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62-421: Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg ; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American film director and producer. Described as "one of Hollywood's most reliable makers of action blockbusters", Donner directed some of the most financially-successful films of the 1970s and 1980s. His 50-year career crossed genres and influenced trends among filmmakers across the world. Donner began his career in 1957 as

124-452: A Spanish-made Gárate y Anitúa " El Tigre " lever action, a near-copy of the Model 1892, was modified for use as a knockabout gun. The El Tigre is seen in scenes where the rifle is in a saddle scabbard and is not drawn, and in stunts where the rifle was thrown to the ground, used as a club, or in any stunt where a possibility of damage to the original Winchester 1892s existed. These three rifles were

186-489: A Young Gun". MPI Home Video has released The Rifleman on DVD in Region 1 in a number of versions. It has released single-disc DVDs with five episodes; from 2002 to 2006 it released six sets, each with 20 episodes. The releases are random collections of episodes, rather than the original broadcast order. These releases are out of print, since MPI Home Video no longer owns the rights to the series. Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions,

248-514: A career as an actor. He gained a bit part in a television program directed by Martin Ritt , who encouraged Donner to become a director instead. Ritt hired Donner as his assistant. Later, Donner was on the staff of Desilu , where he directed commercials. He made the transition into television dramas in the late 1950s, directing some episodes of the Steve McQueen western serial Wanted Dead or Alive and

310-411: A foreword by Mel Gibson. Script Magazine described the book as an "engaging portrait of a warm-hearted (if occasionally gruff) man who can justly be considered the modern equivalent of Victor Fleming and Michael Curtiz —a highly talented, professional director of motion pictures who has thrived in the studio system and made some pretty good pictures to boot." The Directors Guild of America called

372-469: A former Confederate soldier who is given a job on the McCain ranch and encounters General William Sheridan, the man who cost him his arm in battle. Learning why the man wants him dead, Sheridan arranges for medical care for his wounded former foe, quoting Abraham Lincoln 's last orders to "... bind up the nation's wounds". Despite his status as the series' protagonist, Lucas McCain is not without fault; he has

434-460: A former Confederate cavalry major states that he was Lieutenant McCain's prisoner after the Battle of Fort Donelson . ) Having previously been a homesteader , McCain buys a ranch "about three miles" outside the fictitious town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory, in the pilot episode. His son Mark and he had come from Enid, Oklahoma , following the death of his wife, Margaret (née Gibbs), when his son

496-653: A gunslinger turned doctor; and "Which Way'd They Go?" (April 1, 1963), a comedy-western with Peter Whitney. Chuck Connors briefly played the same character again in 1991's The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw , which featured a number of 1950s and 1960s television Western series leads reprising their roles in quick cameo appearances ( Gene Barry as Bat Masterson , Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp , Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick , Clint Walker as Cheyenne Bodie , Brian Keith as The Westerner , David Carradine as Kung Fu ' s Caine). In late 2011, CBS announced plans to remake

558-463: A ranch. His insistence on violent realism and complex characterizations, as well as his refusal to sugarcoat the lessons he felt the Rifleman's son needed to learn about life, put him at odds with the show's producers at Four Star. Peckinpah left the show and created a short-lived series, The Westerner . The opening theme at the beginning of each episode depicted McCain walking down the street of

620-524: A sequel to The Goonies after Timeline , and he planned to direct the fifth and final Lethal Weapon film before his death in 2021. One of Donner's assistants in the late 1990s was comic book writer Geoff Johns . In October 2006, Donner, Johns, and artist Adam Kubert became the new creative team on Action Comics , the publisher's most time honored publication and one of DC Comics ' two main Superman titles. Together, Johns and Donner collaborated on

682-467: A television director. In the 1960s, he directed episodes of the series The Rifleman , The Man from U.N.C.L.E. , The Fugitive , The Twilight Zone , The Banana Splits , and many others. Donner made his film debut with the low-budget aviation drama X-15 in 1961, but had his critical and commercial breakthrough with the horror film The Omen in 1976. He directed the landmark superhero film Superman in 1978, which provided an inspiration for

