Gather Round: It’s Time for Tales of Wells Fargo

September 23, 2024March 14, 2024 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

This month we are Riding the Range, exploring some of the westerns from the fifties and sixties. One of those shows that was on the air from 1957-1962 was Tales of Wells Fargo.

The show was produced by Revue Productions and set in the 1870s and 1880s. Gene Reynolds was one of the creators of the show, along with Frank Gruber and James Brooks. Reynolds would go on to great success as a director, producer and writer, and my favorite of his was M*A*S*H. Although this show was set in the same time as Daniel Boone, it was better at getting history correct. The show featured special agent Jim Hardie (Dale Robertson) with his horse Jubilee. It was loosely based on the life of real detective Fred J. Dodge. Sometimes Hardie ran into characters from history including Jesse James and Belle Starr.

Fred Dodge was born in California in 1854. He went to work as an undercover agent for Wells Fargo, working in California, Nevada, and Arizona. In 1979 he was in Tombstone and recommended hiring Wyatt Earp as guard for the stage line. He became great friends with Earp. Later Dodge became constable of Tombstone while working undercover. In 1890 he left his undercover work and became a known employee of Wells Fargo in Texas. He purchased a 2,000-acre ranch near Boerne, Texas and when he retired in 1917, he lived there with his family. Dodge was described as an intelligent and successful investigator. He wrote 27 journals during his career, noting his activities and travels in them. Some of these were used for Tales of West Fargo.

I had always assumed this show was about stagecoach travel, but it was not, although stage coaches played a part. In the mid-1800s, the Wells Fargo stage line was the primary connection between the East and West coasts. Wells Fargo did not operate a stage coach line, but they did use that form of transportation for money, gold and other valuables to be delivered. Trains are involved in many of the plots. One of the trains used in the show would eventually travel to Hooterville and be renamed the Cannonball.

The first five seasons were black and white half-hour shows, while the final season switched to a color, hour-long show. During the last season, Hardie settles on a ranch near San Francisco and several recurring characters (Jack Ging, William Demarest, Virginia Christine, Lory Patrick, and Mary Jayne Saunders) were added to the series. Earle Lyon replaced Nat Holt as producer in 1960.

The theme song was written by Stanley Wilson and Mort Greene. Wilson was a prolific composer, amassing 147 credits for composing and 278 for music department credit on television and in movies. Mort Greene was best known as a writer for The Red Skelton Show and for his musical role for Leave it to Beaver.

The number of well-known actors who appeared on the show was surprising. Here are just a few of the huge number: Claude Akins, Eddie Albert, Hugh Beaumont, Dan Blocker, Charles Bronson, Edgar Buchanan, Harry Carey Jr., Chuck Connors, Buddy Ebsen, Beverly Garland, George Kennedy, Tina Louise, Steve McQueen, Jack Nicholson, Leonard Nimoy, Denver Pyle, Jason Robards, Vito Scotti, Dawn Wells, and Adam West.

It was an NBC show. The pilot premiered on Schlitz Playhouse of Stars. Its biggest competition was Father Knows Best in seasons two and three. It was very popular with the viewers. The show was in the top ten during seasons one through four. For the sixth season, with an entire new cast, new theme song, and color, it was almost like a new show. NBC moved it to Saturday nights against Perry Mason and ratings declined drastically, costs went up significantly, and it was canceled.

Robertson thought the key to the popularity of the show was because it was not geared specifically to adults or kids. It was a family show. When Robertson first read the script, it was terrible, but he owed Nat Holt a favor, so he accepted the role, assuming that it would never make it. Robertson received a 50% ownership in the show, so he said of course it made him want the show to be better and he convinced them to replace most of the original script. He said that he enjoyed his time on the show a lot and that the crew was close and professional. They never went over schedule or over budget during the entire run.

The first two seasons were released on DVD in 2011 if you want to check them out. It sounds like this was a solid show. The network supported them, the cast was close, the production team was on top of things, and they all enjoyed their time with the show. That is a rare thing to hear in the television business. They took a gamble in the last season, and it didn’t work out, but perhaps it was for the best. It sounds like the actual show ended the season before because the last season things changed so much it was a completely new production. I would like to read more about Fred Dodge. His life sounds fascinating.

Buddy Ebsen: From The Tin Man to King of the Hill

December 25, 2023November 20, 2022 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

As we wind up our blog series, “Time for Some Texas Tea,” we are also reading the last blog of the year. We have been learning about the careers of several actors who appeared on The Beverly Hillbillies and today we have saved Buddy Ebsen who had the most successful career of the cast.

