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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by FlightTime (talk | contribs) at 03:46, 18 July 2023 (Not a forum). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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Meston

I think the article would benefit from clarification of Meston's involvement and role. He is widely referred to as the creator of Gunsmoke - but he doesn't seem to have been writing for it until some time after the first radio episode was broadcast (the audition scripts were written by Mort Fine and David Friedkin, the first episode by Walter Newman). When and how did Meston come into the picture? Was he initially a story editor? When and why did he begin writing? He seems to have been by far the most prolific writer for the radio show. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.126.4.90 (talk) 04:26, 18 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Meston wrote virtually all the episodes for the first four seasons of Gunsmoke on TV and some afterwards. After that he was down for "teleplay", and James Arness was Associate Producer.

Cancellation threat

Gunsmoke didn't receive its cancellation threats in 1970, but rather 1967. It was then moved to Monday night in the early evening and ran for eight more years. Mike H 21:08, May 29, 2005 (UTC)

Longevity

I just added in some information about Arness playing the same character in a Primetime scripted TV show for a long period of time. The Brits have two actors who have played the same characters for 27 years and 30 years....and the last one is till acting in the show. In terms of primetime scripted TV, there are also a number of TV shows that have eclipsed Gunsmoke's 20 year record now, including Dr who which has been running for 43 years and The Bill, Taggart and Casualty which have been running for more than 23 years.

Sign your posts, please. Just to be accurate, Doctor Who has not been running continuously for 43 years, or even for 43 years total. The sixteen year gap between the cancellation of the original series and the debut of the new one makes a huge difference. That said, I don't understand where someone got the idea that it has been running 36 years as stated in the article. 1963 to 1989 is 26 years (25 if you want to exclude the 1986-7 hiatus), plus three for the 2005-2007 series (as of this date). That makes 29 if you're being generous, not 36 or 43. The presence of DW on TV longevity lists is due to it being the longest-running sci-fi genre show, not the longest running show period, so let's not inflate the numbers please. If the only qualification is that it be a scripted drama (nowhere in the Longevity section does it say prime time scripted drama), where is the mention of the long-running daytime dramas, some of which have run continuously for over 30 years? 12.22.250.4 18:07, 7 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

However, Doctor Who did has 23 continuous years (1962-1986) which puts it past Gunsmoke even if we disregard all incarnation of DW after 1986. Also, by number of seasons, Law & Order ties Gunsmoke, with 20. Gunsmoke is way ahead by number of episodes, but of we are counting episodes instead of seasons than Taggart is out of the running. JamesCurran (talk) 18:53, 22 February 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I added a link under the Listen To section to the Big Broadcast, a radio program on WAMU 88.5 FM (US radio) website that runs Gunsmoke episodes on Sunday nights at 8pm. Jddphd 00:24, 11 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Roger Ewing's Stint on Gunsmoke

This is a great site. Gunsmoke is my all time favorite TV show.

Roger Ewing's stint on the show was from 1965 to 1967, not 1966 to 1968. This seems to be confirmed in the DVD sets that I have of Gunsmoke.

RB3Deering (talk) 16:19, 27 April 2008 (UTC) RB3Deering[reply]

Timing too speculative to be encyclopedic?

I was thinking of adding a sentence on the timing of this show, but upon further thought, felt it might be too speculative. See what you think.

Obviously, it's in the Old West. The TV movie "To the Last Man" (I presume these are considered canon) had Marshal Dillon retired already in the 1880s, given the date of a war he is in the middle of. Would it be fair to say that the TV show, as any rate, would be "The 1870s"? Or, since there aren't real dates given, would that be too speculative.

I hesitate to consider it any earlier, as I don't recall any references in the TV series to the Civil War. I almost think a paper or something did read a date in the early 1870s at one point, and it's quite possible, since the episodes usually didn't take place over more than a week's time, that 20 years of episodes could be fit into 10 years.

But, even the date of "1870s" might be too broad for an encyclopedia. Anyway, it's up to you if you think it fits, go ahead.209.244.30.221 (talk) 00:26, 11 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'd have to check on the genre, but I don't know that Westerns held to a particular timeline the way, say, a mystery like Perry Mason (current) did, or even something set in the past or future.
Gunsmoke began at a time when storytelling via TV ws still evolving. The Lone Ranger is another example - IIRC, one early radio broadcast gives the date of 1896(!), whereas later, it seems to be implied it began in the 1870s. (Not that he couldn't have been Long Ranger for over 20 years, so I'll concede that episdoes need not be chronological - with that or with Gunsmoke.)
So, yes, I think a time frame of "The Old West" is probably as good as you can get. "Gunsmoke," like the "The Lone Ranger," came over from radio, so that likely adds to the confusion over setting it any closer. You could probably argue successfully that episodes are not necessarily chronological, and occur with around the time of 1868-1881. But, that would be using logic, and while proper logic is always accurte, it would also considered original research. :-)Somebody or his brother (talk) 13:55, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

¶ One of the radio episodes explicitly puts the events in the month before Custer's death in the Little Big Horn massacre (June 26, 1876). Sussmanbern (talk) 05:17, 29 April 2012 (UTC)[reply]

GunsmokeNet.com

A bunch of information is cited to this website, but it does not appear to be a reliable source. Can better sources be found? Yworo (talk) 22:38, 11 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, who Vandalized This Article?

