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Old Time Radio Researchers GroupGunsmoke - Single Episodes

GUNSMOKE

First Show: Jun 26, 1952
Last Show: Jun 18, 1961
Number Shows: 480 shows, 2 auditions, 5 hour tribute
Audition Shows: Jun 11, 1949, Jul 13, 1949

Series Description:

Gunsmoke is one of those long-running classic Old-Time Radio shows that everyone knows and remembers. It's also one that is still respected for its high values, in all aspects. Gunsmoke first aired on the CBS network on April 26, 1952, billed as the first adult western. It was set in Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870's.

The main character, Matt Dillon, was played by William Conrad. On August 6, 1951, William Conrad played the lead in a show entitled "Pagosa" in the series Romance, where he played the part of a reluctant sheriff in a tough Western town. Although not a true audition, Conrad's character role is very close the that of Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke. It was one of the "stepping stones" toward the production of Gunsmoke.

Other regular characters were Chester Proudfoot, played by Parley Baer; Kitty, played by Georgia Ellis; and Doc Adams, played by Howard McNear.

The series featured top-notch acting and well-developed scripts that set it apart from many other shows, not only Westerns; however, it was the sound effects that stood out the most. Listen carefully and one can hear many levels of sound that really helps transport the listener back to the old west.

Besides the US version, there was an Austrailian production of Gunsmoke. It began sometime in 1955, transcribed under the Artransa label, and aired Mondays at 7:00 PM on the Macquarie network. It is not known how many shows aired or how long the series ran.


From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. See "Note" Section below for more information on the OTRR.

Creative Commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs

Notes

OLD TIME RADIO RESEARCHER'S GROUP

This is a production of the Old Time Radio Researchers Group located at Old Time Radio Researchers Website and the Old Time Radio Researchers Group.

It contains the most complete and accurate version of this series in the best sound possible at the time of creation. An updated version will be issued if more episodes or better sounding ones become available.

If you are interested in preserving old time radio, you may wish to join the Old Time Radio Researchers Group at Yahoo.


This is the Single Episode Page. The Certified Set includes extras not found here. It is located at OTRR Certified Set. This page is provided in case you want to sample the shows.

Note that in many cases, file names have been modified from the original OTRR names to conform to archive.org naming requirements.


Relax, listen, and enjoy!

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OTRR Definitions:

OTRR Certified Accurate -- A series that is Certified Accurate indicates that all the episodes are properly identified and labeled but that the series does not contain all known extant episodes.

OTRR Certified Complete -- A series that is Certified Complete is the highest level of certification available under the OTRR Certified Standards. This certification level implies that all the files in the series are Certified Accurate but also indicates that the series is as complete as possible – it includes all extant episodes.

Individual Files

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Reviewer: otrwash - - November 2, 2009
Subject: Gunsmoke: Missing Episodes
Of the 480 broadcast episodes of GUNSMOKE only six are missing, including five of the first ten episodes broadcast in 1952.

A few years ago I found the scripts for the first year of Gunsmoke. From those scripts, I have written detailed plot lines summaries for the five missing 1952 episodes.
You will find them at:
http://forums.oldradio.net/forum13.html&sid=b417fd58f9ed1af657fba339154cb670

Look for the threads starting with
Plotline For Missing Episode:

Reviewer: d-boy - - June 26, 2009
Subject: Tied for First
I am indeed listening to every single episode of Gunsmoke, but I would suggest two other OTR shows which I consider tied with Gunsmoke for first place. The first is Night Beat, with Frank Lovejoy, and the other is Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar........very specifically a particular period of Johnny Dollar shows: the five part, weeklong, 15 minute installment shows from the mid fifties with Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar.

Reviewer: XMinusOne - - August 15, 2007
Subject: The top tier of Old time Radio
mikefromgeorgia (below) is correct that it's a tough call between Dragnet and Gunsmoke (although you could consider other shows, such as Jack Benny, Amos 'n' Andy, Lights Out, X Minus One, and others, Dragnet and Gunsmoke were 'reality'); their longevity alone speaks for their quality. They simply wouldn't have lasted as long as they did, nor sustain their large audiences, were the writing and the acting not excellent. What both had, of course, was continuity; the main character was created, developed, and had excellent supporting characters who also were developed.

What both shows had, of course, were premier leading actors. All of Jack Webb's shows before Dragnet were of high quality and seem to lead to his role Joe Friday; Bill Conrad estimated that he was in 7,000 roles in radio, as either a leading or supporting actor.

One can't go wrong with listening to either collection, Dragnet or Gunsmoke. Both will make you appreciate the magic of old time radio, which provided something that neither television show could; the use of your imagination, enabling you to see "what really happened to Joe Friday and Matt Dillon".

Reviewer: mikefromgeorgia - - May 21, 2007
Subject: Gunsmoke is the greatest radio show of all time
It is a very tough call between Dragnet and Gunsmoke, but I guess the incredible sound effects and the high quality writing, along with the talented cast of regular and guest supporting actors give Gunsmoke a decided edge in my own humble opinion. William Conrad had such a wonderful voice for radio and he also was a better actor in every respect than James Arness. Conrad's only drawbacks to playing Marshal Matt Dillon in the television version of Gunsmoke were his height and especially weight. Many people probably don't even know that he was a fighter pilot in World War II. He made the role of Matt Dillon his own on radio and I don't think Arness could ever have held a candle to him. I have watched the t.v. series many times for years before ever hearing the radio version and I definitely think the radio version is far superior in every respect. On t.v. both Dillon and the other regular characters (Doc Adams, Miss Kitty Russell and Chester Proudfoot (Goode on t.v.) and also (later Festus Haggan on t.v.) were seen less and less as the years went by and more guest stars were primarily given the reins and on-screen time. Matt Dillon was out-of-town far too much in the later t.v. episodes, often leaving Dodge City in the highly questionable hands of Festus and Newley, the town's blacksmith. While the t.v. show is a great classic, no question, as proven by the length of the time it was on the air, the radio show was consistently better in keeping Matt Dillon in Dodge City where he always belonged.

Reviewer: tex56 - - April 29, 2007
Subject: One of the best of U.S radio
I have heard no other OTR program that leaves me eager to listen to every episode.