Ebsen was born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr. in 1908 in Illinois. He was the only son of four children born to his parents who had immigrated from Germany. His father was a choreographer and owned a dance studio. He was also a physical fitness advocate and operated a gym for the local school district. His mother was a painter.

When Buddy was ten, his family moved to Florida for this mother’s health, eventually ending up in Orlando where he took dance at his father’s studio. Ebsen was a member of the swim team all four years and became a Florida State Champion. He graduated in 1926. Originally, he chose a career in medicine and attended the University of Florida at Gainesville. He transferred to Rollins College in Winter Park for a year to be closer to home and save money. They had no science courses, so his mom suggested he take an acting class. When the Florida land boom crashed, Ebsen could no longer afford his tuition and he had to drop out.

He moved to New York City and worked at a soda fountain to get by. Ebsen began his career in the entertainment industry as a dancer. He and his sister were known as The Baby Astaires and they performed in supper clubs and on vaudeville. They were booked at the Palace Theater in New York City after Walter Winchell saw them perform in Atlantic City and gave them a rave review.

In 1933 Buddy married Ruth Cambridge; their marriage ended in divorce in 1945 after having two daughters.

His first film was Broadway Melody of 1936. In that same year, he danced with Shirley Temple in Captain January. In 1938 he appeared with Judy Garland as his dance partner. Walt Disney brought Ebsen in to be filmed dancing in front of a grid so the animators could use it to draw the Silly Symphonie with Mickey Mouse.

MGM offered Buddy an exclusive contract but he turned it down, and Louis Mayer told him he would never work in Hollywood again. In 1939 the same MGM cast him as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Ebsen and Ray Bolger swapped roles and Buddy became the Tin Man. He recorded the songs, went through all the rehearsals, and then began filming the movie. He began experiencing body aches, cramps, and shortness of breath which eventually landed him in the hospital. Doctors diagnosed him with an allergy to the aluminum dust in the makeup, and he had to give up the role and was replaced by Jack Haley.

Ebsen took up sailing after he recovered and learned it so well that he taught it to naval officer candidates. He was turned down every time he tried to enlist in the Navy. The US Coast Guard did accept his application, and he was made a lieutenant, junior grade. He served on the USS Pocatello which was a weather ship, recording weather 1500 miles west of Seattle. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

Ebsen received permission from the Pocatello’s commanding officer to bring aboard costumes, props, and musical instruments. He wrote, cast, and directed vaudeville shows, concerts, and plays while on the sea. Rehearsals were held in the cramped steering room.

In 1945, Ebsen married fellow lieutenant Nancy Wolcott. They had four daughters and a son. Their marriage lasted 39 years but also ended in divorce.

In 1949, he made his television debut on The Chevrolet Tele-Theater. During the fifties, he continued to make films and to appear on television series.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s Photo: pinterest.com

During the decade of the sixties, he was very busy in both mediums. He made four big-screen films including Breakfast at Tiffany’s. He appeared primarily on television, with appearances on a variety of shows including Maverick, The Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and Rawhide.

From 1962-71, Buddy became Jed Clampett, the head of the family who moves them to Beverly Hills after they earn millions from oil on their Tennessee land. The critics did not like The Beverly Hillbillies one bit. However, the viewers made the number one show several times. I have to side with the critics. Although the show still had high ratings in 1971, it was canceled by the network because they wanted to move their shows in a more “urban” direction.

Nancy Kulp seemed to be close to most of the cast especially Irene Ryan as Granny and Raymond Bailey, and Ebsen seemed to be close to most of the cast, especially Donna Douglas and Max Baer. However, Kulp and Ebsen were definitely not close. He was very much a conservative and she was decidedly liberal. Donna Douglas related that “they had a different view, so they had some heated discussions about that. They would go on for weeks.” In 1994, Kulp ran for US House of Representatives in her native Pennsylvania. Ebsen not only supported her opponent, he offered to make commercials talking about how liberal she was. He had no connection with Pennsylvania at the time. She claims he was just being spiteful, and he claims she did not know the issues.