This article should be fixed and the vandal of it should be blocked.75.72.35.253 (talk) 00:16, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for catching the vandalism, I've requested that the page be protected. --Funandtrvl (talk) 02:24, 15 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Gunsmoke TV series

Shouldn't the TV series be split into its own article? --Blakebs (talk) 10:53, 10 February 2011 (CST)

Gunsmoke Vs. Law & Order

The television version ran for 11 seasons from 1984 to 1995, and still remains the United States' longest-running prime time, live-action drama with 635 episodes (Law & Order ended in 2010 with 20 seasons, 456 episodes) Ill be either removing or changing, as "longest-running prime time" would definately not go to Gunsmoke...It can have a million episodes, in 19 seasons and still not get the title of "longest-running prime time" because Law & Order ran from 1990-2010 (20 years) where as Gunsmoke ran from 1982-1995 (13 years). A 7 year difference. You can say it had the most episodes for a prime time, live-action drama (I don't know if that is true)...but not longest as Law & Order was around for a longer period of time. -- MelbourneStar☆ (talk) 06:11, 15 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I didn't, thats the thing. That was there before my edit. -- MelbourneStar☆ (talk to me) 23:23, 1 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Well Im sure I didn't make up this date on my own...Look I'll revert my newest edit to what you edited, but I really don't have a clue where this '1982-1995' date came from. -- MelbourneStar☆ (talk to me) 02:09, 2 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

TV Bootleg Favs?

Two articles, this one and Mayberry R.F.D., reference a book called TV Bootleg Favs but I can't find any other mention of the book anywhere on the Internet. Further, Google says the name of the author, "Hershal Brenchacks", only exists on the Mayberry RFD article.

So does the book, or even the author, actually exist? The horrible formatting of the references on both articles and the fact that they have differing lists of top shows make me fairly certain that it doesn't but I'd like to know for sure before deleting them. --Kitsunegami (talk) 03:27, 18 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Chesters Bad Leg was NOT wooden

In the article it states "The question as to whether Chester Goode's stiff right leg was wooden or just maimed, was never fully answered. Doc and he never discussed the issue"

In fact they did discuss chesters leg once, in the episode titled "The Round Up" Doc say's that Chester has TWO sprained ankles. So i guess that answers the question if it is wooden or not. 174.125.90.211 (talk) 09:59, 29 April 2011 (UTC)Bonanzaplaylists 4/29/2011[reply]

Chester's leg was definitely his own and not a prosthetic. It's too bad they never gave an explanation like having a horse fall on him or being shot. White Arabian mare (talk) 19:04, 15 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

contradiction re Conrad

didn't get the role due to : "his obesity" vs. "(his weight was rumored to be a deciding factor)"  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.127.128.154 (talk) 21:16, 4 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Title

Wasn't Gunsmoke originally titled 'Gun Law', at least on TV in the UK? Valetude (talk) 22:47, 24 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

In Britain, according to The Guardian. Clarityfiend (talk) 01:49, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Well, that's good, Clarity. Could you or some other specialist insert this small mention into the article somewhere suitable? There are still some UK oldies like myself to whom this carries great emotional force. Early TV memories are becoming the new folklore. Valetude (talk) 23:57, 27 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
There you go. I've also created Gun Law (disambiguation). Clarityfiend (talk) 02:18, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Dennis Weaver

I believe the comment that Dennis Weaver left the show to star in an unsuccessful series should be amended. Dennis Weaver went on to have a successful career, including both the series Gentle Ben and McCloud and the movie Duel, all of which happened a few years after he left Gunsmoke. For anyone not familiar with Dennis Weaver, the way that portion currently reads makes it sound like his career was over because he left Gunsmoke. Just an observation. Missyagogo (talk) 05:54, 16 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

All that is true, but if Weaver left Gunsmoke specifically to star in a series that failed, then that statement is correct. It is not the same as saying that Weaver's career ended after Gunsmoke or anything. 68.146.52.234 (talk) 21:30, 5 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Final episode

This needs to be confirmed, but I read somewhere that the final episode of Gunsmoke doesn't even feature an appearance by James Arness other than in the opening credits. If correct this is worth noting in the cancellation discussion. 68.146.52.234 (talk) 21:30, 5 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Surviving Gunsmoke cast to reunite in real Dodge City (Sept 25-27, 2015)

Surviving Gunsmoke cast to reunite in real Dodge City http://www.kansas.com/news/local/article31061226.html • Sbmeirow • Talk • 03:55, 14 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

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