Happy 53rd Anniversary Gunsmoke!

Today marks the 53rd anniversary of the airing of the first episode of Gunsmoke. As many of you know, this TV western is my favorite of all time. For those of you who don’t know the show, it starred James Arness, who played the part of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, the marshal of Dodge City, Kansas in the 1860s -1870s. Supporting cast were Amanda Blake as saloon keeper Kitty Russell, and Milburn Stone as Doc Adams. Others who played in the series for long periods of time were Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode, Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen, and Buck Taylor as Newly O’Brien. Burt Reynolds played for a couple of years as Quint Asper.

Several other well-known actors of the day got their start or guest starred on Gunsmoke, including Charles Bronson, Betty Davis, Morgan Woodward, Ben Johnson, and Victor French, and L.Q. Jones. The show holds the record for the longest running television drama with continuing characters with its twenty year run, from 1955 to 1975.

I can’t say that I have vivid memories of that first Gunsmoke episode, Matt Gets It, that aired in September of 1955 as I was only four years old at the time, but I do have clear recollections of the many hours I spent with loved ones watching the show as I grew up. I recall Saturday nights were the highlight of my week and I would make any excuse to stay home when the family was invited out for the evening just so I could be sure and get my weekly dose of “Gunsmoke”. Tuesday and Thursday evenings were also special as those were the evenings the half hour reruns , renamed “Marshal Dillon”, were aired.

Time passed, I left Long Island and moved to Colorado, where I became involved in a career and the business of raising my own family. It just so happened, though, that I moved to the area where Ken Curtis was born and raised, so people did not give me strange looks when I rattled on about “Gunsmoke” like they did back in New York!

I was thrilled when I heard James Arness was coming to Bent’s Fort to film “How the West Was Won”. I remember spending an entire day out there watching him film. I never did get the opportunity to talk with him that day, but just the experience of seeing him in action was enough to make me happy. I developed a great admiration for actors in general that day! I hadn’t realized how many times a scene must be repeated before we, the viewer, see it on the screen. It takes a great deal of time to coordinate the various actors in the scene, the noise control issues (those planes flying overhead must be one of the biggest nuisances!), the lighting, and a hundred other little details.

I lost track of “Gunsmoke” for a few years. Then VCRs came into existence and when my grandmother came out to visit, she brought us a gift. Our first very own VCR! They were expensive back then, so it was quite a generous gift. Shortly after, my step grandfather sent me a package. It contained three VCR tapes with black and white one-hour Gunsmoke episodes. Wow! I watched those tapes over and over until I about wore them out.

When “Gunsmoke” came back on the air in this area on TVLand, I immediately invested in a
new VCR and at least two 10-packs of video tapes, just to get started. Since then, with the addition of the Western Channel airings, I’ve got at least one copy of every single one of the 635 episodes that were aired.

One night I was checking the internet for anything Gunsmoke and came across the Delphi Gunsmoke board, an internet group that loves to talk about everything Gunsmoke. I still have friends I keep in touch with who I met through that group.

I met Buck Taylor, the actor who played Gunsmoke’s Newly O’Brien at the Western Legends Roundup in Kanab, Utah. He is a delightful person and loves talking to the fans about the show. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to him a few times since that first meeting.

All my life, I had dreamed of meeting James Arness in person. I even prayed about it. I finally got my chance for the first time in 2001 when he held a booksigning for his autobiography at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles. I can recall walking into the auditorium and seeing him sitting up on the stage, waiting to greet his fans. Several of my Internet friends from the Delphi group were present as well, so it was exciting to finally meet them in person as well. When it was my turn to speak to Mr. Arness, he and his lovely wife, Janet, made me feel like I was the most important fan in the whole room. We visited about the town where I’m from and the fact that I know many people who were personal friends with Ken Curtis. We even laughed and joked a bit.

It was an honor to have the privilege of celebrating his 80th birthday along with other fans in 2003. Many of my friends from the Delphi group attended as well, and we presented him with a statue of a horse and rider. One of our members carried it all the way from Massachusetts on the Amtrak to get it to him! We also presented him with a book of birthday cards and letters from those who were unable to attend the booksigning but wanted to send their greetings. I got to present that to him.

