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Gunsmoke

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This article is about the radio and television series. For the classic arcade game, see Gun.Smoke.
Image:Gunsmokeradio.jpg

Gunsmoke was a long-running American old-time radio and television Western drama created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories took place in Dodge City, Kansas during the settlement of the American West.

Contents

[edit] Radio Version

MacDonnell and Meston wanted to create a radio Western for adults, in contrast to the prevailing juvenile fare such as The Lone Ranger or The Cisco Kid. Gunsmoke was set in Dodge City, Kansas during the thriving cattle days of the 1870s. Dunning notes that "The show drew critical acclaim for unprecedented realism." He also writes that among old-time radio fans, "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." (Dunning, 304) The show's cast, writing and sound effects have received much praise.

The radio series, which first aired April 26, 1952 and ran until June 18, 1961 on CBS, starred William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as the ghoulish, brittle Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell and Parley Baer as Dillon's assistant (but not his deputy) Chester Proudfoot. (On the television series, Doc's first name was changed to Galen, and Chester's last name was changed to Goode.) Chester's character had no surname until "Proudfoot" was ad libbed by Baer during a rehearsal early on, while Doc Adams was named after cartoonist Charles Addams. In a 1953 interview with Time, MacDonnell declared, "Kitty is just someone Matt has to visit every once in a while. We never say it, but Kitty is a prostitute, plain and simple." (Dunning, 304)

William Conrad was actually one of the last actors who auditioned for the role of Marshal Dillon. He was already one of radio's busiest actors and had a powerful and distinctive baritone voice. Though Meston championed him, MacDonnell thought that Conrad might be overexposed. During his audition, however, Conrad won over MacDonnell after reading just a few lines.

The show was distinct from other radio Westerns, as the dialogue was often slow and halting, and due to the outstanding sound effects, listeners had a nearly palpable sense of the prairie terrain where the show was set. The effects were subtle but multilayered and utilized very well, given the show's spacious feel. Dunning writes, "The listener heard extraneous dialogue in the background, just above the muted shouts of kids playing in an alley. He heard noises from the next block, too, where the inevitable dog was barking." (Dunning, 305)

Dillon as portrayed by Conrad was a lonely, isolated man, toughened by a hard life. Meston relished in the upending of cherished Western fiction clichés and thought that few Westerns gave any inkling of how brutal the Old West was. Dunning writes that Meston was especially disgusted by the archetypal Western hero and set out "to destroy" that type of "character he loathed." In Meston's view, "Dillon was almost as scarred as the homicidal psychopaths who drifted into Dodge from all directions." (Dunning, 304)

John Dunning writes that Dillon "played his hand and often lost. He arrived too late to prevent a lynching. He amputated a dying man's leg and lost the patient anyway. He saved a girl from brutal rapists then found himself unable to offer her what she needed to stop her from moving into ... life as a prostitute." (Dunning, 304) Some listeners, such as vintage radio authority, Dunning, have argued that the radio version of Gunsmoke was far more realistic than the TV series. Episodes were aimed at adults and featured some of the most explicit content of their time, including violent crimes, scalpings, massacres and opium addicts. Many episodes ended on a somber note, and villains often got away with their crimes. Nonetheless, thanks to the subtle scripts and the outstanding ensemble cast, over the years the program evolved into a warm, often humorous celebration of human nature.

Not long after the show began, there was talk of adapting it to television. Privately, MacDonnell had a guarded interest in taking the show to television, but publicly, he declared that "our show is perfect for radio," and he feared that, as Dunning writes, "Gunsmoke confined by a picture couldn't possibly be as authentic or attentive to detail." (Dunning, 305) "In the end," writes Dunning, "CBS simply took it away from" MacDonnell and began preparing for the television version of Gunsmoke. (Dunning, 305) Conrad and the others were given auditions, but they were little more than token efforts--especially in Conrad's case, due to his obesity. However, Meston was kept on as the main writer. In the early years, a majority of the TV episodes were adapted from the radio scripts, often using indentical scenes and dialogue. Dunning writes, "That radio fans considered the TV show a sham and its players impostors should surprise no one. That the TV show was not a sham is due in no small part to the continued strength of Meston's scripts." (Dunning, 304)

MacDonnell and Meston continued the radio version of Gunsmoke until 1961, making it one of the most enduring old-time radio shows.

