"Gunsmoke" (1955) - Review & Commentary

[Mister Obvious]

It's a very pure kind of excitement...

There's something cleansing and rejuvenating about watching Gunsmoke.

[user328]

Wanted posters for William Bonney (Billy the Kid) and Black Bart (Dread Pirate Roberts) on the jailhouse wall.

[Mister Obvious]

Some of those exact 'Wanted' posters were featured in western themed movies and shows of the era as well.

[Mister Obvious]

It delights me to know that some of my loved ones are enjoying Gunsmoke with me now!

[Mister Obvious]

Older aged lifelong Gunsmoke fans if they happened across this thread would be disgusted by some of my language...

"Saloon sluts", pervy statements about Matt (though I do try to be a bit more respectful than I ever normally would) and the like...

But I think it's a testament to how Gunsmoke touches the lives of people from all walks of life in a very deep way.

It is helping me, soothing my heart, giving me a man to admire and treasure (even if he's a fictional character portrayed by a deceased actor, my love is real and he was a real and good man in his lifetime)...

It's inspiring me, sparking my creativity.

For male viewers, if you weren't particularly into Kitty or the other female offerings on the show who aren't in every episode, you may not be quite as touched as I am by the show.

Although I think the enjoyment and admiration of a character like Marshal Dillon can be enjoyed by both women and men alike for their own reasons, I do recognize that males won't have the romantic admiration that I have for him. So there may be a little less reason to watch considering those points.

However I think the absolute excellence of the show on every level would be enough to keep viewers hooked, because well, it has been for over 65 years now!

[Mister Obvious]

It's inspiring me, sparking my creativity.

A lot of my inner dialogue takes place in that 'old west' way of speaking now...

Leaving the 'G' off of words that end in 'ing' for example.

I never did like doing that very much...

On a literary level, it's actually one of my pet peeves and is generally reserved for absolutely sparing usage.

However it's the only way to convey the atmosphere properly so I make an exception for it within this thread...

It's creeping into other aspects of my life though, lmao!

I just love that wild west speak. I am actually really good at it, owing I'm sure to my inherent country accent.

But I find that speaking that way unlocks this ability to imagine all kinds of scenes, I find myself coming up with plotlines and characters in my spare time and getting the urge to write some of the ideas down.

I was a huge fan of the Twilight Zone in my teenage years and the Sci-Fi channel's New Years marathons of the show inspired me so much that I would end up writing several pieces of Twilight Zone fanfic as well as sci-fi themed Bonanza fan fictions.

I feel the same sort of inspiration over Gunsmoke. Will I ever actually write any fan fiction? Not very likely. Mostly because all I'd wanna do is some sexy action with Marshal Dillon and SOMEBODY, Kitty or not, lmao!

[Mister Obvious]

It definitely wouldn't be Kitty... I'd want to imagine myself as a character in the show so that I could reap maximum pleasure.

But knowing how Arness felt about any infidelity regarding Kitty in real life, I just think it'd be disrespectful and maybe even a little sacrilegious to go there!

[user328]

All of these orphaned girls Matt brings back to Dodge to find them a home. Do we hear any more about them later?

[Mister Obvious]

Nope we don't, at least so far as I've watched. Seems like a rarity in this show to reuse past characters. Then again, I'm only to season 2 so I am guessing it MUST be a theme in future seasons.

So far I'd describe it like a soap opera but not cheesy and with a brand new plot line every single episode (which is remarkable).

[Mister Obvious]

Throughout the series when I was checking the box set, I only noticed 2 "to be continued" type episodes... there are very few multi-parter episodes in this series. I can't imagine that they won't start reusing characters or having the classic recurring villain now and then. I am very interested to find out though.

[Mister Obvious]

There actually is a recurring female character in season 2 that Chester is sweet on. So far that's the only recurring back burner character I've seen.

[Mister Obvious]

It would be incredible if they really did just have a brand new plot and set of back burner characters every single episode...

Can't be possible. Over 600 episodes? There's no way they didn't start to develop themes.

