For many,"Gunsmoke" remains the ultimate Western series, if only by virtue of it's longevity. At it's peak no other prime-time scripted,live action drama ran for longer than it did and alongside "Wyatt Earp",and "Cheyenne",it ushered in a veritable gold rush of television Westerns for adult viewers. Central to the show's success was James Arness' earnest performance as craggy faced Marshal Matt Dillon of Dodge City who was a hero and a paternal figure who held law and order in the West whose relationship with saloon owner Kitty Russell(Amanda Blake) was implicit but chaste. Alongside his trusted deputy Chester Goode(Dennis Weaver),and the dependable town physician,Doc Adams(Milburn Stone) the series from the first episode became one of the bonafide hits of the mid-1950's becoming during the first couple of seasons the Number One show on television between 1955- 1961,and again was back in the Top Ten of the Nielsen during the late- 1960's and throughout the early-1970's. The astounding success of "Gunsmoke" spawned seven Emmy nominations and won four Prime-Time Emmys in 1958(Best Dramatic Series);1959(Best Supporting Actor Dennis Weaver);1968(Outstanding Actor in a Support Role Milburn Stone);1970(Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing). It was nominated for four Golden Globes with actress Amanda Blake nominated for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series three times in 1970,1971,and 1972 and Milburn Stone for Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Series in 1972.John Wayne,who legend has it,was considered for the role of Marshal Dillon,and recommended his good friend James Arness for the job,and subsequently introduced viewers to the pilot episode("Matt Gets It" on September 10, 1955). Created by John Meston and Norman MacDonnell(for Seasons 1-9) along with producers John Mantley and Phillip Leacock(for Seasons 10-20),the series "Gunsmoke" began on radio in 1952 with William Conrad as Dillon,then made the transition to television. The series premiered on CBS' Saturday night schedule on September 10,1955 producing 233 half- hour episodes in black and white until June 17,1961(Seasons 1-6). On September 30,1961 the show expanded to a hour long format producing 176 episodes in black and white until May 7,1966(Seasons 7-11)Then the show evolved into color for 266 episodes from September 17,1966 until March 31,1975(Seasons 12-20). Only actors James Arness and Milburn Stone were the only cast members that stayed with the series throughout it's entire 20-year run.Actress Amanda Blake(Kitty Russell) was in Seasons 1-19 only,while other actors such as Dennis Weaver(Chester Goode)was in Seasons 1 thru 9 only. Weaver was gone at the end of the show's ninth season and was replaced by actor Ken Curtis(Festus Hagen) in 1964 and remained with the series throughout it's run until 1975(Seasons 10 thru 20). Ken Curtis actually appeared in several episodes as a guest star. Actor Burt Reynolds(Quint Asper)appeared in Seasons 8 thru 10 for 50 episodes until the end of the show's 10th season when he was replaced by Actor Roger Ewing(Thad Greene) for Seasons 11 thru 13 only. Buck Taylor(Newly)replaced Roger Ewing when he left at the end of Season 12. Taylor also appeared as a guest star in Season 12 episodes,but became a regular in Seasons 13 thru 20 until 1975,when the show ended it's triumph run."Gunsmoke" during it's first eight seasons was in the Top Ten of the Nielsens,but when the ratings were slipping during the mid-1960's, a sudden move of the schedule sent the show from Saturday nights where it had been for the past 12 seasons to Monday nights at the beginning of Season 13,sent the show surging back into the Top Ten of the Nielsens becoming one of the top five shows on television from 1967-1975. When it was abruptly canceled on March 31,1975 after 635 episodes and 20 seasons the cast has no warning and learned their fate from press reports. On September 8, 1975, the two shows that replaced "Gunsmoke" were two spinoffs of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" which were "Rhoda" and "Phyllis",to fill that Monday night schedule. The phenomenal success of "Gunsmoke" helped established a standard for adult Western storytelling that has rarely been matched on the small or big screen. "Gunsmoke" spawned a spin-off called "Dirty Sally" starring Jeannette Nolan(who was a guest star in several episodes of "Gunsmoke" appearing in numerous roles)that lasted one season in 1974. James Arness did reprised the role of Marshal Dillon again when CBS aired five made for television sequels based on "Gunsmoke" that aired from 1987 until 1994. "Gunsmoke" held the title as the longest running prime time drama on television which has now been eclipsed by "Law and Order",and the animated "The Simpsons" for its longevity.

