Dodge City – gateway of dusty streets, home of saloons with swinging doors and a magnet for all sorts of Old West riffraff. The bustling town is the backdrop for Gunsmoke, currently the longest running television drama of all-time. The first half of the show’s second season is now available on DVD, offering a look at the early years of one of TV’s lasting hits. Offering an iconic lead, a bag filled with various villains and a classic Western structure, Gunsmoke manages to entertain more than 50 years after it first aired.
James Arness stars as Marshall Matt Dillon, the voice of reason and the arm of the law in the Kansas town. His conscience sometimes conflicts with his badge, making justice a matter of opinion. Dillon is a man’s man, someone everyone looks up to. That is unless you’re someone who has done wrong and cheesed him off. Dillon was an All-American man before the idea even came to be. He’s handsome, intelligent, funny and fair. Toss in a quick hand and a cowboy hat and you’ve got an icon of the American West.
Gunsmoke began as a radio drama in 1952. It came to television a little over three years later. The draw of the show is its ability to create a Western that is filled with a little bit of everything and a lot of solid drama. By today’s standards, it’s nothing ground-breaking. Yet I was still surprised to see that episodes avoided taking the easy way out. Although good and bad are resolved by the end of each episode, there’s a lot of wiggle room and negotiation in between. Often, things aren’t as clear as they seem on the initial surface.
The show isn’t filled with as much action as other Westerns. However, Gunsmoke offers a lot of material to ponder on. Yes, there’s several episodes in this collection that are mainly filler material but even that is entertaining in its own way. Gunsmoke is the show for fans of old Westerns and those of us who want to see how the myths and legends were first born onto the small screen.
Gunsmoke: The Second Season, Part One DVD Review
The first volume of Gunsmoke‘s second season includes 20 full episodes, each running about 25 minutes. Considering the age, the black and white picture is excellent. There are some blips, scratches and glitches, but nothing too major or distracting. Audio is in Dolby Digital English mono. There are no subtitles.
The only special feature is a three-minute collection of sponsor spots including cigarette ads that boast their smokes are best best because they’re just low in tar. Yech.
Gunsmoke: The Second Season, Part One Gallery
