GUNSMOKE VOL. 1

JUN 11 1949 - MAR 26 1955

154 Episodes 2GB

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West.

The radio version ran from 1952 to 1961, and John Dunning writes that among radio drama enthusiasts "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time."

In the late 1940s, CBS chairman William S. Paley, a fan of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe radio serial, asked his programming chief, Hubell Robinson, to develop a hardboiled Western series, a show about a "Philip Marlowe of the Old West." Robinson instructed his West Coast CBS Vice-President, Harry Ackerman, who had developed the Philip Marlowe series, to take on the task.

Ackerman and his scriptwriters, Mort Fine and David Friedkin, created an audition script called "Mark Dillon Goes to Gouge Eye" based on one of their Michael Shayne radio scripts, "The Crooked Wheel". Two auditions were created in 1949. The first was very much like a hardboiled detective series and starred Michael Rye (credited as Rye Billsbury) as Dillon; the second starred Straight Arrow actor Howard Culver in a more Western, lighter version of the same script. CBS liked the Culver version better, and Ackerman was told to proceed.

But there was a complication. Culver's contract as the star of Straight Arrow would not allow him to do another Western series. The project was shelved for three years, when MacDonnell and Meston discovered it creating an adult Western series of their own.

MacDonnell and Meston wanted to create a radio Western for adults, in contrast to the prevailing juvenile fare such as The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid. Gunsmoke was set in Dodge City, Kansas during the thriving cattle days of the 1870s. Dunning notes, "The show drew critical acclaim for unprecedented realism."

The radio series aired from April 26, 1952 ("Billy the Kid," written by Walter Newman) until June 18, 1961 on CBS. It starred William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, and Parley Baer as Dillon's assistant Chester Wesley Proudfoot.

Conrad was one of the last actors who auditioned for the role of Marshal Dillon. With a powerful, distinctive voice, Conrad was already one of radio's busiest actors. Though Meston championed him, MacDonnell thought Conrad might be overexposed. During his audition, however, Conrad won over MacDonnell after reading only a few lines. Dillon as portrayed by Conrad was a lonely, isolated man, toughened by a hard life. MacDonnell later claimed, "Much of Matt Dillon's character grew out of Bill Conrad."

Meston relished the upending of cherished Western fiction clichés and felt that few Westerns gave any inkling of how brutal the Old West was in reality. Dunning writes that Meston was especially disgusted by the archetypal Western hero and set out "to destroy [that type of] character he loathed." In Meston's view, "Dillon was almost as scarred as the homicidal psychopaths who drifted into Dodge from all directions."

Chester's character had no surname until Baer ad libbed "Proudfoot" during an early rehearsal. The amiable character was usually described as Dillon's "assistant," but the December 13, 1952 episode "Post Martin," Dillon described Chester as Dillon's deputy. The TV series changed Chester's last name to Goode.

Doc Adams was iconoclastic and grumpy, but McNear's performances became more warm-hearted. In the January 31, 1953 episode "Cavalcade," Doc Adams' backstory is revealed: His real name is Calvin Moore, educated in Boston, and he practiced as a doctor for a year in Richmond, Virginia where he fell in love with a beautiful young woman who was also being courted by a wealthy young man named Roger Beauregard. Beauregard forced Doc into fighting a duel with him, resulting in Beauregard's being shot and killed. Even though it was a fair duel, because Doc was a Yankee and an outsider he was forced to flee. The young woman fled after him and they were married in St. Louis, but two months later she died of typhus. Doc wandered throughout the territories until he settled in Dodge City seventeen years later under the name of "Charles Adams."

Georgia Ellis appeared in the first episode "Billy the Kid" (April 26, 1952) as "Francie Richards," a former girlfriend of Matt Dillon and the widow of a criminal. "Miss Kitty" did not appear on the radio series until the May 10, 1952 episode "Jaliscoe." Kitty's profession was hinted at, but never explicit; in a 1953 interview with TIME, MacDonnell declared, "Kitty is just someone Matt has to visit every once in a while. We never say it, but Kitty is a prostitute, plain and simple. The television show first portrayed Kitty as a saloon employee (dance-hall girl/prostitute) then later as the owner of the Long Branch Saloon. Sometime in 1959, Ellis was billed as Georgia Hawkins instead of Georgia Ellis.

