Lucas McCain

Lucas McCain is a fictional character in the Western television series, The Rifleman, which ran on ABC from 1958 to 1963. A rancher and widowed father with a penchant for using his Winchester firearm as a last resort, the part was portrayed by former athlete-turned-actor Chuck Connors.

In the story, Lucas earns enough money from a turkey shoot contest to purchase a ranch near the fictitious town of North Fork in the New Mexico Territory, where, presumably in the 1880s, he dedicates himself to rearing his son, Mark McCain, played by singer/actor and former Mousketeer Johnny Crawford. The McCains had previously lived in Enid, Oklahoma where Lucas' wife, Margaret (daughter of Samuel E. Gibbs) died in a smallpox outbreak (Season 5, Episode 23, "The Guest"; Season 5, Episode 24, "Old Man Running"). Despite Lucas' use of his lightning rifle to settle disputes, the program is family-oriented. Lucas struggles to instill proper values in his young son, and most episodes end on an uplifting note. Mark has a special bond and affection for his father.

In promoting tolerance, Lucas in the third-season episode "The Queue", defends a Chinese immigrant trying to make his way in North Fork. Sammy Davis, Jr., appears in another episode as an African American allowed without resistance to check into the hotel in North Fork. Similarly, in "The Gaucho" during the first season, Lucas befriends an Argentine family against the prejudice of townspeople.

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