[7thson]

I remember in the 70's, for awhile, they stopped showing the opening gunfight scene because it was too violent. After a couple seasons of showing him racing in a wagon, they went back to the street gunfight scene. It was also fun to see some of the goofs. I remember two different episodes. One - they showed a pan shot of the street and in the middle of the street are tire tracks. Another episode, Doc is talking to someone inside and behind them you can clearly see the lightbulb in what was supposed to be an oil lamp.

Those aside, it was a great, great western and it taught a lot of people about good and evil, standing up for truth and justice, and that - yes - you had to use violence to stomp on evil. As BOR said - Arness and John Wayne played the same type of character - big, strong, silent types who kicked the snot out of bad guys!

[fredhead]

You even notice that in the opening gunfight scene Matt does NOT get off the first shot? He wasn't the fastest gun, but the most accurate. (Like lots of the heroes in Louis L'Amour novels.)

[ErnBatavia]

the opening gunfight

My mother has always had a rather unique Southern "language of her own"...she'd often forget the name "Gunsmoke", so she'd tell us that "Big Buttocks" is going to be on tonight.

[Inyo-Mono]

I dimly recall reading years ago that the producers of Gunsmoke wanted Wayne for the part of Matt Dillon but he turned it down and they gave it to Arness instead.