"Gunsmoke" (1955) - Review & Commentary

[Mister Obvious]

It's not a big deal, it's just sorta strange...

I mean, I agree, this is an important topic...

[Atma]

I mean, I agree, this is an important topic...

Fuck yes. And definitely hot af.

I couldn't help sifting through recent threads to see what would constitute the weirdest or least likely thread to have been pinned as "important".

[Mister Obvious]

I dunno the exact keystrokes, but I remembered something that happened when I was typing my last commentary...

I wasn't clicked in the post box field and I started typing (numbers, the shift key, etc.) and then realized I wasn't in the post box field, clicked in and started typing as normal.

The keys I hit must have selected the "Sticky" option in the quick mod action box and submitted that action when I posted.

So, I dunno, it makes sense. This is what I concluded last time too, but I didn't recall anything I'd done whilst typing that may have selected the option in the menu. I totally remember what happened this time though.

So it's not spooky bizniz or meddlin' or anything else... it's a certain set of keystrokes that are a mystery but that's how it happens.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E26

Matt tells Kitty she's pretty, and compliments her on her dress.

https://imgur.com/a/ylWAmVr

That collar she's wearing is hot.

I sure like your screencaps...

I took a screencap of her at that scene too.

I was just in the kitchen making some soup and I was thinking about Kitty's titties in that exact scene.

[Atma]

So3E11 - Fingered

The guest actor looks a fuck of a lot like Sean Penn. Like a more robust and possibly Slavic Penn.

Poor fucker has had some bad luck with wives.

Dude is on the move again.

"You can't always be leavin'. Got to be staying somewhere, sometime." Amen, Marshall.
But...
"No, I don't, Marshall. I won't never settle down no more."

Marshall, reflecting...
"I guess there's nothing to hold him anywhere..."
Translation: the man has lost faith in love.

And off he rides with a sad, strange wave.
The music swells in the weight of his decision to be alone in the world as it all fades to black.

[Atma]

The writers of this show had a firm grasp of the human condition and of good writing. The show has an existential/Dostoevsky-like undertow. I think anyone who is invested in good writing for television, or in any context, could do worse than study Gunsmoke.

[user328]

I sure like your screencaps...

I took a screencap of her at that scene too.

I was just in the kitchen making some soup and I was thinking about Kitty's titties in that exact scene.

I love the side boob view when she's walking down the stairs.

[user328]

The writers of this show had a firm grasp of the human condition and of good writing. The show has an existential/Dostoevsky-like undertow. I think anyone who is invested in good writing for television, or in any context, could do worse than study Gunsmoke.

There are only a handful of writers credited in the first 2 or 3 seasons, and a much larger variety of writers in later years. I wonder if the consistency will suffer as a result.

[Mister Obvious]

S3 E11 - "How to Kill a Woman"

Another great title, hot damn tonight is on a roll!!!!!!!!!!

0:20 damn that's a nice lookin' team.

0:30 roflmao @ look at this assclown holding up the road.

0:56 oh wow, I didn't realize it's the stagecoach. That makes sense!!!

2:00 look at his hands wrapped around that buckle... *moan/roar*

3:36 this stagecoach driver dude's pretty fine too.

4:15 seems like people got buried in a bunch of random, unsuspecting places back in the wild west days.

4:40 his wife? Agh... such a shame. What a fucking shame. The common man never should have stood for gross ugly old rich dudes taking all their women... natural selection isn't doing its job. If it wasn't for legal consequences, they would have never gotten away with it. They'd have been dealt with.

4:48 "Sure brings to mind another one." Indeed, and I just answered it for you.

5:20 lmao literally everyone's name is Jim or some variant thereof.

5:40 wow this is so interesting... think of it. They'd make meals for the peeps coming through on the stagecoach. God. What a time.

6:50 lol this scene is adorable <3

7:00 oh mind your own business you old fuck... you can't stop the youngsters from wanting each other. She should be Chester's wife and you damn well know it. Greedy nasty old fuckin' geezer.

11:17 "You don't get lucky. A man's born with his luck and he just goes on using it up til it gives out on him."

12:58 well I'll be a monkey's uncle if it ain't ADAM CARTWRIGHT!!!!!!!!!! https://bonanza.fandom.com/wiki/Adam_Cartwright I meeeean... like I was saying earlier, I've always been team Little Joe, but fuck me if I can't see the appeal in Pernell Roberts now that I got a little seasonin' to me?!

