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Margie traveled to California to visit the ranch formerly owned by Chuck Connors, star of "The Rifleman," which is still aired on some TV channels.  Evelyn Ecclestron Sammis and John Sammis arranged for Margie to visit, which was Connors' real ranch outside Tehachapi, California.

She also was contacted by a radio station in the United Kingdom for help on a project about Leonid Brezhnev, who was an avid "Rifleman" fan.  Also, a minister from Indiana who plans to use "The Rifleman" plots in church lessons.

She is working on a public relations effort to credit Malibu Park in California as the locale where parts of the show were filmed.  With Tim Louis help.

A fan, Rob Beaudreau of Susanville, California., wrote Margie that he plans to write fictitious stories about "The Rifleman" and asked for her help.  "He thinks I'm a expert," she said, adding she hopes eventually to meet him. 

While the baby boomer audience will recall seeing the story of 'The Rifleman' and his son on the black and white screen, Margie said the website attracts young fans.  The youngest contributor is 13 and her younger sister expects to contribute to the site soon.

Margie's site, at www.riflemanconnors.com is dedicated to the 168 episodes of the show, which reached as high as No. 4 in TV ratings.  Viewers were estimated at 14.5 million at a time when only 43.9 million households owned television sets.

In this area, reruns of the series air on the Hallmark Channel.

Connors, who played Lucas McCain in the show, was rated by TV Guide in 2004 as No. 32 of the 50's greatest TV dads of all time.

The Rev. Stan Owen asked Margie for her 26 favorite episodes, writing that the show is of such high moral quality he plans to use them to teach Sunday school lessons.  He plans to send her copies of the lessons.

Tim Louis, who lives in California and sometimes works at Malibu State Park, wrote to Margie about two seasons of the show being filmed at the park.  Louis, who has an art design degree and is a professional woodworker, will be building a hand-carved wooden sign about 48 inches by 36 inches depicting 'The Rifleman' logo and the stars of the series.  He plans to include a photo of Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford, who played McCain's son, Mark, plus a listing of the regular stars and a photo of the McCain ranch location site.  He hopes it will be in place by August.

Connors who lived in California, died in 1992. 

For the show Connors had a special made Winchester rifle with a ring lever so he could swing it around.

While Margie was in California last spring, she and her boyfriend met Jeff Connors, one of Chuck's son's.  He does resemble his "Pa," except his hair is darker.  Margie got to go to Connors' gravesite at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles. 

Continue on to my newspaper article.....
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Cowgirl aka Margie

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