Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

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MissGoddess
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by MissGoddess »

I've been enjoying the visit with big Jim. It's a shame TVLand doesn't do anything in tribute.
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education."
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mrsl
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by mrsl »

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After spending all day Saturday, most of the night, and all day Sunday in the 19 century Dodge City, Kansas, I pretty much appreciated the opportunity to visit London today with Sherlock Holmes. But during the weekend, not only the western channel on Encore held a tribute, but also a new channel, based here in Chicago did the same thing, So while one channel played a show I've already seen recently, I was watching the alternate channel. Surprisingly very few shows were repeated from the daily viewings, and it was quite interesting to watch Arness, Blake, and Doc as they all aged gracefully. Amanda changed a little sooner than the men, but she still hung in there with the guys. It never occured to me how many deputies Marshall Dillon had starting with Chester (who drove me so crazy, I don't know how Matt did it), then Burt Reynolds (the Comanche), followed by Festus joining, and along with him was Thad, and Newly. I feel like I may be missing someone, but oh well. Then the final surprise was checking out TCM and taping THEM, co-starring guess who which I watched for the umpteenth time early Monday morning. I wish I could figure out what the pull for that movie is for me, but I guess I'll just sit back and let myself enjoy it, and keep looking for it on my good old $5.00 rack at Walmart. Recently one of the gals here wrote how no matter how many times she saw one partivular movie, and being an adult now and knowing the movies don't change, she still watched with the secret inner-most wish that the ending would be different and all would be happy ever after. I guess I have that same hope that James Whitmore gets away from the ant and doesn't die. I'll never understand why they killed him off ggggrrrrrrhhhhhh.
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Anne


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mrsl
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by mrsl »

DRAGO

I finally got to watch this episode of Gunsmoke starring Buddy Epsen in the title role, and Ben Johnson as the main outlaw. As much as I like Ben, this is the type of show I will see only the one time, because as I've said before, I don't like my heroes to be bad guys. I would say about half of the guest spots that Ben did were outlaws, and I really hate that. I guess I just want my pretty bubbles to float away and pop where I can't see them.
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Anne


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mrsl
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Gunsmoke and a 21st Century verdict

Post by mrsl »

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I realize this seems odd but the episode titled "The Golden Land" (written probably sometime in the late 1960's), helped me today, to understand what half of the U.S. and me considered a wrongful verdict in the Casey Anthony case. When I heard it, I went ranting and raving around my apartment thinking, 'how could they let that beautiful little child down this way?' Then today, watching a rerun of Gunsmoke, I learned why. Even with all the incriminating evidence available, all the back stories about abuse and lack of motherly love, as well as Casey's partying while her child was missing - - nobody saw the actual duct taping, or drowning. That little bit of information makes you look at the whole trial with a new eye.

In the Golden Land, a man and his son are praying (never guessed if they were Greek or Jewish) and three trouble makers ride up on them and start hassling them and finally roping the son and dragging him, but over the rise, the father looses sight of them but eventually finds his son unconscious on the ground. They manage to get him to Doc Adams but by nightfall the boy is dead. When Matt is called in, the father refuses to testify that they dragged the boy to his death. Blah, blah, blah as the story continues with Richard Dreyfuss getting involved, but not until the end does the father finally admit he never saw the boy die at the hands of the strangers. By now they have admitted what they did, but also that it was all an accident and if they had known the rope was caught on a rock, they would have stopped dragging at him. So, although not arrested for murder, they are charged with Aggravated Assault.

I hate to agree that this all ties in perfectly with the Casey Anthony case, and tho I dislike the outcome, it is right for it to be so. A couple of times in the past week while listening to various commentators, the solution was on the tip of my tongue, but never revealed itself as easily understood. Yet, this 40 year old TV western drama made me see the whole truth of the situation, although I do have some ideas about other charges that could have been brought against Casey - not saying any more though.

Did anyone else see the similarity of the two situations?
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Anne


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pvitari
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by pvitari »

I turned on the kitchen TV today for a few minutes while getting ready to go out and there was a Gunsmoke episode about a small person who claimed he would turn into a were-elephant that night because it was a full moon. I had to leave the room for a bit and when I came back, there indeed was an elephant in the stable. (!) At that point I had to leave (dental cleaning appointment, ick).