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744-411: A tendency to be stubborn and bossy, he has a bit of an inflated ego, and he is extremely protective of his son Mark to the point of being over-protective at times. In "Death Trap", an episode with Philip Carey as former gunman (and old adversary) Simon Battles, he is unwilling to believe the man has changed and become a doctor. It takes a gunfight (with Battles fighting alongside him) to make him admit he

806-421: A town while rapid-firing his Winchester 44-40 1892 model rifle that had been modified at the trigger and lever. The rifle's modification allowed McCain to fire the rifle only by hand pumping the lever, which had a setscrew imbedded in it to trip the weapon's trigger. At various points during the series, episodes would show McCain deftly handling and shooting the rifle ambidextrously. When Connors auditioned for

868-675: A well made toy copy of McCain's Model 1892 known variously as The Rifleman Rifle, the Flip Special, and the Ring Rifle. Marx Toys also marketed a version called the Wild West that was simply the Lone Ranger/Roy Rogers Winchester with the loop lever used by McCain replacing the standard straight lever. Danger Island (TV series) The series comprises a six-hour adventure yarn broken down into 36 short chapters. Each chapter

930-406: Is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain . It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory . The show was filmed in black and white, in half-hour episodes. The Rifleman aired on ABC from September 30, 1958, to April 8, 1963, as a production of Four Star Television . It

992-511: Is roughly ten minutes long and includes a suspenseful cliffhanger ending that is resolved in the next installment. The live-action segment was created to cut production costs on the mostly-animated hour-long show. Inspired by the 1964 series Jonny Quest (also produced by Hanna-Barbera), Danger Island depicted the adventures of a trio of explorers in an unnamed tropical island group: Prof. Irwin Hayden, an archaeologist ; Lincoln "Link" Simmons,

1054-418: Is why the rifle sounded so different from the other gunshots on the show. The 1892 Winchester is a top-eject rifle (opening the action by pushing the finger-lever forward moves the bolt rearward and thereby opens the top of the receiver). Loaded rounds or empty cases from the chamber eject straight up when the lever is pushed fully open (forward). When Connors cycled the action by spinning the rifle to his side,

1116-465: Is wrong. In "Two Ounces of Tin", with Sammy Davis Jr. as Tip Corey (a former circus trick-shot artist turned gunman), McCain angrily orders him off the ranch when he finds him demonstrating his skills to Mark. Corey suggests he is a hypocrite, because McCain has an equally deadly reputation in the Indian Territory of Oklahoma, where he first acquired the nickname "the Rifleman". Eight actors played

1178-622: The Chuck Connors western The Rifleman . During his early career as a director he worked on over twenty-five television series, including Have Gun – Will Travel , The Fugitive , Combat! , Get Smart , The Man from U.N.C.L.E. , The Wild Wild West , Gilligan's Island , Kojak , and The Twilight Zone (such as the episodes " Nightmare at 20,000 Feet " starring William Shatner , The Jeopardy Room starring Martin Landau and " From Agnes—With Love " starring Wally Cox ), as well as

1240-604: The Crypt and co-wrote several comic books for Superman publisher DC Comics . In 2000, Donner received the President's Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films . Richard Donald Schwartzberg was born in the Bronx , New York City, to Russian Jewish parents, Hattie (Horowitz) and Fred Schwartzberg. His father owned a small furniture-manufacturing business and his mother

1302-510: The Lex Luthor scenes that appear in Superman II were filmed by Donner, although Donner refused to be credited. Rotten Tomatoes ' summary states that " Superman II meets, if not exceeds, the standard set by its predecessor." Donner continued to promote the view that his contribution was superior to the rest of the series. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was released on November 28, 2006,

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1364-473: The Salkinds replaced Donner as director of Superman II with Richard Lester , who had worked with the Salkinds on The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers and as an uncredited producer on Superman . Following Donner's dismissal, Marlon Brando's scenes were removed from Superman II and much of the film was re-shot under Lester's direction. Gene Hackman refused to return for re-shoots; consequently, all

