Gunsmoke is an American Western television series that ran from September 10, 1955, to March 31, 1975, on CBS, with 635 total episodes. 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. From 1967 through 1973, it regained its top-10 rating status, dropping to 15 in the 1973–1974 season and finally to 26 in its final season. In all, it was number one for four seasons, and in the top 10 for 13 of its 20 seasons.

It is the second adult Western series to premiere, four days after The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. Airing for 20 seasons, it was the longest-running American primetime TV series until it was surpassed by The Simpsons.

Premise Set in Dodge City, Kansas during the years following the American Civil War, the series follows the lives of US 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.

As the series progressed, much less is seen of Matt Dillon. The series began to resemble an anthology with Dodge City as a backdrop for storylines around the show's guest stars.

Cast

Main

James Arness as US Marshal Matt Dillon (1955–1975), the U.S. Marshal of Dodge City, Kansas, who works to preserve law and order in the western frontier of the 1870s. Milburn Stone as Galen "Doc" Adams (1955–1975) Amanda Blake as Kathleen "Kitty" Russell (1955–1974), owner of the Long Branch Saloon. Kitty's character type suggests a seductress by implication, but Blake's portrayal of the role gave it additional depth to avoid what might have otherwise been a stereotype. She played the role of an affectionate wife to Matt, and sister or mother to guest casts as necessary. Blake's Kitty remained her own person, echoing the culture's awareness of the liberated woman. Dennis Weaver as Chester B. Goode (1955–1964), Marshal Dillon's initial sidekick. Burt Reynolds as Quint Asper (1962–1965), deputy Marshal and blacksmith. Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen (1964–1975), deputy Marshal and Dillon's second sidekick. Roger Ewing as Thad Greenwood (1965–1967), deputy Marshal and handyman. Buck Taylor as Newly O'Brien (1967–1975), who served as deputy Marshal and doctor-in-training, having some studies in medicine through his uncle, which then continued under Doc Adams.

Recurring Dabbs Greer as Wilbur Jonas (1955–1963), storekeeper Howard Culver as Howie Uzzell (1955–1975), hotel clerk George Selk as Moss Grimmick (1955–1963), stableman Judson Pratt and Barney Phillips as Bill Pence (1955–1957; 1958–1961), Long Branch owner/co-owner Glenn Strange as Sam Noonan (1961–1973), Long Branch bartender James Nusser as Louie Pheeters (1961–1970), town drunk Sarah Selby as Ma Smalley (1961–1972), boardinghouse owner Hank Patterson as Hank Miller (1963–1975), stableman Roy Roberts as Mr. Bodkin (1963–1970), banker Charles Seel as Barney Danches (1965–1974), telegraph agent Roy Barcroft as Roy (1965–1969), townsperson Charles Wagenheim as Halligan (1966–1975), rancher Woody Chambliss as Mr. Lathrop (1966–1975), storekeeper Ted Jordan as Nathan Burke (1966–1975), freight agent Jonathan Harper as Percy Crump (1966–1972), undertaker Tom Brown as Ed O'Connor (1968–1972), rancher Herb Vigran as Judge Brooker (1970–1975): Pat Hingle as John Chapman (1971), doctor when Stone temporarily left for heart bypass surgery Fran Ryan as Miss Hannah (1974–1975), saloon owner

Guest stars

During its twenty-year run, Gunsmoke's guest stars included several Academy Award winners.

Several guest stars were Academy Award nominees.

Guest stars on the series also included Emmy Award winners.

Tony Award winning guest stars included:

Several guest stars on Gunsmoke went on later to star in their own Westerns.

Episodes

Background and production

Background Gunsmoke began in 1952 as a radio series. In 1955, producer Norman Macdonnell, along with John Meston and Charles Marquis Warren decided to bring the series to television. The series launched with Warren as producer-director and Robert Stabler as executive producer.

The series was originally created by Filmaster at Columbia Studios. It would later be filmed at Paramount and James Arness would become producer and owner of the company.

Casting John Wayne was originally offered the role of Matt Dillon, but he turned it down. Instead, Wayne recommended James Arness for the role. Arness had already appeared in several films, including The Thing. Arness's six-foot-six stature and rugged appearance personified the traditional image of the Western hero.

