Gunsmoke

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Gunsmoke ranks 905 out of the 18,228 shows on TV.com.

The 371 users who count themselves as Gunsmoke fans have written a total of 19 reviews.

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Dodge City, known as the Sodom and Gomorrah of the plains, is a typical frontier city of the late 1800s with typical problems ranging from rumored Indian raids to bank and stage robberies, cattle rustling, and family feuds. All of these must be dealt with within the law and that task falls to Matt Dillon, US... more »

Dodge City, known as the Sodom and Gomorrah of the plains, is a typical frontier city of the late 1800s with typical problems ranging from rumored Indian raids to bank and stage robberies, cattle rustling, and family feuds. All of these must be dealt with within the law and that task falls to Matt Dillon, US Marshal (James Arness).



Dillon is a man who prefers the use of logic over the use of the gun but the nature of the people passing through Dodge doesn't always leave him that choice. Aided by various assistants and deputies over the years (played by Dennis Weaver, Burt Reynolds, and Ken Curtis), he does his best to keep the lawless element out of his town and his territory. Matt often solves his crimes through keen observation and deduction, an innovative approach for the times.



Crucial information about cases is often provided by his beautiful companion, Long Branch owner Kitty Russell(Amanda Blake), while they drink beer or whiskey in her establishment. Matt also often exchanges banter or bounces his theories off of the crusty town doctor, Galen Adams (Milburn Stone).less «

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  Out of boredom, I checked out the 1st season of Gunsmoke out at the library. The 1st episode was good, the next few were mi...more »

  Out of boredom, I checked out the 1st season of Gunsmoke out at the library. The 1st episode was good, the next few were mixed some good, some not so much; but after that most of the eps have been very entertaining. I checked out the 2nd season volumes as the library got them and the 2nd season was better than the 1st, not a perfect show, 1/2 hour leaves little time for characterization but there is some and the stories and action are good. less «

  Timewhisper Last online 1 day, 23 hrs ago
  5 comments, last one May 20, 2009 + Add Comment

• Article from Arness with the Miami Ferald

  Posted on Wed, Aug. 24, 2005 M O R E N E W S F R O M topix.net • Gunsmoke • Matt Dillon • Hondo • John Wayne ...more »

