RIFLEMAN - Key Persons
Arnold Laven was born on February 23, 1922, in Chicago, Illinois. He moved with his family to Los Angeles in the late 1930's. He began his career in the entertainment industry working as a mail room messenger at Warner Brothers. During World War II, he and his friend Jules Levy enlisted in the First Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, California, to make training films for the USAAF. There, in 1943, they met Arthur Gardner. Although the trio agreed to start their own independent motion picture company after they were discharged from the Air Force, they did not form their company until 1951. In the intervening years, Laven worked as a script supervisor.
Arnold Laven created the concept for THE RIFLEMAN series and directed many episodes, including the pilot, "The Sharpshooter." He is credited with establishing the four main themes for this classic western: the father-son relationship, family values, parables or stories with a moral lesson, and of course, the signature Winchester rifle. These themes underlayed the storyline of every single episode over its 5-year run. Following the death of Chuck Connors in 1992, "People" magazine quoted Laven, "Chuck's relationship with Johnny was just what we wanted, tough and straightforward, with love, but also a sense of making a boy be be prepared to grow."
Laven directed episodes of numerous television series in the 1960s and 70s, including the iconic westerns "The Big Valley" and "Gunsmoke," as well as "Marcus Welby MD," "Mannix," "Ironside," "The Six Million Dollar Man," "The Rockford Files" and "Fantasy Island." He continued working into the 1980's, directing several episodes of "Hill Street Blues" and "The A-Team."
Arnold Laven's directing credits include 11 feature films made between 1952 and 1969, among them "Down Three Dark Streets," "The Monster That Challenged the World," "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue," "Anna Lucasta," "Geronimo," "The Glory Guys" and "Sam Whiskey." Laven's best directorial turn in feature films was the 1956 MGM drama "The Rack," which starred Paul Newman, appearing in his second movie. He portrayed a brainwashed Korean War POW returning home to face court martial for treason.
Arnold Laven passed away in Tarzana, California on September 13, 2009. His wife of 58 years, Wallace Earle Sparks Laven, passed away on February 27, 2012. They are survived by their two children, Barbara and Larry. The "Los Angeles Times" interviewed Arthur Gardner after Laven's passing, who said of him, "Besides being a very talented guy, he was a very warm, friendly, kindly guy and made friends with everybody."
The Rifleman® is a servicemark of Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions, Inc. and is registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Chairman Emeritus of Levy-Gardner-Productions Arthur Gardner passed away Friday afternoon, December 19, 2014, in Beverly Hills. At 104 years of age, he was the oldest and last surviving co-founder of the longest lived production company in the history of the Hollywood entertainment industry. Partners Jules V. Levy and Arnold Laven passed away in 2003 and 2009, respectively. While serving together in World War II in the U.S. Air Force First Motion Picture Unit, which was assembled by studio chief Jack L. Warner, the trio developed what would become a lifelong friendship, and they resolved to form a production company after the war. Their three decades of active professional collaboration produced more than 20 motion pictures and television series, including the western classics "The Rifleman" (1958-1963) and "The Big Valley" (1965-1969). Their films included "Geronimo" (1962), with Chuck Connors in the title role, the Elvis Presley musical "Clambake" (1967), "The Hunting Party" (1971), starring Oliver Reed, Gene Hackman and Candice Bergen, and "Kansas City Bomber" (1972), starring Raquel Welch in a serious dramatic turn opposite Kevin McCarthy.
Arthur Gardner was born in Marinette, Wisconsin June 7, 1910. His birth name was Arthur Goldberg. Appearing in his senior class play inspired him to become an actor, and the day after he graduated from high school, he was on the road to Hollywood. It took a year and a half of working as a printer's helper in Milwaukee and as a tie salesman in Chicago, for him to save enough money to buy a bus ticket to California. Arthur arrived in Hollywood on January 15, 1929. As an avid reader of movie fan magazines, he knew that Carl Laemmle, Sr., the President of Universal Studios, was from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, so he wrote him a letter. Laemmle's secretary liked the audacity of the letter, and called Arthur into the studio for a meeting. He was at the studio gate at 6am the following morning. Laemmle's secretary told him he was the first person Mr. Laemmle had ever interviewed from thousands of letters he received weekly. The tiny executive seated behind his big desk was very warm and encouraging and put Arthur to work immediately as an extra on "The Collegians," a two-reel silent comedy series. It was in "The Collegians" series, which started in the early 1920s, where Clark Gable and Loretta Young got their first jobs as extras.
