"Gunsmoke" (1955) - Review & Commentary

[Mister Obvious]

The wild west is so glamorous. I want wild west culture to be immortalized for eons!!!

[Mister Obvious]

I'm glad James Arness stuck to his guns (pun?) and upheld the moral quality of the show til the end.

Of course it remains to be seen whether there was ever annoying propaganda introduced into the show over the years, I'll call it out when/if I see it.

Gotta remember this show started in the '50s and went all through the '60s-'70s hippie era.

It will be fascinating to see if/how this reflects in the show.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E31 - "How To Die For Nothing"

1:40 I know this guy's gotta be trouble, but I tell ya what... it don't stop him from being good looking! I was right... this show is a damn near endless source of eye candy!

1:55 lmao this ain't gonna end well.

2:25 seems like being from Texas bore a stigma in those days.

3:00 "I guess you take some learnin'." Lmfaololol.

3:10 well that didn't last long.

That ol' Boot Hill fills up quick and I bet it's the final resting place of a cool dozen of the finest lookin' motherfuckers who ever walked the earth!

3:20 "Guess this horse is mine now!"

3:40 Ned's dead, suckaaah!

5:05 Marshal Dillon seems a bit bothered.

5:25 I like Chester's instruction on how to make coffee in the background while this brooding, out-for-blood cowboy walks in and takes a table.

5:55 reminds me of Bob (the guy with the iconic laugh) making coffee with a pot of coffee instead of water.

6:50 they're talking about sassafras. I guess they use the root as a toothbrush.

7:35 DAMN this episode is tense.

9:20 what the hell is it with people on this show announcing in front of large groups of people that they're gonna kill somebody? Lmao. This is like the elevendieth time it's happened, and it's just a perfect framing situation.

9:40 agh, God man, this guy is perfectly creepy... like really well done.

10:25 see this is the part I don't get... was it not a crime to literally threaten to kill someone in front of 20 people in the wild west? *facepalm*

11:18 damn that's a nice pitcher and basin.

11:50 if Marshal Dillon wasn't there all night then where was he? Does he live somewhere else?? Are they gonna address this???

14:50 man Marshal Dillon's got a purdy mouth.

15:50 have we ever even seen this hotel owner guy before? He reminds me of those Star Trek extras that always get killed, lmao!

17:28 dude this hotel guy is annoying as hell, who's side is he on anyway? Not like the marshal doesn't protect his fricken hotel every day of the week along with the rest of Dodge.

17:48 some of these people's eyebrows look too good to be real.

20:20 lmfao what an idiot, yeah they're totally gonna kill that guy... 100%. He's totally unlikable.

22:00 they'll probably save his sorry ass instead of letting him get dealt with for the tard that he is. Hopefully he'll pucker up and get ready to kiss ass for the rest of the series.

23:00 um, wow. This fricken piece of crap needs to get kicked out of Dodge, his behavior is unacceptable and he's a traitor to the good marshal AND the people of Dodge as a whole.

I ended up having to turn off the captions because they kept covering Matt's mouth while he was talking, and it was stiflin' my ladyboner. This episode had more of the classic "up close tell-off" scenes than any other before it. I suspect it'll be a trend from now on.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E32 - "Dutch George"

1:00 you know, it occurs to me... because it's such a unique position to be on a TV show for 20 years, I bet there haven't been many (if any) psychological studies done on the effects of such a thing. The only people you could really study for it these days would be soap opera stars... https://www.sectual.com/thread-9745.html

Most of the people who were on Gunsmoke for that long are dead. Well, I mean, I guess they're ALL dead. Who else has played the same character every year for 20 years? https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a865498/lo...tors-roles That article is kinda piss poor in my opinion because take for example our beloved Columbo... Peter Falk had basically the entire 80s off from that character, and most of the 90s. He wasn't working in that role every year. https://www.cbr.com/tv-series-actors-pla...many-years This one seems to have more soap stars on it.

