Gunsmoke (season 10)
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]
| Gunsmoke | |
|---|---|
| Season 10 | |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 36 |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 26, 1964 – May 29, 1965 |
| Season chronology | |
The first episode of season 10 aired in the United States on September 26, 1964, and the final episode aired on June 29, 1965. All episodes were broadcast in the U.S. by CBS.[4]
Season 10 of Gunsmoke was the fourth season of one hour episodes 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] Blacksmith Quint Asper (Burt Reynolds) was added to the cast in season eight and remained until the end of season ten.[7] When Dennis Weaver left the series during season nine, he was replaced by Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen, who became deputy to Marshall Dillon.[5]
Cast and characters
Main
- James Arness as Matt Dillon
- Milburn Stone as Doc
- Ken Curtis as Festus
- Amanda Blake as Kitty
- Burt Reynolds as Quint Asper[8]
Production
Season 10 consisted of 36 one hour black-and-white episodes produced by Norman Macdonnell (episodes 342–348, 350, 352, 361, 367) and Philip Leacock (episodes 349, 351, 353–360, 362–366, 368–377). Frank Paris was associate producer.
In this season, a new gunfight introduction is shown before the opening director/writer credits. Episode 4, "The Violators", is the first time Matt's gunfight scene is superimposed in the end credits.
Writing
Storylines would occasionally be taken from real-life events, but not always accurately. In episode 19, "Chief Joseph", it is mentioned that Chief Joseph met Ulysses S. Grant in Washington, D.C., when in actuality, he arrived in Washington, D.C. in January 1879 and met with President Rutherford B. Hayes and Congress. The real Chief Joseph was 38 years-old at the time of the visit and not the old man portrayed in the episode.
The final episode of season 10, episode 36, "He Who Steals", was the last John Meston script for the series.
Production design
New sets were designed in season 10. Episode 3, "Old Man", is the first time a trial is shown in an actual courtroom and not the Long Branch or Dodge House.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 342 | 1 | "Blue Heaven" | Michael O'Herlihy | Les Crutchfield | September 26, 1964 | |
| A wanted, on-the-run cowboy comes across a precocious, runaway boy and accompanies him to Dodge to find his impoverished mother. | ||||||
| 343 | 2 | "Crooked Mile" | Andrew V. McLaglen | Les Crutchfield | October 3, 1964 | |
| An overprotective father disapproves of his daughter courting Quint and calls his cousin, an unsavory fixer of family matters. | ||||||
| 344 | 3 | "Old Man" | Harry Harris | John Meston | October 10, 1964 | |
| A loud distasteful old man threatens to kill a cowpoke in front of witnesses, making him the perfect patsy for a horse thief's murder plan. | ||||||
| 345 | 4 | "The Violators" | Harry Harris | John Dunkel | October 17, 1964 | |
| Three friends who share a dark secret are being systematically targeted, and rattled Dodge citizens suspect Indian activity. | ||||||
| 346 | 5 | "Doctor's Wife" | Harry Harris | George Eckstein | October 24, 1964 | |
| A new doctor arrives in Dodge and his meddlesome, underappreciating wife spreads malicious rumors about Doc to gain clientele. | ||||||
| 347 | 6 | "Take Her, She's Cheap" | Harry Harris | Kathleen Hite | October 31, 1964 | |
| A young girl enamored with Matt and his kindness in helping her stranded family, follows him to Dodge and is preyed upon by an evil predator. | ||||||
| 348 | 7 | "Help Me, Kitty" | Harry Harris | Kathleen Hite | November 7, 1964 | |
