# Gunsmoke season 12

Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.
The first episode of season 12 aired in the United States on September 17, 1966, and the final episode aired on April 15, 1967. All episodes were broadcast in the U.S. by CBS.
Season 12 of Gunsmoke was the first season of color episodes. Previous seasons were filmed in black-and-white.

## Synopsis

Gunsmoke is set in and around Dodge City, Kansas, in the post-Civil War era and centers on United States Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) as he enforces law and order in the city. In its original format, the series also focuses on Dillon's friendship with deputy Festus Haggen (Ken Curtis); Doctor Galen "Doc" Adams (Milburn Stone), the town's physician; and Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake), saloon girl and later owner of the Long Branch Saloon. Deputy Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood (Roger Ewing) was added to the cast in season 11.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* James Arness as Matt Dillon
* Ken Curtis as Festus
* Milburn Stone as Doc
* Amanda Blake as Kitty
* Roger Ewing as Thad

## Production

Season 12 consisted of 29 one-hour color episodes produced by Philip Leacock and associate producer John Mantley.

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 410 | 1 | "Snap Decision" | Mark Rydell | Richard Carr | September 17, 1966 (1966-09-17) |
| Matt turns in his badge after being forced to kill a horse thief who was once his friend. ||||||
| 411 | 2 | "The Goldtakers" | Vincent McEveety | Clyde Ware | September 24, 1966 (1966-09-24) |
| An outlaw brings his cohorts to Dodge to melt down the shipment of gold they have stolen. ||||||
| 412 | 3 | "The Jailer" | Vincent McEveety | Hal Sitowitz | October 1, 1966 (1966-10-01) |
| The powerful matriarch of the Stone family plots her revenge on Matt for having her husband hanged six years ago. ||||||
| 413 | 4 | "The Mission" | Mark Rydell | Richard Carr | October 8, 1966 (1966-10-08) |
| While in Mexico, Matt has his badge, horse and prisoner stolen by Americans. ||||||
| 414 | 5 | "The Good People" | Robert Totten | James Landis | October 15, 1966 (1966-10-15) |
| Matt uses a bounty hunter's guilty conscience to find the men responsible for lynching a suspected rustler. ||||||
| 415 | 6 | "Gunfighter, R.I.P." | Mark Rydell | Story by : Michael Fisher Screenplay by : Hal Sitowitz | October 22, 1966 (1966-10-22) |
| An injured gunslinger is hired to kill Matt but reconsiders when a Chinese woman tends to his wounds. ||||||
| 416 | 7 | "The Wrong Man" | Robert Totten | Story by : Robert Lewin Screenplay by : Clyde Ware | October 29, 1966 (1966-10-29) |
| A farmer is charged with murder after the card shark who won his money dies from the blow he delivered. ||||||
| 417 | 8 | "The Whispering Tree" | Vincent McEveety | Calvin Clements, Sr. | November 12, 1966 (1966-11-12) |
| An ex-convict returns home to try to find the money he buried eight years ago but he's being hounded by his former partner and a Sheriff with knowledge of the crime. ||||||
| 418 | 9 | "The Well" | Marc Daniels | Francis Cockrell | November 19, 1966 (1966-11-19) |
| When Dodge is struck by a drought, Festus looks for water and Matt uses a rainmaker to give the townspeople hope. ||||||
| 419 | 10 | "Stage Stop" | Irving J. Moore | Hal Sitowitz | November 26, 1966 (1966-11-26) |
| Doc takes a stand against bandits and an abusive husband at a stage stop. ||||||
| 420 | 11 | "The Newcomers" | Robert Totten | Calvin Clements, Sr. | December 3, 1966 (1966-12-03) |
| An immigrant must decide whether to pay off a blackmailer who claims to have seen the immigrant's son commit murder. ||||||
