Gunsmoke is one of the most successful television shows to ever air. However, that wasn’t an accident. There’s something very specific that drew audiences into both the Western radio show and its on-screen adaptation. Gunsmoke producer John Mantley once gave his reasoning for why he thought the show became so “uniquely successful” for so many years.
‘Gunsmoke’ gave a special vision of the American West
Gunsmoke audiences tuned into the successful show for many years, deciding to stick with the characters and their journey. The story follows Marhsal Matt Dillon (James Arness), who is responsible for Dodge City. However, the town has no respect for the law or those who uphold it. As a result, he’s constantly putting his life on the life in potentially lethal situations.
Additionally, Matt must deal with the difficulties of frontier life, including cattle, gunfights, and brawls. He must utilize sound judgment if he hopes to solve Dodge City’s greatest dangers. Fortunately, Matt has plenty of it and is willing to do what is necessary to enforce the law.
‘Gunsmoke’ was ‘uniquely successful’ because of the character creation
Mantley told John Peel in The Gunsmoke Years all about the ups and downs of the show. However, he had plenty of time to reflect on the series leading up to this interview. Mantley explained that he thought the character creation was at the heart of why Gunsmoke was so “uniquely successful” with audiences on the television screen.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about it [what made Gunsmoke so uniquely successful for many years],” Mantley prefaced. “One main reason is that I think the character were brilliantly created.”
He pointed to the “cross-section of mankind” present on the show with the power of life and death with his firearm – of course, he was talking about Matt. However, he added that another man has that same power, but with his scalpel and intelligence, which was Doc (Milburn Stone).
Stone played the character differently from the radio iteration of Doc. Rather than playing “a drunk,” the actor performed him as a man of science.
Mantley explained that Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) and the court jester (Dennis Weaver) also brought these characters to life “so finely” that they simply radiated off the screen. Additionally, the actors all worked together as a team.
“I think the creation of the character themselves was the number one thing,” Mantley said. “The second thing was the brilliant casting of the show. The third thing that contributed to its longevity was the absolutely wonderful feeling among all of these characters of contributing to the show without concerning themselves about how much they had in the show.”
The show and lead actor James Arness enjoyed longevity
Mantley mentioned longevity, which certainly was a product of how successful Gunsmoke truly became. He admitted that the actors “spent more time on the Gunsmoke set than they did in their own private lives. They were, in every sense of the word, a family.” The fans certainly felt that they knew these characters and loved to see them on their television screens.
Gunsmoke was the longest-running, primetime, live-action show on television at a stunning 20 seasons. However, the original Law and Order ultimately overtook it in Feb. 2022.
Additionally, Arness and Stone portrayed their characters for 20 years in a row. This remains an incredible feat of longevity, although Mariska Hargitay surpassed them on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for over 23 years.