Gunsmoke was often a somber program, particularly in its early years. Dunning writes that Dillon "played his hand and often lost. He arrived too late to prevent a lynching. He amputated a dying man's leg and lost the patient anyway. He saved a girl from brutal rapists then found himself unable to offer her what she needed to stop her from moving into...life as a prostitute." Some listeners, such as Dunning, argue the radio version was more realistic. Episodes were aimed at adults and featured some of the most explicit content of their time, including violent crimes, scalpings, massacres, and opium addicts. Many episodes ended on a somber note, and villains often got away with their crimes. Nonetheless, thanks to the subtle scripts and outstanding ensemble cast, over the years the program evolved into a warm, often humorous celebration of human nature.

Apart from the doleful tone, Gunsmoke was distinct from other radio westerns, as the dialogue was often slow and halting, and due to the outstanding sound effects, listeners had a nearly palpable sense of the prairie where the show was set. The effects were subtle but multilayered, giving the show a spacious feel. John Dunning wrote, "The listener heard extraneous dialogue in the background, just above the muted shouts of kids playing in an alley. He heard noises from the next block, too, where the inevitable dog was barking."

Radio's Gunsmoke was aired on Armed Forces Radio.

Volume 1 contains the following episodes:

Gunsmoke 1949-06-11 (Aud1) Mark Dillon Goes To Gouge Eye.mp3
Gunsmoke 1949-07-13 (Aud2) Mark Dillon Goes To Gouge Eye.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-04-26 (001) Billy The Kid.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-05-10 (003) Jaliscoe.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-05-24 (005) Ben Slades Saloon.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-05-31 (006) Carmen.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-06-07 (007) Buffalo Killers.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-07-05 (011) Never Pester Chester.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-07-12 (012) The Boughten Bride.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-07-19 (013) Doc Holiday.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-07-26 (014) Gentlemans Disagreement.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-08-02 (015) Renegade White.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-08-09 (016) The Kentucky Tolmans.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-08-16 (017) The Lynching.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-08-23 (018) Shakespeare.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-08-30 (019) The Juniper Tree.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-09-06 (020) The Brothers.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-09-13 (021) Home Surgery.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-09-20 (022) Drop Dead.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-09-26 (023r) The Railroad (Rehearsal).mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-10-03 (024) Cain.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-10-10 (025) Hinka-Do.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-10-17 (026) Lochinvar.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-10-24 (027) The Mortgage.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-10-31 (028) Overland Express.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-11-07 (029) Tara (Sequel to 021).mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-11-14 (030) The Square Triangle.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-11-21 (031) Fingered.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-11-29 (032) Kitty.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-12-06 (033) I Dont Know.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-12-13 (034) Post Martin.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-12-20 (035) Xmas Story.mp3
Gunsmoke 1952-12-27 (036) The Cabin.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-01-03 (037) Westbound.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-01-10 (038) Word Of Honor.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-01-17 (039) Paid Killer.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-01-24 (040) The Old Lady.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-01-31 (041) Cavalcade.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-02-07 (042) Cain.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-02-14 (043) The Round-Up.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-02-21 (044) Meshougah.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-02-28 (045) Trojan War.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-03-07 (046) Absalom.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-03-14 (047) Cyclone.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-03-21 (048) Pussy Cats.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-03-28 (049) Quarter-Horse.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-04-04 (050) Jayhawkers.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-04-11 (051) Gonif.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-04-18 (052) Bums Rush.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-04-25 (053) The Soldier.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-05-02 (054) Tacetta.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-05-09 (055) The Buffalo Hunter.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-05-16 (056) The Big Con.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-05-23 (057) Print Asper.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-05-30 (058) Fall Semester.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-06-06 (059) Sundown.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-06-13 (060) Spring Term.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-06-20 (061) Wind.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-06-27 (062) Flashback.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-07-04 (063) Dirt.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-07-11 (064) Grass.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-07-18 (065) Wild West.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-07-25 (066) Hickok.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-08-01 (067) Boy.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-08-08 (068) Sky (reh).mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-08-15 (069) Moon (reh).mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-08-22 (070) Gone Straight.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-08-29 (071) Jesse.