I would imagine that watching every episode from the very beginning and in order will be extremely rewarding when those themes start to unfold.

[user328]

All of these orphaned girls Matt brings back to Dodge to find them a home. Do we hear any more about them later?

Is Dodge City really the kind of place you want to bring a young girl to give her a fresh start on a virtuous life?

I mean they paint it wholesome here, but Dodge was a rough town in real life.

Not to disparage Miss Kitty, who is quite lovely, but what is her actual job? She dresses for the saloon rather than for the townsfolk, and is often found in one.

[user328]

I'm about to watch S1 E7. All of the above comments not specifically attached to an episode are just thoughts I've had as I watched the last 4 or 5 episodes.

I'm looking forward to E8, the one with the Bonnie Tyler lyrics in the dialog. Will I shit a fucking brick when I see it for myself?

[Mister Obvious]

Dodge was a rough place in those days... but when you find girls on barren pieces of land barely scraping by with a family who treats them like crap, Dodge is a step up. Especially under the care of Marshal Dillon... that's what makes Dodge okay. And that's sort of the idea... Matt Dillon is endeared even more to the townsfolk and the audience because he's this larger than life force that commands respect out of the bad guys just by virtue of having this "put the fear of God in ya" presence.

Miss Kitty in earlier seasons is very subtly hinted at as a madame (female pimp) with the Long Branch being where she works and manages the girls who work under her.

I read in an article that they dial back the theme of low key prostitution going on at the Long Branch, and I think that starts in season 3 most likely, as I'm nearing the end of season 2 and Kitty is now the official co-owner of the Long Branch, therefore legitimizing her presence there and making it possible to leave behind the madame theme.

I will miss that theme though. Not gonna lie. Hopefully it doesn't change too much.

In the radio series, it was made very clear that Kitty was a madame with ladies working under her... the radio show was referred to as an "adult" show, while the TV series progressively decided to tone down those more mature aspects and uphold morality. It was a decision heavily influenced by James Arness, who believed in putting a good message out there and upholding moral qualities as a mainstay, my guess is the whole thing was aimed at keeping America's moral fortitude intact during a questionable time. The 60s were just around the corner when the show began, and I think most likely they wanted to combat the 'free love' hippie movement, which was viewed as a morally lax time, and the degradation of society was feared to be the result.

[Mister Obvious]

I'm looking forward to E8, the one with the Bonnie Tyler lyrics in the dialog. Will I shit a fucking brick when I see it for myself?

I hate to disappoint you my darling, but that's not really what they said verbatim... I was making a joke and filled in the rest of the dialogue with that line. I hope you're not too mad at me ;)

[user328]

I can't believe I'm binging Gunsmoke.



Fuck you, MO.

[Mister Obvious]

All of the above comments not specifically attached to an episode are just thoughts I've had as I watched the last 4 or 5 episodes.

Sometimes I don't have much to say about an episode, but I make sure to keep log of having watched it anyway...

I want to at least have record of watching each episode in order, and my posts/commentary help me keep my place in the series and easily locate the next episode in line among all these DVDs.

[Mister Obvious]

I can't believe I'm binging Gunsmoke.

I know, that's exactly how I felt when I first started watching...

It's like, damn, does anyone have time to watch a show this HUGE??

But as I've been watching it, I realize that many people grew up with it and saw every episode, so technically we'll all have spent the same amount of time on it.

That said, due to the nature of commentating (pausing, typing out a bunch of stuff), it'll take me a bit longer to watch than it would take most people. However, the lack of commercials does make up for some of that time spent... it may break even if you did the math (not gonna).

I also started to realize that the people who were on the show for 20 years spent more time bringing it to life and reality than anyone will ever spend watching it. When you develop respect for the actors (specifically James Arness) like I inevitably have, it makes you realize how truly worth your time it really is.

[user328]

I've only downloaded the first three seasons so far, with S4 on its way. If I had downloaded the whole torrent at once, it could've been weeks before I got to watch S1 E1.