'' Gunsmoke'' is an American

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

radio series, which was developed for radio by John Meston and Norman Macdonnell. The series ran for nine seasons and was broadcast by

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

. The first episode of the series originally aired in the United States on April 26, 1952, and the final first-run episode aired on June 11, 1961. During the series, a total of 480 original episodes were broadcast, including shows with re-used or adapted scripts. A television version of the series premiered in 1955. ''Gunsmoke'' is set in and around

Dodge City Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier tow ...

, Kansas, in the post-

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...

era and centers around United States

Marshall Matt Dillon Matt Dillon is a fictional character featured on both the radio and television versions of ''Gunsmoke''. He is the U.S. Marshal of Dodge City, Kansas, who works to preserve law and order in the western frontier of the 1870s. The character wa ...

( William Conrad) as he enforces law and order in the city. The series also focuses on Dillon's friendship with three other citizens of Dodge City: Doctor Charles "Doc" Adams ( Howard McNear), the town's physician; Kitty Russell ( Georgia Ellis), owner of the

Long Branch Saloon The Long Branch Saloon was a well-known saloon in Dodge City, Kansas from about 1874 to 1885. It had several owners, most notably Chalk Beeson and gunfighter Luke Short. The establishment provided gambling and live entertainment, including B ...

; and Chester Wesley Proudfoot ( Parley Baer), Dillon's deputy. Other roles were played by a group of supporting actors consisting of John Dehner, Sam Edwards,

Harry Bartell Harry Alfred Bartell (November 29, 1913 – February 26, 2004)Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . p. 34. was an American actor and announcer in radio, television and film. Wit ...

, Vic Perrin, Lou Krugman, Lawrence Dobkin,

Barney Phillips Bernard Philip Ofner (October 20, 1913 – August 17, 1982), better known by his stage name Barney Phillips, was an American film, television, and radio actor. His most prominent roles include that of Sgt. Ed Jacobs on the 1950s '' Dragnet ...

Jack Kruschen Jacob "Jack" Kruschen (March 20, 1922 – April 2, 2002) was a Canadian character actor who worked primarily in American film, television and radio. Kruschen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr. ...

, Ralph Moody, Ben Wright, James Nusser,

Richard Crenna Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American film, television and radio actor. Crenna starred in such motion pictures as '' The Sand Pebbles'', ''Wait Until Dark'', ''Un Flic'', '' Body Heat'', the first three ...

, Tom Tully,

Joseph Kearns Joseph Sherrard Kearns
TV Guide. July 15–21, 1961, Savetheorgan.org; retrieved September 28, 2011.

Virginia Gregg Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

, Jeanette Nolan, Virginia Christine,

Helen Kleeb Helen Kleeb (January 6, 1907 – December 28, 2003) was an American film and television actress. In a career covering nearly 50 years, she may be best known for her role from 1972 to 1981 as Miss Mamie Baldwin on the family drama ''The Walton ...

, Lillian Buyeff,

Vivi Janiss Vivi may refer to: People * Vivi Bach (1939–2013), Danish actress and singer * Vivi Fernandez (born 1977), Brazilian model * Vivi Flindt (born 1943), Danish ballerina * Vivi Friedman (1967–2012), Finnish film director * Vivi Gioi (1917– ...

, and

Jeanne Bates Jeanne Bates (May 21, 1918 – November 28, 2007) was a retired American radio, film and television actress. After performing in radio serials, she signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1942 which began her career in films both in bit ...

. The entire nine-season run of ''Gunsmoke'' was produced by Norman Macdonnell.

Episodes

The original pilot episode of ''Gunsmoke'' was entitled "Mark Dillon Goes to Gouge Eye" and was recorded twice. The first was on June 11, 1949, with Rye Billsbury as Dillon and the second on July 15, 1949, with Howard Culver in the lead. Neither pilot was aired and the hero's name was eventually changed from Mark Dillon to Matt Dillon.

Season 1 (1952–1953)

Season 2 (1953–1954)

Season 3 (1954–1955)

Season 4 (1955–1956)

Season 5 (1956–1957)

Season 6 (1957–1958)

Season 7 (1958–1959)

Season 8 (1959–1960)

Season 9 (1960–1961)

Audio Links

Episodes on Archive.org

Footnotes

References

* * (runs to 480 episodes as it includes shows with re-used scripts) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gunsmoke Lists of radio series episodes