Secrets Of TV’s The Rifleman: More Than Just Guns And Good Times

Film Noir Influence

The production techniques on The Rifleman were quite advanced and ahead of the time. Joseph H. Lewis directed the series. He was also responsible for the critically acclaimed noir film Gun Crazy. Film noir of the 1940s and 1950s was associated with a very specific black-and-white visual style that had roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Lewis used similar techniques from his unusual, B-style filming to the western. One of his signature trademarks was noir lighting techniques that had never previously been used on a western TV series. As a result of his techniques, The Rifleman included atmospheric shadows and interesting camera angles.