The Western Channel (part of Stars) runs some older Gunsmoke episodes. Having caught bits and pieces of them, I have some questions that I’ve been saving these up for a while. I’m not sure if all of these have actual answers that were resolved in the series or if opinions will have to do.
Where can I see some of the newer episodes? Chester annoys the hell out of me.
What’s up with Matt and Miss Kitty? How do they leave things with them in the last episode?
How many times was Matt shot? Good og! He gets shot all the time.
How do things wrap up in the last season? What happens to the major characters?
What the deal with the Longbranch? Is it really a whorehouse and Miss Kitty is a madam?
All I can say is if you found Chester annoying, wait until you see and hear Festus Hagen (pronounced by him as “Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaagen”). Good God, he irritates to no end!
No way! I like Festus. His Hagen-isms crack me up. I understand where you are coming from though. Festus at least seems willing to get his hands dirty and back Matt up. Chester doesn’t even wear a gun! What kind of a western sidekick is that?
To answer some of the questions for those who may not like following links. Nothing ever happened between Matt and Miss Kitty. Amanda Blake returned for at least the first of the late-80s/early-90s reunion movies (she looked very ill and died of AIDS-related cancer, iirc, soon thereafter), but their “relationship” wasn’t even mentioned.
One of the films did resolve the classic episode where Matt (shot, I think) was cared for and fell in love with Michael Lerned.
IIRC, in the original radio show, it was a bit more obvious that Miss Kitty wasn’t entirely just a tavern-keeper.
FTR, Gunsmoke is the only television show I recall with a three-part (hell, maybe it was four) episode. Matt was shot (again) in the back and was laid-up on a train for most of them.
Back then, shows hardly ever wrapped up. **The Fugitive ** was the first, but it was years before anyone tried it again (probably the Mary Tyler Moore Show was next, ten years later); the wrap-up was seen as hurting the show’s syndication potential. Heck, when the Dick Van Dyke show shot its final epsodes – one of the few cases at the time where they knew it was going off the air – it was just a regular episode (though it was the only time they went on location).
The season just ended, with the final episode pretty much interchangeable with any other.
BTW, for those unfamiliar with the name, Michael Learned is a woman. Gunsmoke was known as an adult Western, but it wasn’t that adult. Lerner also played Olivia Walton on The Waltons.
The listing of episodes that everybody uses is out of order (probably listed in filming date rather than air date). The penultimate episode is the true last show, and sets up a new life for Rob.
Funny, I was just thinking about Festus the other day. When I was little, in San Deigo, we went to an indoor rodeo. Ken Curtis was a featured attraction. I remember he was in the arena, talking about his character. All I remember about his routine was that Festus Haggen had prepared for some thing or another – a back up plan in case of something. He called it ‘Preparation H’. I guess it was funny at the time.
Where can I see some of the newer episodes? Chester annoys the hell out of me.
tvland shows the color episodes on weekday afternoons.
What’s up with Matt and Miss Kitty? How do they leave things with them in the last episode?
gunsmoke was canceled unexpectedly despite still having ok ratings. cbs didn’t like its demographics. they never got a chance to do a wrapup.
How many times was Matt shot? Good og! He gets shot all the time.
a lot more in the last 10 seasons than in the first 10.
How do things wrap up in the last season? What happens to the major characters?
see above.
What the deal with the Longbranch? Is it really a whorehouse and Miss Kitty is a madam?
yes and yes. in the first two seasons she was just one of the girls, but a lot of viewers wrote in and complained about that so then they made her the owner.
If you look at some of the later episodes, they’ve sanitized Kitty’s character to the point where she’s simply a tough but fair business owner. Along with, I guess, the banker and the general store owner, she’s one of Dodge City’s ruling class, except that she’s always the compassionate one during their conversations.
