Gunsmoke is a media franchise centered around the American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.

The radio series ran from 1952 to 1961. John Dunning wrote that, among radio drama enthusiasts, "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." It ran unsponsored for its first few years, with CBS funding its production.

In 1955, the series was adapted for television and ran for 20 seasons. It ran for half-hour episodes from 1955 to 1961, and one-hour episodes from 1961 to 1975. A total of 635 episodes were aired over its 20 year run, making it the longest-running scripted American primetime television series until being surpassed in episodes by The Simpsons. At the end of its run in 1975, Los Angeles Times columnist Cecil Smith wrote: "Gunsmoke was the dramatization of the American epic legend of the west. Our own Iliad and Odyssey, created from standard elements of the dime novel and the pulp Western as romanticized by Buntline, Harte, and Twain. It was ever the stuff of legend." Five made-for-TV movies were produced after its 20-year run. The show won 15 Primetime Emmy Awards as well as other accolades. It was frequently well received, holding a top-10 spot in the Nielsen ratings for several seasons.

The franchise also spawned comic book series as well as books and a collection of short stories by Ballantine Books.

Premise

Set in Dodge City, Kansas during the years following the American Civil War, the series follows the lives of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon and the citizens he is sworn to protect. Among them are his deputies, Chester Goode, and later Festus Haggen, town physician Galen "Doc" Adams, and saloon owner, Miss Kitty Russell. Most episodes involve disruptions caused by those arriving from outside Dodge City. Since Dillon's authority extends beyond town, some episodes focus on his travels, while other plots revolve around mishaps occurring while Dillon is gone. Both deputies are shown to be loyal, but often inept or indecisive at handling problems when Dillon is not around. Although Dillon and Miss Kitty are never portrayed in a romantic relationship, it is apparent they care deeply for each other. Doc Adams is portrayed as a very competent and caring physician, but his conservative treatment methods often frustrate his patients who expect a quick recovery. Doc and both deputies are often used as comic relief over the course of the series.

Radio series (1952–1961)

In the late 1940s, CBS chairman William S. Paley, a fan of the Philip Marlowe radio series, asked his programming chief, Hubell Robinson, to develop a hardcore Western series, about a "Philip Marlowe of the Old West". Robinson delegated this to his West Coast CBS vice president, Harry Ackerman, who had developed the Philip Marlowe series.

Ackerman and his scriptwriters, Mort Fine and David Friedkin, created an audition script called "Mark Dillon Goes to Gouge Eye" based on one of their Michael Shayne radio scripts, "The Case of the Crooked Wheel", from mid-1948. Two versions were recorded. The first, recorded in June 1949, was very much like a hardcore detective series and starred Michael Rye (credited as Rye Billsbury) as Dillon; CBS liked the Culver version better, and Ackerman was told to proceed.

A complication arose when Culver's contract as the star of Straight Arrow would not allow him to do another Western series. The project was suspended for three years, when producer Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston discovered it while creating an adult Western series of their own.

Macdonnell and Meston wanted to create a radio Western for adults, in contrast to the prevailing juvenile fare such as The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid. They wanted to call the show "Jeff Spain" after a character they had created and used in several of their anthology shows, but Ackerman had already coined the title Gunsmoke which CBS wanted to use.

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."

Doc Adams

Howard McNear starred as Dr. Charles Adams in the radio series, and Milburn Stone portrayed Dr. Galen Adams in the television version. In the radio series, "Doc" Adams was initially a self-interested and somewhat dark character with a predilection for constantly attempting to increase his revenue through the procurement of autopsy fees. In the opening episode he was delighted when he found out that Dillon had killed someone in a gunfight meaning more business for him, which was enough for the Marshal to threaten to knock him down. He came west and changed his name to escape a charge of murder. However, McNear's performances steadily became more warm-hearted and sympathetic. Doc wandered throughout the territories until he settled in Dodge City 17 years later under the name of Charles Adams. Conrad suggested the Doc borrow his name from cartoonist Charles Addams as a testament to Doc's initially ghoulish comportment.

Dillon and Kitty clearly have a close personal relationship. In a 1976 radio documentary on the program, Ellis shared, "Yes they were lovers, the best kind, because they really, truly understood one another. So there wasn't need for too much talk." She further posited on what Kitty really wanted out of the relationship, saying that "undoubtedly she had wild dreams from time to time that she realized were completely unrealistic, of Matt and Kitty... [but] she was resigned to serving booze and saying 'Be careful Matt!

