"Gunsmoke" (1955) - Review & Commentary

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E4 - "The Round Up"

4:56 I have no idea what that entire exchange was even about... but I sure enjoyed staring at Marshal Dillon's mouth while he talked.

6:11 check out this righteous sign he hangs up... https://i.imgur.com/dbu1x3K.png Every scene of this show is so perfect.

6:55 gah, Kitty was so lucky to be on the receiving end of that big sexy man meat.

I started wondering how many cameras Gunsmoke was filmed with. Can't really find an answer to that question but I did find this quiz and I got every one of them right...

https://www.metv.com/quiz/are-these-behi...r-gunsmoke

Here's another interesting article from that site...

https://www.metv.com/stories/gunsmoke-co...even-began

When CBS wanted to bring Gunsmoke to television, they approached Charles Marquis Warren, an accomplished movie director and "one of the motion picture industry's leading experts on the American frontier West." Interestingly, Warren never thought of his now-iconic show as a "Western" and hated the label.

I find that really fascinating because it reminds me of how I used to feel about westerns (shows and movies). Maybe that's why Gunsmoke is so good.

Warren explained why it was so important to find the very best actors for each role. "In a weekly series, you have to have actors in the continuing roles who are real and natural. If anything, they must underplay, yet never become boring to the television viewer," he told Broadcasting.

A 12,000 square foot indoor set was designed to recreate what a street in the real Dodge City of the late 1800s may have looked like. The walls and facades of the buildings were constructed on wheels so that they could be moved around to accommodate cameras, lights and crew members in a variety of setups.

An INDOOR SET. There are photos if you do a search...

https://i.imgur.com/zuQE8Vj.jpg

What a production.

10:18 TBH... it'd be hard for me to believe that Amanda Blake didn't kinda fall in love with James Arness a little bit IRL. Seems like it'd be almost impossible not to.

12:25 ol' Chester's got it easy tonight.

15:40 ooooooo, yeeeesh. I guess Matt got a little too carried away with the shootin'. That suuuuuuucks.

16:20 oh woooow. They make some interesting connections and suggestions on this show sometimes, I gotta hand it to 'em.

18:16 oh God man, everybody out there is about to start having a bad night.

18:30 well I mean... we all know he lives, but. If we didn't, I'd have to say he's acting on emotion and being irresponsible in a lot of ways.

19:26 damn right you ain't... get the hell outta Dodge!!! (Wonder how long til he says it?!)

19:40 lmfao I love the way he shoved that guy... James Arness was so fucking great in this role. So great. Just so natural, like that quote from the article said.

20:43 wait a damn minute... it just occurs to me. These saloons with the swing doors... HOW DO THEY CLOSE IF THEY AIN'T EVEN GOT A REAL DOOR?!?!??!?!

20:56 wow, Kitty'd be the last motherfucker I'd wanna hear lip out of tonight, I tell you that. I halfway hope he smacks her down! If anything she should be closing up shop post haste and getting ready to SERVICE HER MAN UPSTAIRS IN THAT FABLED ROOM OF HERS??!?!?!?!!??!

21:50 pft, shit... these guys are screwed. They could riddle him with bullets and he'd still kill every last one of 'em before he died. That's how mad he is. They better just get outta Dodge.

23:00 ahhh... there's nothin' better than a nice, quiet town.

24:00 I know this is a mega serious, super intense emotional moment for Marshal Dillon, but I still can't help feeling aroused... https://imgur.com/a/JrZMgXt

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E5 - "Young Man With a Gun"

1:40 so again, where in the heck do they LIVE? Because Marshal Dillon was locking up the place and leaving, and Chester wasn't even there.

8:47 lmfao ooooowwwwnnnneeeedddddd.

9:56 "Well you'd better eat something. You're liable to lose your figure." Oooohohohoho fuck, baby. Is it too early to head up to Miss Kitty's room and get it the fuck on?!?!?!!?1 Lol. I dunno, it seems kinda like they purposely engineered Matt Dillon to be every woman's dream man. And I have nooooo complaints.

10:36 awwww, and he's so friendly too. Trying to make this little feller feel welcome, making sure he gets a steak. My God. I am sooooo... well, I'm in love.

11:30 I was gonna place him at about 16. But at the same time I was battling knowing that the actor is probably actually like 23. Let's go look it up. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0224636 Jack Diamond, he was 20 at the time.

12:11 "You were sayin'?" roflmfaofloamfaofalfol.

12:40 man, if Marshal Dillon had dropped $0.50 on a nice steak and eggs for me, he could have this ass all week!!!!!!!!

