Gunsmoke

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

The cast of radio's Gunsmoke: Howard McNear (Doc), William Conrad (Matt), Georgia Ellis (Kitty) and Parley Baer (Chester)

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

The radio version ran from 1952 to 1961 and is commonly regarded as one of the finest radio dramas of all time. The television version ran from 1955 to 1975 and is the second longest running prime time fictional television program, its record surpassed only by the Disney anthology television series, which, though essentially the same in every incarnation, has appeared on TV under several titles.

1 Radio version
2 Television version
3 Listen To
4 Sources
5 Trivia
6 Quotes
7 Notable Guest Stars
8 Notable Directors
9 Notable Composers
10 External links

[edit] Radio version

In the late 1940s, CBS chairman William S. Paley, a big fan of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe radio serial, asked his programming chief, Hubell Robinson to develop a hardboiled Western series. Robinson contacted his West Coast CBS Vice-President, Harry Ackerman, who had created the Philip Marlowe series, to take on the task. Ackerman and his scriptwriters, Mort Fine and David Friedkin, created an audition script called "Mark Dillon Goes to Gouge Eye." Two auditions were created in 1949. The first was very much like a hardboiled detective series and starred Rye Billsbury as Dillon; the second starred Straight Arrow actor Howard Culver in a more Western, lighter version of the same script. CBS liked the Culver version better, and Ackerman was given the green light to proceed.

But there was a complication. Culver's contract as the star of Straight Arrow would not allow him to do another Western series. So the project was shelved until three years later when Norman MacDonnell and John Meston would find out about this previous version while looking to create 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. Gunsmoke was set in Dodge City, Kansas, during the thriving cattle days of the 1870s. Dunning notes, "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 used 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)

The radio cast in 1952: Clockwise from lower left: Georgia Ellis, William Conrad, Howard McNear, Parley Baer

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 identical 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 vintage radio dramas.

[edit] Television version

Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke end title card (1966-1975)
Genre	Western
Creator(s)	John Meston
Starring	James Arness Milburn Stone Amanda Blake Dennis Weaver Ken Curtis Burt Reynolds Buck Taylor
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	635
Production
Running time	30 minutes (1955-1961), 60 minutes (1961-1975)
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Picture format	Black and white (1955-1966), color (1966-1975)
Original run	September 10, 1955 – September 1, 1975
Links
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 matched: 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, portraying 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, Fergus Haggen, and another 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, his twin was never again mentioned on the show. In the episode "Alias Festus Haggen", he is mistaken for a robber and killer whom he has to expose to free himself (both parts played by Curtis). In a comic relief episode ("Mad Dog"), another case of mistaken identity forces Festus to fight three sons of a man killed by his cousin. Other actors who stayed in Dodge for 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 explained, "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 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 featuring Johnny Whittaker as a boy with a prostitute mother, a madam questions Dillon as to why the law overlooks Miss Kitty's enterprise. It appears that bordellos could exist "at the law's discretion" (meaning the Marshal).

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 still 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 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 canceled 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 its demise. The show continued on in a different time slot: 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 came and went 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 heard the news in typical Hollywood fashion: they read it in the trade papers. (Associated Press, July 2, 2002, Bob Thomas)

[edit] 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 being Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990), which co-starred Michael Learned of The Waltons fame, reprising the role of "Mike Yardley" she had created in a 1973 Gunsmoke episode, "Matt's Love Story." In the episode, Matt loses his memory and has a brief liaison with "Mike" before remembering and immediately returning to his life in Dodge City. In the 1990 film, we learn that during their 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 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 poised to beat 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 25 airing; however 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 strips and 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.

A comic strip version of the series ran in British newspapers for several years under the show's UK title, Gun Law.

