Gunsmoke The Complete Series

Back in the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s TV Westerns were a mainstay.

The ’50s and ’60s were their heydays and eventually they almost completely disappeared when the mid-1970s came around.

Since then a few Western TV series have cropped up now and then but few lasted more than a couple of years.

That was not always the case.  When Westerns were first introduced on TV they garnered huge audiences. 

At first they catered to children but after a couple of years Westerns with more mature themes began to surface. They prospered and at one point almost 40 Primetime Westerns were on the airways at one time.

‘Adult’ Westerns such as Cheyenne, Wyatt Earp and Have Gun, Will Travel paved the way for Primetime adult oriented Westerns.

One of the very first premiered originally as half-hour episodes.  The lead role was offered to movie actor John Wayne.  Wayne politely declined the offer.  But, he did recommend a young actor in his acting troupe for the role of Matt Dillan: U.S. Marshall of Dodge City in the classic TV series Gunsmoke.

That actor was James Arness.  Arness was a huge man and very commanding both on and off the screen.  He was the consummate professional; kind and  generous but fully dedicated to his craft and it showed on Gunsmoke.

His fellow actors were just as professional.

Gunsmoke ran for 20 years and to commemorate its 65th Anniversary CBS/Paramount has released Gunsmoke The Complete Series boxed set.

Six DVD collections are included broken down by episodes: 1-4, 5-7, 8-9, 10-12, 13-15 and 16-20.  A separate Gunsmoke The Final Season  DVD collection has also been released.
If you’re a Gunsmoke fan, such as myself, you’ll relish each and every episode of the classic series.

Join Matt, Doc, Kitty, Chester, Festus and a plethora of guest stars and cast members (Burt Reynolds and Glenn Strange among them) in this classic series of episodes about the Ol’ West.

Gunsmoke actors, directors, production staff and writers prided themselves of the authenticity of the series.  Never candy-coated each episode showed the West as it really was: gritty, dusty, dirty, difficult and dangerous.

Hard work and family values were emphasized and scoundrels, thieves, killers and the like were given no quarter.  The American Indians (Native Americans) were respected, as were different ethnic groups, religions and individuals.

Gunsmoke taught a whole generation the values of honesty, hard work and the difference between good and evil.

It’s an incredible collection complemented by several special features.  Look for an homage to actor James Arness, original sponsor spots, audio commentaries, previews, photo galleries and featurettes about the series.

Beautifully packaged in a hard case display box and emblazoned with the Gunsmoke logo and cast photos all 635 episodes are included and are digitally remastered for high quality viewing.