"Gunsmoke" (1955) - Review & Commentary

[user328]

0:16 my favorite part of the opening... is the announcer saying "GUNSMOKE"... I absolutely love it. I like to put on my deepest voice and randomly say it every now and then.

Blunt Smoke. Starring James Arness as Matt Chillin'.

[Mister Obvious]

MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

Weed induced musings, it's brilliant!!!!!

Almost like the stoner scenes in That '70s Show...

Part of me wonders if these legendary Boot Hill openers have ever been parodied, like SNL style. ROFL. I would love to do this.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E11 - "General Parsley Smith"

0:25 wanna guess where Marshal Matt Dillon is?? *ohyeah* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp9JA4sO3CA

Well... he's not the first deceased man I've ever been deeply in love with. But you know... in a way, he lives forever.

3:17 damn, Chester lookin' fine as hell in this episode. They both are lookin' extra fine! What's up with that?

4:15 lmao it's so funny Matt says that cuz when I heard "3rd" I was like damn, what is this guy like 100 or something?!

8:50 you can't just jail people for shit talkin'... man this guy is OBNOXIOUS. They need to run him out of town.

21:10 I will say that I fucking despise the loudness of gunshots on film and no amount of hotass dudes will make me not hate it.

23:40 this stupidly loud bullshit did spark a very fascinating line of curiosity for me though...

How the fuck did film have audio too??

So I looked into it...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound-on-film

Sound on film can be dated back to the early 1880s, when Charles E. Fitts filed a patent claiming the idea. In 1923 a patent was filed by E. E. Ries, for a variable density soundtrack recording, which was submitted to the SMPE (now SMPTE), which used the mercury vapor lamp as a modulating device to create a variable-density soundtrack. Later, Case Laboratories and Lee De Forest attempted to commercialize this process, when they developed an Aeolite glow lamp, which was deployed at Movietone Newsreel at the Roxy Theatre in 1927. In 1928, Fox Film purchased Case Laboratories and produced its first talking film In Old Arizona using the Aeolite system. The variable-density sound system was popular until the mid-1940s.

My mind is blown, and I don't get it at all... but I'm glad I looked into it. I had never even thought about it before.

To me... it seems like magic. What is that quote about magic and technology?

https://lab.cccb.org/en/arthur-c-clarke-...from-magic

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke

For the first time, I get it.

24:30 "You know, marshal... *leans forward*" Aw man, I gotta hand it to them... that was pretty damn amazing. Great scene.

https://imgur.com/a/Rh9yRZv

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E12 - "Magnus"

0:25 uh oh, from the sound of it we've got a Christmas episode on our hands!!!

Air date: December 24, 1955

0:35 that's one hell of a jacket/coat right there. It's classic western style, I love it.

https://imgur.com/a/flz7CXy

Whew-wee, that Miss Kitty shooooore is pretty.

1:20 LUCIFER JONES!?!>!

1:50 "Dancing's criminal. It leads to worse things!" roflmfaolol, says the guy named Lucifer?!

2:10 "Cuz you're the prettiest." roflmaolol, hey that's what I just said!!!

2:28 "The prettiest are always the most evil women!" roflmfaolol, I take it this is the Scrooge character!?

2:35 there's like 7 bitches in there, why don't they just jump him!?!?!

3:00 Marshal Dillon needs to stomp this guy's ass until he's comatose, that's my vote. He needs killin' worse than any other character that's been on the show yet. It's doubtful they're gonna kill the bad guy in a Christmas episode though... too bad.

3:55 "If I've lost it, I'll kill myself!" roflmao, damn, okay that was hardcore. Maybe they WILL nut up and kill the bad guy in this one after all, lmao!!!

4:10 somebody SHOULD be...

4:21 I think they ARE gonna kill the bad guy, lmfao, it's almost like they KNOW the audience is rooting for that guy to get his ass handed to him. It's almost like they're subtly reassuring us that indeed, they ARE gonna kill his sorry ass!

5:30 lol, he's wrapping all his stuff up in a blanket, I love it. Is he gonna get a stick and tie it on there too??

6:36 lol, we've never seen Chester this upset!

8:38 oh my... this wild lookin' feller is just my kinda guy!!! Robert Easton... https://imgur.com/a/iy5S9qj Seems like the wild man look wasn't just for this role!!! That's some damn good casting right there. Makes me think I may be right about my longstanding theory that actors aren't really acting, they're just being themselves!!!

11:07 "Now Chester, you don't wanna do that! That's evil, and and and wicked!" rofl.

11:19 "You're gonna get wet ALL OVER!" Damn right I am!!! Lmfaooo, I love how he stuck two fingers out tight together after he said it too... I feel like that was meant to be dirty and nobody but a 21st century perv like me would've caught it!!!