| Kitty's resilience is challenged when she accepts a young woman's plea for help which begins a life and death ordeal. | ||||||
| 349 | 8 | "Hung High" | Mark Rydell | John Meston | November 14, 1964 | |
| Matt escorts a back-shooting coward to Hays City and is intercepted by the prisoner's gang whose leader originates a sinister plan to not only frame the Marshal but disgrace him as well. | ||||||
| 350 | 9 | "Jonah Hutchinson" | Harry Harris | Calvin Clements, Sr. | November 21, 1964 | |
| A bitter old man learns nothing after 30 years in prison and comes home to wreak havoc on family and neighbors. | ||||||
| 351 | 10 | "Big Man, Big Target" | Michael O'Herlihy | John Mantley | November 28, 1964 | |
| An outlaw wrongly arrested by Matt wants payback and manipulates the farmer's wife he's having an affair with into his ambush plan. | ||||||
| 352 | 11 | "Chicken" | Andrew V. McLaglen | John Meston | December 5, 1964 | |
| Hailed a hero, a gun-shy cowboy earns an undeserved reputation, and falls hard for a young woman who's hiding her own secret. | ||||||
| 353 | 12 | "Innocence" | Harry Harris | John Meston | December 12, 1964 | |
| Two rowdy drifters fight for the affections of the new Long Branch saloon girl and when she's found dead, Matt must determine which one's responsible. | ||||||
| 354 | 13 | "Aunt Thede" | Sutton Roley | Kathleen Hite | December 19, 1964 | |
| Festus' Aunt Thede comes to Dodge for a visit and in typical Haggen fashion becomes involved in a local family's drama. | ||||||
| 355 | 14 | "Hammerhead" | Christian Nyby | Antony Ellis | December 26, 1964 | |
| When a wealthy rancher comes to Dodge to buy horses, two rival stable owners agree to a high-stakes long-distance race to demonstrate the speed and durability of their breeds. | ||||||
| 356 | 15 | "Double Entry" | Joseph Sargent | Les Crutchfield | January 2, 1965 | |
| Matt's friend from Texas arrives in Dodge with interests to buy the stagecoach line, but eyebrows raise when he's seen colluding with a local hooligan. | ||||||
| 357 | 16 | "Run, Sheep, Run" | Harry Harris | John Meston | January 9, 1965 | |
| Believing he killed the man that swindled him, a young rancher with his wife flees from the law and digs himself into a deeper hole. | ||||||
| 358 | 17 | "Deputy Festus" | Harry Harris | Calvin Clements, Sr. | January 16, 1965 | |
| Festus finds himself in quite a quandary when Matt asks him to watch-over the jail and he learns that the three disorderly drunks being held are his cousins. | ||||||
| 359 | 18 | "One Killer on Ice" | Joseph H. Lewis | Richard Carr | January 23, 1965 | |
| A bounty hunter tells Matt that he has a wanted outlaw holed-up with his partner in a secured location and needs his help in bringing him in, but the real twist is what he's not telling him. | ||||||
| 360 | 19 | "Chief Joseph" | Mark Rydell | Story by : Thomas Warner Teleplay by : Clyde Ware | January 30, 1965 | |
| A seriously ill Nez Perce Indian chief causes hostility among the town's residents when he shelters in the Dodge House, but one man sees it as an opportunity to avenge his brother's death. | ||||||
| 361 | 20 | "Circus Trick" | William F. Claxton | Les Crutchfield | February 6, 1965 | |
| The town is abuzz when the circus comes to town promising many thrilling performances, but Matt suspects all the action will happen behind the scenes. | ||||||
| 362 | 21 | "Song for Dying" | Allen Reisner | Harry Kronman | February 13, 1965 | |
| Blind with rage, an ill-tempered man tracks the drunken ex-doctor to Dodge who he blames for the death of his wife. | ||||||
| 363 | 22 | "Winner Take All" | Vincent McEveety | Les Crutchfield | February 20, 1965 | |
