https://www.metv.com/stories/johnny-crawford-had-this-to-say-about-his-onscreen-pa-chuck-connors

The young actor often looked up to Connors.

This ''Rifleman'' director said that one of the hardest parts of directing the series was creating an affectionate father-son relationship (https://www.metv.com/stories/this-rifleman-director-said-that-one-of-the-hardest-parts-of-directing-the-series-was-creating-an-affectionate-father-son-relationship)

"The great message of the show was the love between a father and a son."