Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name.[1] The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.[2][3]
The first episode of season 11 aired in the United States on September 18, 1965, and the final episode aired on May 7, 1966. All episodes were broadcast in the U.S. by CBS.[4]
Season 11 of Gunsmoke was the fifth season of one hour episodes, and the last season filmed in black-and-white. Seasons 1-6 were half-hour episodes, and color episodes were not filmed until season 12.
Synopsis
Gunsmoke is set in and around Dodge City, Kansas, in the post-Civil War era and centers on United States Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) as he enforces law and order in the city. In its original format, the series also focuses on Dillon's friendship with deputy Festus Haggen (Ken Curtis);[5] Doctor Galen "Doc" Adams (Milburn Stone), the town's physician; and Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake), saloon girl and later owner of the Long Branch Saloon.[6] Deputy Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood (Roger Ewing) was added to the cast in season 11.[7]
Cast and characters
Main
- James Arness as Matt Dillon
- Ken Curtis as Festus
- Milburn Stone as Doc
- Amanda Blake as Kitty
- Roger Ewing as Thad[8]
Production
Season 11 consisted of 32 one hour black-and-white episodes produced by Philip Leacock and associate producer John Mantley.
Writing
Occasionally, titles were re-used. Episode 25, "The Brothers" is the first of two episodes named "The Brothers" along with the second from season 18 (formerly "Incident at Sayville Junction").
Filming
Filming would occasionally include B-roll footage, reused in other episodes. Episode 30, "My Father, My Son" is such an example. Just before the end scene in the Long Branch, there is a wet street scene showing the Dodge House with horses tied at railings and people crossing the street in both directions. This scene has been shown in several episodes as filler, or as a transitional scene.
Episode 32, "Prime of Life" was the final black-and-white episode.
Music
Episodes 18 & 19, "The Raid" parts 1 & 2, was scored by Franz Waxman.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 378 | 1 | "Seven Hours to Dawn" | Vincent McEveety | Clyde Ware | September 18, 1965 | ||||||
| A treacherous gang of outlaws take over Dodge. | |||||||||||
| 379 | 2 | "The Storm" | Joseph Sargent | Paul Savage | September 25, 1965 | ||||||
| A buffalo hunter is sentenced to be hanged for a murder he did not commit, the real culprits being the sons of Matt's old friend Adam Benteen. | |||||||||||
| 380 | 3 | "Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood" | Joseph Sargent | Calvin Clements, Sr. | October 2, 1965 | ||||||
| Thad Greenwood trails the four tough guys who caused his father to suffer a fatal heart attack. | |||||||||||
| 381 | 4 | "Ten Little Indians" | Mark Rydell | George Eckstein | October 9, 1965 | ||||||
| Matt must find out who hired the gunfighters that he has been facing in and out of Dodge. | |||||||||||
| 382 | 5 | "Taps for Old Jeb" | James Sheldon | Les Crutchfield | October 16, 1965 | ||||||
| Prospector Jeb Carter hires a bodyguard to protect his gold after years of searching finally pay off. | |||||||||||
| 383 | 6 | "Kioga" | Harry Harris | Robert Lewin | October 23, 1965 | ||||||
| Kioga, a young and wounded Pawnee Indian, comes to Dodge City to hunt down the fur trader who killed his father and attacked his sister. | |||||||||||
| 384 | 7 | "The Bounty Hunter" | Harry Harris | Paul Savage | October 30, 1965 | ||||||
| Bounty hunter Luke Frazer is drawn out of retirement to find the man who murdered a rich rancher's son. | |||||||||||
| 385 | 8 | "The Reward" | Marc Daniels | Gilbert Ralston, Scott Hunt & Beth Keele | November 6, 1965 | ||||||
| A convicted gold-mine swindler gets out of prison to resume mining with the money he is accused of stealing. | |||||||||||
| 386 | 9 | "Malachi" | Gary Nelson | William Putman | November 13, 1965 | ||||||
| Town drunk Malachi Harper poses as marshal just to impress his brother. | |||||||||||
| 387 | 10 | "The Pretender" | Vincent McEveety | Calvin Clements, Sr. | November 20, 1965 | ||||||
| The Dano brothers return home from prison to a dying mother and a bitter father. | |||||||||||
| 388 | 11 | "South Wind" | Allen Reisner | Jack Bartlett | November 27, 1965 | ||||||
| A 12-year-old boy goes into hiding after witnessing his father's murder. | |||||||||||
| 389 | 12 | "The Hostage" | Vincent McEveety | Story by : Joe Ann Johnson Teleplay by : Clyde Ware | December 4, 1965 | ||||||
| Four convicts take Matt hostage on their way to Mexico. | |||||||||||
| 390 | 13 | "Outlaw's Woman" | Mark Rydell | Clyde Ware | December 11, 1965 | ||||||
| Matt is surprised to see that the fleeing train robber he shot is a woman. | |||||||||||
| 391 | 14 | "The Avengers" | Vincent McEveety | Donn Mullally | December 18, 1965 | ||||||
