Gunsmoke TV Show: Behind the Scenes. Cast, Crew, Filming Locations, etc.

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Amanda Blake (Miss. Kitty) and James Arness (Matt Dillon).

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Hello! I'm Mr. Ed

Blog Created: 5-15-2025

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Ah, the smell of Gunsmoke in the evening. Actually, here we are talking about the TV show, Gunsmoke. It originally started on radio and ran from 1952 to 1961. Actor William Conrad played Marshal Dillon on the radio version. When the show came to TV in 1955, John Wayne was asked to play Dillon. The studio did not want William Conrad in the lead on the tube because he was too fat. But Wayne turned them down as he was enjoying a movie career and did not want to switch to television. However, when asked if he could recommend anyone for the part, Wayne suggested they try out James Arness. He and Wayne had done a film together and they had become close friends. The studio really liked Arness as Dillon and he was hired to play the role.

I remember Gunsmoke very well. It started out as a half hour program shot in black and white. Later on it switch over to color and was stretched to one hour. The show opened every week with Matt Dillon killing a bad guy on the street of Dodge City, Kansas. My father and I always sat and watched the show and never missed it. Gunsmoke and Bonanza were our favorites.

The show's cast began with James Arness and Matt Dillon, a young Dennis Weaver as Matt's deputy, Chester Goode, Amanda Blake as saloon keeper and town madam, Miss. Kitty Russell and veteran actor Milburn Stone played the cantankerous old Doc. Adams, the town's doctor. Later on in the series they added others like Burt Reynolds as the blacksmith and Ken Curtis as deputy, Festus Hagan who replaced Chester Goode when Dennis Weaver quit the show to go on to making movies.

Every week you could rely on two things on Gunsmoke. One, there was a lot of drinking going on at the saloon. And two, Matt Dillon always killed someone. Sometimes several. He really went through the ammunition. Because of Marshal Dillon, Doc Adams had a lot of business.

There were tons of famous faces playing guest spots each week. More than I can cover here. The town of Dodge City was set on a sound stage where most of the show was filmed. But there were also many scenes shot on sets outdoors on studio backlots and other locations.

In a time when certain topics were not discussed on TV, such as prostitution, it was strange how they cast Miss. Kitty. Kitty was Matt's love interest on the show. She was portrayed by Amanda Blake as a good person running the Long Branch Saloon. She was also the town's madam who ran her saloon girls. And we all know what that means. In the 1950s that was different than the norm. Let's Face it! Kitty operated a brothel, That's why Chester and Festus always had a smile on their faces.

Gunsmoke ran from 1955 until 1975 on TV. James Arness, Amanda Blake and Milburn Stone starred in all 20-years of the show's run. However, toward the end, Stone was having health problems in real life. But we got to see them age gracefully. After the cancelation of the program, five made-for-TV films were produced in the 1990s. James Arness played his role as Matt Dillon in all Five films.

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The main filming set was the town of Dodge City which was built on a studio sound stage. Other scenes were filmed outdoors.

At the ends of the Main Street were back drops with continuations of the town and street painted on to make the appearance of extended scenes.

The red line shows where the real street ends and the back drop begins. The back drops were huge drapes that could be rolled up out of the way if needed.

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William Conrad in 1952, when Matt Dillon was created on radio. When the show went to television, Conrad was dropped and James Arness replaced him.

The radio show's cast.

Amanda Blake during an early filming which took place outdoors.

A scene being shot with James Arness and Dennis Weaver on the sound stage set.

Chester talks to Miss. Kitty during a night scene. That should have been a red light.

The cast on break.

Amanda Blake having a smoke with Milburn Stone.

Makeup girl fixes Miss. Kitty's hair during a scene.

Jim Arness taking a break.

Talking over scenes.

Blake and Arness have a laugh during filming.

An early photo of James Arness at home with his son.

A scene being filmed at the Iverson Movie Ranch.

Cast photo.

On break in the shade of a truck. Notice the bucket for cigarette butts.

Location shoot.

Location shoot - closeup.

Cast and crew group photo shot at an outdoor location.

Dennis Weaver and Jim Arness discuss a scene on break.

Back to work, Arness, Weaver and Blake have a laugh while setting up their next scene.

Shooting a scene on the Dodge City studio sound stage set.

Milburn Stone, Dennis Weaver and James Arness. The horse is unidentified.

Guest star, Ross Martin doing a scene with Jim Arness.

Gunsmoke was sometimes filmed on the Virginia City street set that was normally used on Bonanza.

Filming of Gunsmoke TV Western on the soundstages of California Studios. (Photo by John Bryson-Getty Images).

Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake and Dennis Weaver.

Dennis Weaver having fun in a scene where he worn long johns.

Jim Arness' brother, Peter Graves visits the Gunsmoke set.

The show's opening each week had Marshall Dillon killing a bad guy on the street.

Amanda Blake in a publicity shot as Miss. Kitty.

When Marshall Dillon pulled his gun on you, it was time for you to board the stagecoach to Heaven...or, somewhere else.

Setting up a scene at the Long Branch Saloon on the sound stage set.

Cast photo after Burt Reynolds joined the show.

Burt Reynolds, (back row behind Amanda Blake) played blacksmith, Quint Asper.

Glenn Strange (seated, far right) played Sam the bartender at the Long Branch Saloon. He was a veteran actor and had played the Frankenstein monster in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

James Arness' back in the Long Branch Saloon set.

Amanda Blake and Jim Arness took time out to do an L&M cigarette commercial at Christmas time for the show.

Vic Morrow did a guest appearance on Gunsmoke.

John Wayne visited the set to talk with friend Jim Arness several times. Wayne was asked to play Matt Dillon but turned the part down. However, on the first episode, Wayne did an introduction for the show.

Cast and crew take a moment for a group portrait.

And let's not forget Buck Taylor who played Newly O'Brien, the gunsmith who helped Matt Dillon at times round up the outlaws.

Did I hear ya right? We're going to graves next?

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