Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing the first episode of Gunsmoke on the Insp. Channel.
James Arness had really dark hair, Amanda Blake looked like a teenager, Milburn Stone was a young middle age, and
Dennis Weaver was a thin teenager who could have been blown away by a breeze.
Matt was outdrawn, got shot, but was well in a week, and figured out not to get close in the second shootout!
Never saw this episode before.

It's funny- James Arness had naturally blondish hair but it was dyed dark for Gunsmoke.

quote:

Originally posted by walkinghorse:
Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing the first episode of Gunsmoke on the Insp. Channel.
James Arness had really dark hair, Amanda Blake looked like a teenager, Milburn Stone was a young middle age, and
Dennis Weaver was a thin teenager who could have been blown away by a breeze.
Matt was outdrawn, got shot, but was well in a week, and figured out not to get close in the second shootout!
Never saw this episode before.

The bad guy in that episode, is now the bad guy in the one on now "The Jackals"

I always find it especially interesting to view the no. 1 episode of some of these old series on MeTV or other stations and I make an extra effort to watch.

John Wayne, who'd been offered the role of Matt Dillon, did the introduction in that first episode. He'd suggested James Arness for the part.

"I'm that man, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal – the first man they look for and the last they want to meet."

William Conrad. 1952 Gunsmoke, Radio.

I miss the radio series.

The early seasons are the best. When Dennis Weaver left they started to go down hill. Never cared much for Festus Haggen. Ken Curtis was great actor, but didn't care much for his character.

Matt gets it, is the title of that episode. I love the radio show. I have the entire radio show, all episodes on MP3 I bought off the internet for pennies.

I remember a Gunsmoke special after the series ended where his once good friend who they practiced gunfighting together he Mat always was slower kidnaps Miss Kitty and has her in a hotel room on the 2nd floor. Mat kicks in the door and throws the guy out the window... into the street then goes down and they have a shoot out where of course Mat wins and his ex buddy can't figure out why until Mat tells him he always let him win when they were practicing.. what I thought after he said that was ... maybe you throwing him out a 2nd story window might have slowed him down just a bit.

Interesting info: www.Gunsmokenet.com