popular western adventure programs produced during the Golden Age of television. To be sure, the staples of the genre inform THE RIFLEMAN's storylines—law and order, right and wrong, pioneer spirit and rugged individualism—but the central themes revolve around the father and son relationship—the first primetime television series to portray a single parent raising a child alone—and nuanced morality plays that explored human nobility and very human frailties, foibles and failings, as well as the archetypal white-hatted good guys and black hatted bad guys and outlaws.

Two tough hired hands beat up Lucas and burn his ranch house, when he refuses their demands that he move off the property in order to please a wealthy cattleman who has been using the ranch as grazing land. On foot, Lucas pursues the gunmen, finds himself facing their boss and is challenged to a vicious fistfight.

Lucas is forced to give refuge to a young bank robber who has been injured while saving the life of Lucas' young son Mark. Trouble ensues when the rest of the outlaw gang appear. The young robber has had a change of heart and wants to go straight, but the gang insists that he will rejoin them. Wanting to help the young man, Lucas is caught in the fight.

Micah Torrance, formerly a famous Marshal, but now a drunken derelict with a crippled arm from a gunfight, turns up in North Folk and is taken on as a hired hand by Lucas McCain, who wants to give the man a chance to rehabilitate himself. His good deed backfires when three outlaws ride into town bent on avenging themselves for past troubles with Micah. The outlaws kill the local sheriff, leaving Lucas and Micah to protect the town alone.

A vengeful judge is convinced that Lucas is responsible for the death of his son, an outlaw who was executed for murder. He captures Lucas and plans to force him to watch Mark hang in retribution for his son's death.

When the stagecoach breaks down in North Fork an Italian Count, Alfredo di Montova, has to spend the night at the hotel. His fancy dress and accented English makes him a target for town bully Sim Groder and his little crowd. The Count is a calm and collected type but when Groder pushes him too far, he challenges him to a duel. With Lucas acting as his second, di Montova teaches the bully a lesson.

A Texas gunslinger is hired to protect the bank of North Fork. When he appears at the McCain Ranch, he doesn't leave a very good impression with Lucas, and for good reason - he has a secret. Mark is proud when he sells his first pig.

Mark introduces the pretty Rebecca Snipe to his father, and her two burly brothers are convinced that Lucas would be a fine husband for their sister. Meanwhile three gunmen plot to kill the rancher.

A gambler, fleeing New Orleans with his henchmen, takes a liking to Lucas' ranch. When McCain refuses to sell, his life is threatened.

Lucas accuses the young foreman of a neighboring ranch of rustling one of his calves.

Guest Stars:Allen Case, James Coburn, Ted de Corsia and Dick Rich

Lucas helps an Argentinian family who are new to North Fork when they are ridiculed by others.

Guest Stars:Perry Lopez, Lawrence Dobkin, Chana Eden, Dennis Cross, Harlan Warde, Stuart Randall, Robert L. Crawford, Jr., Morris Lippert, Montie Montana and Lauren Janes

Lucas allows Mark to take in a homeless horse after its owner is killed in a gunfight. Lucas soon discovers the truth about the horse and has to fight a gunman who does not want his secret to be exposed.

Guest Stars:Robert J. Wilke, Bill Erwin, Hal John Norman and Edgar Buchanan

Wanting to teach Mark about tolerance and acceptance, Lucas hires an injured and bitter confederate soldier (Royal Dano) to work on his ranch, only the Union army also arrives at the farm.

Guest stars:Lawrence Dobkin, Frank Wilcox, Bill Meigs, Stephen Chase, Fritz Ford and Royal Dano

A famous gunman (Robert Webber) promises his new bride that he will retire from gunfighting and settle in North Fork, but five outlaws try to make him break his promise.

Guest Stars: Eileen Harley, Jack Kruschen, John Anderson, Duke Snider, Joe Mell, Herman Rudin and Robert Webber

Lucas McCain and his son Mark come across U.S. Deputy Marshal Sam Buckhart who is escorting an Indian prisoner. To Lucas' surprise he finds that Buckhart himself is an Indian, educated at Harvard College. In North Fork, Buckhart goes about his business until some of the townsfolk realize he is an Indian and decide to take matters into their own hands. It's left to Lucas to show them the error of their ways.

As the second witness of a murder, Lucas is asked to travel to another town to testify at the accused man's trial. The catch is, the only other witness has been murdered and his killer has not been identified.

An outlaw will surrender if his sweetheart gets the reward.

Lucas welcomes an old friend who turns up at his ranch for an unexpected visit. Knowing that his friend Tom Birch has a reputation for lawlessness, Lucas is at first concerned but then is reassured by Tom's statement that he is just passing through North Fork on his way to Denver. Later, however, Lucas finds himself involved in a plot to rob the North Fork Bank and must choose between backing up the Marshal and helping the friend who once saved his life.

Dan Maury, a criminal arrested by Micah Torrance, returns from five years in prison determined to avenge himself upon the town marshal.

A corrupt marshal from outside North Fork goes after an outlaw with a price on his head. However, he sees an opportunity to make some extra money, so he murders an innocent man to pass off as the outlaw so he can collect the bounty, and then proceeds to blackmail the real outlaw.

An escaped killer is out to prove that his time in prison hasn't slowed down his speed with a gun.

Bookkeeper Asa Manning (William Phipps) hires a professional gunman (John Dehner) to provoke Oat Jackford (Bert Freed), a bully rancher who suspects him of embezzlement, into a gunfight. Lucas is forced to assist Jackford, the man he once hated.

A drought has forced local cowhands to seek work on a railroad construction project and railroad executives are afraid that their workers will desert them when an old man (Royal Dano) claims to have found a way to make rain.

Lucas is surprised when Micah wishes death on a dying man (Max Wagner) he brings into North Fork, then Lucas discovers that Micah holds a big secret.

Mark stumbles across a dead man and the only clue to his identity is a belt with the initials RM.

Accused of a murder he did not commit, a young man (Michael Landon) is finally cleared by the accidental discovery of a "mind reader" (John Carradine).

Guest Stars:John Carradine, Michael Landon, Sue Randall, Steven Ritch, Vic Perrin, Robert Bice, William Schallert, James Chandler, John Harmon and Charles Seel