I'd let him ride my slide!!!

Air date: November 30, 1957

Bonanza didn't come on until 1959.

14:10 no, but I know somebody who needs some good DICK!!!!!!!

15:45 sometimes he reminds me of Henry Cavill (2010s Superman) in the mouth area, they look sorta similar... https://i.imgur.com/3sDcNLb.png

16:30 "You'll never get a woman to marry you unless you've got some trees around." roflmao.

18:00 "Is she dead, Jim?" lmaolol. I'm sorry. I had to laugh.

19:00 oh he don't give a fuck... come on.

24:35 he put up a decent fight.

[Mister Obvious]

There are only a handful of writers credited in the first 2 or 3 seasons, and a much larger variety of writers in later years. I wonder if the consistency will suffer as a result.

The autobiography says that around season 9, they decided to stop focusing the 4 main characters so much and decided to bring in guest stars who would carry most of the episodes themselves... I guess that's why all the different writers got brought in. The original writers, like the ones who wrote the radio show, had to leave around that time because to roughly quote one of them, "I just don't have any more Gunsmoke episodes left in me."

[Mister Obvious]

When I was quality control checking the DVDs and playing a few seconds of each episode, I noticed that something changed around the very late seasons, probably after 1970... there was something about the cameras or some other method of production that gave you the feeling that it was the '70s. It didn't strike me as a bad thing necessarily, it was just a bit obvious that it was a period piece at that point, whereas before it felt like we were peering through the veil of time on a real scene in the 1800s.

I attribute that change to the equipment they were using, and the guest stars. My suspicion is that in the later years of the show, some of the younger guest stars weren't as masterful as the actors of old. Like I said, I only saw very small excerpts from those later episodes, so I really don't know if it's true or not... will find out eventually.

[Mister Obvious]

I wanna live in an old west theme park and roleplay as a saloon madame.

[Mister Obvious]

S3 E13 - "Cows and Cribs"

1:20 oh she's totes gonna die.

1:40 Doc's job is shit, not enough money in the world to make it worth it.

2:30 oh my God man. Fuuuuuuuuuck that.

2:40 he's gonna have to knock this bitch out... I would.

6:00 well isn't she lucky.

8:08 well I guess Kitty's gonna have a baby to take care of.

9:00 bahahahahaha!!! Just because she's a woman doesn't mean she knows what to do.

9:50 what the hell are they gonna feed it??

11:25 "Matt wants ME to have him?!?!?!!?!" Roflmfaolololol. Just a random, unexplained baby lmfaoooo.

13:02 "You all keep it quiet down here, ya understand?!" lmfao.

15:00 that's all well and good, but she's gonna need a new husband.

18:36 at least this Ma lady has good sense... that woman needs to get rid of her piece of shit husband, find a new one, and then think about adopting. It'd be ridiculous to let her have that baby under the current circumstances.

19:20 well hopefully he's never coming back.

23:10 I guess she can have the baby now!

25:15 Ma reminds me of myself, but I ain't gonna explain why.

[Mister Obvious]

S3 E14 - "Doc's Reward"

1:27 Doc should NOT go around unarmed. I just don't get why he would. Like yeah, he's a doctor, but come on... it's the old fuckin' west. Did other movies and shows have unarmed doctors?? What was the trend among REAL doctors of the outlaw west? I can't imagine they were unarmed... it's just stupid.

I found this article from 1963...

https://www.americanheritage.com/doctors-frontier

Even in this violent land, however, there was a kind of unwritten compact which made all men allies against the common enemies of disease and death. The doctor who was respected could move among toughs and cutthroats, knowing that his profession was a better protection than a gun at his hip. It was not just sentiment. These men had needed him before, and they knew they would almost certainly need him again. ... For the most part, though, the Wild West physician didn't need or want a gun.

I dunno if I believe that. Guns were carried for protection against wild animals, so it's not all about using them on other people.

1:34 lmao, well, if I had watched for 5 more seconds before going on that tangent, I'd have seen him pull out this rifle. Roflmfaolol. Ah well it's fine, I like learning stuff.

2:40 well I sure do respect Doc.

5:40 man I dunno why anyone would ever wear light colored pants back in the dirty old west. Honestly, I dunno why anyone would wear light colored clothing in general... can't even spill anything on it.

9:20 this Nate guy is crazy hot... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Lord Apparently he went on to star in Hawaii Five O.

