Happy 53rd Anniversary Gunsmoke!

Today marks the 53rd anniversary of the airing of the first episode of Gunsmoke. As many of you know, this TV western is my favorite of all time. For those of you who don’t know the show, it starred James Arness, who played the part of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, the marshal of Dodge City, Kansas in the 1860s -1870s. Supporting cast were Amanda Blake as saloon keeper Kitty Russell, and Milburn Stone as Doc Adams. Others who played in the series for long periods of time were Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode, Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen, and Buck Taylor as Newly O’Brien. Burt Reynolds played for a couple of years as Quint Asper.

Several other well-known actors of the day got their start or guest starred on Gunsmoke, including Charles Bronson, Betty Davis, Morgan Woodward, Ben Johnson, and Victor French, and L.Q. Jones. The show holds the record for the longest running television drama with continuing characters with its twenty year run, from 1955 to 1975.

I can’t say that I have vivid memories of that first Gunsmoke episode, Matt Gets It, that aired in September of 1955 as I was only four years old at the time, but I do have clear recollections of the many hours I spent with loved ones watching the show as I grew up. I recall Saturday nights were the highlight of my week and I would make any excuse to stay home when the family was invited out for the evening just so I could be sure and get my weekly dose of “Gunsmoke”. Tuesday and Thursday evenings were also special as those were the evenings the half hour reruns , renamed “Marshal Dillon”, were aired.

Time passed, I left Long Island and moved to Colorado, where I became involved in a career and the business of raising my own family. It just so happened, though, that I moved to the area where Ken Curtis was born and raised, so people did not give me strange looks when I rattled on about “Gunsmoke” like they did back in New York!

I was thrilled when I heard James Arness was coming to Bent’s Fort to film “How the West Was Won”. I remember spending an entire day out there watching him film. I never did get the opportunity to talk with him that day, but just the experience of seeing him in action was enough to make me happy. I developed a great admiration for actors in general that day! I hadn’t realized how many times a scene must be repeated before we, the viewer, see it on the screen. It takes a great deal of time to coordinate the various actors in the scene, the noise control issues (those planes flying overhead must be one of the biggest nuisances!), the lighting, and a hundred other little details.

I lost track of “Gunsmoke” for a few years. Then VCRs came into existence and when my grandmother came out to visit, she brought us a gift. Our first very own VCR! They were expensive back then, so it was quite a generous gift. Shortly after, my step grandfather sent me a package. It contained three VCR tapes with black and white one-hour Gunsmoke episodes. Wow! I watched those tapes over and over until I about wore them out.

When “Gunsmoke” came back on the air in this area on TVLand, I immediately invested in a
new VCR and at least two 10-packs of video tapes, just to get started. Since then, with the addition of the Western Channel airings, I’ve got at least one copy of every single one of the 635 episodes that were aired.

One night I was checking the internet for anything Gunsmoke and came across the Delphi Gunsmoke board, an internet group that loves to talk about everything Gunsmoke. I still have friends I keep in touch with who I met through that group.

I met Buck Taylor, the actor who played Gunsmoke’s Newly O’Brien at the Western Legends Roundup in Kanab, Utah. He is a delightful person and loves talking to the fans about the show. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to him a few times since that first meeting.

All my life, I had dreamed of meeting James Arness in person. I even prayed about it. I finally got my chance for the first time in 2001 when he held a booksigning for his autobiography at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles. I can recall walking into the auditorium and seeing him sitting up on the stage, waiting to greet his fans. Several of my Internet friends from the Delphi group were present as well, so it was exciting to finally meet them in person as well. When it was my turn to speak to Mr. Arness, he and his lovely wife, Janet, made me feel like I was the most important fan in the whole room. We visited about the town where I’m from and the fact that I know many people who were personal friends with Ken Curtis. We even laughed and joked a bit.

It was an honor to have the privilege of celebrating his 80th birthday along with other fans in 2003. Many of my friends from the Delphi group attended as well, and we presented him with a statue of a horse and rider. One of our members carried it all the way from Massachusetts on the Amtrak to get it to him! We also presented him with a book of birthday cards and letters from those who were unable to attend the booksigning but wanted to send their greetings. I got to present that to him.

We were going to present the gift and book during the booksigning, but it turned out that we got to meet with him privately in a small room away from the crowd. That was great because it was more private and personal.

James Arness is a name synonymous with justice, patriotism, self-respect, and worthy of the highest admiration. In all the parts he has played, he has portrayed characters that emulate our basic American principles and values. Just as my parents shared “Gunsmoke” with me as a child, I shared “Gunsmoke” TV time with my kids.

Over the years, I’ve accumulated quite a collection of Gunsmoke CDs in addition to the hundreds of VCR tapes of all the episodes. Those shows are priceless to me. In addition, I have most of the “How the West Was Won” tapes and several other James Arness movies.

If anyone wants to talk Gunsmoke, leave a comment and I’ll be sure to get back with you!
Thanks to all the cast and crew who made Gunsmoke a show that leaves us with many wonderful memories. Happy 53rd Anniversary!

Thanks for reading my blog.