We were going to present the gift and book during the booksigning, but it turned out that we got to meet with him privately in a small room away from the crowd. That was great because it was more private and personal.

James Arness is a name synonymous with justice, patriotism, self-respect, and worthy of the highest admiration. In all the parts he has played, he has portrayed characters that emulate our basic American principles and values. Just as my parents shared “Gunsmoke” with me as a child, I shared “Gunsmoke” TV time with my kids.

Over the years, I’ve accumulated quite a collection of Gunsmoke CDs in addition to the hundreds of VCR tapes of all the episodes. Those shows are priceless to me. In addition, I have most of the “How the West Was Won” tapes and several other James Arness movies.

If anyone wants to talk Gunsmoke, leave a comment and I’ll be sure to get back with you!
Thanks to all the cast and crew who made Gunsmoke a show that leaves us with many wonderful memories. Happy 53rd Anniversary!

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Good-bye to a Friend

Hi and welcome back. The wind has been crazy here the past several days. Maybe best if we sit inside today. The dust will get in your eyes!

A few months ago, I promised a friend I would send her a copy of my manuscript as soon as it was finished. Since it is a western, I thought she would be a great person to preview the story before I sent it out to an agent or publisher.

Today, I received a phone call telling me my friend had passed away. My heart is heavy with sadness and regret. Barb was one of the sweetest people I ever had the pleasure to know, not to mention the most avid fan of Gunsmoke there was.

I met Barb when I went to Los Angeles in 2001 to attend Jim Arness’ book signing at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. Barb, known as “Brooklyn” because she made her home in Brooklyn, New York, and her unmistakable accent broadcast it to everyone, was probably the most excited of all of us. She had been sending Jim fan letters and special items, some of them hand-made, for years. I remember her telling us “I hound the man constantly!”

Brooklyn developed cancer a few years back, and when Jim Arness heard about it, he called her personally to wish her well with her treatments. She was so thrilled that she called all of her Gunsmoke buds to tell us about that phone call.

The second time Brooklyn had a bout with cancer, she asked us to send her a hat or cap that she could wear during her treatments. That way, she would be reminded of her Gunsmoke buds. I sent her one of my 1980 Winter Olympic caps, very fitting since the Olympics were held in Lake Placid, New York that year.

Brooklyn sent me cards and notes about three or four times a year, on my birthday, Easter, Christmas, and they always had a Gunsmoke or western picture on the front. I treasure the photos she sent me of her Gunsmoke room, which contained hundreds of items of Gunsmoke and James Arness memorabilia.

I will miss Brooklyn so much. Every time I sit down to watch Gunsmoke, I will remember her. And, yes, I will finish that novel. I’m writing it for all those out there who are just like Brooklyn, who love westerns!

Jim Arness celebrated his 85th birthday on May 26th. Go to www.bkjackson.blogspot.com. Arizona Inspirations has a great tribute to him and Gunsmoke.

Special Day for Gunsmoke Fans!

This is a great day for my favorite TV show of all time, the legendary Gunsmoke. For almost two years now, there has been a web site running a fan power TV Hall of Fame. We Gunsmoke fans have been battling a hard fight against the sci-fi shows to put Gunsmoke in the top five. Today we did it!

The requirement was 250,000 votes (that’s a quarter of a million!), and a voter could only place a vote once every hour. Some people voted once or twice a day, and others, like me, voted every time we were on the computer within the time constraints.

If you like the old TV westerns and remember Gunsmoke in particular, go to http://richlabonte.net/tvvote/power.html and see the wonderful banner Rich has created for us to celebrate our special day. It contains a fantastic selection of cast pictures and Gunsmoke scenes in addition to a great rendition of the Gunsmoke theme song.

The banner will only be up today since Rich honors whichever show reaches a higher goal in increments of 5,000 votes every day, so if you want to see it, check it out sometime within the next twelve hours or so!

Long live Gunsmoke – the longest running drama in television history with continuing characters!

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