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The Rifleman's Johnny Crawford on his relationship with Chuck Connors
Were the pair like father and son offscreen as well?
While we know not everything is what it appears to be onscreen, we find some small comfort in similarities. It's nice to discover our favorite costars still got along when the cameras stopped rolling. It helps suspend our disbelief. Some folks find it jarring when onscreen pals have feuds in real life, and it can take us out of the show's reality when reality intervenes.
Still, it's a point of fascination for many to know how exactly the people on TV interacted between takes. Feuds have been profitable tabloid fodder for years, but audiences also award stars we know are friends. It's box office gold when a pair reunites, banking on their true friendship and returning to the screen together.
Johnny Crawford, who played young Mark McCain on The Rifleman, stood in the substantial shadow of Chuck Connors. While it would be easy to say that Johnny "looked up to" Connors, it turns out this would only be true in the most literal sense.
In an interview with AMC, Crawford was asked if he viewed Connors as a father figure.
"Not really," said Crawford. "I had great respect for him, and I loved working with him, but he was very different off-screen."
When he wasn't being filmed, Connors wasn't nearly the patriarch he appeared to be, at least not to Crawford. Still, this might be a testament to Connors' acting ability. He had us all believing he was a great dad to little Lucas. But just because Connors wasn't particularly fatherly didn't mean he had nothing at all to offer his younger costar.
Crawfrod continued: "He was incorrigible, a practical joker. It was fun all the time, but he wasn’t a good influence on me, aside from his acting. He used a lot of four-letter words, and he was very imposing. He loved intimidating people. I got a kick out of him."
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