  Posted on Wed, Aug. 24, 2005 M O R E N E W S F R O M topix.net • Gunsmoke • Matt Dillon • Hondo • John Wayne • Gunsmoke: The Long Ride • Drama Arness recalls favorite `Gunsmoke' episodes on 50th anniversary BY GLENN LOVELL San Jose Mercury News At 6 feet 7, James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon redefined "tall in the saddle." So imposing was the star of CBS's pioneering "Gunsmoke" series that when he told some no-account varmint to get out of Dodge, the skunk seldom needed a second invitation. "Matt Dillon was the kind of guy who's low-key but stands for what is right," says Arness, 82, in a rare interview from his Los Angeles home. "And he goes about seeing that things turn out that way - with, of course, a lot of people suffering along the way." Expect plenty of shooting and suffering and just darn good storytelling on the Encore Westerns channel starting 9 p.m. EDT Friday. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of TV's longest-running dramatic series, Encore is hosting a 50-hour "Gunsmoke" marathon. The show, often referred to as the first "adult" western series, made its way from radio to a half-hour TV format in 1955. After climbing to No. 1 in the ratings, it was extended to an hour and continued on the air until 1975. John Wayne was originally approached about the Marshal Dillon role. He turned it down but recommended buddy Arness, his co-star in "Hondo" and a real-life hero who had received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Anzio, Italy, in 1944. "It was ridiculous that they even went to Wayne," Arness says now. "He was the biggest western movie star of all time, and they must have known he couldn't take it." Arness earned $1,200 an episode at first, but after the show won Emmys and topped the ratings, he renegotiated for $20,000 an episode and said, flat-out, "No press!" (TV Guide dubbed him the "recluse on horseback.") "Once we got going," he recalls, "my agents were able to rewrite my contract and get me a really good salary that matched the popularity of the show. But when you think of what those kids get today on shows - phew! - it's unbelievable. But what I got was great for that time." Since leaving prime time, "Gunsmoke" has been periodically reprised with Arness as producer-star of five made-for-TV movies, including "Gunsmoke: The Long Ride" (1993). It has always been a cash cow in syndication. (Together, Encore and TV Land devote six hours daily to the show.) To what does Arness attribute its staying power? "The only thing I can say is that we had great writers like Sam Peckinpah and we always tried for realism," replies the actor who, though "retired from public life," still drives, and fields questions from fans at http://jamesarness.com. (He will be honored in absentia at Dodge City Days in Kansas, Sept. 9-11.) "We sort of pioneered the adult approach, which I think accounts to a great extent for our longevity," continues the actor-producer. "These were stories that dealt with universal issues, like betrayal and redemption." The series also benefited from Arness' acting style. He would shoulder his way into a scene and let his physique do the talking. "Yes, Dillon was a no-nonsense but multidimensional character," he agrees. "I just pretty much played the lines. I always said, `I didn't play the character as much as the character played me.'" In the show's pre-credit sequence, Marshal Dillon and an anonymous gunfighter would square off at high noon. The other guy always drew first, but Dillon's bullet found its mark. "They sort of made a point of that, which I thought was right," Arness says. "As any policeman today will tell you, it's not the idea of getting the first shot off, it's hitting your target. Often the first guy that shoots misses." Even after logging 600-plus episodes, Arness has no troubling ID'ing his favorites. Among these: "Chato" (1970), with Ricardo Montalban as a renegade Apache, and the two-parters "Snow Train" (1970) and "The River" (1972). "The episode `Chato' is probably my all-time favorite show," he says. "Matt is sent out of his territory to stop the Apache, whose family was killed by U.S. cavalry, and we wind up having a certain understanding and friendship as the story evolves. "Like a lot of the later shows, `The River' was shot on location, up in Oregon. The whole story takes place coming down this river and these bad guys, played by Jack Elam and Slim Pickens, are after me, trying to kill me." Each week, Marshal Dillon was joined by his worrywart deputy, Chester (Dennis Weaver), who walked with a pronounced limp, and the phlegmatic Doc (Milburn Stone) and hard-bitten Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), who ran the Long Branch saloon. Burt Reynolds and Ken Curtis, who replaced Weaver, would later join the ensemble. Given the show's often grim tone - and its fearless tackling of such issues as rape and revenge - it's not surprising that CBS' front office had to battle the censors. The censors, he recalls, "limited us down to so many shootings per show and so many fistfights, but it didn't seem to affect the show. We kept on ticking; the producers wrote around this new set of rules." There was also much conjecture about Miss Kitty. Was she a madam who ran a brothel, or just the proprietress of a hotel-saloon? "That all started on the radio show, that premise of her running a house," Arness replies, laughing. "But when you get it on the small screen, it just doesn't work that well. So they transitioned that off quickly and just made her the owner of the Long Branch." Apart from HBO's "Deadwood," there isn't much on the dial for an old western junkie. Has this curtained his viewing habits? "Oh, I should say not," he replies. "I watch television all the time, mostly PBS and old movies like `The Quiet Man,' my favorite Wayne movie. It's marvelous. I just loved the man and still do." And reality-TV shows like "Fear Factor"? "Oh, no, I don't like any of that stuff! It's not for me." As for his health: "I've got a little arthritis that I have to deal with. I was 6 feet 7 when I started and I've shrunk up a little bit. I'm probably 6-5 or so now. But up here at 82 I feel pretty good. I'm sticking in there."less «

  randy1022 Last online Jun 29, 2007
  9 comments, last one May 20, 2009 + Add Comment

• Matt Dillon...US Marshall and....GRAVE DIGGER????? LOL!!

  LOL! It seems that almost all of the early episodes had Matt and Chester digging someones grave! Didn't matter if Matt ...more »

  LOL! It seems that almost all of the early episodes had Matt and Chester digging someones grave! Didn't matter if Matt shot them or he found them dead, they always took time to bury everyone they came across. You would think a real lawman would have spent his time chasing down the bandits....and getting someone ELSE to bury them. But it seemed on the early episodes of gunsmoke and marshall dillion that Matt was always burying somebody! I found it kind of humorous after awhile! Anyone else notice this??? less «

  webe123 Last online May 6, 2009
  1 comments, last one Oct 11, 2008 + Add Comment

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  10 Perfect

  i'm a 49 yeaar old woman who loves gunsmoke. i watch it everyday. I try to get home from work intime to watch it. I wish it still came on the western channel. hide « show »

  I have seen all the episodes of gunsmoke. i watched it when i was a kid with my parents. i now watch it with my husband and 6 yr. old grandson. I love the show. My favorite character is Festus. My husband jokes about me being in love with Festus. I love the way he squints his eye shut. The way him and doc are always bickering about everything. I love it when he calls doc an old sckutter. Not sure i spelled that right. also not sure what an old sckutter is. If they put it back on as a t.v. show with different actors i don't think that it would go over to good.