I think a study on this needs to be done. The best and only real way to do it would be to get a comprehensive profile of the actor BEFORE they began working in said role... and then follow the changes in their personalities and their personal lives over the duration of the role they play. It has to be someone playing the same role every year for at least 10+ years, exactly like James Arness or Amanda Blake. The actors who were on Supernatural qualify... but they didn't have their profiles made before the show really began, they weren't studied during, etc. This needs to be done and it needs to be taken seriously.

1:28 the hell does this guy think he's doing??

2:45 gotta turn the captions back on... can't understand a damn word they're saying.

3:35 awww, this feller's so nice. I'd marry him in a heartbeat, and it looks like he knows how to make some baller bacon. Totally gonna get killed though.

4:30 don't go over there, it's so obviously a trick man, you're smarter than that.

6:00 I noticed Kitty wasn't in the last episode... doesn't look like she's gonna be in this one either.

7:38 oh nvm, there she is.

11:25 I like this sexy feller. He's a nice dresser too, I'm diggin' that tall collar.

14:20 lol that's what I figured he'd do.

16:16 I don't get it, just what in the hell is their plan???

19:00 yeah it's as I suspected, the facial closeups are a thing now. In this episode I can still see his mouth with the captions on, so it's fine. These scenes are a lil dramatic... but it's okay because he's hot. That's just part of the western movie/film style.

19:50 SURPRIIIIIIISE BITCH!!!!!!!!

Man arrows are scary though, they're so silent eh?

My guess is he's coming after the horse thief with his friends.

21:30 "Stay outta Dodge." Lmao, I knew he was gonna say that. It occurs to me that they probably said this on the radio show too!!! Oh man, I wanna hear that!!! I've yet to check out any of the episodes.

22:07 uh oh, that's *THE* horse.

22:30 damn that Jimmy McQueen is fine as hell though. Actor Tom Pittman... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Pittman Died on October 31, 1958 when his Porsche Spyder crashed on the way home from a party, the same fate James Dean had met in 1955.

23:26 "It's my looks I guess. But I'll grow out of 'em." He never did <3 https://imgur.com/a/R0HJFXj

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E33 - "Prairie Happy"

4:40 I never knew "triggered" was an actual legit term, lol.

6:00 "How come you're not armed, Kitty!?" roflmfaololol.

8:35 lmao, DAMN that's HARDCORE!

12:30 see, he does usually sleep there.

13:00 that guy did it all, he's a crazy dude just trying to start some shit.

21:20 there's obviously some kinda weapon in there.

That ending closeup of Matt was pure heaven.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E34 - "Chester's Mail Order Bride"

LMAO judging by the title, this one oughta be good for a laugh!!! A mail order bride back in the 1800s, eh?! Wonder what those ads looked like!?

0:20 God those boots are wicked. https://imgur.com/a/u3k8MYy Makes me wanna start wearing mine again!!!

1:07 lol there's her picture!!!

2:00 I DEFINITELY feel like Miss Kitty and Matt just got done bangin'... *ohyeah*

2:50 this is definitely a cute episode, I love it so far.

3:30 "The Cupid's Messenger" lol.

4:38 ohhhhh noooo, roflmfaolololol!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5:00 he said "buttoned up" and the captions said "mucked up"... now that's some bullshit, ladies and gents. I could have done a better job writing these fucking captions. Why don't they just use an auto generating software like YouTube does and then have humans go back and edit any parts the AI got wrong? For real. First they're covering up the marshal's sexy teeth during his close ups and now they're just plain wrong? What good is the shit?!

6:17 rofl.

6:50 "Fella who owned that suit was a fine fella." roflmfao.

7:14 what do you wanna bet she doesn't look anything like the picture?! Wild west catfishin'!

7:38 oh my, lololol1!! Had me there for a second!?!

7:55 I meean... not as bad I was expecting but yeah.

8:08 wait a damn minute, THAT WAS the other lady though. IT WAS. IT DEFINITELY WAS. What kinda scam is this?? What the heck?? IT WAS THE OTHER LADY. You can't tell me it wasn't, the picture looks just like her. I am so effing confused right now.

8:28 well she's perfect for Chester, I mean come on now.

8:47 dude this is HILARIOUS. You gotta watch this episode, I'm serious. It's a lighthearted little ditty. The way he looks around, ROFLMAO!!!!!!

