Retro Recommendations: Gunsmoke


Welcome to another long-awaited, installment of Retro Recommendations. Today, Gunsmoke joins in on the fun.

20 seasons (1955-1975) and over 600 episodes of rootin' and tootin' in Dodge City lands us to highlight this long-running Western starring James Arness as Marshall Matt Dillon. Rounding out the regular cast was Milton Stone as Doc, Amanda Blake as Kitty, Ken Curtis as Festus, and Buck Taylor as Newly from season 13 onwards. Dennis Weaver, Burt Reynolds, and Roger Ewing also starred on the show prior to the consistent ensemble from seasons 13-19.

An interesting fact about the show was that the show started out as a 30 minute show in the 1950s, until season 7 transitioned into a one-hour show. After low ratings in season 12, CBS canceled the show, but was un-canceled after the network head's wife complained, along with many fan petitions.

The television series remains the longest-running, primetime live-action series of the twentieth century. As of 2017, it has the highest number of scripted episodes for any U.S. primetime, commercial, live-action television series. In 2019, The Simpsons will surpass it for the most scripted episodes. This is a testament to the longevity of the show and the many pop culture references from the show. 

And folks, that does it for Retro Recommendations! Stay tuned for more installments as we highlight more classic shows. 






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