[edit] Television Version

Gunsmoke
Image:Gunsmoketitlecard.jpg
Gunsmoke title card (1966-1975)

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Genre Western
Running time 30 minutes (1955-1961), 60 minutes (1961-1975)
Creator(s) John Meston
Starring James Arness
Milburn Stone
Amanda Blake
Dennis Weaver
Ken Curtis
Burt Reynolds
Buck Taylor
Country of origin United States
Original channel CBS
Original run September 10, 1955–September 1, 1975
No. of episodes 635
IMDb profile

The television series ran from September 10, 1955 to September 1, 1975 on CBS for 635 episodes. To this day, it is the longest run of any scripted series with continuing characters in American primetime television.

Conrad was the first choice to play Marshal Dillon on TV, having established the role, but his increasing obesity led to more photogenic actors being considered. Losing the role embittered Conrad for years, though he later starred in another CBS television series, Cannon (1971-1975). Denver Pyle was also considered for the role, as was Raymond Burr who was ultimately seen as too heavy-set for the part. Rumors that the role was offered to John Wayne have been largely debunked.

In the end, the primary roles were all recast, with James Arness taking on the lead role of Marshal Matt Dillon upon the recommendation of John Wayne, who also introduced the first episode of the series, Dennis Weaver playing Chester Goode, Milburn Stone being cast as Dr. Galen "Doc" Adams and Amanda Blake taking on the role of Miss Kitty Russell, owner of the Long Branch Saloon. MacDonnell became the associate producer of the TV show and later the producer. Meston was named head writer. Arness, in his role on Gunsmoke, achieved what no other actor has ever achieved: He played the same character on the same scripted series for 20 years, the longest uninterrupted period any actor has played the same role in the same show. (Kelsey Grammer has since tied the record for length of time playing one character, Frasier Crane, but that role spanned two different shows, Cheers and Frasier.)

After Weaver left the series to venture out as the lead in his own TV series, Kentucky Jones, Ken Curtis was added to the show's lineup. He played the stubbornly illiterate Festus Haggen, a character who came to town (in an episode titled, "Us Haggens") to avenge the death of his twin brother, Jeff Haggen, and who decided to stay in Dodge when the deed was done. Initially existing on the fringes of Dodge society, Festus was slowly phased in as a reliable sidekick to Matt Dillon and was eventually made a deputy. Interestingly, the fact that Festus had a twin was never again mentioned on the show. Other actors who toured through Dodge doing two- and three-year stints included Burt Reynolds, as Quint Asper, and Roger Ewing as Thad Greenwood. While Matt Dillon and Miss Kitty clearly had a close personal relationship, the two never married. In a July 2, 2002 Associated Press interview with Bob Thomas, Arness, in answer to the popular question about why Matt and Kitty never married said, "If they were man and wife, it would make a lot of difference. The people upstairs decided it was better to leave the show as it was, which I totally agreed with." The nearest that Matt and Kitty had to a romantic encounter was in a comic relief episode, where Matt, tired from a long day of settling disputes, was about to have dinner with Miss Kitty. However, she was distracted and found poor Matt sound asleep. Kitty ended up storming out of the room, furious.

In an episode that featured Johnny Whitaker as a boy with a prostitute mother, a madame questions Matt as to how the law overlooks Kitty Russell's enterprise. It appears that bordellos could exist "at the law's discretion" (meaning Marshal Dillon).

There were differences between the characters on the radio and TV versions of Gunsmoke. The radio-series Doc was acerbic, somewhat mercenary and borderline alcoholic -- at least in the program's early years. The television Doc, though crusty, was in many ways softer and warmer. Miss Kitty, who in the radio series likely engaged in prostitution, was viewed more as "the proprietor of a saloon" on the television series, and except for in a few early scripts taken from the radio series, viewers only saw Miss Kitty as a kindhearted businesswoman.