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  gunsmokejunky Added Sep 5, 2008 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  This television show was a pioneer in its day. Gunsmoke laid the foundation and standards for the formating of television shows in general and for its specific genre. hide « show »

  Gunsmoke is one of the first television shows I can remember watching. One of the best things about it is its complexity, diversity, rich tapestry for storytelling, and its appeal even now to diverse generations and age groups.
  
  Among the first of its kind, one of the first westerns to make the jump from radio to television, it set the standard not only for other western series but for the way shows were developed for television. It managed to keep the overall feeling of the serialized radio show while utilizing the new media of television to tell its stories. Some of the special effects and stunts are cutting edge for the era and beautifully executed.
  
  The concept of the same actors playing out the lives of their characters was new. Gunsmoke holds the distinction of being the only live action television show to have its main characters played by the same actors for its entire twenty year run. This allowed the writers to explore the characters' personalities in more depth. The result was a stunning character study for each character reflecting how personal experience changes them over time.
  
  Another concept introduced by the show was continuity. Earlier episodes lack this and you'll find wild variations in the characters' back stories. Some episodes which aired in later years apparently take place before earlier episodes. In later years, the writers tried for a more solid linear story line and this eventually became standard for most television shows.
  
  Gunsmoke also didn't shy away from exploring a variety of topics which were considered controversial at the time of airing. Domestic violence, women's rights, and child abuse are all themes which the show tackles head-on with a modern slant in a classical setting. It was one of the first shows to break the romanticized stereotype of the Native American and to attempt to show the settling of the west from their point of view.
  
  I continue to be amazed by the long list of supporting actors Gunsmoke whose careers either started or were boosted on that set. Guest appearances have included William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ron Howard, Burt Reynolds, and Dennis Weaver to name a few.
  
  These are the things which make this an influential, classic staple for me and the reasons why, years later, I am still watching the show in syndication. In spite of the violent setting and the often shocking subject matter, the show still portrays wholesome societal morals and family values. It's a family show with something to offer all ages whose topics are often still relevant. The acting and storytelling alone, along with all the cinematic precedents it set, make it worth watching.

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  tygermoonfoxx Added Apr 22, 2008 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  There were 3 distinct eras in the 20 year history of Gunsmoke. The 1st as a 30 min b&w series focusing on the lives of Matt, Doc, Chester and Kitty. The 2nd as a 60 min b&w series with Festus replacing Chester. The 3rd as an hour long western anthology. hide « show »

  When "Gunsmoke" premiered, its introduction by John Wayne notified the viewers that they were about to see a different kind of TV western drama, and he was right. At the time, shows of that genre were aimed at kids, ie: "The Lone Ranger" and "The Cisco Kid", "Gunsmoke" was billed as the first "adult western".
  
  Matt Dillon (played by James Arness, the longest, continuous running, recurring character on television) was the tough but fair Marshal of Dodge City in post-Civil War Kansas. For 20 years he was either your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on which side of the law you were on.
  
  Dr. Galen "Doc" Adams (played by Milburn Stone) was a crotchity old frontier doctor who knew his medicine and his limitations. He was sometimes the id to Matt's ego and other times the spur in Chester or Festus' saddle.
  
  Katherine "Kitty" Russell (played by Amanda Blake) was the worldly wise owner of the Long Branch Saloon. Dispenser of drinks, advice and charm.
  
  Chester Goode (played by Dennis Weaver) was Matt's assistant for the early years. Having lost a leg (in the war?) he walked with a limp, was famous for making bad coffee and was loyal as the day was long.
  
  Festus Haggen (played by Ken Curtis) was eventually Matt's deputy. Dennis Weaver wanted to leave the show for some time so Festus' character was worked in gradually. In many an opinion (mine in fact) he surpassed his predecessor. A hillbilly who couldn't read, Festus was one tough hombre when challenged.
  