8:52 she's like 2 feet shorter than him, rofl!!!

9:38 lmao the look on Kitty's face!

10:30 she's not even that plain, they just don't have her in that saloon girl makeup yet!!!

11:32 "Well I don't HAVE a sister!" AAAAHAAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! Gold. GOLD, this episode is GOLD. More gold in this episode than in them hills!!!

12:08 they're fine for each other, seriously, I don't see what the problem is. They'll get over it.

12:32 "Well I declare." Lol she said that so perfectly.

13:42 it IS a nice suit though.

13:49 lol I love this Nate guy's character, he's hilarious. I wish he was around more!

15:20 man I dunno, I think Chester would be making a mistake to turn this down, she seems to like him enough and she talks a good talk.

15:35 I like her zest, come on she's perfect!

16:30 well it was seeming good but now I'm sensing a letdown for Chester, lmao.

17:03 lol uh ohhh.

18:11 damn... the good marshal has a point. I never looked at it that way. It's too bad he had to inject some reason into the situation, I was enjoying the fantasy!

21:09 "Just playin' it safe in case I don't get one of my own... *sniff*" ROFLMFAOOOO, Miss Kitty throwing shade at Matt for never proposing!!!

23:10 damn his hair looks good though.

24:10 lol well THAT was easy!!!

Such a great episode. One of my favorite so far.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E35 - "The Guitar"

1:00 lmao this is the rowdiest shit I've ever heard. They did such a great job with this scene, especially the one on the left.

6:00 did that random guy just say he owns the Long Branch??

8:10 I take it they aren't fond of Yankees.

11:45 shit I'd mount up and be the fuck out of there pronto.

14:25 if the burro meant that much to him he should have never left it unattended after a situation like that... I sure the fuck wouldn't have.

16:32 I mean come on, this Weed fella is a wimp. It's lame. He needs to grow some nuts.

20:06 NOW he's gonna move along? NOW HE'S GONNA MOVE ALONG?!?!??!!!

21:18 I swear this guy's dumber than a box of shit, honestly they can kill him but just leave the burro alone.

22:00 at least he's got some smart people looking out for him in this ONE instance, but I think his character is ridiculous... no way he made it that far in his travels without getting killed. It's just straight up unrealistic.

23:08 wait, what!? Well, fuck me!!!

23:45 MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Now that's old west justice right there, baby!!!!!!! I don't see a damn thing wrong with it.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E36 - "Cara"

1:00 oh wow, is this episode about one of Matt's past love interests? That'd be kinda nice.

1:11 is that her?? She's a looker.

1:20 wow this is heavy, so Doc's wrapping up her arm while the hotel manager's talking about people previously attempting or committing suicide in the hotel's history. Wow man, I didn't expect them to touch on a topic like this!

3:42 lol he patted that guy's horse on the ass!!!

4:25 well I don't like her as much as Miss Kitty but it's good to know he's at least shagged a bitch before!?

4:50 she didn't botch it, she just wanted attention. Seems like Marshal Dillon likes 'em either crazy or risque.

6:10 oh Miss Kitty ain't gonna like that at all, and as far as I can tell, Matt ain't really on board with it either. I don't rightly blame him. A shifty broad showing up again after all those years is just weird.

6:20 send her over to the Lady Gay for God's sake.

6:35 "There's no such thing as a gray cat." That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

7:20 lol this is what Miss Kitty wears to bed? Good Lord... glamorous much?? https://imgur.com/a/XemAx5g I love this scene.

12:28 well she's right about that.

12:45 sounds like he's setting her up.

13:15 this is the first woman he's actually sent over to work at the Long Branch as a dance hall hussy. I should be celebrating this epic moment, but alas... lmao, it feels like an empty victory.

14:10 yeah, it's definitely worse than being a saloon girl.

15:20 I mean Kitty's right about everything she's saying, but I think she's got Matt pegged all wrong on this one. He's gonna nail that chick and I ain't talking about in the bedroom either. He's not interested in her.

