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Gunsmoke is an American western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running western in television history. The first episode aired in the United States on September 10, 1955, and the final episode aired on March 31, 1975. All episodes were broadcast in the U.S. by CBS. In the United Kingdom Gunsmoke was originally broadcast under the title Gun Law.
Contents
- Episodes
- Half hour era
- Season 1 1955 56
- Season 2 1956 57
- Season 3 1957 58
- Season 4 1958 59
- Season 5 1959 60
- Season 6 1960 61
- One hour black and white era
- Season 7 1961 62
- Season 8 1962 63
- Season 9 1963 64
- Season 10 1964 65
- Season 11 1965 66
- One hour color era
- Season 12 1966 67
- Season 13 1967 68
- Season 14 1968 69
- Season 15 1969 70
- Season 16 1970 71
- Season 17 1971 72
- Season 18 1972 73
- Season 19 1973 74
- Season 20 1974 75
- Home media release
- References
Gunsmoke was originally a half-hour program filmed in black-and-white. The series expanded to an hour in length with season seven and began filming in color season twelve. During its run 635 episodes were broadcast, of which 233 were 30 minutes in length and 402 were 60 minutes in length. Of the hour-long episodes 176 were in black-and-white and 226 in color. During season two, Gunsmoke became one of the ten most popular programs on American television and moved to number one in the third season. It remained at number one until 1961 and stayed in the top twenty until 1964. The series returned to prominence in 1967 following a shift in its programming time from Saturday to Monday night. From there Gunsmoke remained in the top twenty for the next seven years, dropping out only in its final season. In May 1975 CBS canceled the series. Alan Wagner, the network's vice president at the time, said, "It's better to get rid of a program one year too soon than one year too late." Between 1987 and 1994 five television movies based on the series were aired by CBS.
Gunsmoke is set in and around Dodge City, Kansas, in the post-Civil War era and centers on United States Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) as he enforces law and order in the city. In its original format the series also focuses on Dillon's friendship with three other citizens of Dodge City: Doctor Galen "Doc" Adams (Milburn Stone), the town's physician; Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake), owner of the Long Branch Saloon; and Chester Goode (Dennis Weaver), Dillon's assistant. In season eight (1962–63) a fifth regular character was added to the cast: blacksmith Quint Asper (Burt Reynolds), who remained until the end of season ten (1964–65). Dennis Weaver left the series during season nine (1963–64) and was replaced by Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen, who became deputy to Marshall Dillon. Both Chester and Festus appear together in the season nine episode "The Prairie Wolfer," and Festus had initially appeared the previous season, playing the same character as a quasi-outlaw helping Dillon track a killer in "Us Haggens". In season eleven (1965–66), another deputy, Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood (Roger Ewing), was added to the cast. Ewing's character was replaced in season thirteen (1967–68) by Newly O'Brien (Buck Taylor). Amanda Blake left the series at the end of season nineteen (1973–74) and was replaced in the final season by a new character, Miss Hannah, portrayed by Fran Ryan.
As of August 6, 2013, all episodes from the first nine seasons of Gunsmoke have been released on DVD while two other collections contain selected episodes from all twenty seasons. Three of the five television movies have been released on DVD as well. CBS DVD/Paramount Home Video has announced that both volumes of Season 10 will be released on DVD on August 12, 2014.
Episodes
Half-hour era
1955/56 through 1960/61
233 half-hour episodes (all black-and-white)
39 episodes for each of the first five seasons, with 38 episodes for the 6th season
Season 1 (1955-56)
Thirty-nine half-hour episodes, black-and-white
Producer: Charles Marquis Warren; associate producer: Norman Macdonnell
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Dennis Weaver (Chester), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty)
Note: The premiere episode was introduced by John Wayne.