13:00 lol, Chester's pretty funny... he's a great character.

14:20 he looks all mean now and shit.

14:30 AND SMELL LIKE A MAN. AND TASTE LIKE A MAN.

15:20 oh wow. I THOUGHT he looked kinda stupid.

16:08 lol oh that guy! I'd forgotten all about him. I wondered why something that seemed like it should have been a climax happened so early in the episode.

16:30 he's a lot better looking than his brother was though... he really should just straighten up and fly right.

16:51 castor oil, lol.

17:40 he's definitely dumb enough to mean it.

19:15 this time Doc says "Get outta Dodge."

20:40 dude this kid's a freakin' psycho. This episode needed a Boot Hill intro, I'm so for real.

21:55 uh oh... he's met his demise. I can already tell.

24:10 "No shit, son."

25:30 Gunsmoke is the sexiest show in existence.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E6 - "Indian White"

Oh God, it's another Indian episode. They need to just leave the "Indians" out of "Cowboys and Indians" and quit their appropriatin'. I cringe every time I see a white dude playing an Indian... for real, just stop.

0:22 OMG it's a Boot Hill intro! I figured there wouldn't be any more!

1:16 [solemn theme playing]

1:20 opens at Fort Dodge.

1:46 that kind of stuff really does happen though. I've heard stories about it.

2:40 everything was straight up wood back then. So hot.

4:26 well who's to say she's a good mother??

5:20 I feel like this kid's gonna drive this lady nuts and this episode's gonna turn dark, lmao =\

6:06 I'm telling you... the childless life is the best life. Kitty's thanking her lucky stars right now.

6:50 TBH I think he kinda does look like her.

10:30 I mean... it's hard to argue with the kid on that one. What he's saying is true.

12:37 this lady is gorgeous... but she's definitely barking up the wrong tree.

14:50 I'd let that kid go right back to them... I'm serious, like bye.

16:00 just let him fuckin' go.

18:50 they're both right.

24:00 I don't blame him for not wanting to leave them.

24:40 you know what... be that as it may, it's clear where his allegiance lies, and maybe he's right to feel the way he does.

25:10 I think he SHOULD tell her. Let her know he's with the Indians, they all like him and he likes them, so just let it go. It's better than her having to wonder. But I don't blame the marshal either.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E7 - "How to Cure a Friend"

0:03 new dramatic changes to the opening theme, drums and such.

0:16 new announcer too, I definitely like him better but I don't dig the drums etc. It's fine though. When I first got the box set and was testing each DVD, it was very interesting seeing the intro change throughout the seasons.

0:45 this guy looks like a problem.

1:48 whatever, looks like some good bounce on that bed!?

2:22 DEADWOOD. Man... I can never get over the thought of how epic it would have been to travel to each of these iconic old west towns back in those glory days.

6:10 I'm letting this episode lull me to sleep and I have the volume turned down pretty low. The captions really come in handy at a time like this, and on this episode for the first time, I notice that the captions seem different. They seem to... not suck as much?! They're more thorough. Wonder if they got somebody else to start writing them at this point? Hopefully it stays this way, lmao.

8:17 if the captions could have always been this good, then why did they allow the piss poor captions for all of season 1 and the beginning of season 2?? Puzzling. They're still not perfect but they seem to be a lot better.

13:56 wow, I forgot all about Silver City!

20:32 how is that clock even powered??

21:00 these guys look like a couple of goofballs.

24:48 "Get out of Dodge."

Ahhh, so satisfying. Such a great show.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E8 - "Legal Revenge"

0:09 that's strange... the opening intro is now back to the original. Wonder if it's because this one has a Boot Hill intro? Was the footage somehow conjoined? Because I'd say all of this footage of him walking around at Boot Hill is recycled from maybe like 10 separately filmed scenes. I've recognized a few of the same ones more than once... since they're always voiceover monologues, they reused the footage.

0:23 [tranquil theme playing] Darn right it is. Downright lovely.

1:30 wow, this lady's an effin' bitch. Like I mean seriously, look at Doc. There's nothing even remotely suss about him or anything. Like for real. And he's a great looking older gentleman too. There's no reason for her to treat him like common trash.

2:00 oh there's definitely something wrong here. I bet Doc knows it too.