After the cancellation of The Beverly Hillbillies, Ebsen appeared in Hawaii Five-0 and then in quite a run of made-for-television movies. In 1973, Buddy was offered his second starring role in a show as Barnaby Jones, a detective who comes out of retirement to investigate the death of his son. Lee Meriwether played his widowed daughter-in-law Betty. Barnaby Jones stayed out of retirement until 1980 when the show was canceled. The show was still receiving decent ratings, but Buddy decided he was ready for retirement.

When asked about Ebsen, Meriwether said, “He really worked at being at the top of his game. You had to keep up with him. I adored him. I think he had feelings for me too.” She later said that “he loved the idea of being a detective. We had CSI-type equipment in the office on the set and he liked doing his own tests.”

Despite a rumored relationship with Meriwether, in 1985, Ebsen married his third wife, Dorothy Knott, and they remained together until his death.

Except for a few credits here and there, Ebsen did not have a lot of acting credits after the mid-eighties. He did accept a recurring role on Matt Houston during season three of that show when he played Matt’s uncle for 22 episodes.

His last movie was a cameo in the big-screen film, The Beverly Hillbillies, and he played Barnaby Jones. His last acting role as a person was Burke’s Law in 1994. His last television appearance was a voice only for King of the Hill in 1999.

In addition to sailing, Ebsen had a lot of other interests. He was an avid coin collector. He also wrote several novels and books. He also released three albums, The Beverly Hillbillies with Irene Ryan in 1993, Buddy’s Originals in 2001, and Buddy Ebsen Says Howdy in 2003.

If that was not enough, he played the guitar, golfed, rode horses, painted, gardened, fished, and traveled.

Ebsen passed away in 2003. His Coast Guard papers are stored at the US Coast Guard Historian’s Office in Washington DC.

Many of the rest of his records were given to the University of Wyoming American Heritage Center by his wife after he passed away. The gift included papers from all stages of his career, artwork created by him, his sailing trophies, and athletic medals among other items. The AHC has a large Hollywood and entertainment collection.

In October of 2022, a new exhibit was unveiled, “The Entertaining Life of Buddy Ebsen.” He certainly did have an entertaining life. While Jed Clampett made him famous, his career was much more interesting than that one role.

Thanks for getting to know Buddy Ebsen better and for taking this journey in 2023 to learn more about classic television and all the people who were important in that evolution.

Donna Douglas: Southern Girl at Heart

December 4, 2023November 19, 2022 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

The Beverly Hillbillies' Star Donna Douglas Dies - ABC News — Photo: abcnews.com

This month’s blog series is “Time for Some Texas Tea,” stars of The Beverly Hillbillies. We begin our series with Elly May Clampett, played by Donna Douglas. Born Doris Ione Smith in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1932, Douglas’s upbringing could not have prepared her for her most famous role of Elly May Clampett any better, because she was a tomboy and loved animals. She had eight male cousins, and she wore their hand-me-downs, went fishing with them, and pitched on an all-boy softball team. In high school, she played softball and basketball, but did switch to cheerleading as she got older. Like many of her classmates during that era, she married shortly after high school. After she had a son, she and her husband Roland Bourgeois divorced three years after their wedding.

Donna won Miss Baton Rouge and Miss New Orleans. She then made the move to New York. She was offered a job as an illustration model for toothpaste ads. She began taking acting lessons while in the city.

In 1958, at age 27 she began her television career. That year she would appear on The Phil Silvers Show, but she was credited with the name Doris Bourgeois, her married name. In 1959 she would appear on The Steve Allen Show, Tightrope, US Marshal, and Bachelor Father.

Her movie career began the same year. She appeared in Career and would go on to show up in six movies before 1970 including Bells Are Ringing, Lover Come Back, and Frankie and Johnny which she starred in with Elvis Presley. Although they remained friends, and Elvis once visited the cast when they were in Memphis filming, I read a few different sources that relate that Donna fell in love with Elvis and was heartbroken he did not feel the same way. Her last big-screen appearance in 2013, Chronicles of Life Trials, was also her last acting credit of her professional life.

With the debut of the sixties, her career took off, and she received roles on twenty television shows in the first half of the decade. You can catch her in a variety of series including Route 66, The Sunset Strip, Hennessey, Pete and Gladys, Dr. Kildare, Jack Benny, Mister Ed, and The Joey Bishop Show.

Alan Hale Jr. (Skipper), and Donna Douglas (Ellymay) once played a married couple on "Mr. Ed" : r/mildlyinteresting — With Alan Hale Jr. on *Mister Ed* Photo: reddit.com

She had a recurring role on Checkmate in 1961 as Barbara Simmons. The plot of the show was that two friends, Don Corey (Anthony George) and Jed Sills (Doug McClure) operate a high-priced detective agency called Checkmate, Inc. in San Francisco. A British criminologist, a former Oxford professor named Carl Hyatt (Sebastian Cabot) helps them.

Photo of Donna Douglas and William D. Gordon The Twilight Zone image 1 — Photo: etsy.com

In 1960 and 1962 she was in The Twilight Zone in two memorable appearances: I remember watching “Eye of the Beholder” when I was younger and the horror of watching it never left me. In the episode, Douglas is a patient in a hospital having plastic surgery to make her more beautiful. The tension is built as they get ready to unwrap her face. You hear the nurses and doctors talking, but no one’s face can be seen After reminding her that the surgery was not guaranteed to be successful, they finally remove the bandages. We suddenly see the beautiful Donna Douglas. A nurse hands her a mirror and Douglas screams hysterically. Then things move back in the shot and as we see the medical personnel around her, we see they look a bit hideous in our standards, and Donna is devastated that she has to remain so “ugly.”

Donna Douglas, Elly May On 'The Beverly Hillbillies,' Dies At 81 | KUNR — Photo: kunr.com

In 1962, Paul Henning was developing a new show about a group of hillbillies who strike oil and move to Beverly Hills to buy a mansion and live the good life. They have a hard time adjusting to the California lifestyle and being millionaires. Douglas beat out hundreds of actresses to get the part of Elly May.

Donna said that she was never allowed to change her lines in the script and that now actors have that freedom, but back then producers were in charge instead of the actors.

Douglas received more fan mail than any other cast member on The Beverly Hillbillies, and she spent hours autographing photos and responding to her fans.

Apart from the spat between Nancy Kulp and Buddy Ebsen later in life, the cast of the show was very close. Douglas, Baer, and Ebsen attended Ryan’s memorial service. Irene Ryan put on a huge Christmas spread for the show’s cast and their families every year.

Donna Douglas, aka May Clampett, Has Died — With Max Baer Photo: kroc-am.com

Douglas and Max Baer Jr. remained close friends for the rest of their lives Baer said “I spoke to her on a semi-regular basis. We weren’t the kind of people who would text, but we would call each other when there was something to share.” During the time of her death, one of Donna’s comments was, “Tell Maxie I thought I was going to get better.”

Max and Donna both visited Ebsen the week before he died, and Douglas gave a eulogy at his funeral. Later, when she discussed their relationship, she said he “was a wonderful man very much like my own father, a quiet, reserved, and caring person.”

After The Beverly Hillbillies was canceled, Donna took on a few roles in the seventies and could be seen on Night Gallery, Love American Style, Adam 12, and McMillan and Wife. During this decade she also tried marriage again with Robert Leeds, who had been the director for The Beverly Hillbillies. They married in 1971 and divorced in 1980. We only see Douglas once in the eighties on The Nanny, where she played herself.

Donna had two issues affecting her offers for television roles. After portraying Elly May Clampett for nine years, she was typecast in the role and her religious beliefs prevented her from appearing in anything in bad taste, immoral, or with nudity. She said she only wanted to do high-quality work and many of the scripts did not meet that criterion for her.

Ken Turner and Donna Douglas - Ken Turner and Donna Douglas - Here Come the Critters - Amazon.com Music

After her acting career, Douglas transitioned into gospel singing, real estate, and motivational speaking. She did not do much with her realty work, because she said while she told her clients all the things that were good about the homes, she also felt it necessary to tell them all the things that were bad about them which was not part of the corporate culture in LA at that time. She did perform frequently as a gospel singer and often gave talks for church youth groups, camps, and colleges. She recorded her first gospel album in 1982. Her gospel albums included “Back on the Mountain” and “Donna Douglas Sings Gospel I & II.” She also released several country records. This same year Donna enrolled at Rhema Bible Training Center in Broken Arrow, OK; she graduated in 1984 with a children’s ministry degree.

Douglas also penned a few books. She wrote Donna’s Critters and Kids: Children’s Stories with a Bible Touch and had an accompanying coloring book. In 2011 she wrote Miss Donna’s Mulberry Acres Farm. In 2013, she released a cookbook, Southern Favorites with a Taste of Hollywood. She included recipes from some of her acting friends including Max Baer, Pat Boone, Buddy Ebsen, Loretta Lynn, Gavin MacLeod, Dolly Parton, and Debbie Reynolds.

Amazon.com: Barbie Collector Beverly Hillbillies Ellie May Doll : Toys & Games

In a 2003 interview with “Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict,” she discussed her role of Elly May: “Elly May was like a slice out of my life. She is a wonderful little door opener for me because people love her, and they love the Hillbillies. Even to this day, it’s shown every day somewhere. But, as with any abilities, she may open a door for you, but you have to have substance or integrity to advance you through that door.” Donna also made the rounds for several fan conventions for the Beverly Hillbillies.

In 2011, Donna sued Mattel when they released an Elly May Barbie doll without her permission to use her likeness. It was settled behind closed doors, but you can still find the doll which came out in 2010 with a Samantha doll from Bewitched and a Jeannie doll from I Dream of Jeannie.

Donna also enjoyed gardening, responding to fan mail, and spending time with her friends and family. She moved back to Baton Rouge in 2005, and in 2015, she died from pancreatic cancer.

Some people might consider her career unlucky after the Beverly Hillbillies, because she was not able to attain the roles she really wanted to do. However, she was able to create new goals for herself, try out different careers in which she became successful.

Donna Douglas - Turner Classic Movies — Photo: tcm.com

As her life was moving from middle to older age, she was able to return home and spend the rest of the years in the place she loved and the place where her roots were. I think that is a successful and healthy life. She also chose to help raise money for charities and give back when she could have justified just enjoying her private life.

She is a great role model for all of us: strive for your dreams, adjust life when necessary, do your very best, give back to others, and remember where you came from. Pretty good advice and she walked the talk! Thank you for being you, Donna Douglas.

Add Some Color to Your Life with Reading Rainbow

March 21, 2022March 21, 2022 / thewritelife61 / 2 Comments

Reading Rainbow was an American 30-minute children’s series that was broadcast on PBS. The show began in 1983. Producing 155 episodes, the series aired new episodes until 2006 and then showed reruns until 2009.

How Reading Rainbow Inspired Me — Photo: bookriot.com

The show was developed to encourage children to read. Twila Liggett created the show with Cecily Truett Lancit and Larry Lancit of Lancit Media Productions. Lynne Ganek, Tony Buttino, and host LeVar Burton were also part of the creative team. The group met with Fred Rogers, Joan Ganz Cooney, and The Electric Company crew to explore ways to make television more engaging to fans. During an interview in 2003, Burton said “I think reading is part of the birthright of the human being. It’s just such an integral part of the human experience—that connection with the written word.”

Many educators found that during the summer, children lost a lot of their reading abilities because they were watching “uneducational” television and not reading. The producers of the show wanted to air a new program during the summer months that would keep kids excited about reading even when they weren’t in school. It was a great goal, but the show was often threatened with cancellation due to a lack of funding.

The show received more than 200 awards including a Peabody Award. Ten of its twenty-six Emmys were for Outstanding Children’s Series. It was the third-longest children’s show on the air right after, you guessed it, Mister Rogers and Sesame St.

LeVar Burton Asks Fans to Help Bring Back 'Reading Rainbow' | The Takeaway | WNYC Studios — Photo: WNYC Studio.com

A topic was introduced in each episode and then a featured children’s book was read, often narrated by a celebrity. After the story, Burton visited places relating to the theme of the day. The show ended with book suggestions for kids to read. In an Esquire interview in 2019, Burton discussed why listening to books is so important: “It gives you the opportunity to, without the mechanism of reading, engage immediately in your imagination. When you’re reading, you’re multitasking. You’re reading and making the movie in your head. When you’re listening to storytelling, there’s no activity, there’s no multitasking—you’re indeed in your imagination as you’re engaged with the content of the story. It’s a shortcut for visualization.”

Steve Horelick was the composer of the theme song with Dennis Neil Kleinman and Janet Weir writing lyrics. The show had three versions of the song with the third version sung by Chaka Khan.

There are a lot of great stars who showed up to read to kids, including Ruth Buzzy, Julia Child, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Kermit the Frog, Peter Falk, Jane Goodall, and Run D-M-C.

Margret Aldrich in wrote an article in 2014, and she chose the top ten books from the series. It’s a great place to start if you want to find a couple of books to read to your child.

To Be A Drum read by James Earl Jones - YouTube — James Earl Jones Photo: youtube.com

All the Colors of the Race by Arnold Adoff, read by Maya Angelou.
Sunken Treasure by Gail Gibbons, read by Robert Morse
On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier, read by Patrick Stewart.
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman, read by Tyne Daly.
Animal Café by John Stadler, read by Martin Short.
The Magic Schoolbus Inside the Earth by Joanna Cole, read by Keshia Knight Pulliam.
Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg, read by Buddy Ebsen
Arthur’s Eyes by Marc Brown, read by Bill Cosby.
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema, read by James Earl Jones.
Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger and Michael Hays, read by Pete Seeger.

So, why was the show canceled? According to John Grant, who is in charge of content at WNED Buffalo, the show’s home station, “The show’s run is ending because no one—not the station, not PBS, not the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—will put up the several hundred thousand dollars needed to renew the show’s broadcast rights.” And, just like that, the last chapter was closed for good.

Burton Calls On 'Star Trek' Fans To Bring 'Reading Rainbow' To The Next Generation | KRWG — Photo: npr.org

Reading Rainbow was an essential motivation for kids to read. However, adults have to realize that they also have to make time for reading. Let’s allow Levar to have the last word. In that Esquire interview, he also talked about why all of us need to read:

“You need to make the time. You have time to eat; you have time to sleep; you have time to love. I think reading for pleasure is an act of self-care, genuinely. I really do, especially in today’s world. You’ve gotta turn off the news; you’ve got to create some escape time in your imagination. You have to feed yourself, people! Otherwise, we have a tendency to get locked into the circumstances of life, and less engaged in the solution aspect of ourselves. It’s really critical for us to read for pleasure. One of the miracles of the modern era is that on my iPad, and consequently, because of the Cloud, on my phone, I carry a library of reading material. I mean, literally a library. It’s so available. We just have to shift our awareness a degree in that direction.”

Gunsmoke Took 20 Years to Get Outta Dodge

June 7, 2021 / thewritelife61 / 4 Comments

From 1952-1961, you could tune into Gunsmoke on your local radio to hear the adventures of the folks in Dodge City, Kansas created by Norman Macdonnell and John Meston. The primary characters were Marshal Matt Dillon (William Conrad), Doc Charles Adams (Howard McNear), Miss Kitty Russell (Georgia Ellis) and Chester Wesley Proudfoot (Parley Baer). Three years after its debut, the series shifted to television as well, running on CBS from 1955-1975, producing an incredible 635 episodes. For television, Macdonnell took over the reins as producer with Meston the head writer.

Amazon.com: Gatsbe Exchange Framed Print Gunsmoke Cast Marshal Dillon Kitty Fester and Doc: Posters & Prints

James Arness was offered the role of Dillon on television. The network wanted John Wayne who turned it down. He did, however, introduce the first episode. Both Raymond Burr and Denver Pyle were also considered for the role. Matt Dillon spent his youth in foster care, knew the Bible well, and at some point was mentored by a caring lawman. He also talks about his time in the Army in some episodes.

Gunsmoke Cast Matt Dillon 8x10 Photograph – Vintage Poster Plaza — Photo: allposters.com

The role of Chester, with a new last name of Goode now, was played by Dennis Weaver. Chester was not only a loyal employee to Marshal Dillon, but he brewed a mean pot of coffee. He had a noticeable limp which apparently resulted from an injury in the Civil War. Weaver later said if he realized how hard it would be to film that long with a fake limp, he would have not used it. Other sidekicks to the Marshal included Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen, Burt Reynolds as Quint Asper (1962-65), Roger Ewing as Thad Greenwood (1966-68), and Buck Taylor as Newly O’Brien (1967-75).

Chester Good....Dennis Weaver Gunsmoke I've always loved that hat | Movie stars, Actors, Tv westerns — Photo: pinterest.com

Doc was now Galen Adams and played by Milburn Stone. Doc was an interesting guy. He apparently was educated in Philadelphia and spent some time as a ship doctor on gambling boats on the Mississippi River where he met Mark Twain. His young wife died from typhus two months after their marriage. He finally settled in Dodge City after wandering a bit.

Gunsmoke photo 197 Milburn Stone — Photo: ebay.com

Miss Kitty was portrayed by Amanda Blake. Perhaps the closest bond she had with Dillon was that she also grew up in foster care in New Orleans. She was in more than 500 of the television episodes. In addition to her role as “entertaining men” in Dodge City, she is half owner of the Long Branch Saloon. Kitty and Matt obviously are attracted to each other and are very close. Kitty was a successful business owner and had a cold demeanor about professional matters but had a soft heart in other matters. Blake was ready to leave the show in 1974, and her storyline was that she finally returned to New Orleans.

