The props and set were only part of what brought the world of Gunsmoke to life. The cast had a natural chemistry that allowed their characters to pop off the screen in brilliant ways. They were further brought together when a part of Dodge City left the set and went all of the way to space during the Apollo 8 mission. However, the most special part was that they each got to keep a part of history in the process.
‘Gunsmoke’ was the top-rated show on television
Gunsmoke originally started as a radio show in 1952, which was adapted into a television show in 1955. Fortunately, it allowed the show to get off on the right foot, as there was already an established fan base that transitioned to this adaptation of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon’s adventures to keeping justice in Dodge City.
While the show introduced a new cast of actors from the voice cast fans were familiar with, they grew to love the new blood. Gunsmoke went on to become the most successful show on television, reaching the top of the ratings. The CBS Western ran for a record-breaking 20 seasons, putting it in the history books as the longest-running live-action television show in primetime for quite some time.
Astronauts brought ‘Gunsmoke’ props with them to space
In James Arness: An Autobiography, Arness wrote that Doc Adams actor Milburn Stone and Festus Haggen actor Ken Curtis visited the Kennedy Space Center in 1968, where they met astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell Jr., and William A. Anders, who were preparing for Appolo 8. Stone and Curtis invited them to come to the Gunsmoke set, and they took them up on the offer.
The astronauts offered to bring Gunsmoke props with them to space to give them an even greater sense of history to them. The cast gave them four powderless/capless bullets from Matt’s gun to take along with them. And, that’s exactly what they did when Apollo 8 launched on Dec. 21, 1968, where they orbited the moon 10 times.
Later, Stone received a package in the mail with the four bullets inside, along with a kind note. He decided to put each one in a plastic table mount with a plate, keeping one for himself. He gave one to Miss Kitty Russell actor Amanda Blake, Curtis, and Arness.
James Arness and the ‘Gunsmoke’ cast learned to treasure one another
Arness and the rest of the Gunsmoke cast valued these props, especially with the added value after traveling to space and back. However, they also learned to value something else over the course of the Western show’s time on the air – each other.
Stone initially hated Arness, who always had a sense of humor about him that occasionally came out on the set. However, this rubbed the Doc Adams actor the wrong way, which ultimately came out. Nevertheless, Arness handled the situation well, admitting to his faults that annoyed Stone. The two developed a very close friendship.
The strong chemistry between the Gunsmoke actors is largely what performed so well with audiences across the country. The show brought on guest stars to keep the eventual hour-long episodes fresh, but the main cast had a respect for one another that always put the show and its characters ahead of their own ego.