16:25 ROFLMFAOOOOO this SCEEEENNNE. Roflmfaolololol. LOL!!!!!!!!! Oh man Kitty's mad.

21:25 can't get one over on Marshal Dillon... what a man!!!

23:30 kiiiinda hoping he shoots her, and I bet Miss Kitty wouldn't mind either, bwhahahaha!!! I guess that opener at Boot Hill was kind of a spoiler if you think about it.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E37 - "Mr. and Mrs. Amber"

0:30 no Boot Hill opener on this one. Some of them didn't have it. Maybe these were the ones that deviated from the radio show scripts.

1:20 it's so weird how I thought about the whole Johnny Depp/Amber Heard fiasco when I read this title, and this scene is all about this guy describing how when a man gets prodded and pushed too far "Ain't you got a right to rise up and strike against him?" Kinda spooky. Sounds like he's describing a situation between two men, but still. "Ain't he responsible for his own hate and meanness, ain't he partly to blame for making you want to kill him?" Sooo weird. And who the hell has ever heard of "Amber" as a surname anyway? Sounds like the universe talking, to me. I don't really believe in coincidence.

2:28 I meeeean, basically everyone in this show has publicly declared that they were gonna kill somebody at some point, so nah Chester, I'd say there's a chance he means it.

5:15 sometimes Marshal Dillon makes me feel all wild inside.

10:00 fricken weirdos.

14:08 that's a little dramatic.

14:50 I can tell this guy can hardly take his role seriously, it's just so ignorant and extremist.

20:50 lol... couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!

There just aren't enough hours in the day to watch Gunsmoke.

[user328]

Thirty-seven episodes in one season is impressive by today's standards. They shot a new episode practically every week of the year. Nowadays, it's 12 to 16 episodes, then reruns until the new season in autumn.

[Mister Obvious]

If Gunsmoke had ended after season 1, it still would have been one of the greatest shows of all time.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E38 - "Unmarked Grave" (Disc labeling says "Unknown Grave")

0:07 oooohhhh, Marshal Dillon... is your backside a sight for sore eyes!

God he's so beautiful. He's so gorgeous. When I started out watching Gunsmoke, I had no idea I'd be so smitten with James Arness.

1:44 I'm sorry, but if this is the "boy" he was referring to in the intro, I don't fricken like him at all and I'm not gonna have an ounce of compassion for him. They're lining us up to hate this character, there's no way they aren't. Maybe the intro was about somebody else.

2:25 he does have a cute mouth though.

Nothing is better than Gunsmoke.

3:30 "All the Shortys and the Curlys and the Slims"... like pure poetry. His voice is like music to me.

I wonder if they listened to the corresponding radio show/episode before they filmed each one?? Or if they just went off the words on the paper script and never tried to get a gauge from the radio show? I think it's preferable if they didn't concern themselves with the way the radio show episode went and put their own spin on certain things.

4:11 so like... when was he gonna tell her that, exactly??

4:28 I love how he guides her ass down onto the chair... *nanarub* I'm gonna have to watch that again.

Oh God he's so fuckin' hot.

5:20 I love how he just blinks at her compassionately... *lustful yearning*

6:04 "I'd be obliged if you'd come and lay the pipe on me directly, Marshal." *dancing banana*

6:20 oh come on, he knows every last motherfucker in Boot Hill, he knows where that guy's buried.

8:30 damn, this lady's annoying.

14:00 wow, he needs to throw that dumb bitch in jail.

20:26 I kinda hope she gets caught in some crossfire.

21:00 those ARE some nice pants though.

23:11 OMG MARSHAL DILLON GOT SHOT.

24:00 I wanna get soooo naked with Marshal Dillon. I can't wait to see him in color!!!

24:45 yeah no shit you were lady, now why don't ya quit yer yammerin' and let the good marshal scoot on along to the Doc so he can NOT DIE?!?!?!?!

25:00 another episode that just ends right after Matt gets shot, no scenes at the Doc, no reassuring he's totally fine, just ends like everything's cool, lmao.

25:30 sounds like they've changed the pitch/speed of the closing theme and made it sound a bit... happier. Definitely more spiced up. It's very pretty.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E39 - "Alarm at Pleasant Valley"

I have basically nothing to say about this episode.