I enjoyed watching "Gunsmoke" reruns on television. The show maintained a wide variety of important issues that portrayed life in general. Concerns over rape, abuse, terminal illness, false imprisonment, morality, and race were knowingly important to the show's credibility and identity during the 20-year run. The finest episodes during the run were from the 1969-1970 Season until the 1974-1975 Season on CBS Television. Two key examples of abuse occurred in episodes titled "The Tarnished Badge" and "Hard Labor" were prevalent during its stint. The former had (the late) Victor French played a brutal sheriff in Ludlow, Kansas -- who had ran a sensible town -- in exploiting and intimidating people in the 1974-1975 Season. The latter: a ruthless (and dotty) sheriff had Marshal Matt Dillon imprisoned for life on (a trumped up) charge of first-degree murder. Dillon had no idea he was railroaded into a kangaroo court. He eventually arrested (with some reluctant help) the crooked officer in some aspect. These episodes dealt with the brutal (but actual) realities of abuse and exploitation in the show's content. These examples are why we have the United States Constitution against illegal detention in this country.

Western film-makers have frequently been blamed by liberal-minded critics for creating a large body of work with reactionary content, but as "Gunsmoke" amply proves in many fine episodes, the critics couldn't be more wrong."The Prisoner" features Jon Voight as a condemned murderer rescued from hanging by Miss Kitty because she is grateful to him for saving her own life. Even though the young cowboy openly admits to killing a rich man's wife, Miss Kitty believes in his innocence so much she rigs a poker game to steal custody of him from an abusive bounty hunter. Then she hides him just long enough for Marshal Matt Dillon to stop a rival sheriff and his violent boss from going through with the hanging. The poor cowpoke protests his innocence, finally gets a fair trial and is set free.This episode of "Gunsmoke" may have been seen by more than twenty million devoted fans in one night, which makes it difficult to equal its achievement in propagandizing effectively in favor of liberal doubt. Although western movies and TV serials have often been attacked by left-wing pundits for promoting right-wing values, in fact the show "Gunsmoke" may have done more to persuade its audience to oppose the death penalty than a string of full page ads in The New York Times. The makers of this show said "give a condemned man another chance" so entertainingly and so convincingly that most of its millions of loyal viewers probably agreed.In another episode of the show, featuring Carroll O'Connor as a poor farmer who steals back thirty dollars he lost to a rich gambler later robbed and murdered by a trio of feckless drifters, both the Marshal and Festus, believing that the simple souled farmer would never commit murder or lie to them, ride down the real culprits to prove he's not guilty.How much more plainly could a point in favor of defendants' rights be made? Yet when "Gunsmoke" was pulled off broadcast TV along with most other western entertainment, pundits of the left were foremost among those who celebrated the occasion, as if westerns, like Wall Street capitalism and the Ku Klux Klan, were a cause of society's ills rather than one of its cures. Well, the pundits had it wrong, this type of show should never have been taken off the air. Westerns are no more to blame for reactionary thinking than Marshal Dillon is to blame for the actions of an angry lynch mob.

Unfortunately, I am a real 'greenhorn' when it comes to this show, being such a latecomer and all (endless thanks & kudos to 'The Western Channel') - but I know a quality series when I see one. I can't take my eyes off this thing once an episode gets going, and the characters, storylines and acting are all in a class of their own. All I can say is God Bless Marshall Dillon, Festus, Miss Kitty, Chester, Quint, Sam, Doc and all the rest of the characters and the actors who played them. There will never be another show that can even spit-shine the dust from Gunsmoke's boots.