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With Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, and Cheyenne,
television during the 1950s and 60s went into the West --
with strong, silent, and honest men defending boomtowns,
aiding the innocent, bring law to the lawless as the white
knights riding to the rescue to make everything right week
after week. ***
The second half of Gunsmoke's third season features
all 20 episodes shown in black and white, as Marshall Dillon
(James Arness) became the John Wayne of the small screen.
What many viewers may or may not know is that in its first
six years, Gunsmoke originally aired for a half-hour show
under the title Marshall Dillion when shown in reruns through
syndication. With guest stars such as June Lockhart, this
was the season that Gunsmoke became the #1 show in America
for the next four years. ***
One of the key ingredients of the show's popularity
is the onscreen chemistry between Matt and Miss Kitty (Amanda
Blake). Every week, viewers have been wanting to see them
as a couple and though the two remain close friends, Matt
and Kitty may still remain to probably have the longest-running
courtship in the history of television romance. Both Gunsmoke
and star Arness are tied with The Simpsons and Kelsey Grammar
(Dr. Fraiser Crane) as the longest-running show, along with
the actor playing the same character for 20 years. ***
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