After about six months as an extra in early sound films including "Broadway," "The King of Jazz," "Buck Jones" westerns, and other Universal Pictures, Arthur was cast as one of the German students in "All Quiet On The Western Front." He went on to appear in a succession of films at Paramount, MGM and RKO. He also performed in many theater groups. It was at this time that Arthur's agent told him to change his last name to a more anglicized one, so one day walking past Gardner Junction in Hollywood, he chose "Gardner."
Arthur played the juvenile lead in one of the first anti-Nazi plays, "Blood On The Moon," at the Mayan Theatre and he joined the Federal Theatre Project when it was formed. He was the leading man in many plays at the old Mason Opera House at 3rd and Broadway, where he was seen in "Madam X" by Warner Brothers' casting director Irving Kumin, who cast him in Warner's "Water Front" and "Heart Of The North." He also starred in the independent films "Mystic Circle Murder," "Religious Racketeers" and the cult anti-marijuana movie "Assassin of Youth."
In between acting assignments, Arthur was an avid bridge player and in 1940, a fellow bridge player named Frank King, one of the early King Brothers, offered him a choice on their first film together "Paper Bullets" - Arthur could play either the juvenile lead or be the second assistant director. Always more interested in what was happening behind the camera, Arthur chose the latter. He recommended his friend and fellow struggling actor Alan Ladd to play the lead role.
Gardner stayed with the King Brothers as an assistant director until he went into the Army Air Force in 1943. It was there that he was assigned to the famous First Motion Picture Unit at the Hal Roach Studios and he spent the next two years making training films alongside fellow soldiers, including Clark Gable, William Holden, Ronald Reagan and his old friend Alan Ladd. His tour of duty at the Hal Roach Studios (First Motion Pictures Unit, Culver City) was also where he met his future long-time partners Jules V. Levy and Arnold Laven, who together would later form Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions. LGL Productions went on to produce over 20 feature films and hit television shows, including "The Rifleman" (1958-1963) and "The Big Valley" (1965-1969).
The Rifleman® is a servicemark of Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions, Inc. and is registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Johnny Crawford comes from a family of professional entertainers, and thanks to the inspiration of his parents and grandparents, he has been entertaining audiences throughout the world over the past six decades as an actor and musician.
Johnny Crawford's entertainment career began in 1955, when he was cast as one of Walt Disney's original Mousketeers.
Following his performance in the NBC Lux Video Theatre production of "Little Boy Lost," a live broadcast on March 15, 1956, he worked steadily as an actor. Within two years he had accumulated more than 50 television credits.
By the spring of 1958, Johnny was longing to do a series, so he could be part of a family at work and have the same school teacher every day. So, he was thrilled when his third pilot, which was made as an episode of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater, was picked up by ABC. He was particularly happy, because it was a "western."
That "western" turned out to be THE RIFLEMAN (1958-1963), for which Johnny received an Emmy Award nomination for his portrayal as Chuck Connors' sensitive young son, Mark McCain. During his five years on the series, he enjoyed wide popularity with American teenagers and a recording career that generated five Top 40 hits.
Paul Fix was an American film and television actor who was highly recognizable for his work in a variety of genres, but especially westerns and his best known role playing Marshal Micah Torrance in THE RIFLEMAN. Fix appeared in more than 100 movies and dozens of television shows during a 56-year career beginning in 1925. He appeared in numerous silent pictures but garnered his first credited screen role for an appearance in "The First Kiss" (1928), starring Fay Wray and Gary Cooper.
A veteran of World War I, Fix became a busy character actor who got his start in local productions around his New York home, then in California, appearing in Pauline Frederick's traveling theater company. During this period he became friends with Clark Gable, with whom he appeared in 20 plays. By the 1920s, after moving to Hollywood, Fix began performing in the first of almost 350 films and television shows. In the 1930's, he became friends with John Wayne, coaching him acting, and eventually appearing as a featured player in about 27 of his films.
Fix's early film credits include "Lucky Star" (1929) and "Ladies Love Brutes" (1930). He became a regular performer for "Lucky Star" director Frank Borzage on eight more films. In two of his favorite films roles, Fix later appeared as Richard Bravo in the 1956 cult classic, "The Bad Seed," starring Patty McCormack, and also in the 1956 George Stevens epic film version of Edna Ferber's book "Giant," playing Elizabeth Taylor's father. Reportedly, his other favorites parts included playing the stricken passenger Frank Briscoe in the John Wayne picture "The High and the Mighty" (1954) and Judge Taylor in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962).