Chester

Chester was played by actor Parley Baer in the radio series. Like Doc Adams, Chester was present from the first episode of the show, initially designated as simply 'Townsman' in the script. Bill Conrad wanted the character to have a proper name, stating that they should "Call him Chester or something." They later dropped full sponsorship of the program in 1957 at a time that network radio as a whole was struggling, which led CBS to shop around for a new sponsor.

Transition from radio to television

Not long after the radio show began, talk began of adapting it to television. Privately, Macdonnell had a guarded interest in taking the show to television, but publicly, he declared, "our show is perfect for radio", and he feared, as Dunning writes, "Gunsmoke confined by a picture could not possibly be as authentic or attentive to detail. ... In the end, CBS simply took it away from Macdonnell and began preparing for the television version." It has long been rumored that John Wayne was offered the role of Matt Dillon; according to Dennis Weaver's comments on the 50th Anniversary DVD, disc one, episode "Hack Prine", John Wayne was never even considered for the role; to have done so would have been preposterous, since Wayne was a top movie leading man. The belief that Wayne was asked to star is disputed by Warren. Although he agrees Wayne encouraged Arness to take the role, Warren says, "I hired Jim Arness on the strength of a picture he's done for me ... I never thought for a moment of offering it to Wayne." The first 12 seasons aired Saturdays at 10 pm (EST), seasons 13 through 16 aired Mondays at 7:30 pm, and the last four seasons aired Mondays at 8 pm. During its second season in 1956, the program joined the list of the top-10 television programs broadcast in the United States. It quickly moved to number one and stayed there until 1961. It remained among the top-20 programs until 1964.

Cast

  • US Marshal Matt Dillon (1955–1975): James Arness
  • Galen "Doc" Adams (1955–1975): Milburn Stone
  • Kathleen "Kitty" Russell (1955–1974): Amanda Blake
  • Chester B. Goode (1955–1964): Dennis Weaver
  • Festus Haggen (1964–1975): Ken Curtis

Chester and Festus Haggen are Dillon's sidekicks, though others became acting deputies for - to -year stints: Quint Asper (Burt Reynolds) (1962–65), Thad Greenwood (Roger Ewing) (1965–67), and Newly O'Brien (Buck Taylor) (1967–75), who served as both back-up deputy and doctor-in-training, having some studies in medicine through his uncle, which then continued under Doc Adams. Initially on the fringes of Dodge society, Festus Haggen was slowly phased in as a reliable sidekick and part-time deputy to Matt Dillon when Reynolds left in 1965. When Milburn Stone temporarily left for heart bypass surgery in 1971, Pat Hingle played Dr. John Chapman for several episodes.

Production

The television series was filmed at the present site of California Lutheran University (CLU) and nearby Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, California.

The Gunsmoke radio theme song and later television theme is titled "Old Trails", also known as "Boothill". The Gunsmoke theme was composed by Rex Koury. The original radio version was conducted by Koury. The television version was thought to have been first conducted by CBS west coast music director Lud Gluskin. The lyrics of the theme, never aired on the radio or television show, were recorded and released by Tex Ritter in 1955. Ritter was backed on that Capitol record by Rex Koury and the radio Gunsmoke orchestra.

From 1955 to 1961, Gunsmoke was a half-hour show, retitled Marshal Dillon in syndication. It then went to an hour-long format. The series was retitled Gun Law in the UK. The Marshal Dillon syndicated reruns of half-hour episodes lasted from 1961 until 1964 on CBS, originally on Tuesday nights within its time in reruns.

Gunsmoke was ranked television's number one show from 1957 to 1961, then it expanded to one hour and slipped into a decline. CBS planned to cancel the series in 1967 after the twelfth season, but widespread viewer reaction prevented its demise, including a mention in Congress and pressure from Babe Paley, the wife of CBS's longtime president William S. Paley. Gilligan's Island producer Sherwood Schwartz states that Babe pressured her husband not to cancel Gunsmoke in 1967, so the network cut Gilligan's Island, instead. The show continued in its new time slot at 8 pm on Mondays. This scheduling move led to a spike in ratings that had it once again rally to the top 10 in the Nielsen ratings, which again saved the series when CBS purged most of its rural content in 1971. The series remained in the top 10 until the 1973–74 television season.