I'd let Chester go spelunkin' in my lady lair, I ain't gonna lie!!!

12:10 "They got a new dealer here." Roflmfaololol.

13:20 "Get outta Dodge." Oh. My. God. I. Love. This. Show.

14:20 "Well that's evil and WHACKID." rolfmdfoamdgsifsddg I love this guy's character, I LOVE IT.

14:36 [bouncy theme playing]

14:48 [plodding "Jingle Bells" theme] as he's wheeling passed out drunk Chester off from the saloon in a wheelbarrow, roflmaolol damn this episode is good.

Holiday themed TV show episodes usually suck no matter how great the show normally is, but this one is gold.

15:14 there's even snow on the ground!

16:00 Robert Easton/Magnus really is beautiful though. Very much so.

16:42 I appreciate that Marshal Dillon isn't the jealous type.

17:26 "Ma'am is for married women... I'm still Miss." Oooo la la, Kitty's teachin' him out to flirt!!!

https://imgur.com/a/i4Agc9y

Such a great scene.

22:55 I love it when Marshal Dillon hands Chester a key. He does it a lot!

25:06 Kitty conveyed such a loving and romantic vibe toward Matt in this scene and it was amazing how perceptible it was even though she had her head turned away from the camera.

Such a beautiful show.

[Mister Obvious]

That does it for disc 2!

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E13 - "Reed Survives"

1:06 nighttime in Dodge City... it looks gorgeous.

1:16 Matt's playing a game of cards alone... man after my own heart.

1:56 wait a minute, who the fuck is THIS bitch?!?!?!?!?!?!!

2:32 what, does she have a history with Matt or something?? Has Matt been unfaithful to Kitty?!!?!?!?!?

2:45 "Matt, he's gonna kill me." And none of the female audience gives two shits!!!

4:00 "People just can't forget that I used to work in a dance hall." Rofl, well, not much has ever changed in this world.

5:00 oh man that's the fakest looking backdrop ever, lol!!! It's okay though.

5:40 "Man's brief joy is dearly bought." Guy's a damn poet, I reckon he uses his tongue purdier than a twenty dollar whore!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxf5GDZ_o1w

9:30 oh it's all clear now, Mrs. Hunt's chasin' some hunky farmhand dick!

10:20 sounds to me like he's telling this young feller to... GET THE HELL OUTTA DODGE!?!?!?!?1 https://imgur.com/a/dr9pMUe

10:42 "A man would be crazy to pull out!" Lmfao, he'd be crazy not to with a bad blooded woman like that, muahahahaha!!!!!!!

10:46 lmao OMG Matt just said what I just got done saying, ROFLMFAOOOO!!!!!!! YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS SHIT UP!!!!!! https://imgur.com/a/gWYw6Xe

11:20 oh man, she's gonna get this poor young feller killed.

11:45 dang, I think this crazy bitch WANTS him dead.

12:28 man this lady is creepy.

12:50 this old guy's drunker than hell, this is definitely not fair.

13:09 [heroic theme playing] LOL, I legitimately never saw that coming!!!

13:39 riding a horse looks like it'd hurt your balls pretty bad. Shouldn't men be the ones riding side saddle!?

13:55 [ominous theme swells] lol. And just LOOK at the devious satisfied grin on her face, this chick is GROSS! I really hope Marshal Dillon never put his dick in that!

15:42 well he could have at least nodded yes or something... poet til the end I guess. *facepalm*

16:20 and this wicked bitch is just sitting there laughing to the mail?!

18:46 what the honest frigg? This lady must just be straight up crazy... I can't believe she's still trying to make a move on the good marshal after what the hell she just did!?

18:52 "Get your damn dirty paws off me!" lol.

22:10 I think it's kinda funny how most people who die on the show are instantly killed with a single bullet haphazardly fired off into who knows where, but Matt Dillon gets shot twice in the very first episode and totally survives, lol.

24:14 bahahahaha, NIIIIIHIHIHIIIIIICE!!!!!!!!!!!

24:22 hell yeah baby!!!!!!

According to the end credits, James Arness's wife Virginia Chapman Arness was in this episode and she's credited as "Gypsy"... not sure where she might have appeared. Looks like she made an appearance in 2 episodes but this was the only credited one.

They were only married til 1960 and she died in 1977 at age 56...

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1385...nia-arness

Her cause of death is said to be an accident overdose of sleeping pills.