[edit] Format

From 1955 to 1961, Gunsmoke was a half-hour show. It then went to an hour-long format for the rest of its run. From 1955 to 1966, it aired in black and white, and from 1966 until it was cancelled in 1975, it aired in color. In the early 1960s, older episodes of the series were rebroadcast under the title Marshal Dillon. The series was also known as "Gun Law" in the UK for the first few seasons.

[edit] Popularity

In 1967, the show's 12th season, CBS planned to cancel the series, but widespread viewer reaction (including a mention in Congress and pressure from the wife of the head of programming at CBS) prevented the cancellation. The show continued in a different timeslot: early evening on Mondays instead of Saturday nights, cancelling the popular Gilligan's Island in the process. This seemingly minor change led to a spike in ratings that saw the series once again reach the top 20 in the Nielsen ratings before fading again before its cancellation in 1975.

Gunsmoke was the show that ushered in the age of the adult Western, and although over 30 Westerns would come and go during its 20-year tenure, Gunsmoke outlasted all of its imitators and was the only Western still airing when it was cancelled.

Arness and Stone had remained with the show for its entire run (although Stone missed seven episodes in 1971 due to illness and was temporarily replaced by Pat Hingle, who played "Doc Chapman" while Doc Adams ostensibly left Dodge to further his medical studies on the East Coast).

The entire cast was stunned by the cancellation, as they were unaware CBS had been considering it. According to Arness, "We didn't do a final, wrap-up show. We finished the 20th year, we all expected to go on for another season, or two or three. The (network) never told anybody they were thinking of cancelling." The cast and crew learned of the cancellation in typical Hollywood fashion: They read it in the trades. (Associated Press, July 2, 2002, Bob Thomas)

[edit] The Revivals

In 1987, many of the original cast reunited for the TV movie, Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge, filmed in Alberta, Canada. A huge ratings success, this led to four more reunion films being filmed in the U.S., the first of which was Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990), which co-starred Michael Learned of The Waltons fame, reprising the role of "Mike Yardley" she created in the 1973 episode of Gunsmoke, "Matt's Love Story." In the episode, Matt loses his memory and has a brief liaison with "Mike" (presumably short for Michaela) before regaining his memory and immediately returning to his life in Dodge City. In the 1990 film, we learn that during their long-ago tryst, Matt and "Mike" conceived a child who is now a grown woman named Beth, who is also featured in The Last Apache and who is aware that Matt Dillon is her father. Other films (which all featured Matt's grown daughter Beth) included Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992), Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (1993), and Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994). The TV series also inspired a Gunsmoke video game produced for the NES by Capcom.

[edit] Longevity

As of April 2006, two American series are aiming at matching or beating Gunsmoke's 20-year record. The sitcom The Simpsons, now in its 18th season, has been renewed through its 19th season, while the police procedural/courtroom drama, Law & Order, now in its 17th year, is also expected to be a possible 20-year survivor. NBC announced on April 27, 2006 that Law & Order would be picked up for a 17th season, despite slipping ratings. WWE RAW claims to have aired more shows than Gunsmoke as of a July 25th airing; this claim has yet to be conclusively validated, as RAW is considered a wrestling show and not a dramatic or comedic series.

[edit] Syndication and DVD availability

In syndication, the entire 20-year run of Gunsmoke is separated into three packages by CBS Paramount Television:

  • 1955-1961 half-hour episodes: These episodes are sometimes seen in their original format and sometimes in the Marshal Dillon format. General syndication ended in the 1980s, but they do air occasionally on cable TV. Local stations (and, later, TV Land) would show the Marshal Dillon series, while the series under the Gunsmoke title was seen in the 1980s and early-1990s on CBN Cable and The Family Channel.
  • 1961-1966 one-hour black-and-white episodes: These episodes have not been widely seen in regular syndication since the 1980s, although they did air on the Encore Westerns Channel on a three-year contract that ended circa 2006.
  • 1966-1975 one-hour color episodes: These are the most widely syndicated episodes of the entire series' run and are still aired on many stations, including a popular run on TV Land.

