 In the pilot for the series, by Sam Peckinpah (qv) (originally  written for _"Gunsmoke" (1955)_ (qv) but turned down for that show),  Chuck Connors (I) (qv) character was named John McCain, not Lucas  McCain, and he didnt have a son. It was producer  Arnold Laven (qv)s idea to make McCain a widower with a son.  Also, McCain was originally supposed to have been a dead shot with a  pistol. Laven had the idea to use a customized Winchester rifle as  McCains weapon of choice.