Mark McCain
Mark McCain is the son of fictitious rancher Lucas McCain in the ABC Western television series The Rifleman, starring Chuck Connors, which ran from 1958 to 1963. Singer/actor and former Mouseketeer Johnny Crawford was cast in the role and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1959 as Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series. However, Dennis Weaver, then portraying Chester Goode on CBS's Gunsmoke, won the honor. Mark McCain was more than just a supporting player in The Rifleman, as the boy's bond with his father was a core element of the show. In many ways he was the co-lead of the series and appeared in nearly every episode and in a majority of scenes. Family drama The McCains had previously lived in Enid, long before Oklahoma statehood in 1907. While there, Lucas' wife Margaret died in a smallpox outbreak (Season 5, "The Guest"). Mark meets the spirit of his dead mother in The Vision (Season 2, Episode 26, originally aired March 22, 1960) when suffering from typhoid and in a heavy fever. Despite the legendary Lucas McCain's 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. In the episode "The Sister," Mark asked Lucas if he would remarry. Lucas replied that it was "only natural" for him to consider a second marriage. Mark asked when Lucas might marry again. He reassured Mark: "When I find the right woman". Mark asked what the qualifications would entail. Lucas told Mark that he would know the right woman when he met her. With a big grin on his face, Mark asked, "What will she be like"? Lucas replied, "Well, she'll have to cook and sew and scrub. Her hands gotta be soft, she's gotta have hair like the crimson of the setting sun. Eyes as brown as chestnuts. She's gotta wear a flower because that's womanly. Ride a horse like a man". Mark suggested such a woman would be "kinda hard to find". Lucas agreed: "Very hard to find, son". As it turns out, Lucas did not remarry during the run of the program. However, in the last season, he was for a time smitten by a beautiful hotel owner named Lou Mallory. In the fifth episode of the series entitled "The Brother-in-Law" (October 28, 1958), Jerome Courtland plays Johnny Gibbs, the brother of Luke's late wife Margaret. In the story line, Johnny, a former rodeo rider, visits the McCain ranch and asks Lucas for money so that Gibbs can repay creditors. Lucas then finds a wanted poster on Johnny for robbing an express office. Johnny is trying to raise money in competition to remain on a bucking bronco for thirty seconds. Johnny exerts considerable influence over his nephew, Mark. Though Lucas is initially displeased, he soon finds that Johnny has redeeming qualities though headed to prison when he leaves the McCain ranch. Western film and TV scholar