Show Notes
In the late 1940s, CBS chairman William S. Paley, a fan of the Philip Marlowe radio series, asked his programming chief, Hubell Robinson, to develop a hardboiled Western series, a show about a "Philip Marlowe of the Old West". Robinson instructed his West Coast CBS Vice President, Harry Ackerman, who had developed the Philip Marlowe series, to take on the task. Ackerman and his scriptwriters, Mort Fine and David Friedkin, created an audition script called "Mark Dillon Goes to Gouge Eye" based on one of their Michael Shayne radio scripts, "The Case of the Crooked Wheel" from the summer of 1948. Two versions were recorded. The first, recorded in June 1949, was very much like a hardboiled detective series and starred Michael Rye (credited as Rye Billsbury) as Dillon; the second, recorded in July 1949, starred Straight Arrow actor Howard Culver in a more Western, lighter version of the same script.CBS liked the Culver version better, and Ackerman was told to proceed. A complication arose, though; Culver's contract as the star of Straight Arrow would not allow him to do another Western series. The project was shelved for three years when producer Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston discovered it while creating an adult Western series of their own. Macdonnell and Meston wanted to create a radio Western for adults, in contrast to the prevailing juvenile fare such as The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid. Gunsmoke was set in Dodge City, Kansas, during the thriving cattle days of the 1870s. Dunning notes, "The show drew critical acclaim for unprecedented realism. "Radio cast and character biographiesThe radio series first aired on CBS on April 26, 1952, with the episode "Billy the Kid", written by Walter Newman, and ended on June 18, 1961. The show stars William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, and Parley Baer as Dillon's assistant, Chester Wesley Proudfoot.Listen to our radio station Old Time Radio https://link.radioking.com/otradioListen to other Shows at My Classic Radio https://www.myclassicradio.net/Entertainment Radio | Broadcasting Classic Radio Shows | PatreonRemember that times have changed, and some shows might not reflect the standards of today’s politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Entertainment Radio
More from Gunsmoke
“Chester’s Rendezvous” is episode 476 of the Gunsmoke radio series, originally aired on May 21, 1961. It’s a charming yet bittersweet story that puts Chester Proudfoot in the spotlight. In this episode, Chester meets a woman named Em Feeney after returning her bonnet, and he’s instantly smitten. Encouraged by Miss Kitty, he decides to call on her—only to discover that her family is hiding a secret: her brother, Rupe Feeney, is a wanted army deserter. When Marshal Dillon learns of Rupe’s presence, duty calls, and Chester is caught between his feelings and the law. The episode ends on a poignant note, with Em heartbroken and Chester quietly accepting the cost of doing what’s right..Listen to our radio station Old Time Radio https://link.radioking.com/otradioListen to other Shows at My Classic Radio https://www.myclassicradio.net/Entertainment Radio | Broadcasting Classic Radio Shows | PatreonRemember that times have changed, and some shows might not reflect the standards of today’s politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Entertainment Radio
“The Lady Killer” is episode 475 of the Gunsmoke radio series, originally aired on May 14, 1961. It’s a suspenseful tale that blends courtroom tension with a hint of noir. In this story, a man named Grant Lucas is set to testify in a theft trial, but things take a dark turn when he’s shot by a saloon girl named Mae Talmy. She claims he tried to break into her room, but Marshal Dillon suspects there’s more to the story—especially when he learns Mae and the defendant, Cy Welch, share a murky past on Mississippi riverboats. As Matt and Chester dig deeper, they uncover a web of deceit that puts justice to the test. Listen to our radio station Old Time Radio https://link.radioking.com/otradioListen to other Shows at My Classic Radio https://www.myclassicradio.net/Entertainment Radio | Broadcasting Classic Radio Shows | PatreonRemember that times have changed, and some shows might not reflect the standards of today’s politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Entertainment Radio
“Ma’s Justice” is episode 474 of the Gunsmoke radio series, originally aired on May 7, 1961. It’s a gripping tale of frontier morality and the hard-earned shift from vigilante justice to the rule of law. The story centers on Ma Sale and her two sons, Reed and Jakey, who capture a pair of wild horses—only to be confronted by the Sloat family, who claim the horses as theirs. A violent confrontation follows: Reed is shot, and Ma, in a rare moment of fury, kills one of the Sloats in defense. As Marshal Dillon investigates, he finds a family torn between survival and justice. In a powerful closing moment, Ma insists on being arrested for the killing—not out of guilt, but to show her sons that justice must come through the law, not the gun. Listen to our radio station Old Time Radio https://link.radioking.com/otradioListen to other Shows at My Classic Radio https://www.myclassicradio.net/Entertainment Radio | Broadcasting Classic Radio Shows | PatreonRemember that times have changed, and some shows might not reflect the standards of today’s politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Entertainment Radio