James Arness has always contended that John Wayne was offered the role of Dillon, but just couldn’t see himself on a television series. At the recommendation of Wayne, Arness was cast as Marshal Dillon–a role he would play for the series entire twenty year run–and joining him were Dennis Weaver as deputy Chester Goode; Milburn Stone as Dr. Galen “Doc” Adams; and Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty Russell, owner of the Long Branch Saloon.
It’s always a bit of a mystery as to why one show seeps into the public consciousness and becomes a runaway hit and another one doesn’t. On the face of it, Gunsmoke seems like a typical western typically found on 1950-60’s television. Dodge City is a typical frontier town of the late 1800s with typical issues ranging from bank and stage robberies and family feuds to rumored Indian rustling and murder. It is left to U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon to deal with these problems within the boundaries of the law.
Marshall Dillon was different from his television contemporaries in that he prefers the use of logic over a gun. Of course, life in the west doesn’t always give him that option, so he is sometimes forced to use his weapon. However, while the show portrays Dillon as a heroic character, he is also shown in moments of abject fear and sadness over the things his job sometimes forces him to do; Matt Dillon is not an emotionless hero, but rather a complex man, surprisingly unafraid to show some emotion.
Gunsmoke: The Second Season – Volume 2 begins with Matt at an emotionally low point in his life. “In Bloody Hands,” Matt turns in his badge after killing three men. Overwrought, the Marshal decides he’s had enough killing. Eventually, he comes back after Chester tells him that he knows he is just not good enough to do what needs to be done on his own. From that episode alone, we know two things, Matt struggles with the demands of his job and Chester knows his limits.
Gunsmoke: The Second Season – Volume 2 features eighteen additional episodes. Each of them show a slice of life in Dodge City. In “Chester’s Murder,” Matt is forced to prove Chester didn’t commit murder, after a man Chester fought with at the Long Branch Saloon is killed on the way to jail.
In “Wrong Man,” Sam Rickers believes he’s killed a man with a $1000 reward on his head for his capture. Excitedly, he goes to Matt’s office to collect his reward. Rickers soon learns he’s shot an innocent man.
In “What the Whiskey Drummer heard,” Matt is told by a whiskey drummer at the Long Branch Saloon that he will die soon. After he is almost shot while feeding the horses, Dillon decides to let everyone think he’s dead.
These are just a sampling of the episodes on Gunsmoke: The Second Season – Volume 2 ,but storylines like these formed the basis for Gunsmoke’s twenty year run. The only other twist in the series plot that hasn’t been mentioned yet is the ongoing relationship between Marshal Dillon and Miss Kitty. While the nature of their relationship was never clearly defined, there are moments even in the second half of season two where they seem to be more then friends. Like the relationship of Cheers’ Sam and Diane a quarter century later, the ploy of keeping fans asking will they or won’t they?; Helped keep fans tuned in week after week.
Like many television series of the time, Gunsmoke: The Second Season – Volume 2 has a few guest stars that were either well known at the time or would become fairly big stars later on. Be on the lookout for: Sebastian Cabot, Andrew Duggan, June Carter and Denver Pyle.
Gunsmoke: The Second Season – Volume 2 is a three DVD set presented in full screen format. The audio is available in Dolby Digital, English Mono. For a show that is fifty years old, the black and white video quality is surprisingly crisp.
Special features are slim, nut this set does offer a couple of sponsor spots. James Arness plugs L&M cigarettes and there are several ads for Remington shavers.
Fans of Gunsmoke and classic television won’t be disappointed in Gunsmoke: The Second Season – Volume 2.
