The absolute Highlight of my career was working with Dennis Weaver, 6 nights a week, in a Theater Show in Ouray, Colorado, just 10 miles from Ridgway. He did a 10 minute bit as Chester teaching the audience how to play the guitar. He had done that bit in Gunsmoke, teaching Miss Kitty how to play it. I never grew tired of it. Our first day of rehearsal, he did a line and turned to me and said, "Did I do that alright?" I was stunned! Why would this veteran Actor ask me? That's how real he was. No ego whatsoever. I still miss him. His son, Rusty and I played in the Band "Free Range Cats" for about 3 years. Rusty is a consummate Musician/Songwriter/Producer, and a great guy as well. Some of my favorite memories.
Thank you. Very interesting and sad how Amanda Blake died. She was such a great actress. My love for James Arness will be forever as every female fell for this gentle giant. Thanks to All the Gunmoke actors who gave us so much entertainment for 20 great years!
My 1st actor crush was"Hoss" from Bonanza. I Never, ever trusted, n or was attracted to, the 'pretty boys'. Never cared for Michael Landon who became very religious, but seemed (to me) in a non-humble, arrogant way. Interesting that his daughter plays "Teeter", the pink hair, Very foul mouth girl (Only girl in bunk house, at first), In the series named "Yellowstone".
I’m also a true fan of Gunsmoke and all the actors .. My late husband got me hooked on Gunsmoke and still today at my age of soon to b 83 years I watch it on insp nighty!
Thank you for this wonderful documentary Mr. Skinner. My partner and best friend loved to watch Gunsmoke. He once told me it was the only night of the week his Grandpa stayed up late to watch his favorite show. On April 2, 2020 my friend had supper and sat down in his easy chair in front of his T.V. and watched his favorite show, Gunsmoke! Bless his heart, I do believe he had every episode memorized. We found him the next morning still in his easy chair but gone, died instantly of a heart attack. . I miss him so much and your documentary warmed my heart and brought me closer to him. Thank you again. Keep up your good work!
Hard to believe its been 44 years since the last episode of Gunsmoke was made. Time flies. At the time I don't think folks who watched Gunsmoke realized it would be part of television history. Hard to imagine that there would'nt have been a Gunsmoke.
Loved weaver and the show McCloud. He was a loved actor and missed rip 🙏to all the cast of Gunsmoke. What a beautiful tribute to westerns. Thank u so much.
Thank you all , from the time it started to the very end, but even now me & my husband still watches Gunsmoke. It really worth the time to watch every bit of Gunsoke, and will
Yes, thank you Mr. James Arness, Mr. Dennis Weaver and Mr. Ken Curtis for your Service to our Nation🇺🇸 in the trenches as well as your talents on Gunsmoke. I grew up watching this TV Western with my family. It truly is a treasure.
I truly loved this...what an honor to those that played on Gunsmoke. I have watched Gunsmoke all of my life and continue to watch it everyday as it never gets old. Thank you for taking the time to make this.
Me too. As a grade school age kid. I still love those shows!! Also, the Rifleman!! I was shocked to find out that johnnie walker is actually older than me!! Long since passed away. It’s weird watching repeats and that sweet little boy was actually older than I!!
I still watch all those old shows everyday thank God for MEtv , I love them all . Gun smoke , the waltons , the rifleman , bonanza , wagon train , Carole burnett ect.. the list goes on . They’re very different then what we have now, parents could easily watch television with their children rated PG free. Life before Botox, social media and filters loll the simplicity was priceless.
Dear Sir, your video is one of the nicest and loveliest spoken videos ever. How much time you must have spent in all of this... It´s so sweet to know something more about my childhood-heroes.... Not forgetting to mention Star Trek, Shilo Ranch, The Waltons, Detective Rockfort, In the Streets of San Francisco and more... This was all entertainment!!!
A large part of my growing up was watching Gunsmoke. This TV show was the part of my growing up more than any other TV show or movie. James Arness and the other actors are a part of Americana and will always be a part.
My hubby watches Gunsmoke every night on the oldies channel. He sometimes tells me what happened on the episode. I ask him one time if he knew that was a TV show and not real life. He laughed and admitted he knew. Gunsmoke is the best show and has a super cast.
I don't think we ever missed an episode. Loved this show!! I suddenly feel old for some reason.... we had the best programming in the 60's and 70's! It was another world compared to today, families actually sat down and ate at the same table, and then at the tv for their favorite show's, with actual mom's and dad's there too!!