1426-463: The action with one hand using a technique known as "spin-cocking". The series centers on Lucas McCain, a Union veteran of the American Civil War and widower. McCain had been a lieutenant in the 11th Indiana Infantry Regiment , and he had received a battlefield commission at the Battle of Five Forks just before the end of the war. (This conflicts with episode 3/25, "The Prisoner", in which

1488-609: The bartender ( Bill Quinn ), and a half-dozen other residents of North Fork (played by Hope Summers , Joan Taylor , Patricia Blair , John Harmon , and Harlan Warde ). Fifty-one episodes of the series were directed by Joseph H. Lewis (director of 1950's Gun Crazy and known for his film noir style). Ida Lupino directed one episode, "The Assault". Connors wrote several episodes. Robert Culp (star of CBS's Trackdown , another Four Star production), wrote one two-part episode, and Frank D. Gilroy (creator of ABC's Burke's Law , another Four Star production), wrote "End of

1550-441: The bolt and receiver when the gun fires. Winchester originally produced this gun from 1892 to 1941; total production was slightly over 1,000,000; 27 variations in five chamberings were made over the course of production, but the basic design was largely unaltered. As with the earlier Model 1873, the light and handy Model 1892 was chambered for handgun cartridges, favored by many Westerners to simplify ammunition supply problems by using

1612-417: The book "a compelling study of an ebullient, ballsy risk-taker who was a director even before he was aware of it" that "ably captures Donner's joy in doing a job he loves." Donner married film producer Lauren Shuler on November 27, 1985. The two merged their respective production companies to create Shuler-Donner Productions (now The Donners' Company ) the same year. Donner and Shuler remained together until

1674-587: The box office, it grossed $ 134 million domestically. Principal photography of Superman included filming of its first sequel, Superman II . Donner filmed most of Superman II with the expectation he would complete the sequel after the release of Superman . Despite the first film's success, Donner was fired from Superman II . Throughout the filming of both Superman films, Donner had a difficult relationship with executive producers Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler . The Salkinds refused Donner's demand that Spengler be fired; instead,

1736-413: The cartridge in the action could fall out. Therefore, the rifle was modified with a plunger, which would hold the round in place. The Winchester Model 1892 rifle was designed by John Moses Browning , and other than general appearance, it has nothing in common with earlier lever-action rifles using the same class of cartridges. The significant improvement was the addition of vertical lugs that securely lock

1798-472: The culmination of years of experience. He's got his technical stuff down, his vision down. No matter what you say about Dick, it underrates him. He really loves what he's doing, loves working with actors, and he allows you freedom to explore all kinds of areas. "All right, kid," he'll say, and slap you on the back and let you try something, because even he doesn't know sometimes. He's just an extremely charming, talented, great fuckin' guy. I love him. Donner became

1860-431: The episode "The Indian", Buckhart comes to North Fork to look for Indians suspected of murdering a Texas Ranger and his family. He subsequently reappeared in "The Raid". Three episodes of "The Rifleman" served as pilots for Westerns that never became a series. These were: "The Lariat" (March 29, 1960) starring Richard Anderson as a gambler and sharpshooter; "Death Trap" (May 9, 1961) featuring Phil Carey as Simon Battle,

1922-597: The executive producer for the 2000 Marvel Comics film X-Men , then also an executive producer for the 2009 X-Men prequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine . In addition, Donner's wife has produced all of the films in the X-Men film series under their Donners' Company brand. On October 16, 2008, Donner and Lauren Shuler Donner received stars in a double ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their achievements in motion pictures, located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard. Donner

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1984-577: The fantasy film genre to eventually gain artistic respectability and commercial dominance. Donner later went on to direct films in the 1980s such as The Goonies and Scrooged , while reinvigorating the buddy cop film genre with the Lethal Weapon series . Donner and his wife, Lauren , owned a production company, The Donners' Company , which is most successful for producing the Free Willy and X-Men film franchises. Donner also produced Tales from

