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I have to admit this TV series is near and dear to my heart. I may have thrown some of you off with the “teen heart throb” comment, for that part of the co-star’s career was not as much of a rising star as, say, Ricky Nelson from Ozzie and Harriet. And Christine was absolutely right, I worded my comment about the name of the series poorly. It wasn’t exactly the name of the weapon. But did you guess it anyway? It was…
The Rifleman
It had a VERY short intro! It was cut down from the way Sam Peckinpah had it filmed, which was horribly violent for that day. This is the shortened version.
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The theme of this show was that everyone deserves a second chance. I think that’s why I liked it so much. Then, of course, there was Johnny Crawford, who played Connor’s movie son Mark. An original on the Mickey Mouse Club, Crawford went on to do a lot of TV acting as well as establishing a singing career. And though that career was not as stellar as some of the young teen idols around at the time, Crawford never lost his love of music. He now has his own orchestra, The Johnny Crawford Dance Orchestra, which travels the country reminding folks of the Big Band era.
He also never lost his love for his TV father. They stayed close for the rest of their lives. Crawford gave the eulogy at Connor’s funeral. Below is a tribute video to them. The track playing behind the video is Johnny Crawford singing “Living in the Past.”
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I hope YOU had some fond memories of this show. And, btw, my favorite song by Crawford is “Rumors.” And YES! I do have the album! 😀 And as a little aside, a few years ago Village Inn Restaurant revamped their menu and on the front was a picture I recognized!
I emailed the corporate office to verify my suspicions, and sure enough, it was a stock picture of Johnny Crawford when he was 12. And Village Inn was kind enough to send me a copy of the menu! LOL
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Now the S for the April A to Z Challenge gave me quite a problem because there were THREE TV series in that category that I loved. So for tomorrow — since this is the weekend and you’ll have a bit off extra time to do some research — you’re going to get a threefer! 😀
Our first entrant in this category is a television series produced by Walt Disney about an American Revolutionary War hero. It was part of Disney’s effort to provide a little education to the kids in his viewing audience. Eight episodes were made from 1959 to 1961. In fact, my home town in Ohio was named after this man (as are more than 30 OTHER towns and counties across the US!). And in 2000, Mel Gibson starred in a movie about him. His character really WAS larger than life.
Our second entrant set off a budding interest for me in underwater adventures. I went on to become like the #1 fan of author Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt series. 😀 The TV show was about a free-lance scuba diver who had all kinds of adventures! Produced by Ivan Tors, the series ran from 1958 to 1961. And though I am scared to death of the water, it had me wanting to become a marine biologist or some such thing. 😀 (And this actor is the father of two well-know stars of today. 😀 )
The last entry in this category was an American radio and TV series. Its lead character was an Arizona rancher and aircraft pilot. The series was supposedly based on a true-life personality of the 1930’s known as the “Flying Constable” of Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County, California. The main character NEVER shot the bad guys! The show became an icon in the aviation community. Many pilots, including American astronauts, grew up watching it and named the series as an influence in their career choices. The “Songbird” was one of the co-stars.
Now there’s a NOT of information there! That ought to keep you busy for the weekend. What do you think? Can you…
(Btw, if you know the answer, please keep it to yourself so as not to give it away. Stick a smiley face on your comment instead. Thank you so much!)
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(Just a quick note. If the title of the show is preceded with the word “The”, it will NOT be included in the name.)
Picture Sources:
Saturday Special — Amblecote Christian Centre
The Rifleman — TV Guide
Johnny Crawford Dance Orchestra — Pinterest
Letter S — http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/to-z-badges-and-banners.html
Name That TV Show — Pinterest
John Davis Frain said:
I nailed two in a row!!! Doesn’t matter what happens with the rest of the alphabet, I got two in a row!
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calensariel said:
Good for you! I knew you had it in ya!!! 😉
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aruralgirl1 said:
Okay, one out of three isn’t bad. 🙂 Hubs and I looked up the rest. He’s actually starting to really get into this. 🙂 So smiley face for that.
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calensariel said:
LOL! I hear ya. His lordship really got into it with me when I was making my list one night. 😀
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Martha Reynolds said:
I can’t even think of one! But it’s 6:45am and my brain isn’t functioning. It’s okay, I like surprises! 😉
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calensariel said:
I hear ya. It’s 6:41 a.m. here now and I’m having the same fuzzy issues…
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christineocheallaigh said:
I knew the first one without help. although I looked it up for confirmation on the title (it was harder than heck to find, IMdB didn’t seem to know it existed, had to confirm the name on Wikipedia). Had to look the other two up to figure them out, although after I saw the name of the second one I wanted to kick myself because I had heard of it, just couldn’t remember the name. The third one sounded familiar, but I don’t think I ever actually saw it.
I didn’t realize that Mel Gibson movie was based on that historical figure, with the character given a fictitious name in the movie. Interesting!
Now they’re actually becoming challenging again, keep it up! 😀
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calensariel said:
Well darn! If I’d known you wanted hard I would have used the more obscure ones! 😀
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christineocheallaigh said:
You use enough obscure ones as it is, thanks! 😛 But at least they’re a challenge!
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calensariel said:
I’m glad I have been able to energize a few folks’ brain cells during this challenge! LOL
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Denise said:
I do not know the Disney one but I do know the other two. Guess I’ll have to wait or Google – or wake up my overloaded brain cells.
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Denise said:
Thanks for that last series. I haven’t been able to get the old intro out of my head. Earworm…
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calensariel said:
I sure wonder if we’re thinking of the same one. I can’t even remember the theme music… You’ll have to let me know if we aren’t.
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Denise said:
It was more of a commercial. I did find it on Youtube if I am right about the show.
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Scarlett79 said:
Omg I should’ve watch that show but I was just a little girl at the time. Not so much into the cowboy thing. I know the husband watched it. Nice post for ‘S’
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calensariel said:
Hey, Scarlett! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. I thought I was in overload there, but it was just too hard to pick! LOL
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janebasilblog said:
I’m hopeless at this – I don’t know any of them, I never do. I think we only watched English TV programmes in our house. Also, outdoor play and our parents rules limited the viewing time…
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calensariel said:
Well there’s sure nothin’ wrong with playin’ outside. See how it sparked your imagination, girlfriend!!! 😀
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janebasilblog said:
I wouldn’t have had it any other way 🙂
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Keith's Ramblings said:
The first one – no. The second – maybe. The third – no. I’m getting better at this. That’s my best so far! The tribute video is delightful. I especially like the little quotes.
Amble Bay’s fabulous shops!
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calensariel said:
I loved that tribute video, too, though there was another one that was better. Couldn’t find it in a pinch though. I think Chuck Connors must have been an amazing man. I bet you DO know the second one! If for no other reason than the sons? 😉
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shirleyjdietz said:
I know the last one without looking! (Finally) it was one of my favorites too.
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calensariel said:
That’s cool! I’ve never run across anyone else that’s ever heard of it! 😀
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