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-09-05 (072) The Sutler.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-09-12 (073) Prairie Happy.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-09-19 (074) There Was Never A Horse.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-09-26 (075) Fawn.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-10-03 (076) How To Kill A Friend.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-10-10 (077) How To Die For Nothing.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-10-17 (078) Yorky.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-10-24 (079) The Buffalo Hunter.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-10-31 (080) How To Kill A Woman.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-11-07 (081) Stolen Horses.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-11-14 (082) Professor Lute Bone.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-11-21 (083) Custer.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-11-28 (084) Kick Me.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-12-05 (085) The Lamb.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-12-12 (086) The Cast.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-12-19 (087) Big Girl Lost.mp3
Gunsmoke 1953-12-26 (088) The Guitar.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-01-02 (089) Stage Holdup.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-01-09 (090) Jokes On Us.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-01-16 (091) The Bear.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-01-23 (092) Nina.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-01-30 (093) Gun Smuggler.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-02-06 (094) Big Broad.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-02-13 (095) The Killer.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-02-20 (096) Last Fling.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-02-27 (097) Bad Boy.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-03-06 (098) The Gentleman.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-03-13 (099) Confederate Money.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-03-20 (100) Old Friend.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-03-27 (101) Blood Money.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-04-03 (102) Mr And Mrs Amber.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-04-10 (103) Greater Love.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-04-17 (104) What The Whiskey Drummer Heard.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-04-24 (105) Murder Warrant.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-05-01 (106) Cara.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-05-04 (reh) The Cover-Up.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-05-05 (reh) Going Bad.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-05-08 (107) The Constable.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-05-11 (reh) Claustrophobia.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-05-15 (108) The Indian Horse.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-05-22 (109) Monopoly.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-05-29 (110) Feud.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-06-05 (111) Blacksmith.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-06-12 (112) The Cover-Up.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-06-19 (113) Going Bad.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-06-26 (114) Claustrophobia.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-07-03 (115) Word Of Honor.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-07-05 (116) Hack Prine.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-07-12 (117) Texas Cowboys.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-07-19 (118) The Queue.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-07-26 (119) Matt For Murder.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-08-02 (120) No Indians.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-08-09 (121) Joe Phy.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-08-16 (122) Mavis McCloud.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-08-23 (123) Young Man With A Gun.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-08-30 (124) Obie Tatter.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-09-06 (125) The Promise Aka The Handcuffs.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-09-13 (126) Dooley Surrenders.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-09-20 (127) The Fu.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-09-27 (128) Helping Hand.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-10-02 (129) Matt Gets It.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-10-09 (130) Love Of A Good Woman.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-10-16 (131) Kitty Caught.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-10-23 (132) Ma Tennis.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-10-30 (133) The Patsy.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-11-06 (134) Smoking Out The Beedles.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-11-13 (135) Wrong Man.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-11-20 (136) How To Kill A Woman.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-11-27 (137) Cooter.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-12-04 (138) Cholera.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-12-11 (139) Bone Hunters.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-12-18 (140) Magnus.mp3
Gunsmoke 1954-12-25 (141) Kitty Lost.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-01-01 (142) Bottle Man.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-01-08 (143) Robin Hood.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-01-15 (144) Chesters Murder.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-01-22 (145) Sins Of The Father.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-01-29 (146) Young Love.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-02-05 (147) Cheyennes.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-02-12 (148) Chesters Hanging.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-02-19 (149) Poor Pearl.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-02-26 (150) Crack Up.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-03-05 (151) Kites Reward.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-03-12 (152) The Trial.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-03-19 (153) The Mistake.mp3
Gunsmoke 1955-03-26 (154) Horse Deal.mp3