A Tribute to Gunsmoke

I used to watch Gunsmoke with my father, who could recite scenes from episodes he hadn't seen in 60 years. It was typically, "I remember this episode. It's where Matt, blah, blah, blah." I always thought my father had a photographic memory, and that pretty much sealed it for me.

A few years after my father's passing, I purchased the entire Gunsmoke series—all 20 seasons on DVD. One of the greatest television shows of all time, it featured some of the finest character actors of the 20th century, along with an impressive roster of writers, directors, showrunners, and producers. James Arness was the star, but writer John Meston and producer Norman Macdonnell, followed by producer John Mantley, were instrumental in the show's extraordinary longevity.

For a couple of years, my GSD Sammy would join me on the sofa whenever he heard Gunsmoke's iconic opening theme. Watching an episode became something of an event for us. Sammy passed last November.

Yesterday, I watched my final Gunsmoke episode. Number 635.

What began as a 30-minute black-and-white television adaptation of the original radio series eventually became an hour-long drama featuring memorable guest actors, including Morgan Woodward, John Anderson, Strother Martin, John Dehner, and Jack Elam. The longer format allowed for richer character development, giving these actors and the scripts room to shine.

After a while, I became so familiar with the closing credits that I even noticed when longtime hairstylist Pat Whiffing added "CHS" after her name. I assumed Pat had earned some sort of certification. Turns out CHS stands for Cinema Hair Stylists.

Gunsmoke never received a proper send-off. The series was abruptly canceled in 1975, despite expectations that it would continue. Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), absent during Season 20, might have returned, and veteran writer Jim Byrnes had already completed a story for Season 21. There was plenty of fertile ground for more Gunsmoke adventures.

I imagine every Gunsmoke fan has wondered what might have been and how Season 21 would have unfolded. So here's my pitch to Executive Producer John Mantley. Anachronisms aside, he undoubtedly would have rejected it on the spot. :-)

Gunsmoke—Season 21, Episode 1: "The Jazz Literati"

In this never-aired episode, Marshal Matt Dillon investigates reports of a mysterious group of strangers arriving in Dodge City, carrying battered instrument cases filled with only blank sheets of paper and pencils.

Festus grows suspicious when one of the men orders a whiskey at the Long Branch and asks Miss Kitty whether the piano player knows any Thelonious Monk.

Meanwhile, back at the marshal's office...

"Matthew, there's some feller down at the Long Branch askin' Miss Kitty if she knows a piano player named Thee-lonious Monkey."

"Thelonious Monk, Festus."

"Well, that's what I said, ain't it?"

Doc Adams, overhearing the conversation, interjects.

"Festus, Thelonious Monk happens to be one of the most innovative pianists of the twentieth century."

"Well, Doc, seein' as how we're still in the nineteenth century, I reckon that makes him a little ahead of his time."

Matt slowly removes his hat.

"I need a drink."

Doc agrees, and the three head for the Long Branch, where they settle in at the bar.

Doc dismisses the strangers as harmless intellectuals until one corrects his pronunciation of "Paul Motian."

The investigation takes a sinister turn when Chester, inexplicably back in Dodge City after a run-in with a semi-truck, discovers a handwritten tracklist for yet another previously undiscovered Vince Guaraldi soundtrack, Peanuts Celebrates the Sport of Curling, hidden beneath a floorboard at the Dodge House.

Matt confronts the group's apparent leader.

"Just who are you fellas, anyway?"

"We're AAJ Staff, Marshal."

"Never heard of you."

"That's the idea."

A long silence follows.

Matt adjusts his hat.

"Well, long as you boys don't cause any trouble."

"We don't cause trouble, Marshal. We document it."

Fast forward to the closing scene: Matt watches the strangers ride out of Dodge.

Festus asks, "Where you reckon they're headed, Matthew?"

Matt replies, "Zanesville, maybe. Could be Steubenville."

"What's the difference?"

"Don't rightly know, Festus."

Fade to black.

---

Posted to Publisher's Desk IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci