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 15 aired in the United States on September 22, 1969, and the final episode aired on March 23, 1970. All episodes were broadcast in the U.S. by CBS.[4]
Season 15 of Gunsmoke was the fourth season of color episodes. Previous seasons were filmed in black-and-white.
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; Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake), saloon girl and later owner of the Long Branch Saloon;[6] and deputy Newly O'Brien (Buck Taylor).[7]
Cast and characters
Main
- James Arness as Matt Dillon
- Ken Curtis as Festus
- Milburn Stone as Doc
- Amanda Blake as Kitty
- Buck Taylor as Newly[8]
Production
Season 15 consisted of 26 one-hour color episodes produced by John Mantley and associate producer Joseph Dackow.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 490 | 1 | "The Devil's Outpost" | Philip Leacock | Story by : Bob Barbash Screenplay by : Bob Barbash and Jim Byrnes | September 22, 1969 | |
| Wily outlaw Yancy Tyce (Robert Lansing) is determined to free his younger brother Cody Tyce (Jonathan Lippe) from Matt's custody. | ||||||
| 491 | 2 | "Stryker" | Robert Totten | Herman Groves | September 29, 1969 | |
| Matt is headed for a showdown with marshal-turned-outlaw Josh Stryker (Morgan Woodward). | ||||||
| 492 | 3 | "Coreyville" | Bernard McEveety | Herman Groves | October 6, 1969 | |
| Two feuding women, Agatha Corey (Nina Foch) and Flo Watson (Ruth Roman), refuse to reveal the identity of the killer Matt is looking for. | ||||||
| 493 | 4 | "Danny (AKA 'The Wake')" | Bernard McEveety | Preston Wood | October 13, 1969 | |
| Ailing confidence man Danny Wilson (Jack Albertson) plans one last con, involving a "hit" on Matt, in order to ensure his very short-lived financial future. | ||||||
| 494 | 5 | "Hawk" | Gunnar Hellström | Kay Lenard & Jess Carneol | October 20, 1969 | |
| Phoebe Clifford (Louise Latham) refuses to acknowledge that an Apache half-breed named Hawk (Brendon Boone) is her son. | ||||||
| 495 | 6 | "A Man Called Smith" | Vincent McEveety | Calvin Clements, Sr. | October 27, 1969 | |
| Outlaw Will "Smith" (Earl Holliman) arrives at the home of widow Abelia (Jacqueline Scott) to get her to help him launder $10,000 in stolen gold coins. | ||||||
| 496 | 7 | "Charlie Noon" | Vincent McEveety | Jim Byrnes | November 3, 1969 | |
| Comanches attack Matt, his prisoner Charlie Noon (James Best), an Indian widow (Míriam Colón) and her white stepson Jamie (Ronny Howard). | ||||||
| 497 | 8 | "The Still" | Gunnar Hellström | Calvin Clements, Sr. | November 10, 1969 | |
| Merry Florene (Lane Bradbury) is back. This time she has a good job as an interim school teacher in Dodge. But when her half-brother Elbert Moses (Anthony James) and her Uncle Titus (Shug Fisher) arrive, she is again in danger of losing her job and her beau from her family's buffoonery. | ||||||
| 498 | 9 | "A Matter of Honor" | Robert Totten | Joy Dexter | November 17, 1969 | |
| The town drunk, Louie Pheeters (James Nusser), is accused of a murder he witnessed. | ||||||
| 499 | 10 | "The Innocent" | Marvin J. Chomsky | Walter Black | November 24, 1969 | |
| Missionary teacher Athena Partridge Royce (Eileen Heckart) heads for her first assignment, days away from Dodge, completely oblivious of the dangers out in the wilderness. Festus takes it upon himself to help her along the way. | ||||||
| 500 | 11 | "Ring of Darkness" | Bernard McEveety | Arthur Dales[C] | December 1, 1969 | |
| Newly is captured, while farmer Ben Hurley (Tom Drake) faces a moral dilemma, stealing horses for a gang of outlaws to help his blind daughter, Susan (Pamela Dunlap) | ||||||
| 501 | 12 | "MacGraw" | Philip Leacock | Kay Lenard & Jess Carneol | December 8, 1969 | |
| Ex-gunslinger Jake McGraw (J. D. Cannon) has returned to Dodge after twenty years in prison and for some reason has taken an interest in a saloon hostess, Ella Horton (Diana Ewing), and a young cowboy, Dave Wilson (Michael Larrain). | ||||||
| 502 | 13 | "Roots of Fear" | Philip Leacock | Arthur Browne, Jr. | December 15, 1969 | |
| Dirt farmer Amos Sadler (John Anderson) and his kin plot to break into the bank when it's closed due to a panic. | ||||||
| 503 | 14 | "The Sisters" | Philip Leacock | William Kelley | December 29, 1969 | |