I continue to start my mornings watching "Wagon Train" & then "Gunsmoke" for several hours. I'm now fully house-bound due to several failed spinal fusions. Both shows help distract me from the Pain & Boredom of Not being able to still live my life to the fullest.
Thank you for this wonderful posting. The music themes, opening and closing, and the custom written and performed music for each episode, are indicative of the care and attention of Mr. James Arness. There is no other comparable western. Cast. Crew. Sets. Music (of course). Costumes. Livestock. What's not to love. I'd be honored to sign on as chicken wrangler just to associate with this fantastic team! Unending love. RIP.
Mr. Jerry Skinner, you did a wonderful job here telling the story of the people that starred in the cast of Gun Smoke! You always do a outstanding job documenting your stories. Thank you for your work!
Takes me back to the days when movie stars were the salt of the earth. Loved Wayne and Arness. Never knew Arness worked in Wayne's Movie Production company..
That was beautiful. I fancied myself a true Gunsmoke aficionado, past tense. I thank you Mr. Skinner as I stand humbled by your work and the gracious tribute you gathered on these fine people.
I loved Gunsmoke. I still do. I watch it everyday. Re-run after re-run You can never get tired of this program. I was very little when it first came on the scene. I remember going to gramma's house on the weekends and making a pellet on the floor watching Gunsmoke. I loved those days and will never forget them.
Really enjoyed it. Met Doc Adams at one of his houses in the San Fernando Valley while delivering mail for the US Post office for one summer as I was just out of the military and making some money to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo CA. He was as grouchy as he was on Gun Smoke.
Amazing documentary. My entire family watched Gun Smoke the entire duration of the show. Great family show even today. God Bless the creator and all people involved making the Gunsmoke legion. God Bless
Gunsmoke today is a show that I watch everyday to help me to deal with the Madness of today. This show and Client Eastwood western shows are the best western shows that was written. John Arness is the best western character that EVER LIVED.
Fantastic job u did on this. Gunsmoke is one of my favorite shows that I like to watch over & over. Love all the characters & enjoy recognizing actors that are well known today. Thank you for this video, sadly as it is I hate to hear of the passing of all of them. I know there will be people who will enjoy this show for years & years & appreciate it as much as we do today.
Thank you so much for this opportunity to see the history of my favorite actors and TV program ❤️ The characters 💙 ❤️ in Gunsmoke were from the start 1955 part of my heartfelt family.. My dad and I watched the program together every week.. To this day Marshal Dillon is my HERO as a man, cowboy and companion.. I am 80 years old. Thanks again, Phyllis Gibson..❤
I am 60 and still watch. When I was a little girl, "Gunsmoke" came on every Saturday night. My mama would bake a homemade pecan pie and brew coffee while my dad would paste wax our floors and buff them out...then it was time to sit down to eat pie and watch Gunsmoke together. Good memories.
I was raised on Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Rifleman, thanks to being raised by my Grandparent's western's were a huge part of my life; I watch what they call television now and it makes me sick they cannot see the damage they have done to today's youth with that trash it's just sad. Kid's sometimes need heroes but today's heroes are nobody to look up to.
Was my dad's favorite T.V. show. Whenever that T.V. show was on while he was trying to rest it always had his undivided attention. The information on the actors lives here is so interesting. Like for example the lives of sons to Mr. James Arnez. Since Mr. James Arnez was soon very rich; Rich enough to sue for custody of those sons of his when they were young and so were their biological mothers, - After watching this video I am still not sure which mother each of his sons were to -- Miss Chapman, Thordis Brandt or Janet Surtees. Is that one of the westerns on T.V. with scenes depicting a surgery done for someone after getting shot while no modern anesthesia was available yet? Probably not since the show was rated for family I guess.
I recently started watchimg westerns and Gunsmoke is my favorite. Im retired and get up every morning watching Gunsmoke to the point of watching reruns . I just love all of the characters. Iv even seen the movies that were a spinoff of Gunsmoke. May they all rest in peace knowing that they brought so much joy to everyone that watched.
Thank you for all the information. Excellent documentation. I am deeply saddened by these wonderful people’s death. I still watch all these films which I think were all awesome!❤Thank you again!!
What a show! Started 1yr before my birthday and ran 2yr after high school, my best friend from 6yrs old to just before his passing few years ago told me that I reminded him of Matt Dillon best compliment I've ever got, who said TV rots your brain!!
Thank you for your work on these excellent actors who have meant so much to our lives on, "Gunsmoke." I enjoyed it immensely since I grew up watching each week and now watching the reruns with my husband. They are the highlights of our evenings. We dearly love Marshall Dillon and the other characters as if they are part of our extended family. Thank you, Mr. Skinner for a great video.