  Along with other townsfolk who grew familiar to us over the years, Sam the bartender, Loud-mouthed Burke, Louis Pheeters the town drunk, Quint Asper the blacksmith and Newly O'Brien the gunsmith, loyal viewers almost became part of Dodge City.
  
  The lessons are not always obvious. As the series went on, Matt learned that justice was not always righteous and right was sometimes wrong. But the message was always clear. And although they once had an elephant come to town, "Gunsmoke" never jumped the shark. It remained a high quality TV program spanning 3 decades.

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  Supermanzcape Added Nov 28, 2007 All my reviews
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  9.2 Superb

  Better storylines and tackled heavier themes than most Westerns of its time. hide « show »

  Prior to TV Land airing this series last year I had only seen a handful of episodes. All I knew about it was that it was my father's favorite series as a boy. When TV Land began running episodes at 7:00 AM EST I'd put this on, and soon realized I was finding myself running late for work more often than not due to getting hooked on what would happen next in a particular episode.
  
  I am a fan of Bonanza (mostly because of Adam!) but I must say that Gunsmoke without fail had much better plots, superior acting, and less predictability than Bonanza. Especially for a Western, I find the writing and the themes to be ahead of what other TV Westerns were dishing up.

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  millerem99 Added Jul 11, 2007 All my reviews
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  5 Mediocre

  Classic, but not well done. hide « show »

  That Gunsmoke is the greatest TV western of all time is hard to dispute. it may be the great TV show of all time. Think of what your favorite show might have been like after 20 years on the air and then compare it to Gunsmoke, which was probably as good as anything on TV for it's entire twenty year run. Not too many shows were on so long that their runs can be divided into eras, but Gunsmoke has three of them. The first is the half hour black and white era, (1955-61). This is the most praised era of the show and the era of it's greatest popularity, (it was the #1 show on TV the last four of those years). Critics praise the "tight scripting" of those days and James Arness has said he prefers John Meston's "little morality plays" to the later hour episodes, which some critics have called "bloated". I like the half hours because they show the program in it's formative years, when the cast was young, (and the right age for their characters). I also like you can get four of them to a cassette, rather than two. But these shows are basically about incidents, rather than stories. They lack character and story development. The second era is the hour long black and white era. This is my favorite, firstly because it's the earliest one I remember from the times I watched it with my father and secondly because it's the best. With the extra hour to work with and a new group of writers to do the work,. the series matured. The supporting cast became stars, (nearly every famous episode featuring Chester, Festus, Doc or Kitty comes from this period). It also is the era when the second lead was introduced. the first and best was Burt Reynolds as Quint Asper, who's entire run is in this era. The writers also increased the scope of the show by focusing on "guest characters" with the regulars as supporting players. Unfortunately, the general public didn't share my enthusiasm for this era, (or they found something better to do on Saturday nights). Gunsmoke fell from #1 to #36, (in an era where there were only three networks), and actually got briefly canceled until William Paley saved it. But the old Saturday night spot was taken by Mannix so the show was moved to Tuesday, where it was expected to die a natural death among shows intended for younger viewers. In the greatest upset in TV ratings history, the show was discovered by a new generation and rebounded to #2, earning it another 8 years on the air, by which time the western craze it had started was long over and all it's rivals, even Bonanza, were long off the air.
  
  By this time, color had taken over. And it didn't do the show much good. Magazine reporters used to say: black and white for drama, color for excitement. Gunsmoke was about drama. Gunsmoke used to use an outdoor set for daytime Dodge City scenes. That disappeared in favor of an indoor set about 1960. In black an white the indoor set sufficed. In color it looked garish and stagy. Color had the same effect on the actors who were now too old for their roles. Real western marshals served for a few months at a time, (and, by the way, US Marshals were never town marshals). it became increasingly ridiculous to see Matt Dillon still gunning down the young whippersnappers after a decade or more. Miss Kitty went from a purdy young thing to a middle aged painted lady. Doc became increasingly enfeebled as Milburn Stone's health declined. Somehow the color film brought out all the wrinkles more than black and white. There where compensations. Each season began with a movie-caliber two parter shot on location in some national park. the overall script quality remained high as the cadre of writers continued to expand. They even got an outdoor set to use again in the later years, although it didn't look much like the Dodge City we had come to know.
  
  The TV movies? The first one was terrible. The second one was quite good. the third one stunk and I didn't bother with them after that.

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  da_dunker Added Apr 28, 2007 All my reviews