MovieChat Forums > The Rifleman (1958) Discussion > Mark's age at end

Mark's age at end

posted 7 years ago by dayle2
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In the episode THE VISION (S2,E26) the show starts with Mark and Lucas arguing about Mark's memories of his mother; Mark says that sometimes it doesn't feel like he ever had a mother. Lucas tells Mark that "You were 6; how can you forget?" Then in an episode near the end of the very last season, OLD MAN RUNNING, (S5,E24), Mark's grandfather appears in town. Lucas hates him and blames him for his (Lucas') wife's death. The old man says, "It was eleven years ago..." - that would make Mark 17 years old at the end of the series. I know the math is right, but he doesn't seem that old; 15 maybe?

Any thoughts?

[–] lynnkaro 7 years ago

Well Johnny Crawford was born March 26, 1946. "Old Man Running" aired March 5, 1963. Usually they film several weeks ahead of time so Johnny would have been almost 17 yrs old. However, in the show he played the part of a boy 2 yrs younger then his real age. Like when the show aired in 1958 he was 12 but he played a 10 yr old boy. So this episode screwed up. Technically if they weren't skipping any years in the future, Mark McCain would have only been 15, so the old man should have said 9 yrs ago because that was when Mark would have been 6.

[–] janet-conant 7 years ago

They change the age when Mark's mother died two times. In The Vision Lucas said Mark was 6 when his mother died. In Waste (Season 5) Mark tells Micah he was only 3 when she died. Now fast forward to Quiet Night, Deadly Night and Mark tells Nils he was 6 when his mother died of small pox. Make up my mind!!!

Mark not only was too old to be treated like a child but had a metamorphosis and became a woman by Season 5.