Fix is beloved and best remembered for his role as Marshal Micah Torrance on the ABC western series THE RIFLEMAN, appearing in 150 of 168 episodes. His character was introduced in episode 4, "The Marshal." He brought great pathos and sympathy to the role of a recovering alcoholic turned lawman, and several episodes featured storylines relating to his earlier life, wrestling with his demons and his road to redemption. Roles in westerns became a signature for Fix. Among the numerous other western TV series in which he appeared were "Gunsmoke" (1956-1957), "Wagon Train" (1958-1964), "Death Valley Days" (1965-1966), "The Big Valley" (1965-1969), "The Wild Wild West" (1966-1967), "Bonanza" (1967-1971), "The Guns of Will Sonnett" (1967-1968) and "The High Chaparral" (1967-1968).
Fix appeared in scores of other television shows, including "The Adventures of Superman" (1953-1954), the short-lived detective series, "Meet McGraw" (1957), "Perry Mason" (1957-1963), "Northwest Passage" (1958), "Dante" (1961), "The Dupont Show with June Allyson" (1961), "The Twilight Zone" (1964), "The F.B.I." (1965-1973), "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1966), "The Time Tunnel" (1966), "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" (1969-1971), "The Streets of San Francisco" (1973-1975), "Barnaby Jones" (1974-1975) and "The Rockford Files" (1978). He played Dr. Mark Piper, Dr. Leonard McCoy's predecessor in the second pilot episode of "Star Trek" (1966). When NBC picked up "Star Trek" as a series, Fix was replaced by DeForest Kelly in his most well-known role, the "Enterprise" medical officer, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.
In addition to his numerous acting credits, Fix was also a screenwriter, with writing credits for three films: the John Wayne film "Tall in the Saddle" (1944), "Ring of Fear" (1954) and "The Notorious Mr. Monks" (1958). In 1979, Fix made his last film appearance co-starring with Brooke Shields in the title role in "Wanda Nevada." His last acting role was in 1981 on the television series "Quincy M.E." starring Jack Klugman. He passed away in Los Angeles, California in 1983.
Paul Fix was an American film and television actor who was highly recognizable for his work in a variety of genres, but especially westerns and his best known role playing Marshal Micah Torrance in THE RIFLEMAN. Fix appeared in more than 100 movies and dozens of television shows during a 56-year career beginning in 1925. He appeared in numerous silent pictures but garnered his first credited screen role for an appearance in "The First Kiss" (1928), starring Fay Wray and Gary Cooper.
A veteran of World War I, Fix became a busy character actor who got his start in local productions around his New York home, then in California, appearing in Pauline Frederick's traveling theater company. During this period he became friends with Clark Gable, with whom he appeared in 20 plays. By the 1920s, after moving to Hollywood, Fix began performing in the first of almost 350 films and television shows. In the 1930's, he became friends with John Wayne, coaching him acting, and eventually appearing as a featured player in about 27 of his films.
Fix's early film credits include "Lucky Star" (1929) and "Ladies Love Brutes" (1930). He became a regular performer for "Lucky Star" director Frank Borzage on eight more films. In two of his favorite films roles, Fix later appeared as Richard Bravo in the 1956 cult classic, "The Bad Seed," starring Patty McCormack, and also in the 1956 George Stevens epic film version of Edna Ferber's book "Giant," playing Elizabeth Taylor's father. Reportedly, his other favorites parts included playing the stricken passenger Frank Briscoe in the John Wayne picture "The High and the Mighty" (1954) and Judge Taylor in "To Kill a Mockingbird"
Fix is beloved and best remembered for his role as Marshal Micah Torrance on the ABC western series THE RIFLEMAN, appearing in 150 of 168 episodes. His character was introduced in episode 4, "The Marshal." He brought great pathos and sympathy to the role of a recovering alcoholic turned lawman, and several episodes featured storylines relating to his earlier life, wrestling with his demons and his road to redemption. Roles in westerns became a signature for Fix. Among the numerous other western TV series in which he appeared were "Gunsmoke" (1956-1957), "Wagon Train" (1958-1964), "Death Valley Days" (1965-1966), "The Big Valley" (1965-1969), "The Wild Wild West" (1966-1967), "Bonanza" (1967-1971), "The Guns of Will Sonnett" (1967-1968) and "The High Chaparral" (1967-1968).