| A judge and his two sons plot their revenge when they suspect Festus and Kitty of murdering a member of their family. | |||||||||||
| 392 | 15 | "Gold Mine" | Abner Biberman | Scott Hunt & Beth Keele | December 25, 1965 | ||||||
| Kitty travels alone to the rough mining town of Pickaxe to claim a gold mine, meeting the eccentric Gibbijohn family and a deaf-mute boy. | |||||||||||
| 393 | 16 | "Death Watch" | Mark Rydell | Calvin Clements, Sr. | January 8, 1966 | ||||||
| Matt attempts to protect wounded outlaw Johnny Drago from a pair of bounty hunters. | |||||||||||
| 394 | 17 | "Sweet Billy, Singer of Songs" | Alvin Ganzer | Gustave Field | January 15, 1966 | ||||||
| Festus' nephew Billy comes to Dodge to find a wife. | |||||||||||
| 395 | 18 | "The Raid" | Vincent McEveety | Clyde Ware | January 22, 1966 | ||||||
| 396 | 19 | January 29, 1966 | |||||||||
| A band out of outlaws terrorize Dodge. In Part 2, the outlaws take Doc hostage after they rob the bank and set Dodge on fire. | |||||||||||
| 397 | 20 | "Killer at Large" | Marc Daniels | Calvin Clements, Sr. | February 5, 1966 | ||||||
| Festus flees Dodge after killing a medicine-show sharpshooter in a gunfight. | |||||||||||
| 398 | 21 | "My Father's Guitar" | Robert Totten | Hal Sitowitz | February 12, 1966 | ||||||
| A wandering guitarist believes his father's guitar is more valuable than a person's life. | |||||||||||
| 399 | 22 | "Wishbone" | Marc Daniels | Paul Savage | February 19, 1966 | ||||||
| Matt goes after three bandits who robbed a stagecoach and killed the driver and guard. | |||||||||||
| 400 | 23 | "Sanctuary" | Harry Harris | Calvin Clements, Sr. | February 26, 1966 | ||||||
| A bank robber takes refuge in a church where he holds the pastor and two women hostage. | |||||||||||
| 401 | 24 | "Honor Before Justice" | Harry Harris | Story by : Frank Q. Dobbs & Robert Stewart, Jr. Screenplay by : Frank Q. Dobbs | March 5, 1966 | ||||||
| John Two-Bears is sentenced to death by the Osage Council for a murder he did not commit. | |||||||||||
| 402 | 25 | "The Brothers" | Tay Garnett | Tom Hanley | March 12, 1966 | ||||||
| Matt captures a young criminal named Billy after a robbery goes wrong, who must endure Matt's moralizing while waiting to be broken out of jail by his outlaw brother and hero Ed. | |||||||||||
| 403 | 26 | "Which Doctor" | Peter Graves | Les Crutchfield | March 19, 1966 | ||||||
| Buffalo hunters kidnap Doc and Festus. | |||||||||||
| 404 | 27 | "Harvest" | Harry Harris | Les Crutchfield | March 26, 1966 | ||||||
| Ben Payson's daughter Betsy falls in love with one of the Scottish homesteaders who have threatened to take her family's land. | |||||||||||
| 405 | 28 | "By Line" | Allen Reisner | Les Crutchfield | April 9, 1966 | ||||||
| Despite his illiteracy, Festus becomes a reporter for Dodge's newspaper, The Dodge City Clarion. | |||||||||||
| 406 | 29 | "Treasure of John Walking Fox" | Marc Daniels | Story by : Leo Bagby Teleplay by : Clyde Ware | April 16, 1966 | ||||||
| John Walking Fox's $50 gold piece starts gold fever in Dodge City and makes the man a target of robbers. | |||||||||||
| 407 | 30 | "My Father, My Son" | Robert Totten | Hal Sitowitz | April 23, 1966 | ||||||
| Fast gunman Jim Barrett kills a man in self-defense. Now the dead man's father and his brothers are gunning for him. | |||||||||||
| 408 | 31 | "Parson Comes to Town" | Marc Daniels | Verne Jay | April 30, 1966 | ||||||
| A stranger wearing a murdered preacher's coat causes tension in Dodge when he announces his intention to watch someone die. | |||||||||||
| 409 | 32 | "Prime of Life" | Robert Totten | Daniel B. Ullman | May 7, 1966 | ||||||
| Young Kyle Stoner is a fast gun involved with a pair of thieves who beat up Festus. | |||||||||||
Release
Broadcast
Season eleven aired Saturdays at 10:00-11:00 pm (EST) on CBS.[4]
Home media
The eleventh season was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment in a two volume set on December 2, 2014.
Reception
Gunsmoke season 11 finished at number 30 in the Nielsen ratings.[9]
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year[a] | Category | Nominee(s) / Work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1966 | Individual Achievements in Music - Composition | Morton Stevens for "Seven Hours to Dawn" | Nominated |
- ^ Indicates the year of ceremony.
Footnotes
- ^ Barbaras 1990, p. 74–75.
- ^ Brooks & Marsh 2007, p. 570–571.
- ^ McNeil 1996, p. 351–352.
- ^ a b Brooks & Marsh 2007, p. 570.
- ^ Barbaras 1990, p. 116–118.
- ^ Barbaras 1990, p. 87–102.
- ^ Barbaras 1990, p. 126–127.
- ^ Costello 2006, p. 400–416.
- ^ "1965-1966 TV Ratings". classictvguide.com.
References
- Barbaras, SuzAnne & Gabor (1990). Gunsmoke: A Complete History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-89950-418-3.
- Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- Costello, Ben (2006). Gunsmoke: An American Institution. Chandler, Arizona: Five Star Publications, Inc. ISBN 978-1-58985-014-9.
- McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.