Collection of Gunsmoke television scripts

A Guide to the Collection

Historical Note

Afternoon reruns of theatrical "B" westerns were the first television appearances of the genre until NBC’s Hopalong Cassidy, adapted from countless Hollywood productions and a radio program, became a children’s favorite in 1949. The first westerns made expressly for television were singing cowboy shows that recycled "B" western stars (e.g. The Gene Autry Show), and formulaic juvenile westerns carried over from successful radio programs (e.g. The Lone Ranger), a trend that continued into the 1950s.

Then in 1955, CBS released the first adult western series, Gunsmoke, adapted from its own groundbreaking radio show whose moral ambiguity and psychologically complex characters broke with the juvenile tradition to address a more mature audience. James Arness was cast in what was to become an iconic leading role as the morose U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon. John Wayne himself introduced the first episode, which proved to be a good marketing strategy, as Gunsmoke stayed in production until 1975, becoming not only the most enduring western series on television, but also the longest running primetime drama.

The success of Gunsmoke prompted the introduction of adult western series on all three networks, resulting in such programs as Cheyenne, Have Gun Will Travel, Maverick, and Rawhide. Television western production peaked in the 1959-60 season with thirty primetime series, but only a handful remained by the 1970s, with Gunsmoke finally going off the air in 1975. Gunsmoke left an enduring legacy, however, with a defining impact on television westerns and a record of twenty years on the air that is still unbroken.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The collection includes scripts from 45 different episodes of the television western series Gunsmoke (1955-1975). The overwhelming majority of the scripts are from 1973 and 1974, with a small number of scripts from the late 1960s and from 1970. There are 9 undated scripts, which are presumably from the earliest seasons of the show, between 1955 and 1965. For some episodes, up to four different draft versions of the script appear in the collection, ranging from "first draft" to "second/third revised final draft." Also included are scripts for unaired episodes, writer Milburn Stone’s contracts and correspondence, and one draft of a pilot for a Gunsmoke spin-off, entitled “The Old Town.”

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Restrictions

Access to Collection:

Collection is open for research use.

Publication Rights:

Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the Director of the DeGolyer Library.

Copyright Statement:

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain copyright authorization.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Collection of Gunsmoke television scripts, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University.

Acquisition Information

Purchase, 1986.

Gift, Milburn Stone, 2012.

Processing Information

After the original finding aid was completed, Milburn Stone donated scripts written by his father, his father’s contracts, and the script “Kate Heller” in 2012. These scripts were interfiled with the original collection.

Finding aid written by

Anna Banhegyi, 2008. Revised by Cynthia Franco, 2012.

Encoded by

Lara Corazalla (2008) and Cynthia Franco (2012).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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