Certain episodes are available on DVD in two volumes. Twelve episodes from 1955 to 1964 were selected for the Gunsmoke: Volume I box set, and another twelve episodes from 1964 to 1975 were selected for the Gunsmoke: Volume II box set. Both are available on Region 1 DVD.

[edit] Comic Books

Comic books based on the series were also published. Dell Comics put out five issues of their Four Color Comics series on Gunsmoke (issues #679, 720, 769, 797, 844). This was followed by Gunsmoke #6-27 (1958-62). Gold Key Comics continued it with #1-6 in 1969-70.

[edit] Games

Lowell Toy Manufacturing Corporation ( "It's a Lowell Game" ) issued Gunsmoke as their game No. 822. Along with many other Lowell games of this era, Gunsmoke is a highly coveted collectible.

[edit] Regular cast, major characters

[edit] Regular cast, minor characters

  • Clem (bartender; 1959-61): Clem Fuller
  • Sam (bartender; 1961-73): Glenn Strange
  • Rudy (bartender; 1965-67): Rudy Sooter
  • Floyd (bartender; 1974-75): Robert Brubaker
  • Quint Asper (blacksmith; 1962-1965): Burt Reynolds
  • "Thad" - Deputy Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood (1965-1967): Roger Ewing
  • Newly O'Brien (gunsmith; 1967-1975): Buck Taylor
  • Wilbur Jonas (storekeeper, 1955-63): Dabbs Greer
  • Howie Uzzell (hotel clerk, 1955-75): Howard Culver
  • Moss Grimmick (stableman; 1955-63): George Selk
  • Jim Buck (stagecoach driver; 1957-62): Robert Brubaker
  • Louie Pheeters (town drunk; 1961-70): James Nusser
  • Ma Smalley (boardinghouse owner; 1961-72): Sarah Selby
  • Hank Miller (stableman; 1963-75): Hank Patterson
  • Mr. Bodkin (banker; 1963-70): Roy Roberts
  • Barney Danches (telegraph agent; 1965-74): Charles Seel
  • Roy (townsperson; 1965-69): Roy Barcroft
  • Halligan (rancher; 1966-75): Charles Wagenheim
  • Mr. Lathrop (storekeeper; 1966-75): Woody Chambliss
  • Nathan Burke (freight agent; 1966-75): Ted Jordan
  • Percy Crump (undertaker; 1968-72): Kelton Garwood
  • Ed O'Connor (rancher; 1968-72): Tom Brown
  • Judge Brooker (1970-75): Herb Vigran
  • Dr. John Chapman (1971): Pat Hingle
  • Miss Hannah (saloon owner; 1974-75): Fran Ryan


[edit] Sources

  • John Dunning, On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-507678-8
  • Associated Press, July 2, 2002, Bob Thomas