OK, so what REALLY happened in this episode? Obviously midgets don't turn into elephants. ;)

I assume this episode is some kind of Gunsmoke classic. :)
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mrsl
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by mrsl »

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I don't know to what degree of being 'classic' this episode is but it was kind of cute as a change of pace for Gunsmoke. For a very quick summary, the 'little person' as they prefer being referred, had won several elephants and had no way to care for them so he pulled this 'were-elephant' trick in towns all across the U.S. He would find someone who believed his story, spend the night bemoaning the fact that by dawn he would become an elephant, and when they fell asleep, he would bring the elephant in and take off, thus leaving the animal in capable hands to care for it.

As I said, it was a cute change of pace and I know just how you feel. I've had to run out and missed some clues to stories myself.
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Anne


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mrsl
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Marshal Dillon's baby girl

Post by mrsl »

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Tomorrow (Thursday, July 14, 2011), at 10:55 a.m. on TVLand the episode where Matt is found with a brain injury and nursed back to health will be on. Those of you who have not seen it, yet have seen the later movies with the grown up daughter, can learn how all the events came about to give Matt a second life after Dodge City and Miss Kitty.
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Anne


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movieman1957
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by movieman1957 »

Going through the first season discs there was an episode late in the year that was very much like "3:10 to Yuma." A couple of twists but I kept reminding myself the episode was done before the movie.

The next episode had Dan Blocker in it.
Chris

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moira finnie
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by moira finnie »

While the blooper reel in two parts below is not confined to Gunsmoke, it also features several clips from Have Gun, Will Travel and other shows, some might get a chuckle out of seeing James Arness in another light! This was originally intended for the strictly in-house amusement of affiliate reps at a meeting for CBS.

N.B. A few swear words do crop up, but the funny remark that Matt Dillon makes about a balky horse is family friendly, as most of these moments are.

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MissGoddess
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by MissGoddess »

Hahaaaa!! I love these outtakes so much, thanks so much Moira. I never would have expected "Matt" to be dressed like that, :lol: !
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JackFavell
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by JackFavell »

That was genius! I liked it even better than the Warners blooper reels....
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movieman1957
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by movieman1957 »

Just for the heck of it I got the first season of "Bonanza" from Netflix. The pilot costarred Yvonne deCarlo. She sure is pretty.

This initial offering doesn't always paint such a nice picture of the Cartwright's. Adam and Little Joe would almost want to beat each other senseless as say hello. The family is portrayed as rough, selfish, powerful and knowing it all too well but in the end very close knit.

That changed quite a bit in the second episode. In that one they are helpful to a local tribe that is starving and to some miners who are paying very high prices for meat. They just give some cattle to the Indians and sell some cattle to the miners for an affordable price.

Ben and Adam seem to have the biggest changes in the first two shows.

Oh, there were some ranch hands floating around the place (in response to an earlier post.)
Chris

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movieman1957
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by movieman1957 »

It's a good thing some actors didn't mind going to TV. On the second disc from season 1 of "Bonanza" we get Jane Greer, Howard Duff, Ida Lupino, Mala Powers, R.G. Armstrong and one episode directed by Christian Nyby. (Armstrong did do his share of TV even before this one.)

The show, if nothing else, looks wonderful in color.
Chris

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MissGoddess
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by MissGoddess »

The first season is my favorite and there were some great guest stars. Including Yvonne DeCarlo who was in one of the first episodes.

I've seen R.G. Armstrong in literally countless western TV shows in the past few months. And the other day I watched a movie (a non-western, which I could remember which one) and then later that evening, when Encore ran its daily western series, I saw three of the same character actors that appeared in the movie. I now think television may have been a paradise for character performers because they just worked and worked and worked.
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Maricatrin
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Re: Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

Post by Maricatrin »

movieman1957 wrote:The show, if nothing else, looks wonderful in color.
Yes, why did Bonanza's color look so much better than that of Gunsmoke?

I think Gunsmoke should never have gone to color. Apart from their process looking so - grungy, for want of a better word, the black & white was much kinder to the aging stars (Kitty in particular.)
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