When I thought James Arness was just an actor: He played a real bad-ass. When I found out James Arness stormed a beach in Italy: He WAS a real bad-ass.
Not just any beach. Anzio was Italy's equivolent of the D-Day landings in France. It was from the Anzio beachhead that Allied forces moved out to liberate Rome.
My mother used to buy Ms Kitty's breakfast for her whenever she came into the town of Galt Calif where she lived until her death at an animal sanctuary. Her last husband had given her the deadly disease.
"GUNSMOKE", Timeless and Simply the Best! A Great cast, with Arness, Blake, Stone, Weaver, Reynolds, Curtis, Strange, etc... I still watch All the reruns, but my Favorite episodes are still the Black and White episodes! "RIP", GUNSMOKE Cast, a lifetime fan 08-06-21! 😘
I remember watching the 1st Gunsmoke in Sept of '55 when I was 5 years old. I watched it every week and didn't miss an episode until I went into the service in 1968. I always tried to be like James Arness, even to this day. Trivia: I retired as a Commercial helicopter pilot and during one of my classes at Bell Helicopters on the early ' 70's met Blackie Dalton who was a Test Pilot there. At the beginning of Gunsmoke Matt Dillon beats a gunfighter to the draw. That was Blackie Dalton. Turns out being a " Quickdraw " artist was his hobby! Great Test Pilot, great gunfighter. Ain't that a hoot?
@@caroljohnson5879 Thank you Ma'am for the correction, as I appreciate historical accuracy. As it turns out after some research Blackie Dalton the pilot took on the nickname of the outlaw killed. He did Western reenactments as a fast draw artist and I understand he knew Arvo, don't know if he ever drew against him. He died in 1994. Still an interesting guy though, proud to have met him. Thank you again for the clarification.
My Momma went into labor with me at 3pm on Friday afternoon. But since she was in labor with my big brother for 3 days, she thought she had plenty of time. So she watched a full episode of Gunsmoke, and then went with Dad to deliver a fresh butchered beef to my aunt and uncle. Then Dad stopped by the family doctor, just before the clinic closed at 5 pm. He told Dad to get Momma to the hospital, pronto! Dad got Momma to the the hospital at a little before 6pm. I was born at 6:36pm.
As I recall ... Gunsmoke was considered the first adult western series on TV. Up until then the TV Westerns were squeaky clean. Miss Kitty and Matt's relationship was unique at the time.
Audie Murphy served in the 3rd infantry division also I was stationed in Germany in 1961 with the Third Infantry Division. Proud to know I have something in Common with my two real heroes.
I literally grew up with James Arnes and, "GUN SMOKE". James Arnes was always my idea of the solidly loyal, strong and courageous American Man. And, in fact Mr. Arnes was in "real life" the same Marshal Matt Dillon he brilliantly portrayed for 20 years on the small screen. Though Mr. Arnes was an outstanding actor, on "Gun Smoke, he never truly Had to act. All he needed to do was to be himself. Mr. Arnes was a excellent role model for many young men like myself. My entire Family loved "Gun Smoke" and the entire cast. Now, I am in my 70's but I've never forgotten the legendary"Gun Smoke" program or, James Arnes. I also am totally impressed with the outstanding work of the Producers, Directors, Writers, and the many various technicians, from Makeup to Audio and Camera, associated with this magnificent Show. My sincere Thanks, and Kudos to them All.
Thank you for all the time and research need to gather all information about Gunsmoke cast members. Loved the show, script, actors, guest stars. Sharing is caring.
My brother and I strapped on our holsters every Saturday night but we always fell to the floor because Matt Dillon was the Sherrif He alsways out drew us.
Festus was always my favorite on Gunsmoke, and my wife still watches it every day. Mr. Skinner, Your videos are always relaxing, informative and very enjoyable. God bless.
@@garymcgill3312 me too! Festus seemed to be somewhat a klutz, a smelly hick, and had no future in his town. No wonder no real lady would be attracted to him. However, Ken appeared in a Perry Mason episode and was quite good.
Festus is my wifes favorite too! She talks about how he had his made up words that his character used that made him so loveable. We only just came across this channel and will be enjoying it from here on out. Can't wait to see what else we come across. Hope this reply finds you and your wife well. Gunsmoke will be on TV later this morning for several episodes as it is every weekday. It's always on in the background and sometimes I'll catch her standing in front of the TV just engrossed in it and not even realize she's not sitting down. Haha!
I love this show ! I was 5 years old when it started and 25 when it went off the air . They just don’t make them like that any more ! I still watch the re-runs !