Season 2 (1956-57)
Thirty-nine half-hour episodes, black-and-white
Producer: Charles Marquis Warren (episodes 40–49, 51–52, 57), Norman Macdonnell (episodes 50, 53–56, 58–78)
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Dennis Weaver (Chester), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty)
Season 3 (1957-58)
Thirty-nine half-hour episodes, black-and-white
Producer: Norman Macdonnell
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Dennis Weaver (Chester), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty)
Season 4 (1958-59)
Thirty-nine half-hour episodes, black-and-white
Producer: Norman Macdonnell
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Dennis Weaver (Chester), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty)
Season 5 (1959-60)
Thirty-nine half-hour episodes, black-and-white
Producer: Norman Macdonnell
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Dennis Weaver (Chester), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty)
Season 6 (1960-61)
Thirty-eight half-hour episodes, black-and-white
Producer: Norman Macdonnell; associate producer: James Arness
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Dennis Weaver (Chester), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty)
One-hour black-and-white era
1961/62 through 1965/66
176 black-and-white full-hour episodes
(all two-parters counted as two individual hour-long episodes)
Season 7 (1961-62)
Thirty-four one-hour episodes, black-and-white
Producer: Norman Macdonnell; associate producer: Frank Paris
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Dennis Weaver (Chester), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty)
Season 8 (1962-63)
Thirty-eight one-hour episodes, black-and-white
Producer: Norman Macdonnell; associate producer: Frank Paris
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Dennis Weaver (Chester), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Burt Reynolds (Quint Asper)
Season 9 (1963-64)
Thirty-six one-hour episodes, black-and-white
Producer: Norman Macdonnell; associate producer: Frank Paris
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Dennis Weaver (Chester), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Ken Curtis (Festus), Burt Reynolds (Quint Asper)
Season 10 (1964-65)
Thirty-six one-hour episodes, black-and-white
Producer: Norman Macdonnell (episodes 342–348, 350, 352, 361, 367), Philip Leacock (episodes 349, 351, 353–360, 362–366, 368–377); associate producer: Frank Paris
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Milburn Stone (Doc), Ken Curtis (Festus), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Burt Reynolds (Quint Asper)
Season 11 (1965-66)
Thirty-two one-hour episodes, black-and-white
Producer: Philip Leacock; associate producer: John Mantley
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Ken Curtis (Festus), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Roger Ewing (Thad)
One-hour color era
1966/67 through 1974/75
226 color episodes (all full-hour)
(all two- or three-parters counted as two or three individual hour-long episodes)
Season 12 (1966-67)
Twenty-nine one-hour episodes, color
Executive producer: Philip Leacock; producer: John Mantley
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Ken Curtis (Festus), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Roger Ewing (Thad)
CBS cancelled the series due to low ratings. However, letters of protest and pressure from his wife persuaded William S. Paley, the network's chief executive, to re-instate Gunsmoke for a thirteenth season.
Note: In 1997 TV Guide ranked "The Jailer" as episode No. 28 on its "100 Greatest Episodes of All Time" list.
Season 13 (1967-68)
Twenty-five one-hour episodes, color
Producer: John Mantley; associate producer: Joseph Dackow
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Ken Curtis (Festus), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Buck Taylor (Newly)
Gunsmoke began its thirteenth season in a new time-slot (Monday nights at 7:30 PM). With this the series returned to being among the top ten highest rated programs, where it remained for the next six seasons.
Season 14 (1968-69)
Twenty-six one-hour episodes, color
Producer / executive producer: John Mantley; associate producer: Joseph Dackow
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Ken Curtis (Festus), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Buck Taylor (Newly)
Season 15 (1969-70)
Twenty-six one-hour episodes, color
Executive producer: John Mantley; producer: Joseph Dackow
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Ken Curtis (Festus), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Buck Taylor (Newly)
Season 16 (1970-71)
Twenty-four one-hour episodes, color
Executive producer: John Mantley; producer: Joseph Dackow (episodes 516–528), Leonard Katzman (episodes 529–539)
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Ken Curtis (Festus), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Buck Taylor (Newly)
Note: "Pike", the two-part episode that ended the season, was later developed into a spin-off series entitled Dirty Sally.
Season 17 (1971-72)
Twenty-four one-hour episodes, color
Executive producer: John Mantley; producer: Leonard Katzman; associate producer: Ron Honthaner
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Ken Curtis (Festus), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Buck Taylor (Newly)
Season 18 (1972-73)
Twenty-four one-hour episodes, color
Executive producer: John Mantley; producer: Leonard Katzman; associate producer: Ron Honthaner.
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Ken Curtis (Festus), Buck Taylor (Newly)
Season 19 (1973-74)
Twenty-four one-hour episodes, color
Executive producer: John Mantley; producer: Leonard Katzman; associate producer: Ron Honthaner
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Ken Curtis (Festus), Milburn Stone (Doc), Amanda Blake (Kitty), Buck Taylor (Newly)
Season 20 (1974-75)
Twenty-four one-hour episodes, color
Executive producer: John Mantley; producer: Leonard Katzman; associate producer: Ron Honthaner
Regular cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Ken Curtis (Festus), Milburn Stone (Doc), Buck Taylor (Newly), Fran Ryan (Hannah)
Home media release
The first eleven seasons of Gunsmoke and the first three reunion films are available on DVD in Region 1. Two box sets—The 50th Anniversary Collection and The Director's Collection—have been released on DVD in Region 1. An over-year long hiatus happened between Seasons 11 & 12 for unknown reasons.