[Mister Obvious]

The Long Branch Saloon was a well-known saloon in Dodge City, Kansas from about 1874 to 1885.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Branch_Saloon

[Mister Obvious]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Branch_Saloon

A saloon using the same name was featured in almost every episode of the long-running radio and television drama, Gunsmoke. A new establishment named the Long Branch Saloon, largely based on Gunsmoke, was built as part of the modern non-profit Boot Hill Museum entertainment and exhibit theme park in Dodge City. The exterior was modeled on period photographs of the original building, while the interior is consistent with period saloons of the era.

[user328]

13:39 riding a horse looks like it'd hurt your balls pretty bad. Shouldn't men be the ones riding side saddle!?

IKR? Same thing with the bar on a man's bicycle and no bar on a woman's bike.

[Mister Obvious]

https://imgur.com/a/uButgql

[Mister Obvious]

I always think it's surprising how most people AREN'T filming.

[user328]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Branch_Saloon

As we know, false front architecture reached its zenith in Blazing Saddles when they built a town full of false fronts with no actual buildings behind them.

[Mister Obvious]

ROFL, right!?

False fronts were used a lot in the old west, they would build a wooden front and then there would be a tent structure behind it.

[Mister Obvious]

23:40 so this is the first time I realize that the Lady Gay saloon is ANOTHER bar in Dodge City!!!!!!!!!!! So it seems like Miss Kitty's establishment was probably the more respectable one. According to a search, the Lady Gay was a real saloon in Dodge City at one time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Branch_Saloon

The Long Branch saloon soon became the most popular and refined saloon in Dodge City.

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E14 - "Professor Lute Bone"

1:12 oooo she's cuuuute! Totally fake blonde, ridiculous in the historical context, but dang, what a looker!

1:50 I looooove Doc. Maybe I'm having these strong feelings for him all the sudden because he just saved a baby's life! *heart eyes*

3:08 "MORE!?" barks the Doc. Uh oh... there's a snake oil salesman witchdoctor in town.

4:27 damn... I just want someone to look at me the way Marshal Dillon looks at Chester!?

4:50 gah, look at those thick, gorgeous leather belts. So sexy... https://imgur.com/a/3LSAKKP

7:38 more like Chester Not-So-Goode. He needs a punishin'.

8:18 the marshal better whip him into shape... can't have him with his position of authority be leading the fine folks of Dodge City astray.

11:00 wow, this false hope peddlin' jerkwagon has brought conflict to Dodge City and even among Doc and Chester and Marshal Dillon themselves!!!

16:30 OPIUM!?!

20:15 is all that broken glass just gonna be in the sink?? How the fuck are they gonna clean it out?? Ain't they got a garbage can or something!?

24:50 they're just walking off into the night... that's freedom right there. All you'd need is a gun to protect yourself from wild animals!

[Mister Obvious]

S1 E15 - "No Handcuffs"

2:08 if he was wanted for murder then why the hell would he be pounding on the door of the marshal's office for help??

3:17 August Brake?? Lmao. The fuck kinda name is that?

4:10 I definitely believe this guy. Seems innocent to me.

4:40 where the fuck is Mingo? Could it be this place? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mingo_Junction,_Ohio

6:48 couldn't they just make up a warrant on the spot even if there wasn't one before??

8:00 wow, Chester ain't the brightest crayon in the box eh? Sigh.

8:30 my faith in Chester took a real hit in the last episode anyway, and this one is like way worse, lol. Seems like Marshal Dillon needs more than just one other helper.

9:20 CHOKE HIM!!!!!!!!! CHOKE HIM OUT!!!!!!!!!!!

9:40 he KILLED him?? Come ON. That's even dumber than the single haphazardly aimed bullet that instantly kills people on this show, lmao!!! He didn't kill that fucking guy, he just knocked him out at best.

10:10 see, told ya.

Regardless, that guy better get the hell outta Dodge and make sure he goes somewhere he's never been before. It's the fricken wild west, how the hell could anybody find you if you actually TRIED to disappear??

15:30 I think that lady's lying!!!

19:12 wow it's so weird to see them in a different town!!! Check out that baller church!!!

There's a Mingo in Kansas but it's a hella tiny place, surely that's not what they're referencing in this episode. I think they just made it up.

23:10 that was the greatest backhand I've ever seen. Y'all have GOTTA see this.

My favorite moment of all the episodes I've seen yet.

[Mister Obvious]

https://i.imgur.com/ywWCeha.png

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YOU GUYS.

I have NO IDEA how the fuck this thread GOT PINNED.

I DID NOT DO IT.

I have NO IDEA how it could have possibly happened.

A thread has only inexplicably ended up pinned one other time in the history of this site, I don't remember what it was.

But I DID NOT pin this thread.

[Mister Obvious]

That is HILARIOUS.

[Mister Obvious]

Like how the fuck do you explain that?? HOW??

BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my God.

I'm telling you...

[Mister Obvious]

The other time this happened was several years ago.