# "Gunsmoke" question - Who's the announcer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 18, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480 "2007-12-18T18:49:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/1 "2007-12-18T18:49:30Z")
While watching a “Gunsmoke” rerun on TV Land the other day, I was suddenly struck by how much the announcer at the beginning of the show who names the stars (Gunsmoke - with Milburn Stone as Doc, Amanda Blake as Kitty, etc.) sounded a lot like Peter Graves (Mission Impossible, Airplane, Biography). Graves, whose real name is Peter Arness, is the brother of star James Arness, of course. Does anyone know who the announcer was, or if in fact it actually was Graves? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/2 "2007-12-18T18:51:33Z")
Sorry, wrong forum. I’m going to ask the mods to please move this to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/3 "2007-12-18T18:52:55Z")
Moving thread to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/4 "2007-12-18T18:58:14Z")
Thank you, **Giraffe**. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/5 "2007-12-18T19:17:56Z")
It was George Walsh, who also announced the radio version for most of its run. [Bio.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1587631/bio) Career radio man. Voice of Smokey the Bear. Died in 2005. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/6 "2007-12-18T19:31:10Z")
Oh man, I thought it was Keith Jackson, mainly because of the part where he says _“Around Dodge City and in the territory out West, there’s just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that’s with a U.S. marshal and the smell of Miss Kitty going long and woah Nellie, fumble!”_ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/7 "2007-12-18T19:32:57Z")
Roy Rowan did some of the radio shows as well. Sponsored by Chesterfield and L&M filters. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/8 "2007-12-18T19:52:03Z")
According to [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Morrow) Don Morrow also announced some of the programmes. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/9 "2007-12-18T19:52:50Z")
Thanks **Mr. Moto**. It’s surprising how often Dopers can come up with quick answers for just about anything. I found an interesting bit of trivia in Wikipedia. Doc Adams in the radio version of Gunsmoke was named Charles Adams, in tribute to famed cartoonist Charles Addams. Note the TV character of Doc had a different first name, Galen. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/10 "2007-12-18T19:56:56Z")
I like the radio shows a lot better. The TV series was way syrupy. On the radio, they didn’t sugarcoat the fact that Kitty was a prostitute, and that Matt “went to see her” from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/11 "2007-12-18T20:24:53Z")
The radio and TV Chesters had different names as well, iirc. Chester Proudfoot on radio, Chester Goode on TV. I recently saw many of the 1955-63 or so TV episodes. Much much better than the 1970s episodes I actually remember watching as a kid. I could never stomach Festus, even as a ten or twelve year old. Just got on every little nerve I had. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/12 "2007-12-18T20:32:19Z")
I’m suprised there hasn’t been a Gunsmoke moive. My bet is Kevin Costner will do a very ernest 3.5 hour long version in 5 years. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gunsmoke-question-whos-the-announcer/430480/13 "2007-12-18T20:40:46Z")
Five TV movies were made between 1987 and 1994. I love listening to the radio series, mind, but I wonder what else can be done with this thing - it was on the air continuously from 1952 to 1975 and had the revival I mentioned above. There might not be anything left. Besides, _Gunsmoke_ was so character driven that it works well as a series, or as a continuation of a series. That can’t be captured as easily in two hours.