| A scoundrel, Pack Landers (Jack Elam), tries to con three nuns by using his own children as leverage. | ||||||
| 504 | 15 | "The War Priest" | Bernard McEveety | William Kelley | January 5, 1970 | |
| Drunken cavalry Sergeant Holly (Forrest Tucker) pursues Apache warrior/priest Gregorio (Richard Anderson) who took Kitty hostage. | ||||||
| 505 | 16 | "The Pack Rat" | Philip Leacock | Story by : Arthur Browne, Jr. Teleplay by : Arthur Browne, Jr. and Jim Byrnes | January 12, 1970 | |
| A young thief, Sancho (Manuel Padilla Jr.), gets caught by Matt while the marshal is transporting a prisoner, Sam Danton (William C. Watson), to Fort Union. | ||||||
| 506 | 17 | "The Judas Gun" | Vincent McEveety | Harry Kronman | January 19, 1970 | |
| Hired gunman Boy Avery (Ron Hayes) changes the balance of power in a family feud between Noah Haimes (Richard Slattery) and Clete Bolden (Sean McClory), threatening the happiness of their children, Cully Haimes (Peter Jason) and Janie Bolden (Laurie Mock). | ||||||
| 507 | 18 | "Doctor Herman Schultz, M.D." | Bernard McEveety | Story by : Benny Rubin Teleplay by : Calvin Clements, Sr. | January 26, 1970 | |
| Hypnotist Dr. Herman Schultz (Benny Rubin) bamboozles Dodge residents by using his skill to steal money that is destined for the freight office. | ||||||
| 508 | 19 | "The Badge" | Vincent McEveety | Jim Byrnes | February 2, 1970 | |
| It's the last straw for Kitty. After Matt is shot by two robbers, she boards up the Long Branch and leaves Dodge for Ballard, Oklahoma, only to get caught up in that town's corruption. Kitty and her new business partner Claire Hollis (Beverly Garland) must then deal with the town's "Papa" Steiffer (Henry Jones). | ||||||
| 509 | 20 | "Albert" | Vincent McEveety | Jim Byrnes | February 9, 1970 | |
| Bank teller Albert Schiller (Milton Selzer), loyal after 15 years, foils a robbery, but keeps some money for himself, only to wind up helping the robbers with their next attempt while they hold hostage his wife Kate Schiller (Patricia Barry) as leverage. | ||||||
| 510 | 21 | "Kiowa" | Bernard McEveety | Ron Bishop | February 16, 1970 | |
| Matt helps search for a group of Kiowa raiders, led by Quichero (Richard Angarola), who abducted rancher Ed Vail's (Victor French) daughter, Melissa Vail (Joyce Ames). | ||||||
| 511 | 22 | "Celia" | Philip Leacock | Harry Kronman | February 23, 1970 | |
| Newly must prove that Celia Madden (Melissa Murphy) is a con artist bent on swindling his friend the blacksmith, Ben Sommars (Cliff Osmond). | ||||||
| 512 | 23 | "Morgan" | Bernard McEveety | Kay Lenard & Jess Carneol | March 2, 1970 | |
| Outlaws led by Cole Morgan (Steve Forrest) take over Dodge with a Gatling gun to ambush Matt and the U.S. Army who are expected to arrive with a large shipment of gold. | ||||||
| 513 | 24 | "The Thieves" | Philip Leacock | Thomas Thompson | March 9, 1970 | |
| Sam the bartender (Glenn Strange) takes an interest in trying to reform a juvenile delinquent on probation, Eric Tabray (Michael Burns). | ||||||
| 514 | 25 | "Hackett" | Vincent McEveety | William Kelley | March 16, 1970 | |
| Ex-convict Hackett (Earl Holliman) seeks revenge on Quentin Sargent (Morgan Woodward) who ran out on him during a robbery years ago. | ||||||
| 515 | 26 | "The Cage" | Bernard McEveety | Calvin Clements, Sr. | March 23, 1970 | |
| Matt leads a posse to find gold thieves, using Roy Stewart (Steve Carlson) to find the rest of the gang, including their leader Benson (Gregg Palmer), and their gold fencer, Sanders (Paul Stewart). | ||||||
Release
Broadcast
Season fifteen aired Mondays at 7:30-8:30 pm (EST) on CBS.[4]
Home media
The fifteenth season was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment in a two volume set on October 1, 2019.
Reception
Gunsmoke season 15 reached #2 in the Nielsen ratings.[9]
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year[a] | Category | Nominee(s) / Work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1970 | Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing | Norman Karlin and Richard E. Raderman | Won[b] |
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. 147–148.
- ^ Costello 2006, p. 458–470.
- ^ "1969-1970 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.