God this show makes me so lit and turnt. Watching it feels sooooo good. I feel high. Elated with excitement and anticipation about what each episode's gonna be about... how sexy is Marshal Dillon gonna be, will he be just regular sexy, or will he be over the top sexy like he's been in some episodes? And what about Kitty... will she be in it? What kind of fabulous outfit will she be wearing? Will it be one of those crazy rare times when we see her with her hair down? Who's gonna guest star?! Is it gonna be a funny lighthearted episode or a super poignant one? There are so many possibilities with Gunsmoke. They can do ANYTHING.

Part of me feels like it's a show that isn't meant to be bingewatched. It's almost like it's meant to be savored for as long as you live. Cuz if you think about it, having aired for 20 years... I mean, that's how long some people had to wait to see it all. Is it unnatural to bingewatch a show like Gunsmoke? IS there a show like Gunsmoke?? It's all about that delicate balance between savoring it, and making sure you get to see it all because no one is promised tomorrow, much less next year!

2:20... what the eff? Do we have an abusive wife here??

3:15 duuuude... I think this lady WANTS her husband to die.

6:00 man I don't think ANYBODY knows what the hell is going on in this episode.

6:45 damn, that cheese looks good!

7:40 aha, so I was right!

12:35 dude this episode is CRAZY.

12:08 um excuse me?? He's gonna do what she says?? She's got a GUN. It doesn't matter if she's a woman or not, shoot that bitch!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY THINKING?!?!?!?!?!?!!

16:00 so they're gonna ride without any fucking protection?? THAT'S BULLSHIT. What the hell is this shit??? They should have shot her as soon as they saw the gun. It's RIDICULOUS.

17:30 "Warshin' kinda regular" roflmfaolol.

20:00 I figured it was something like that.

24:30 "Get outta Dodge?" lmao.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E9 - "The Mistake"

0:46 damn, it's almost like they're talking about me!??!!

1:57 check out that flirty body language from Matt.

11:30 I dunno, I think he's telling the truth about having been with Doc.

20:36 honestly, I really like this guy. I think he's a great character, whether he really is guilty or not.

24:20 the Boot Hill openers are totally spoilers... but I literally never remember them until the conclusion of the episode. So I guess they don't spoil too much.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E10 - "Greater Love"

0:58 so beautiful and poetic.

12:00 this banter between Miss Kitty and Matt are the only parts of this episode I've really been paying attention to.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E11 - "No Indians"

1:09 roflmaololol.

2:33 lolol Chester's layin' it on thick for this pretty one, I don't blame him!!! He's so romantic!!!

11:48 I think that's actually pretty smart.

17:55 so what, is this guy a serial killer or something?

20:25 I love it when Matt gets forceful!!!

23:07 I laughed all the way through!!!

24:56 sometimes I crack up when they call people "Mister", I dunno what about it just sounds so funny. I mean I love it, but I just think it sounds so funny.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E12 - "Spring Term"

6:00 lol this guy is a great salesman. He has a great voice.

10:40 ohhh, fuck yeah!!! *nanarub*

22:18 "They say everybody loves a fat man." Uhhh, I've definitely never heard that one before.

24:26 wow, look at all that... GUNSMOKE!!!!!?!?! I can practically smell it!!!

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E13 - "Poor Pearl"

1:45 when have you ever seen scenes like this in a show where the characters are SOOOOO good at acting like this is REALLY their LIFE?! I mean, look at them. They're so natural. Gunsmoke is absolutely one of a kind.

2:36 lmao. Oh my God.

3:50 it hasn't shown this Pearl chick yet, but I'd say that there's a good chance she really does like this guy. I mean he definitely cleans up well and he seems nice enough.

4:00 I feel like this is definitely bound to go wrong somehow though, lol.

5:16 oh shit, is this her?? Everyone's screwed then. Is she a saloon girl? For real?

7:40 that's hot.

8:04 who the fuck is this Webb guy? What does he matter?

8:12 what is he, her pimp?? I thought Miss Kitty was her pimp now!?

8:30 if I was her, I'd marry Willie in a heartbeat.

11:43 Miss Kitty has such a nice nose.

13:50 damn, talk about being on the spot... lmao.

14:45 I will say this... I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY these men get all worked up over these dime-a-dozen saloon girls. Or ANY of the women for that matter. There's a new saloon girl every week. The next one might be even better looking so why not take your chances and wait for something else?? Besides, as soon as somebody slighted me like that, I'd lose every ounce of love I ever had for them.

15:30 he's like 50, it can't be his first rodeo anyway.

15:40 this chick has like noooo personality.

16:06 anytime I hear them say "Hello Kitty" I can't help but think about Sanrio.

18:08 this scene of the curtain blowing in the wind, so poignant.

