GUNSMOKE : Why the show still resonates with audiences

9 Years on the radio, 20 years on TV, always a hit, and then dumped by the network without warning. Decades later, the show's success on streaming continues to show how wrong the network was.

50 years after Marshal Matt Dillon's last draw, 'Gunsmoke' is a streaming hit

"Gunsmoke," the western drama starring James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon, has twice this year ranked among Nielsen's top 10 list of most-streamed acquired series alongside more contemporary favorites such as "Family Guy," "NCIS" and "Grey's Anatomy." The program scored 646 million minutes viewed for the week of March 3-9 and 570 million for the week of April 28-May 4.

"Gunsmoke," which is owned by Paramount Global, was recently added to NBCUniversal's streaming platform Peacock. It has also been a staple of Paramount+. But it gets the bulk of its audience from Pluto TV, Paramount Global's free advertising-supported streaming service.

The enduring success of the series, set in the frontier town of Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, demonstrates how every new evolution of video consumption can unlock the value of beloved vintage titles. Since wrapping production 50 years ago, "Gunsmoke" has never gone away, finding fans on cable (currently on TV Land and INSP), home video formats and retro broadcast TV channels such as MeTV before it was discovered by the streaming generation. GUNSMOKE proves a hit on streaming

William Conrad played Matt Dillon on GUNSMOKE when it began on the radio

On the radio series which ran from 1952 until 1961, Matt was portrayed by William Conrad, whose deep and resonant voice helped to project a larger than life presence. In the opening of most radio episodes, the announcer would describe the show as "...the story of the violence that moved west with young America, and the story of a man who moved with it." Conrad's Matt would take over, saying, "I'm that man, Matt Dillon, United States MarshalTemplate:Sndthe first man they look for and the last they want to meet. It's a chancy job, and it makes a man watchful ... and a little lonely." Conrad's Matt provided bits of narration for many of the radio episodes, usually to help set the scene for the listener or to provide observations that assisted with character development. Inasmuch as the radio episodes were a bit darker and more violent in nature than the television episodes (especially in the radio series' early years), Conrad's Matt could sometimes be quick to anger and unhesitating with respect to taking violent courses of action. Paradoxically, however, he also struggled internally with the need to utilize violence in order to fulfill his duties. He also struggled internally with the frequent needless tragedies that his job caused him to witness. These factors were the primary reasons that Conrad's Matt could occasionally become snappish and impatient with others (including his friends and allies). At all times, however, he managed to remain sufficiently in control of his emotions to perform his difficult job capably and impartially. Conrad's Matt would speak frequently of the still-fragile acceptance of law and order on the frontier and he would sometimes determine his course of action based upon what he honestly felt was necessary to preserve its long-term acceptance. In the radio version, Matt often spoke of actual persons who were well known in the history of the American West, including later Dodge City personage Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid (whose "supposed" origins figured in the very first episode of the radio series), and he often referred to Wild Bill Hickok as being a close personal friend.

Listen to the radio show by clicking this link here!

In the television version (which ran from 1955 until 1975), and subsequent TV-movies (1987 to 1994), Matt was portrayed by James Arness. Since most of the early television episodes were based on stories and scripts from the radio version, Arness's initial interpretation and portrayal were similar to those of William Conrad. However, as the television version continued for an extended period, Arness's Matt evolved in a number of ways. In the television version, Arness's Matt became more resigned to the violent nature of his job, and he was generally less given to brooding about the dangers and tragedies inherent in it. In addition, he was somewhat more understanding and tolerant of people's foibles, and he was a bit more intuitive with respect to discerning persons who came to Dodge City with the intention of committing crimes. As Arness's Matt grew older and wiser, he became less inclined to use violence to subdue wrongdoers , though he never hesitated to do so when the situation warranted. Arness's Matt invariably tried to talk adversaries out of "trying him", and he would often express a genuine regret to family members when he had to kill a man.

Click on the underlined name to discover the actors and the roles they played:

• James Arness - Matt Dillon (Season 1-20)

• Amanda Blake - Kitty Russell (Season 1-19)

• Milburn Stone - Doc Adams (Season 1-20)

• Dennis Weaver - Chester Goode (Season 1-9)

• Burt Reynolds - Quint Asper (Season 8-10)

• Ken Curtis - Festus Haggen (Season 8-20)

• Roger Ewing - Thad Greenwood (Season 11-12)

• Buck Taylor - Newly O'Brien (Season 13-20)

GUNSMOKE WIKI CLICK HERE!

According to an interview with the Television Academy, Weaver explained what made Gunsmoke the raging success that it was during its prime. The writing, performances, and overall tone all played into why audiences couldn’t stop tuning in for multiple years. It provided a Western storytelling experience that differed from all those before it.

“Gunsmoke was a groundbreaker,” confirmed Weaver. “It was the first so-called adult western. There were no songs, guitar playing, or kissing the horse. It was about real people in real situations with real problems and how those problems were resolved. Sometimes they weren’t resolved. That made Gunsmoke very gritty, believable, and fresh.”

FULL Interview! 🤠🤠 James Arness Shares his Life

10 Best ‘Gunsmoke’ Episodes, According to Fans

Click here for top 10 GUNSMOKE episode link

This short segment from a 1955 episode of The Johnny Carson Show introduces Arness before the airing of the first television episode. In this piece Matt Dillon proves he's so fast he can outdraw himself.

CBS Bloopers 1950s & 60s - Hosted by James Arness

Behind the paywall: HELLGATE! Full Western Movie! Sterling Hayden, James Arness, Ward Bond, Joan Leslie!

HELLGATE is a neglected western and a retelling of Dr. Samuel Mudd, imprisoned for treating John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Lincoln. It was written and directed by Charles Marquis Warren and is loaded with an extraordinary cast. Sterling Hayden stars as the wrongly convicted doctor, imprisoned for treating an injured stranger. Ward Bond as the surly, sadistic Warden, James Arness as a fellow prisoner, with Joan Leslie, Robert J. Wilke, John Pickard, Sheb Wooley, Kermit Maynard, Timothy Carey, Ed Hinton, James Anderson, Rodd Redwing, Mikey Simpson, John Cason, Ed Cobb and many other western film veterans.