2046-469: The five-year run of the series. Guest stars included veteran actors: John Anderson , Richard Anderson , Lyle Bettger , Whit Bissell , Harry Carey Jr. , John Carradine , Lon Chaney Jr. , Ellen Corby , Royal Dano , John Dehner , Jack Elam , Med Flory , Dabbs Greer , Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. , John Milford , Agnes Moorehead , Denver Pyle , Lee Van Cleef , and Adam West , most appearing multiple times in different roles. Several then-newcomers appeared in

2108-711: The former's death. Donner was a cousin of actor Steve Kahan , who played a policeman tracking Otis in Superman: The Movie , and played Captain Ed Murphy in the Lethal Weapon film franchise. Donner also cast Kahan in some of his other films. Donner died on July 5, 2021, at his West Hollywood, California home, at the age of 91. The cause of death was heart failure with atherosclerosis as an underlying cause. Executive producer Nominated – CableACE Award for Best Dramatic Series The Rifleman The Rifleman

2170-490: The magazine can hold more of the blanks. The soundtrack contained a dubbed 13th shot, to allow the firing to end with a section of the theme music. The rifle was chambered for the .44-40 Winchester center fire cartridge, which was used in both revolvers and rifles. He could supposedly fire off his first round in three-tenths of a second, which certainly helped in a showdown. Gunsmith James S. Stembridge modified two Model 1892s for use in regular and close-up filming. In addition,

2232-405: The only ones used by Connors during the run of the series. The now-defunct Stembridge Gun Rentals provided the rifles and ammunition. Ammunition was quarter-load 5-in-1 blank cartridges containing smokeless powder , which did not produce the thick clouds of smoke the genuine black powder cartridges of the 1880s did. Most (if not all) of the sound effects for the rifle shots were dubbed, which

2294-460: The original Rifleman series. Chris Columbus was slated to be the executive producer and direct, with Robert Levy , Steven Gardner, and Arthur Gardner (related to original producers Levy-Gardner-Laven ) as executive producers. The remake project was canceled a few months later, without a pilot episode being made. The TV show was also adapted into a comic book by Dan Spiegle , distributed by Dell Comics . American toymaker Hubley produced

2356-534: The original producer, is again the sole copyright owner of The Rifleman series. In late 2013, Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions, Inc. announced it would be the only authorized outlet to offer for the first time all 168 episodes of The Rifleman , the original series, newly restored and assembled in DVD box sets. The episodes were to be released in sequential order, by season, in high-quality boxed sets with exclusive special features. The first boxed set of all Season 1 episodes

2418-452: The professor's youthful assistant; and Leslie, the professor's daughter, who serves as both a love interest for Link and the series' token damsel in distress . Several years earlier, the professor's brother (also an archaeologist) disappeared in the same island chain while searching for the mythical lost city of Tobanya. They are joined on their quest by Elihu Morgan, a shipwrecked merchant mariner , and his sidekick Chongo, who speaks only in

2480-406: The rifle by spinning it around his hand. In addition, the screw could be positioned to depress the trigger every time he worked the lever, allowing for rapid fire, emptying the magazine in under six seconds during the opening credits on North Fork's main street. The trigger-trip screw pin was used in two configurations: with the screw head turned inside (close to the trigger), or more often, outside

2542-494: The rifle. It appeared with two different types of levers. The backwards, round-D-style loop was used in the early episodes. Sometimes, the rifle McCain uses has a saddle ring . The lever style later changed to a flatter lever (instead of the large loop) with no saddle ring. McCain fires 12 shots from his rifle during the opening credits - seven shots in the first close-up and five more as the camera switches to another view. The blank cartridges are shorter than standard cartridges, so

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2604-531: The same cartridge in both a handgun and a rifle. The Model 1892 was replaced by the Browning-designed Model 1894 , which also had an impressive manufacturing history, with over 7,000,000 produced; it is still being produced to this day by a successor to Winchester. The Model 94's popularity and long production history may be related to its being the first Winchester to be designed for the then-new "smokeless" powder . The pilot episode, "The Sharpshooter",