20:00 lmao, doesn't Sam know who this guy is?? And how stereotypical is it that a bartender's name is Sam??

20:25 lmao, again, you can take the girl out of the saloon, but ya can't take the saloon out of the girl. LMAO!

20:38 uh oh... little Jimmie better not get hurt?! Poor kid was just there to deliver a slutty dress!!!

21:45 man I dunno, but the lady is boring as hell til her dying second. Definitely not worth hangin' over.

22:00 "She's dead, Jim." Oops, lmao, wrong show?!

Great ending scene.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E14 - "Cholera"

Oh this one oughta be dramatic.

2:44 God he's gorgeous... https://i.imgur.com/CXtZa0P.png

6:45 the captions have gone to shit again.

9:18 holy crap, OMG, thank God.

9:26 LMAO and everyone's shocked he's there, rofl!!!

12:18 so they've spiked their water with cholera?

13:50 look at those gorgeous old school playing cards.

16:16 she's damn right about that. Doc'll even help people he hates!

25:00 true that.

[Mister Obvious]

This is a letter James Arness penned to his fans before he died in his sleep, age 88, in 2011 from natural causes...

Hi friends,

    I decided to write a letter to you for Janet to post on our website in the event I was no longer here.

    I had a wonderful life and was blessed with some many loving people and great friends. The best part of my life was my family, especially my wife Janet. Many of you met her at Dodge City so you understand what a special person she is.

    I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the many years of being a fan of Gunsmoke, The Thing, How the West Was Won and all the other fun projects I was lucky enough to have been allowed to be a part of. I had the privilege of working with so many great actors over the years.

    I was honored to have served in the army for my country. I was at Anzio during WWII and it makes you realize how very precious life is.

    Thank you again for all the many letters, cards, emails and gifts we received from you over the years. You are and always have been truly appreciated.

    Sincerely,
    Jim Arness

[Mister Obvious]

https://www.insp.com/blog/matt-dillon-mi...ove-affair

Jim Byrnes, who wrote 34 of the series' best episodes, remembers they kept it subtle. "After the fadeout, there was an unspoken deal that, after the Long Branch closed, and Matt Dillon put up the 'closed for the night' sign, he'd go over to The Long Branch, and go upstairs; but we never explored that."

The final blow-up came over Blake's wardrobe. Miss Kitty was always supposed to look elegant, and Mantley hadn't budgeted any new costumes for Blake for several years. When she refused to go on without a new wardrobe, Mantley fired her. He would later admit, "It was the biggest mistake I ever made."

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E15 - "Pucket's New Year"

0:08 I can tell just from the opening credits that this one has a Boot Hill intro.

0:24 yup ;)

This may damn well be the greatest show of all time.

0:40 "A lot of men come out to this country lookin' for a fresh start, a chance to begin again. And some of 'em make it. Others soon end up under a cheap marker out here on Boot Hill. But still every year, the dreamers come with their big fancy plans and the promises they've made to themselves. And I watch 'em all. I try to guess which ones might see it through and which ones never will. Matt Dillon, US Marshal."

2:00 those wagon train tent thingies look like a great place to live in the right weather.

2:25 if there was a screen on the front, you'd have protection from pests, fresh air all the time. Always waking up in a brand new day just a curtain's pull away from nature.

4:50 lol this Pucket's a feisty old feller!

4:55 lol Matt's always cleaning his guns the past few episodes. That's hot. I love seeing him stroke those barrels with a rag and blow on 'em.

5:45 lol Doc says coffee will kill ya, then he goes right for the alcohol.

8:46 "I'm a man, not a dude!" lmao!!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked it up and apparently "dude" really started taking off in the 1800s and was a term to describe foppish well dressed folks who tried to look richer than they actually were. File that under "Things You Didn't Know Before Gunsmoke".

13:17 he really does have the most gorgeous smile I've ever seen.

13:38 re: Miss Kitty walking to San Francisco and Matt replies, "Wouldn't be the first time somebody got there that way." I just find this funny considering James Arness hitchhiked to Hollywood when he was younger.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E16 - "The Cover Up"

0:16 this one has the good announcer... he says "Gunsmoke" with a little more boom and bass in his voice than the rest.

0:27 great quality on these DVDs, totally gorgeous.

0:33 [somber western theme playing] "You know, I've heard it said that the worse a man treats a woman, the more she loves him. Well, I don't know much about women, but I do know something about horses. And I can tell you that if you treat a horse bad, he's not gonna come very fast when you whistle. Of course, I could be wrong about it. I know I was one time. And it nearly cost me my job. Matt Dillon, US Marshal."