After its last original airing on March 31, 1975, CBS made the decision not to renew Gunsmoke for a 21st season, without making any public announcement or informing the producers or cast members ahead of time. The entire cast was stunned by the cancellation, as they were unaware that CBS was considering it. The cast and crew read the news in the trade papers. ; the Mary Tyler Moore spin-offs Rhoda (which was going into its second year in the Fall-1975 season) and Phyllis (a fall-1975 freshman) would be scheduled for the 8 pm hour previously occupied by Gunsmoke that fall.

Thirty television Westerns came and went during its 20-year tenure, and Gunsmoke was the sole survivor.

Awards and accolades

  • Gunsmoke was nominated for a total of 15 Emmy awards during its 20 year run on television, and won five.
  • In TV Guide′s April 17, 1993, issue celebrating 40 years of television, the all-time-best-TV programs were chosen. "No contest, this [Gunsmoke] was the TV Western."
  • Entertainment Weekly (February 19, 1999, issue) ranked the premiere of Gunsmoke as No. 47 in the "100 Greatest Moments in Television".
  • Entertainment Weekly, in 1998, ranked Gunsmoke as No. 16 in The 100 Greatest TV Shows of all time.
  • In a 1998 TV Guide poll of 50,000, Gunsmoke was ranked as CBS's best Western and James Arness was ranked as CBS's best "Gunslinger".
  • In 1997, the episode "The Jailer" was ranked No. 28 on TV Guides 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
  • In 2002, TV Guide ranked Gunsmoke as No. 40 in the 50 greatest television shows of all time.
  • In 2013, TV Guide ranked it as #27 on their list of the 60 Best Series.
  • In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked Gunsmoke – and The Defenders – #84 on their list of the 101 Best Written TV Series.
  • In 2019, the radio episode "The Cabin" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

TV movies

In 1987, CBS commissioned a reunion movie titled Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge. James Arness and Amanda Blake returned in their iconic roles of Matt Dillon and Miss Kitty, with Fran Ryan returning as Kitty's friend and saloon-owner Hannah and Buck Taylor as Newly O'Brian. Doc Adams and Festus Haggen were not featured in the film. Milburn Stone had died seven years earlier in 1980 and the role of Doc was not recast. Ken Curtis balked at the salary offer he received and said that he should be paid based on Festus's importance in the character hierarchy. The screenwriters responded to Curtis's absence by making Newly the new Dodge City marshal. The film, shot in Alberta, features a now-retired Marshal Dillon being attacked and a vengeful former rival returning to Dodge City to entrap him.

In 1990, the second telefilm, Gunsmoke: The Last Apache, premiered. Because Amanda Blake had died the year before, the writers revisited a 1973 episode for the movie. The episode was based on "Matt's Love Story". In that episode, Matt loses his memory and his heart during a brief liaison with "Mike" Yardner (Michael Learned). In the film, Learned returns as Mike, who reveals to Marshal Dillon that he is the father of their daughter, Beth (Amy Stock-Poynton) and asks him for help in saving her from a band of Apaches.

Other films included Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992), Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (1993), and Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994). Arness stars in all five made-for-television movies.

Other media

A fight scene between Arness and guest star John Anderson from the 1958 episode "Buffalo Man" appears in the educational film Film Editing: Interpretation and Value, produced by American Cinema Editors. Footage from the scene is used in editing classes in many film schools in the United States.

The Gunsmoke brand was used to endorse numerous products, including cottage cheese and cigarettes.

The Hartland toy company included an 8" ( scale) plastic Matt Dillion figure and his horse Old Faithful Buck in their line of famous TV cowboys and horses during the 1950s.

Lowell Toy Manufacturing Corporation ("It's a Lowell Game") issued Gunsmoke as game No. 822. Other products include Gunsmoke puzzles,

Comics

The television series had only been on the air a few months when Dell Comics published the first of 27 issues of their Four Color comics series on Gunsmoke. The series ran through 1961 and every cover was a full color shot of Matt Dillon and his six-gun. Gold Key Comics continued with issues #1–6 in 1969–70.

Other comics included a comic strip version of the series ran in British newspapers for several years under the show's UK title, Gun Law. Hardcover comic BBC Gunsmoke Annuals were marketed in Great Britain under the authority of the BBC which had broadcasting rights there. Gunsmoke comics in Spanish were published under the title Aventura la ley del revolver (Gun-Law Adventures).