Amanda Blake, Dennis Weaver, and Milburn Stone were hired to fill out the cast. By the 1973–1974 season, Arness, Blake, and Stone were the only remaining original cast. Some characters came and went, others were replaced with similar characters.

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

Music The Gunsmoke radio theme song and later television theme is titled "Old Trails" and was composed by Glenn Spenser and Rex Koury. The theme followed the pattern of early television Westerns which relied on a set of predictable, unchanging clichés to create the distinctive "Western" sound. It features a slow, diatonic melody carried by strings and then guitar, laid over a steady "clip-clop" rhythm and timbre that mimics the sound of a horse's hooves.

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."Tex Ritter sings Gunsmoke" , GunsmokeNet.com.

Other notable composers included: Elmer Bernstein Jerry Goldsmith Bernard Herrmann Jerome Moross Franz Waxman

Format 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.

Cancellation

In 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.

Spin-offs Airing March 1 and March 8, 1971, the two-part episode "Pike" starring Jeanette Nolan became the pilot for a spinoff series, Dirty Sally. The series centered around Sally Fergus who was a wandering junk collector, and Cyrus Pike (Dack Rambo), an outlaw Sally teamed up with.

Themes The release of Gunsmoke in 1955, along with The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, is what most television historians consider to be the beginning of the "adult Western". Previous television versions of the genre had been focused on the youth demographic, as had the radio Westerns of the 1930s and 1940s. Gunsmoke producer Charles Marquis Warren indicated that Gunsmoke offered an adult approach to the Western genre. The hero iconography of the Western myth is evident in Gunsmoke's characterization Matt Dillon, representing the fictional Masterson-Earp-Hickok persona. Dillon as the embodiment of the Western hero possesses "the skill of the gunman, the moral rectitude of the Victorian hero, and the approachability of the common man".

The story-telling uses the family group format in a unique way. The characters are not exclusively family units, yet they are tied together in familial characteristics. The ranch or town represent the home as physical and social core; the characters represent family roles of parent and child; and the family values of loyalty, mutual affection, and trust are often a primary focus of character motivation. "The Gunsmoke 'family' contains within it all the familiar roles from father figure Matt and mother-mistress Kitty to scapegrace child Festus and stolid elder brother Doc." Dillon as the father figure is who the characters turn to when in need. He additionally fills the role of guardian and defender of the extended family of the town. In its setting, Gunsmoke retained the visual iconography that is characteristic to the Western, although altered from traditional forms because of what hero has become. The series moves away from the majestic panoramas of a Zane Grey; instead, we see little of the wilderness. The town is the home with the security of father figure Matt Dillon watching over it. When the viewer is greeted with wilderness views, it is usually to travel from one family setting to another. The series generally stayed away from the iconographic staple of the journey tale.

Release

Broadcast Gunsmoke premiered September 10, 1955, and until March 31, 1975, on CBS. Initially airing as 30-minute, black-and-white episodes, it aired Saturday nights, from 10:00-10:30 ET. Beginning with the 1961–1962 season, the show expanded to a 1-hour episode format. It remained in the Saturday night-time slot, from 10:00-11:00 ET. At the start of the 1967–1968 season, it moved to Monday nights, from 7:30-8:30 ET. Its final four seasons remained on Monday nights, from 8:00-9:00 ET.

When first-run, prime-time episodes of Gunsmoke expanded to a one-hour format in September 1961, CBS-TV reran the half-hour episodes under the title Marshal Dillon on Tuesday nights from 1961 through 1964 in the 7:30-8:00 time slot.

1950–1975 is considered the golden age of television Westerns, during which 119 Westerns appeared in prime time. Only two lasted more than 10 years, Bonanza and Gunsmoke. Gunsmoke ran for a total of 20 seasons, making it the longest running primetime series in the US until it was surpassed by The Simpsons. It continues to be one of the most popular streaming titles on subscription platforms Peacock and Paramount+, on ad-supported supported services like Pluto and Tubi, and on FAST channels.

Home media In 2006, as part of Gunsmokes 50th anniversary on television, selected episodes were released on DVD in three different box sets. 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 sets are also available as a combined single "Gift Box Set". A third unique DVD box set, known as Gunsmoke: The Directors Collection, was also released with 10 selected episodes from certain seasons throughout the series' 20-year history. All of these box sets are available on Region 1 DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment and CBS DVD.