Gunsmoke

The few Westerns seen on television during the early 1950s starred old-style movie heroes such as the Lone Ranger and Hopalong Casssidy, and had little to do with the real West.  Westerns were considered another form of obvious fantasy strictly for kids.  Two shows, Gunsmoke and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp changed all that.  These two programs, which premiered during the same week in 1955, introduced the “adult Western” to TV, and began an enormous wave of Westerns on TV over the next ten years.  Gunsmoke had it genesis on CBS radio in the spring of 1952.  William Conrad was the voice of Marshal Matt Dillon but when CBS decided to take the series to television they wanted John Wayne to play the part.  Wayne turned it down but suggested James Arnez for the role.  Arness proved to be perfect casting for the role of the heroic marshal.  Gunsmoke was set in Dodge City, Kansas, around 1880.  Once you spend some time enjoying the reruns of the Gunsmoke series I recommend a trip to Dodge City.  It is a wonderful town with a fascinating history and the people there are some of the most decent you’d ever meet.  Gunsmoke ran from September 10, 1955 to September 1, 1975.