| A lack of respect and a manipulating saloon girl erode the contentious relationship between two brothers. | ||||||
| 364 | 23 | "Eliab's Aim" | Richard C. Sarafian | Will Corry | February 27, 1965 | |
| Festus' nephew Eliab comes to town to settle a "duty of honor", by shooting Festus' right ear off, but just the little hanging down part. | ||||||
| 365 | 24 | "Thursday's Child" | Joseph H. Lewis | Robert Lewin | March 6, 1965 | |
| Kitty's friend passes through town on her way to witness the birth of her grandson and a smitten Doc is kidnapped to help in the delivery. | ||||||
| 366 | 25 | "Breckinridge" | Vincent McEveety | Les Crutchfield | March 13, 1965 | |
| A young lawyer comes to town and immediately becomes a thorn in Matt's side, but his first client proves how things should be done in Dodge. | ||||||
| 367 | 26 | "Bank Baby" | Andrew V. McLaglen | John Meston | March 20, 1965 | |
| An oaf of a man concocts a peculiar plan to rob the bank, but first he must kidnap a baby as cover to his story. | ||||||
| 368 | 27 | "The Lady" | Mark Rydell | John Mantley | March 27, 1965 | |
| An elderly woman traveling with her niece stopover in Dodge where she falls in love with a local rancher, but the niece goes to great lengths to quash the relationship. | ||||||
| 369 | 28 | "Dry Road to Nowhere" | Vincent McEveety | Harry Kronman | April 3, 1965 | |
| A temperance preacher wants to end drinking in Dodge, but his high-handed behavior makes more enemies than friends. | ||||||
| 370 | 29 | "Twenty Miles from Dodge" | Mark Rydell | Clyde Ware | April 10, 1965 | |
| Kitty and her fellow stagecoach passengers are abducted and held for ransom by a gang of outlaws. | ||||||
| 371 | 30 | "The Pariah" | Harry Harris | Calvin Clements, Sr. | April 17, 1965 | |
| An Italian immigrant becomes a social pariah after his story on how he shot a wanted man is misconstrued. | ||||||
| 372 | 31 | "Gilt Guilt" | Harry Harris | Kathleen Hite | April 24, 1965 | |
| Drought hits Dodge causing widespread crop failure and Doc must deal with its aftermath, scurvy. | ||||||
| 373 | 32 | "Bad Lady from Brookline" | Michael O'Herlihy | Gustave Field | May 1, 1965 | |
| A headstrong woman is given false facts on her husband died and seeks revenge against Matt. | ||||||
| 374 | 33 | "Two Tall Men" | Vincent McEveety | Frank Q. Dobbs & Robert Stewart, Jr. | May 8, 1965 | |
| An old buffalo hunter comes upon two cowpokes hovering over an unconscious Doc and his story on how he saved him grows wilder every time he repeats it. | ||||||
| 375 | 34 | "Honey Pot" | Harry Harris | John Meston | May 15, 1965 | |
| Matt resigns as Marshal when he realizes that his good friend is involved in the murder of the new saloon girl's husband. | ||||||
| 376 | 35 | "The New Society" | Joseph Sargent | Calvin Clements, Sr. | May 22, 1965 | |
| Matt faces mass hostility in Ridge Town where the townspeople conspire to cover-up a 12-year-old murder case. | ||||||
| 377 | 36 | "He Who Steals" | Harry Harris | John Meston | May 29, 1965 | |
| A young ranch hand respects an old buffalo hunter but learns a valuable lesson, there's no honor among thieves. | ||||||
Release
Home media
The tenth season was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment in a two volume set on August 12, 2014.
Reception
Gunsmoke season 10 finished at number 27 in the Nielsen ratings.[9]
Footnotes
- Barbaras 1990, p. 74–75.
- Brooks & Marsh 2007, p. 570–571.
- McNeil 1996, p. 351–352.
- Brooks & Marsh 2007, p. 570.
- Barbaras 1990, p. 116–118.
- Barbaras 1990, p. 87–102.
- Barbaras 1990, p. 114–116.
- Costello 2006, p. 384–400.
- "1964-1965 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.