All good things must come to an end, even when that something is a cornerstone of American entertainment. Gunsmoke was a series that lasted on television for a whopping twenty years. If Gunsmoke were a person, they would be able to drive a car and cast a vote in the election! In an era where it feels like most good television shows get canceled before they have a chance to find success, Gunsmoke provided viewers with literal decades of entertaining content. That’s not even mentioning the films that followed.
Still, when the series was finally canceled, it was a shock to everyone’s systems, whether they were an actor in the series or a crew member whose responsibility was bringing the famed television series to life. While some people were comfortable with respecting the end of the series and moving on to different projects, others had decided that they weren’t going down without a fight.
In the Atlanta Constitution, Gunsmoke screen editor Michael Adrian stated his own personal belief that the decision to end Gunsmoke was that of the television network, CBS, not of most of the actors involved in the series.
Adrian said, “I’m sure James Arness and the rest of the cast, with the exception of Amanda Blake, who played Miss Kitty, would have been agreeable to go on with the show.”
He added that the show’s ending had a hard effect on those who had called Gunsmoke home these last years. Adrian said, “There is no way a group of people can work on something for more than 20 years and not feel a great emotional letdown when it is discontinued.”
Adrian also argued that, as a series, Gunsmoke had transcended television, and called it “something special.” He said, “If something on television can rise above that and do something meaningful, something that will endure, then something has been accomplished.”
He then commended his fellow crewmates, as well as the actors in the series. Adrian said, “They had the best writers and crew that ever was assembled. Everyone was dedicated and devoted to their assignments. What they created was exceptionally good drama.”