2666-435: The same date as the DVD release of the summer film Superman Returns . This version of the film features the re-insertion of Marlon Brando's scenes as Jor-El and relies on a minimum of footage shot by Richard Lester. Donner directed mixed commercial flops ( Inside Moves , Radio Flyer ) and successes ( The Goonies , the Lethal Weapon series , Scrooged , and Conspiracy Theory ). Donner's next blockbuster film

2728-593: The serial Danger Island from the children's program The Banana Splits . In the 1990s, Donner served as executive producer of the HBO anthology horror series Tales from the Crypt , based on the EC Comics series of the same name . He directed three episodes during its run ("Dig That Cat... He's Real Gone", "The Ventriloquist's Dummy", "Showdown"), and also produced three feature film spinoffs; Demon Knight , Bordello of Blood , and Ritual . Donner's first feature film

2790-438: The series, including Claude Akins , Dan Blocker , James Coburn , Mark Goddard , James Drury , Dennis Hopper , L.Q. Jones , Michael Landon , Warren Oates , Marian Seldes , Harry Dean Stanton , and Robert Vaughn . Other notable guest stars and character actors who made cameo appearances were Sammy Davis Jr. , future baseball Hall of Famers Duke Snider and Don Drysdale , comedian Buddy Hackett , Pernell Roberts (who

2852-448: The show's five-year run. Notably, McCain almost never carried a pistol, although he is a good shot with it, especially when he improvised a crude gunstock from a board, when facing a villain who had stolen his rifle. The rifle used on the set of The Rifleman , an 1892 Winchester caliber .44-40 carbine with a standard 20-inch barrel, was an historical anachronism, as the show was set in 1881, 12 years before John Browning had designed

2914-419: The show, the director suddenly threw a rifle at him; the former Major League Baseball player caught it and got the job. Westerns were popular when The Rifleman premiered, and producers tried to find gimmicks to distinguish one show from another. The Rifleman' s gimmick was a modified Winchester Model 1892 rifle, with a large ring lever drilled and tapped for a set screw. The lever design allowed him to cock

2976-504: The stories Last Son and Escape from Bizarro World , both of which have been released in collected book form. Donner and Johns also co-wrote a story for Action Comics #1000 , released in April 2018. In 2010, Donner's authorized biography titled You're the Director... You Figure It Out: The Life and Films of Richard Donner by James Christie was published by BearManor Media. The book features

3038-527: The town doctor during the series (usually known as "Doc Burrage"): Paul Fix (first episode only; he returned to the cast as Micah), Edgar Buchanan , Fay Roope , Rhys Williams , Jack Kruschen , Robert Burton, Ralph Moody and Bert Stevens . In addition to Joe Higgins, several actors also played blacksmith Nels (sometimes credited as Nils ) Swenson, including Richard Alexander , John Dierkes , Henry Rowland and Karl Swenson . More than 500 actors made guest appearances in more than 970 credited roles during

3100-526: The trigger for each shot was not necessary, so he did not have to place his finger in harm's way. A close-up of the rifle's large looped lever and trigger-set screw can be seen in the third season episode "Miss Bertie." The rifle may have appeared in every episode, but it was not always fired; some plots did not require violent solutions (for example, one involving Mark's rigid new teacher). McCain attempts to solve as many problems as possible without resorting to shooting, yet still manages to kill 120 villains over

3162-441: The trigger guard with a locknut on the outside (to secure its position). In some episodes, the screw was removed, when rapid-fire action was not required. When properly adjusted, the screw “squeezed” the trigger when the lever was fully closed. The rapid-fire mechanism was originally designed to keep Connors from puncturing his finger with the trigger as he quickly cycled the action of the rifle. With this modification, Connors pulling

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3224-399: The year's biggest hits. Donner directed six films starring Mel Gibson in total, creating a Lethal Weapon franchise with three sequels; the last of these was Lethal Weapon 4 , released in 1998. In an interview in 2000, Gibson described his impressions of Donner: Uncle Dick. He's a great guy, just terrific. Extremely professional. He's an old veteran and has an understanding of film that is