I can say this... you're not ready for Gunsmoke until you're ready for Gunsmoke. And once you're ready, there's little you're gonna enjoy more.

2:30 Oooohhhh, Miss Kitty... *heart eyes*

14:06 "Shuddup, woman!"

23:55 bahahaha, oh shit! Well let's be honest, he always wanted to do that anyway.

24:03 DAYUM! That guy's got a MAD widow's peak!

25:46 God this ending theme is GORGEOUS.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E17 - "Sins of the Father"

1:30 aw she's cute!

1:38 ah, she's another white chick playing an Indian, but we're gonna let it slide... I guess.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E18 - "Kick Me"

LOL @ the title.

4:00 "You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I found YOU!!!!!"

4:16 "A woman's like a dog, you gotta teach her to heel."

13:56 why we're practically seeing Miss Kitty in her underwear!!!

14:47 oh wow, that escalated quickly. I figured he was just gonna slap her or something!?

22:47 good God dang, Kitty looks finer than heck... https://imgur.com/a/OX5c0gE

22:58 obvious trap is obvious!

24:14 "Shit." Lol.

24:22 ugh this guy is gross, lmao.

24:28 BWHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! OOOOWWWNNNNNEEEDDDDD.

24:46 I don't have that much of a problem with this character because at least the actor looks like he really could be Native American.

24:56 yeah I think everyone was assuming the marshal knew exactly what was gonna happen but apparently he didn't, lol.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E19 - "Executioner"

1:55 *hint hint* "Let's retire so I don't have to be a madame anymore, Matt!"

3:40 it's interesting how they often refer to people as "kids" in this show when they're like 25 and sometimes appear older, considering that advanced age must have been fairly rare back in those days, right? Didn't people die a lot sooner back in the 1800s and whatnot?? I thought life expectancy was like 40 or something. I just find it very interesting... I think there's way more to why they did this, and I mean WAY more than most people would guess. I have my theories, but I am not gonna share... I will simply say that it's a good thing, it's well intentioned, and it's brilliant.

4:08 I think the guy kinda looks like Adam Sandler, only not lovable or endearing, lmao.

4:35 I'd be taking that nice gun belt off his hands after I dealt with him. I'd take those fancy pants too.

5:40 man that's a lot of rocks. Where did he find all those?!

11:11 ah come on now, don't bring wolves into this!

12:19 ain't that a room at the Dodge House?

13:03 he's gonna bait him into killing him so he'll hang for shooting an unarmed man. He knows it's the only way.

13:28 ah... well, maybe not. He can see that he's not wearing his gun belt from the front so the coat's not really gonna serve that purpose. Oh well, it would have totes been a reasonable plot.

15:40 I dunno, seems to me like this guy should just get outta Dodge. That'd cure the problem pretty fast.

20:01 there's something beautiful about that big wide dirt road... https://imgur.com/a/hP42rgS

22:46 most of 'em on this show, at least!!!

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E20 - "Gone Straight"

2:39 "He's guilty of rustling, murder and banditry." What a sentence.

3:56 how the shit do they know how much he weighs??

7:20 are these badass widow's peaks on these dudes even real?? I feel like they're too baller and perfect.

9:17 he knows it's obviously this guy.

10:11 frankly I think they need to leave this hotass dude alone, he seems like an honest workin' man to me.

10:48 lmao @ the music, it's not like everybody didn't already know.

11:09 OMG we almost never see Marshal Dillon wearing just his undershirt. I'm so turned on I can hardly type straight!!!

13:04 I believe her on that... I really think that warrant is BS, Santa Fe obviously has beef with this guy and they just need to let it go. Marshal Dillon's been suspicious of it from the start. Can't an outlaw clean up his life and go straight?? ... OMG. THAT'S THE NAME OF THIS EPISODE?!!!?!!!? I swear I didn't even realize that when I typed this, lmao!!!

16:40... hmmm. Maybe it IS him after all.

20:18 I really like this actress... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_Stewart

20:58 a rifle is definitely the weapon that fits Chester the best.

23:06 niiiiice onnnnne. Oh my, Marshal Dillon... *heart eyes*

24:46 lolol. God man... this is the greatest show of all time, for sure.

25:02 "There ain't the least doubt about it."

[Atma]

From the same episode - S02E20

"A man that's try'na go straight needs all the help he can get".
"But you've got a wife to think of".
(without hesitation) "She feels the same as I do".

Damn.

Also:
"You know, in a gunfight, a man can get excited sometimes".
Delivered like he's talking casually about the weather.