10:55 OMG KITTY IS IN THE BATHTUB. And she doth protest. Apparently she doesn't want Matt seeing her in the bath?? Makes no sense to me. I mean don't they get it on?? I mean, okay, she's naked and her hair's not done up, etc. but... I dunno why she can't just invite him in.

12:06 so Kitty's kinda getting regarded as a ladyboss in this episode... sort of highlighting her role as a "professional lady" if you know what I'm saying. And look at that body language Matt is displaying toward her... is body language supposed to be that accurate in shows/movies, cuz to me it just looks like James Arness thinks she's hot and would prefer to get it on.

23:58 AND THEN MARRY HER!!!!!!!

[Atma]

S3 E13 - "Cows and Cribs"

Ebonics in the 50's dept:
5:00 she literally says:
"we just can't go on unless we got some meat to eat. Look where I been Ho'in' over there."
Marshall: "Ground hardly even looks plowed to me."
Her: "Well I done the best I could. It ain't easy."
Marshall: "Well no, I don't imagine it is." And it's gettin' hard out here for a pimp, too.

9:25 the guitar playing here... holy shit.
Dude is just lurching around with the baby in his arms. Wtf.

22:00 The Marshall is as loose as ashes in this showdown. Ain't he always?

[Atma]

25:15 Ma reminds me of myself, but I ain't gonna explain why.

At the very least you would rock the fuck out of that hat.

[Mister Obvious]

"we just can't go on unless we got some meat to eat. Look where I been Ho'in' over there."

I was gonna crack a joke at that part...

I ALMOST did. But then the actress kept talking and I was like, man...

This was such a more innocent time.

And that consideration really got to me, it distracted me from the joke I was gonna make.

It's like wow, imagine a time before all the degradation of today's society had taken its toll.

[Mister Obvious]

S3 E15 - "Kitty Lost"

Uh oh... wonder what this is gonna be about??

I'm a bit nervous but... let's do this.

0:13 God those cowboy boots are the sexiest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life. I've watched this intro like at least 100 times and this is the first time I've noticed the boots. So fucking hot.

Ooo, this is a night time Boot Hill opener.

0:35 "Life's a hard thing on a lot of people in Dodge. But it's the hardest of all on strangers. The stranger's gotta prove himself all the way before anybody will even suspect him of being anything but the devil in disguise, or treat him like anything but a pariah dog. That's a natural thing on the frontier... maybe even necessary. But sometimes we're wrong. Real wrong. That's something I know from experience. Matt Dillon, US Marshal."

1:00 I just love his contemplation expressions... the way he looks while he's having these existential Boot Hill musings. It's precious to me.

1:30 oh dear... who is this rather severe looking man?

3:08 serial killer vibes.

5:00 man you should neverrrr go outside the saloon. You're basically leaving your realm when you go outside the saloon. It's just unsupported.

6:40 "with some dude from back east" ... see, back then, "dude" meant a "foppish" well dressed person who tries to look richer than they really are. I think the popularity of the word these days is only owing to the fact that it sounds funny.

7:48 "I don't trust them dudes anyhow." lmao.

9:22 "A dude?" ... "Oh he was a dude alright." LMFAAAAAOOOOO. Oh my God man. This is really making me rethink the use of the word.

9:38 so Kitty's been effin' kidnapped.

11:33 oh man, she's PIIIIIIIISSED.

15:38 lmao I wonder if that's true. Is Miss Kitty really half Indian??

15:58 he's gonna take the horse for himself.

16:30 that's even worse, lmao, wow what a douche! Well he's definitely gonna get what's coming to him when Matt finds out about all this.

18:50 mmm... sounds kinda sexy when she's saying his name all breathlessly like that.

20:06 damn she looks fine as hell. Look at that righteous ring. God man... I gotta step up my style.

22:35 lmao this guy.

23:20 I kiiinda love how fair Marshal Dillon is being here.

25:00 I'm having dirty thoughts about these three and I think I'm gonna have to call it a night!!!

[Mister Obvious]

You know what...

I've learned a lot just by watching Gunsmoke as much as I already have...

But I think one of the most important things is the art of implication.

They were absolute masters of it on this show.

[Atma]

I think television was more innocent. More classy. Even the uneducated in this show sound fancy.
But the reality of the old west was it was brutal and savage. Plus... ho's been ho'in' for as long as mankind. Oldest profession in the world, as they say. Pimps probably had it a bit easier back then. But ebonics definitely didn't exist yet. At least not in the modern vernacular.