Gunsmoke was the longest-running TV show of all-time before The Simspons squashed its
record.
It began as a 400-episode radio show that ended in 1961 It then became a 635-episode
TV show that ran from 1957-1961.
It may have ended over 60 years ago but remains a staple of classic Western TV.
Fans would run to their TVs to see who Marshall Matt Dillon would tell to get the hell out
of Dodge every week.
Even the most devoted fans may miss a few details or behind-the-scenes facts.
Keep watching to learn all of the secret behind-the-scenes truths about Gunsmoke.
Casting Dennis Weaver was the first official member
of the Gunsmoke cast.
He played Chester Goode and won an Emmy for his work in 1959 before leaving in 1964.
Marshall Matt Dillon was one of the most important roles on the show and the most difficult to
cast.
William Contrad had voiced him in the radio show but was rejected because of his physical
stature.
Raymond Burr’s physique also cost him the part, and John Pickard’s test in a love
scene didn’t win over the casting directors.
26 actors screen tested but were all rejected.
Western legend John Wayne helped James Arness land the part.
The studio wanted him but declined and gave them his friend’s name.
Director Edward Ludwig warned James that it could hurt his growing movie career, but instead,
it launched him to stardom.
Polly Bond was another actress to turn down a role in Gunsmoke.
Allegedly, she was offered too much money to play Miss Kitty Russell and was worried
that could cause problems in her marriage.
She only appeared on screen two times in the 1946 Western Abilene Town and the 1951 film
Varieties on Parade.
The fortune instead went to Amanda Blake.
Milburn Stone came close to refusing the role of Doc Adams.
He had a tumultuous relationship with the series director and writer Charles Marquis
Warren.
He demanded to receive residuals, and that was enough to keep him on.
Ken Curtis played multiple characters.
The most common role was Festus Haggen.
He also appeared as a Texas Cattleman and replaced Frank Sinatra as the leader of the
band in an episode in the early 40s.
Buck Taylor also played another character before showing up as Newly O’Brien.
Gary Busey played the last man to ever die on Gunsmoke.
James Arness and Milburn Stone were the only cast members to appear in every episode across
al 20 seasons.
Creating and Naming Characters Dennis Weaver wasn’t accustomed to playing
comic relief.
When he heard that Chester was supposed to make viewers laugh, he looked to his past
for inspiration.
He remembered a man from his time at the University of Oklahoma who had the thickest of accents.
Chester used to entertain his friends by imitating him and decided to try doing it again.
He also gave the character his signature limp, a choice he later regretted a bit.
It was hard to do while filming every day.
He’d even get letters from fans who were concerned for his health.
The actors on Gunsmoke even helped name their characters.
Doc Adams went without a first name for 16 years.
The producer let Milburn make the choice, and he decided on Galen.
It was inspired by Claudius Galen Galenus, a famous ancient Roman doctor who was also
the personal physician to emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Star Trek Connections Westerns and sci-fi seem like they couldn’t
be farther apart, but, that’s not always true.
Two of the most popular shows in each genre, Star Trek and GUnsmoke, had more connections
than you’d think.
Fort starters, they shared actors.
William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, James Doohan, and DeForest Kelley all went over to Dodge
City Kansas.
Arlene Martel, Mark Lenard, and Grace Lee Whitney, and Ricardo Montalban also appeared
on both shows.
They also shared crew members.
Jerry Goldsmith wrote the score for the first Star Trek film and composed music for two
episodes of Gunsmoke.
Fan Campaigns Shows live and die by the love of their fans.
Campaigns by dutiful Gunsmoke watchers helped make it one of the longest-running shows of
all time.
Milburn Stone received letters from fans and actual doctors.
They altered him that the science and medicine his character used weren’t accurate.
It convinced him to do research to keep his character’s lines correct.
Amanda Blake got a life-changing letter after she left the series and her career stalled.
A little girl had seen an episode and told her how much she liked the character of Miss
Kitty and prayed that God would bless her.
The touching message was just what she needed to keep going and pursue her dreams.
James Arness’ War Injuries James Arness was drafted into WWI in 1943.
He helped storm the Italian beach in the Battle of Anzio and took gunfire to his lower leg
and foot and was discharged.
He earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, a European-African-Middle Easter Campaign
Medal, three bronze campaign stars, the WWII Victory Medal, and the Combat Infantryman
Badge.