[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

Matt Dillon (1955-1975): James Arness
Doc Adams (1955-1975): Milburn Stone
Kitty Russell (1955-1974): Amanda Blake
Chester B. Goode (1955-1964): Dennis Weaver
Festus Haggen (1964-1975): Ken Curtis

[edit] Cast

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] Listen To

[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 filmed 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, after retiring from Gunsmoke, became an animal-rights' activist. She founded a shelter for homeless animals that, unlike most animal shelters, doesn't kill animals but rather keeps them alive.
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 the Long Branch bartender Sam Noonan, from 1961 to 1973, actually doubled as Frankenstein's monster in the Boris Karloff films. The head of Universal Studios' makeup department felt that, when donning the monster 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.
The episode "Exodus 21:22" has a date of 1874 on a gravestone.
The episode "The Good Samaritans" has a date of June 12, 1875, which is seen on Dillon's commission and also on a deathbed-statement letter.
The Episode "9.12 to Dodge" tells of a war "ten Years ago" {I.e. The US Civil War} implying a date of 1875.
The episode "The Fourth Victim" is similar to a modern Police drama in that citizens of Dodge City are being killed by a mad killer.

[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

See also: List of Gunsmoke cast members

(partial list, alphabetical):

Jack Albertson, Mabel Albertson, Claude Akins, Richard Anderson, R.G. Armstrong, Jenny Lee Arness, John Astin
Edward Asner, Lew Ayres, John Drew Barrymore, Ed Begley, Ralph Bellamy, James Best, Dan Blocker, Bruce Boxleitner, Eric Braeden
Peter Breck, Beau Bridges, Morgan Brittany, Charles Bronson, Joyce Bulifant, Gary Busey,
Sebastian Cabot, Frank Cady, Harry Carey, Jr., John Carradine, Lee J. Cobb, Chuck Connors
Mike Connors, Tim Considine, Pat Conway, Elisha Cook, Jr., Robert Culp,Royal Dano, Kim Darby, Bette Davis
Jim Davis, Richard Deacon, Gloria DeHaven, John Dehner, Bruce Dern
William Devane, Angie Dickinson, James Doohan, Buddy Ebsen, Barbara Eden, Jack Elam, Sam Elliott, Paul Fix
Jay C. Flippen, Constance Ford, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Anne Francis, Bert Freed, Victor French
Beverly Garland, Leif Garrett, James Gavin, Melissa Gilbert, Harold Gould, James Gregory
Kevin Hagen, Alan Hale, Jr., Mariette Hartley, Katherine Helmond, Earl Holliman, Marsha Hunt
Josephine Hutchinson, Dennis Hopper, John Ireland, Richard Jaeckel, Ben Johnson
L.Q. Jones, DeForest Kelley, George Kennedy, Richard Kiley, Jack Klugman, Ted Knight, Diane Ladd, Martin Landau
Allan Lane, Louise Latham, Anna Lee, June Lockhart, Jack Lord, Barton MacLane, Rose Marie, Ross Martin
Strother Martin, Darren McGavin, Howard McNear, Vera Miles, John Mitchum, Ricardo Montalban, Harry Morgan
Richard Mulligan, Gene Nelson, Leslie Nielsen, Leonard Nimoy, Nick Nolte, Simon Oakland, Warren Oates
John Payne, Brock Peters, Slim Pickens, Suzanne Pleshette, Andrew Prine, Denver Pyle, Dack Rambo
Pernell Roberts, Wayne Rogers, Ruth Roman, Katharine Ross, Kurt Russell, Albert Salmi, John Saxon
William Shatner, Tom Skerritt, Jeremy Slate, Aaron Spelling, Loretta Swit, Harry Dean Stanton, Gloria Talbott, Russ Tamblyn, Vic Tayback
Dub Taylor, Forrest Tucker, Cicely Tyson, Robert Urich, Joan Van Ark, Lee Van Cleef, Joyce Van Patten, Robert Vaughn
Jon Voight, Lesley Ann Warren, Ruth Warrick, David Wayne, Adam West, Johnny Whitaker, James Whitmore, William Windom
Dana Wynter, Chill Wills, Ian Wolfe

[edit] Notable Directors

[edit] Notable Composers

[edit] External links

Gunsmoke review
Einstein guest appearance rumor
Encyclopedia of Television
Gunsmoke 50th Anniversary 2005 from Dodge City
James Arness
The Ken Curtis Appreciation Site
"Straight shootin': 'Gunsmoke' 50th Anniversary", Mercury News, August 23, 2005.
Gunsmoke at the Internet Movie Database
Gunsmoke TV Show on TVLand.com

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