[edit] Trivia

  • Although set in Dodge City, Kansas (and obviously filmed in Studio City and Simi Valley, California), the only cast member to actually hail from Kansas was Milburn Stone.
  • The original "outdoor" Gunsmoke film sets located at Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley, California were also later used for the filming of Little House on the Prairie.
  • Some outdoor scenes were shot at "Old Vegas", a now-demolished Western-themed amusement park in Henderson, Nevada. The property is now a housing development, also named "Old Vegas".
  • Gunsmoke (episode "Fandango" from 1967) is one of the television programs that can be heard in the background of Pink Floyd's 1979 LP The Wall.
  • According to commentary by James Arness on the DVD Gunsmoke: 50th Anniversary Edition, Volume 1, when Arness and his family sat down in 1955 to watch the first episode of the series, they had no idea that John Wayne had taped the intro that told viewers they would likely have to get used to "his good friend, Jim Arness" because Gunsmoke was a Western that was "adult" in its approach and appeal. Arness was stunned and very pleasantly surprised.
  • According to commentary by Dennis Weaver (Chester Goode) on the DVD Gunsmoke: 50th Anniversary Edition, Volume 1, when the producers of Gunsmoke realized that the audience would question why handsome, leading-man-type Weaver never carried a gun to "come to the aid of Mr. Dillon" each week, the producers asked Weaver to create a minor disability for Chester that would justify his non-violent approach to life in Dodge. After contemplating and struggling with the idea over a weekend, Weaver showed up to the set the following Monday and demonstrated Chester's now-famous, straight-legged limp. The producers barely blinked as they told Weaver the limp would work out just fine.
  • James Arness and John Wayne, who hired Arness to work with him at Republic Pictures and who recommended Arness for the role of Matt Dillon, were both born on May 26.
  • During the first year of filming the TV series, Milburn Stone reportedly did not like James Arness. However, roughly a year into the series, the two developed an amicable relationship and actually got along quite well for the run of the series.
  • Amanda Blake, who was briefly married to a man who died of AIDS-related complications, also died of AIDS-related viral hepatitis, although at first, her death was reported as being due to a relapse in the cancer from which she had suffered and that had earlier gone into remission.
  • Ken Curtis (né Curtis Wain Gates), who had been married to director John Ford's daughter, Barbara, from 1952 to 1964, had been a member of the now-famous Ford stock company before joining Gunsmoke, appearing in many of Ford's movies, in some, displaying his professionally trained singing voice. In real life, Curtis spoke quite eloquently and based the country twang of Festus on a man named Cedar Jack whom Curtis' town-sheriff father often arrested and jailed in their small hometown of Las Animas, Colorado when Cedar Jack would come to town and get drunk. The family lived above the jail (Curtis' mother, Nellie, cooked for the prisoners), and Curtis gained much exposure to interesting characters he could later fold into his performances. Curtis began his career singing for Tommy Dorsey. He went on to do a short stint in Hollywood during the singing cowboy era before joining Ford's stock company and taking on more dramatic roles, the most famous of which is that of Charlie McCorry in The Searchers.
  • George Kennedy played his first "lead guest star" role in an early, half-hour episode of the show. He has remarked that as a 6' 4" actor, it was a delight to play scenes with the 6' 7" Arness and the 6' 3" Weaver.
  • James and Janet Arness devote much of their philanthropic efforts to United Cerebral Palsy.
  • Glenn Strange, who played Long Branch bartender, Sam Noonan, from 1961 to 1973, actually doubled as Frankenstein in Boris Karloff's films. The head of Universal Studios' makeup department felt that, when donning the Frankenstein makeup, Strange actually looked more the part. Beginning with 1944's House of Frankenstein, and later in other films that did not feature Karloff, most notably, Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein, Strange was the definitive Frankenstein and is the image most used by Universal in publicity photos for the character.
  • Gunsmoke episode "Exodus 21:22" has a date of 1874 on gravestone.
  • Gunsmoke episode "The Good Samaritians" a date of June 12, 1875 is seen on Dillon's commission and also on death bed statement letter.

[edit] Quotes

"If I had known it would last this long, I would never have created the darn thing." — John Meston

"Our attempt to create as realistic and entertaining a program as possible is not, of course, the only one of its kind. But we did precede and were on the air, trying, before the release of such pictures as 'High Noon' and 'Shane'." — John Meston

"We had a great childhood and boyhood. It was a wonderful time through those years. A lot of it was through the Depression years, when things were tough, but my dad always had a job. But I had a great time. I was kind of restless, and I had a hard time staying in school all day, so me and a few pals would duck out and go out on these various adventures." — James Arness, on growing up with brother, Peter Graves, of Mission Impossible fame.

"I wouldn't care if they tattoo 'Festus' all over. He's been good to me." — Ken Curtis

"I'm really proud of Gunsmoke. We put on a good show every week—one that families could all watch together without offending anyone." — Ken Curtis

[edit] Notable Guest Stars

[edit] Notable Directors

[edit] Notable Composers

[edit] External links

fr:Gunsmoke nl:Gunsmoke

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