Books

  • In 1957, Ballantine Books published a collection of short stories. Each story is based on a half-hour Gunsmoke episode. Although a photo of James Arness and the CBS TV logo are on the book cover, in at least one story Matt introduces Chester as "Chester Proudfoot", an indication that the stories are actually adapted from radio scripts.
  • Whitman Books published
  • Gunsmoke by Robert Turner in 1958, and
  • Gunsmoke: "Showdown on Front Street" by Paul S. Newman in 1969 ...
  • In 1970, Popular Library published the following paperback book written by Chris Stratton:
  • Gunsmoke
  • In 1974, Award Books published the following paperback books written by Jackson Flynn based on the television series:
  • Gunsmoke #1: "The Renegades"
  • Gunsmoke #2: "Shootout"
  • Gunsmoke #3: "Duel at Dodge City"
  • Gunsmoke #4: "Cheyenne Vengeance"
  • In 1998, Boulevard Books published the following paperbacks written by Gary McCarthy based on the TV series:
  • Gunsmoke
  • Gunsmoke: "Dead Man's Witness"
  • Gunsmoke: "Marshal Festus"
  • A series of novels based upon the television series written by Joseph A. West with forewords by James Arness was published by Signet:
  • Gunsmoke: "Blood, Bullets and Buckskin", January 2005 ()
  • Gunsmoke: "The Last Dog Soldier", May 2005 ()
  • Gunsmoke: "Blizzard of Lead", September 2005 ()
  • Gunsmoke: "The Reckless Gun", May 2006 ()
  • Gunsmoke: "Dodge the Devil", October 2006 ()
  • Gunsmoke: "The Day of the Gunfighter", January 2007 ()

Legacy

Longevity records

The television series was the longest-running, primetime, live-action television series at 20 seasons, until September 2019 with the 21st-season premiere of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The original Law & Order, which was canceled in 2010 after tying Gunsmokes longevity record for a live-action, primetime television series, began its 21st season in February 2022. It had the highest number of scripted episodes for any American primetime, commercial television series until April 29, 2018, when it was surpassed by The Simpsons. Some foreign-made programs have been broadcast in the United States and contend for the position as the longest-running prime-time series. , Gunsmoke was rated fourth globally, after Doctor Who (1963–present), Taggart (1983–2010), and The Bill (1984–2010).

Character longevity

James Arness and Milburn Stone portrayed their Gunsmoke characters for 20 consecutive years, a feat later matched by Kelsey Grammer as the character Frasier Crane, but over two half-hour sitcoms (Cheers and Frasier). This was surpassed by Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T, who have portrayed the characters Olivia Benson and Fin Tutuola on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for over 25 and 24 consecutive years to date, respectively. George Walsh, the announcer for Gunsmoke, began in 1952 on the radio series and continued until the television series was canceled in 1975.

Dodge City's Boot Hill Museum has a tribute to Gunsmoke, including set furniture from the 1960s and an old television tuned to the show. Signed photographs from the show's actors and other memorabilia are on display including a vest worn by Sam the bartender and a dress worn by Miss Kitty. In 2015, several of the surviving staff reunited at Wild West Fest in Dodge City, including stars Burt Reynolds, Buck Taylor, Jess Walton, Bruce Boxleitner, and writer Jim Byrnes.

James Arness, Milburn Stone, Ken Curtis, Dennis Weaver, and Amanda Blake are all inductees of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

References

Bibliography

  • Atkinson, Brooks. "Critic at Large : Marshall Matt Dillion Survives 13 Years of Once-a-Week Incidents in Dodge." New York Times, May 22, 1964, p. 32..
  • Atkinson, Brooks. "Critic at Large : The Dedicated World of ’Gunsmoke" Has Values that Transcend Mere Ratings." New York Times, November 10, 1964, p. 44.
  • ; 884pp
  • Stanley, Jack Ross. "A History of the Radio and Television Western Dramatic Series 'Gunsmoke', 1952-1973," (PhD dissertation,    University of Michigan; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses,  1973. 7415864).
  • Listen to the entire Gunsmoke radio series
  • Listen to the complete series of the radio version of Gunsmoke
  • Gunsmoke radio show on Old Time Radio Outlaws