Amanda Blake - Wikipedia — Photo: wikipedia.com

During its twenty-year stint, the show had some notable guest stars. Just a few celebrities who graced the set include Jack Albertson, Ed Asner, James Backus, Beau Bridges, Charles Bronson, Bette Davis, Angie Dickinson, Richard Dreyfuss, Buddy Ebsen, Barbara Eden, Jodie Foster, Mariette Hartley, Ron Howard, June Lockhart, Jack Lord, Rose Marie, Howard McNear, Harry Morgan, Leonard Nimoy, Carroll O’Connor, Denver Pyle, Wayne Rogers, William Shatner, Cicely Tyson, and Adam West.

While the show portrayed the hard life in the West, it was also a warm and humorous celebration of a group of people making a new life together.

The opening of the show is a gunfight between Matt and a “bad guy.” It was shot on the same Main Street set used in High Noon, the Grace Kelly/Gary Cooper classic. The scene was dropped in the 1970s when a nonviolence emphasis was placed on television shows and the opening was Matt riding his horse.

Gunsmoke, The Great American Western — Photo: marksmannet.com

The show began its life on Saturday nights at 10 pm ET. In 1961 when the radio show left the air, the television show switched from half an hour to an hour. For season 13, it moved to Monday nights at 7:30 for four years, and then at 8 pm for four years. By season two it was a top ten hit, rising to number one where it remained until 1971.

The first seven seasons were sponsored by L&M cigarettes and Remington shavers.

The well-known theme from the show and radio was “Old Trails” composed by Rex Koury. Lyrics were later recorded by Tex Ritter in 1955 but not used in either radio or tv. Although I could not confirm it, I read several mentions that Koury was so busy, he actually penned the song while using the bathroom. William Lava composed original theme music for television; other composers who contributed music during the twenty years were Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, Jerome Moross, and Franz Waxman.

Surprisingly, the show was only nominated for fifteen Emmys during its reign. Of those, there were only three wins: one for best dramatic show in 1957, one for Dennis Weaver as supporting actor in 1958, and one for Milburn Stone in 1967.

After surviving the rural purge Paley conducted, the cast thought they were not in jeopardy and were all stunned by the cancellation in 1975. CBS had not prepared them that they were debating ending the show. They assumed the show was continuing till it had 700 episodes and many of the stars read about the cancellation in the trade magazines.

The show has appeared in syndication in three different versions. One package is half-hour episodes from 1955-1961, one package contains hour-long black and white episodes from 1961-1966, and the final package contains one-hour color episodes from 1966-1975. Me TV currently airs the one-hour color shows.

Arness would appear in five made-for-television movies after the show went off the air. In 1987, Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge featured Blake as Miss Kitty and Taylor as O’Brien. Stone had passed away in 1980, so his role was not part of the new film. Gunsmoke: The Last Apache premiered in 1990 without Blake who had died in 1989. In 1992-1994, Gunsmoke: To the Last Man, Gunsmoke: The Long Ride, and Gunsmoke: One Man’s Justice would appear before the series rode off into the sunset for good.

After being on television so long, it’s not surprising that there were a lot of merchandising opportunities for the show. In addition to typical items like lunch boxes, there was Gunsmoke cottage cheese. A Matt Dillon figurine was available with his Horse Buck.

There were also board games, puzzles and a variety of books including numerous paperbacks and comic books from Dell and Gold Key.

1950s Gunsmoke lunch box with thermos. Vintage Gunsmoke Matt Dillon U.S. Marshall metal lunchbox with thermos. Lunchbox depicts James Arness as Matt Dillon draw…

Fans had an affinity for the show. During its time on the air more than thirty westerns came and went, but Gunsmoke continued, in the top ten for most of its two decades. Few series have their own museum, but you can visit Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City to learn all about the show. Furniture from the series is included, as well as signed photos from the cast and other memorabilia including one of Miss Kitty’s dresses.

When you hear someone say “Get outta Dodge,” you can fondly remember Gunsmoke which is where this phrase began. Perhaps being cancelled was a blessing in disguise. After two decades, maybe it was time to get outta Dodge, maintaining the high standards and high ratings that made the show such a long-running success.