3286-404: Was X-15 (1961), which starred David McLean , Charles Bronson , and Mary Tyler Moore . Seven years passed before he directed his next, Salt and Pepper (1968), with Sammy Davis Jr. , and Peter Lawford . His breakthrough film was The Omen (1976). A supernatural horror made in the wake of the success of The Exorcist , the film stars Gregory Peck , David Warner , and Lee Remick . It

3348-502: Was a stay at home mother. He had a sister, Joan. His grandfather owned a movie theatre in Brooklyn, which had an early influence on his perception of film. After graduating from high school, Donner served in the U.S. Navy , becoming an aerial photographer. He briefly attended New York University but left to pursue a career in acting, relocating to Los Angeles and adopting the stage name "Richard Donner". Initially, Donner wanted to develop

3410-462: Was made available on December 4, 2013, for $ 69.95. The second season was released on November 28, 2014. Season 3 was released on December 2, 2015. Season 4 was released on December 4, 2016. Season 5 was released on November 27, 2017. The February 17, 1959 episode of The Rifleman was a pilot for an NBC series, Law of the Plainsman , starring Michael Ansara as Marshal Sam Buckhart. In

3472-644: Was on Bonanza at the time), Bobby Crawford Jr. (elder brother of series star Johnny Crawford; himself a star on Laramie from 1959 to 1960), and writer/director/producer Paul Mazursky . The Rifleman was partially filmed in Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, California. The series was created by Arnold Laven and developed by Sam Peckinpah , who became a director of Western movies. Peckinpah, who wrote and directed many early episodes, based many characters and plots on his own childhood on

3534-440: Was one of the first primetime series on US television to show a single parent raising a child. The program was titled to reflect McCain's use of a Winchester Model 1892 rifle (a historical anachronism , as the show was set in the 1880s) which had been customized to allow repeated firing by cycling its lever action. He demonstrated this technique in the opening credits, as well as a second modification that allowed him to cycle

3596-406: Was originally telecast on CBS as part of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre on March 7, 1958; it was repeated (in edited form) as the first episode of the series on ABC. The episode was written by Sam Peckinpah, and guest starred Dennis Hopper . Regulars on the program included Marshal Micah Torrance ( R. G. Armstrong was the original marshal for two episodes, the first and the fourth), Sweeney

3658-470: Was six years old. The series was set during the 1880s; a wooden plaque next to the McCain home states that the home was rebuilt by Lucas McCain and his son Mark in August 1881. A common thread in the series is that people deserve a second chance; Marshal Micah Torrance is a recovering alcoholic , and McCain gives a convict a job on his ranch in "The Marshal". Royal Dano appeared in "The Sheridan Story" as

3720-399: Was the action comedy Lethal Weapon , written by Shane Black . It starred Mel Gibson as a widowed narcotics detective with a suicidal bent "who breaks every rule for the sheer joy of it". It co-starred Danny Glover as a calm homicide detective with a loving family and consideration for retirement. The film's action sequences were considered "truly spectacular" and made the film one of

3782-577: Was the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1976. In 1978, Donner directed Superman: The Movie , starring Christopher Reeve in the title role. Donner approached the film with the concept of creating verisimilitude , an intuitive feeling evoked in the audience that makes the fantasy story feel real within the story's context. It was a hit worldwide, projecting Reeve to international fame. The film co-starred Margot Kidder as Lois Lane , Marlon Brando as Jor-El , and Gene Hackman as archvillain Lex Luthor . At

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3844-527: Was the first choice to direct the "unofficial" James Bond film Never Say Never Again , but turned it down after he decided he disliked Lorenzo Semple Jr. 's script. He would have served as director of Jurassic Park had Columbia/TriStar won the bidding war for the screen rights against other studios. Donner was also considered as director for The Lost Boys , The Last Boy Scout , Memoirs of an Invisible Man , Dave , Forever Young , and The Sandlot . In 2001, Donner claimed he planned to direct

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