The Rifleman Westerns

The Rifleman's Joan Taylor said family came first over the series

Both her on-screen and at-home relationships helped her be the best mom she could be.

August 15, 2024, 3:03PM By MeTV Staff

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Joan Taylor enjoyed a long, fan-favorite on-screen relationship with Chuck Connors on ABC's The Rifleman for two seasons. Many fans fell in love with her character, Milly Scott, just as much as Connors' character did.

Connors, who played the widowed single father Lucas McCain, was looking for a wife and a maternal figure for his young son, Mark. Milly Scott seemed to be the perfect choice, and fans agreed.

However, she wasn't just family-first in the hit Western; she put her family first in her own life, too. According to a 1961 interview with The Plain Speaker, Taylor had been married since she was in her teens to a producer-writer in Hollywood.

By the time of this interview, she had three children, and a lot of opinions about balancing family life with an acting career.

"I'd rather pass up ten Academy Awards than miss being around while my kids grow up," Taylor said. "Sure, I've lost some valuable roles. You always do when you can't go out on location for extended periods of time. It's probably hurting my career, but I don't care."

According to the interview, Taylor refused to hire a nanny to help care for her children. She was unwavering in her dedication and wanted it to be her who saw her kids the most. After all, she took her mother status seriously.

"Maybe it's old-fashioned of me, but I don't want my children to get their love from a stranger," Taylor added. "I don't understand the women in this town who talk blithely about blending career with home and children, and then desert husband and kids for weeks at a time to shoot on location or go on a publicity tour."

Part of the reason Taylor found her role in The Rifleman so pleasant was because her on-screen appearances were spaced two to six weeks apart. Even when she was written into a script the shooting schedule allowed her to get home in time to fix dinner for her kids.

"And talk about a show influencing family, we're practically a suburb of North Folk at our house," Taylor said. "Whenever I'm late getting home from the set, my husband explains to the kids that 'mommy's closing up the General Store.'"

Taylor said her anchor throughout her acting career had been her husband, who shared the same convictions that family came first over career.

"We talked it over and then decided we weren't going to be one of Hollywood's typical fragmented couples," Taylor said. "And I guess because we were willing to sacrifice success, it came along, quietly and naturally."

She was an old-fashioned woman who put her family first and had experience with children—exactly the type of girl Lucas McCain was looking for.