These awards weren’t the only permanent record of his service.
His serious injuries often made it difficult to walk.
They affected his daily life and his work on the set of GUnsmoke.
The show must go on, and the production team often had to work around them to keep.
They’d schedule scenes where he’d have to walk long distances early in the day.
That left enough time to give him a break in between.
Mounting a horse got more and more difficult as he aged.
“Get Out of Dodge” The origin of the phrase “get out of Dodge”
comes from Dodge City, Kansas.
It most likely began as a reference to Wyatt Earp’s famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
That fight may be famous, but the legendary series Gunsmoke is what made the saying popular.
The show was set in Dodge City.
Matt Dillon would use it to warn criminals to get away from his town.
Fans started mimicking him until it became a permanent part of pop culture.
It Has Comics Seeing a massively popular show like Gunsmoke
branch out into other mediums isn’t surprising.
What is a bit of a surprise is that they were popular in both the United States and the
United Kingdom.
Dell Comics has licensed other properties in the past, including Gene Autry Comics and
I Love Lucy.
They eventually went to Gunsmoke.
Five issues appeared in newspapers for years and even outlasted the series, going until
1978.
The UK version was called Gun Law and ran in the Daily Express from 1975-1978.
It Canceled Gilligan’s Island There are moments in life when you have to
weigh two equally wonderful things but can only keep one.
That was the case with Gunsmoke and GIlligan’s Ilsand in 1967.
Actress Dawn Wells, who played Mary Anne on the latter, said the network wanted to keep
her show and move it into Gunsmoke’s timeslot.
That was until the wife of the board’s chairman came back from vacation and insisted that
Gunsmoke was her favorite show.
They acquiesced to her decision, and it paid off.
The show moved to Mondays at 7:30 PM and pushed Gilligan’s Island out.
It had been dropping in ratings before but suddenly rocketed up the charts to #4 in the
ratings.
Costar Feuds Gunsmoke was seen as a family show where everyone
got along.
That wasn’t always the case behind the scenes.
Milburn Stone hated James Arnes throughout the first three years of the show.
Milburn claims that he didn’t like his costar’s attitude.
He’d show up later or not at all and never apologize for his actions.
He once even told him to his face that they were “dramatically opposed” and that he
“did not belong in the business at all.”
He threatened to leave if he didn’t change his ways.
That confrontation helped heal their relationship.
James was humble and admitted that he’d been in the wrong.
From then on, they worked well together.
Miss Kitty’s Career Gunsmoke’s image as a family show was also
why Miss Kitty’s career was never mentioned.
It was clear that she was a madame of the brothel on the radio show.
The producers decided this wouldn’t fly on TV.
The insinuation was there if you looked in the first few seasons, but the characters
never mentioned it.
Her job was changed to saloon owner in the later seasons.
Changing Openings Gunsmoke got several different opening sequences.
The original one showed Matt Dillon and an unknown gunman fighting.
It was filmed on the same street as 1952’s High Noon.
James Arness once left the gunman win.
No one saw the sequence as a joke anymore in the 1970s.
There was a major political focus on anti-violence during that decade.
The producers thought it was inappropriate to show Matt Dillon getting into a gunfight
before every episode, so they changed it to show Matt riding his horse.
The opening sequence where he walks through the graves on Boot Hill is also significant.
It features narration taken directly from the radio series.
No Proper FInale When Gunsmoke caused the cancelation of Gilligan’s
Island, it was a major shock to the fans, cast, and crew.
The show was equally shocked by its own cancellation and had no time to prepare.
They weren’t able to create a special sendoff after the end of their 20th season.
It played out like any other episode.
It was a major disappointment for everyone involved and anyone who was watching.
One Onscreen Kiss Marshall Matt Dillon was a force for justice
but never had luck with love.
He only got to have one onscreen kiss in the show’s 20 seasons.
It happened during the episode of Matt’s Love Story.
He got to kiss a character played by Michael Learned who played Olivia Walton on the famous
sitcom The Waltons.
An Age of Westerns The legacy of Gunsmoke is undeniable.
Along with 1955’s The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, it ushered in an age of Westerns.
They were so popular that there were up to 40 airing at a time on primetime TV.
That age may be over today, but it’s an important part of TV history.
Are you a fan of Gunsmoke?
Let us know in the comments.