As far as season finales go, it was totally unremarkable.

I guess season finales weren't as important back then as they are now.

Again, it's a good thing James Arness is in every episode.

[user328]

The "Who shot JR?" season finale of Dallas was the first season finale I remember being promoted as a major cliffhanger.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E1 - "Cow Doctor"

0:23 OMG the Boot Hill intros have officially carried over into season 2!!!!!!!! I wonder how long they keep doing these openers?? They were gone by the episodes I watched from the 7th season.

0:58 I love the tumbleweeds. These intros are so beautiful.

2:08 wow, this scene is so interesting. Matt basically says that Chester's thoughts (mental activity, intentions, etc.) are loud and obvious. There are a lot of ways he could have said it, but it was referred to as a "buzzing" in Chester's head.

3:58 I wonder how many people grew up with a crush on Kitty when this show was on air.

6:36 "You drive like a maniac, Doc." roflmfao.

8:58 lol damn, that's insulting as hell!

9:50 man this guy's creepy.

12:50 man this guy and his wife fucking suck.

13:35 Matt's having to be a doctor (again) in this episode.

14:46 God I love it when he gets all sweaty... just wish it was under more pleasant circumstances!!!

15:30 well that's a nice sight to wake up to!!!

16:12 wow, Kitty holding Doc down by the chest... that's kinda hot!!!

19:00 oh whatever man, after what that asshole did? I'd be like "Too bad" and just let him die. He's no good anyway.

21:06 YEAH!!!!!!!!! You TELL that bitch, marshal!!!!!!!!!!

21:50 this guy and his wife are useless. Their son just needs to run away and work in Dodge City.

22:13 dayum... nice crotch shot. I'm gonna have to watch that again.

25:18 [triumphant theme playing] lol.

[Mister Obvious]

The "Who shot JR?" season finale of Dallas was the first season finale I remember being promoted as a major cliffhanger.

I was thinking about that show the other day.

In a way, I guess it's more honest not to leave finales on a cliffhanger.

Cliffhangers are damn near "looshy" kinda situations, they're almost like clickbait in a way.

[user328]

Dallas didn't need cliffhangers anyway. People would've plopped their fat asses down in front of the TV every time it was on, no matter what.

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E2 - "Brush at Elkader"

0:45 well that seemed senseless!!!

1:17 "I just had sex with that guy." roflmfaoflfmaolol I HAD TO.

2:55 there never could have been a more perfect man to play Marshal Matt Dillon.

3:16 now what does Kitty know??

6:55 well that's not suspicious as hell or anything!? Man I tell you what... being a marshal sure is a dangerous job.

9:40 dude what the hell is going on in this little town?? Just who the heck is this Shippen guy to them anyway!??

10:35 lookit, he's shaving. Fuck, that's hot!!!

13:40 oh this oughta be funny. Not like the telegraph guy's gonna cooperate.

17:17 that's obviously him at the table, on the right.

18:35 FUCK this is hot.

I love that new ending theme... I almost wanna stick around and listen to it when it comes on!

[Mister Obvious]

S2 E3 - "Custer"

OMG IS THIS AN EPISODE ABOUT *THE* CUSTER?!?!?!?1

8:48 "DEADER'NUH DOORNAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!"

12:15 I love Matt and Kitty's relationship... it's so flirty and sexy.

24:15 so this was kind of a historical episode and it's referring to the Battle of Little Big Horn, Custer's last stand. I think in a way they're implying that this asshole who they have to set free is gonna go off to immediately get killed in said battle, so it's kind of a 'fate' type of story. That's what I gather.

It's really the first episode we've had a real date on for that reason... 1876.

25:00 honestly this COULD be considered a little bit propagandized. But it's hard to get mad about a 65 year old commentary on 150 year old history, so I'm gonna dismiss it.

[Mister Obvious]

I wonder if they'll bring any other personalities of the 1870s etc. into future episodes?!?!?!?!?!?!

Will they have an appearance by Jesse James?!?!?!?!!!