Gunsmoke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gunsmoke |
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|---|---|
| Created by | Norman MacDonnell John Meston |
| Starring | James Arness Milburn Stone Amanda Blake (Seasons 1-19) Dennis Weaver (Seasons 1-9) Ken Curtis (Seasons 9-20) Burt Reynolds (Seasons 8-10) Buck Taylor (Seasons 13-20) Glenn Strange (Seasons 7-18) Roger Ewing (Seasons 11-12) |
| Theme music composer | Rex Koury Glenn Spencer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 6 ('Marshal Dillon', syndication re-titling of half-hour episodes) 14 ('Gunsmoke'), 20 (total seasons) |
| No. of episodes | 233 ('Marshal Dillon', syndication re-titling of half-hour episodes), 402 ('Gunsmoke') 635 (total episodes) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 26 minutes (1955–1961), 50 minutes (1961–1975) |
| Production company(s) | CBS Productions Filmaster Productions The Arness Production Company (1961–'64) |
| Distributor | CBS Films (before 1971) Viacom Enterprises (1971–95) Paramount Domestic Television (1995–2006) CBS Paramount Domestic Television (2006–07) CBS Television Distribution (2007–present) |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Black and white (1955–1966) Color (1966–1975) |
| Original release | September 10, 1955 – March 31, 1975 |
Gunsmoke was a very popular Western drama TV show. It was created by John Meston. The show ran for a long time, from 1955 to 1975, which is twenty years!
The TV network CBS wanted John Wayne to star in the show. But they chose James Arness to play the main character, Marshal Matt Dillon. The main actors were James Arness, Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode, Milburn Stone as Doc Adams, and Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty Russell. Other well-known actors like Ken Curtis (Festus Haggen) and Burt Reynolds also joined the cast.
At first, each episode was 30 minutes long (1955-1961). After that, they became one hour long. In total, 635 episodes were made. Many famous actors appeared on Gunsmoke, including Bette Davis, Harrison Ford, Jon Voight, Kurt Russell, and Jodie Foster.
After the TV series ended, several TV movies were made. These included Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987), Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990), Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992), Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (1993), and Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994). James Arness returned as Matt Dillon in these movies.
Images for kids
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William Conrad in 1952, who played Matt Dillon on the radio version of Gunsmoke
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The inside of the real Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, photographed between 1870 and 1885
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The cast in 1963, with Burt Reynolds
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Ken Curtis as Festus and Arness as Dillon, 1968
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Clockwise from top: Ken Curtis (Festus), James Arness (Matt), Amanda Blake (Kitty), and Milburn Stone (Doc) in 1968
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Dennis Weaver and Mariette Hartley, 1962
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Matt Dillon, 1969
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Chester, Doc, and Kitty, 1960
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Kitty and Doc, 1958
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Miss Kitty Russell, 1966
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Chester Goode
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Festus Haggen and Doc Adams, 1974
See also
In Spanish: Gunsmoke para niños