| 421 | 12 | "Quaker Girl" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Preston Wood | December 10, 1966 (1966-12-10) |
| After being deputized, Thad takes a murderer across the plains and deals with outlaws giving chase. ||||||
| 422 | 13 | "The Moonstone" | Richard A. Colla | Paul Savage | December 17, 1966 (1966-12-17) |
| An ex-criminal fears that a conflict involving his girlfriend, brother and old partner will reveal his past. ||||||
| 423 | 14 | "Champion of the World" | Marc Daniels | Les Crutchfield | December 24, 1966 (1966-12-24) |
| An ex-prize fighter and a con artist conspire to persuade Kitty into selling the Long Branch. ||||||
| 424 | 15 | "The Hanging" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Story by : Calvin Clements, Jr. Teleplay by : Calvin Clements, Sr. | December 31, 1966 (1966-12-31) |
| Matt must determine how and when the partners of a murderer he has in custody will make their move. ||||||
| 425 | 16 | "Saturday Night" | Robert Totten | Clyde Ware | January 7, 1967 (1967-01-07) |
| A cattle drive drover plans to free Matt's prisoner. ||||||
| 426 | 17 | "Mad Dog" | Charles R. Rondeau | Jay Simms | January 14, 1967 (1967-01-14) |
| Festus is mistaken for a hired gunman in the town of Bucklin. ||||||
| 427 | 18 | "Muley" | Allen Reisner | Les Crutchfield | January 21, 1967 (1967-01-21) |
| A young outlaw has wounded Matt, but he's unable to finish him off because of his affections for a saloon girl. ||||||
| 428 | 19 | "Mail Drop" | Robert Totten | Calvin Clements, Sr. | January 28, 1967 (1967-01-28) |
| A young boy comes looking for his father unaware that he's a wanted outlaw. ||||||
| 429 | 20 | "Old Friend" | Allen Reisner | Clyde Ware | February 4, 1967 (1967-02-04) |
| A Marshal from Arizona pursues the gang of outlaws who burned his town and ran off with his woman. ||||||
| 430 | 21 | "Fandango" | James Landis | Don Ingalls | February 11, 1967 (1967-02-11) |
| A sheep rancher is stalking Matt and his prisoner, who killed a few of his ranch hands. ||||||
| 431 | 22 | "The Returning" | Marc Daniels | James Landis | February 18, 1967 (1967-02-18) |
| An outlaw husband and his gang rob Dodge's freight office and leaves the money with his wife, which creates even greater problems. ||||||
| 432 | 23 | "The Lure" | Marc Daniels | Clyde Ware | February 25, 1967 (1967-02-25) |
| Kitty is abducted by an outlaw who tries to turn his daughter against him to escape. ||||||
| 433 | 24 | "Noose of Gold" | Irving J. Moore | Clyde Ware | March 4, 1967 (1967-03-04) |
| A state official uses Matt's friendship with an outlaw for personal gain. ||||||
| 434 | 25 | "The Favor" | Marc Daniels | Don Ingalls | March 11, 1967 (1967-03-11) |
| Kitty is torn between Matt and the man who once saved her life, a parolee whose making threats towards the Marshall. ||||||
| 435 | 26 | "Mistaken Identity" | Robert Totten | Paul Savage and Les Crutchfield | March 18, 1967 (1967-03-18) |
| A fugitive learns that the unconscious man whose identity he's using is being brought in by Matt. ||||||
| 436 | 27 | "Ladies from St. Louis" | Irving J. Moore | Clyde Ware | March 25, 1967 (1967-03-25) |
| A group of nuns bring their injured protector to Dodge, without mentioning he is a former criminal. ||||||
| 437 | 28 | "Nitro! (Part 1)" | Robert Totten | Preston Wood | April 8, 1967 (1967-04-08) |
| A gang hires a drifter to mix nitroglycerin for them. ||||||
| 438 | 29 | "Nitro! (Part 2)" | Robert Totten | Preston Wood | April 15, 1967 (1967-04-15) |
| The drifter hired by the gang mixes one last batch of nitroglycerin. ||||||

## Release
### Broadcast

Season twelve aired Saturdays at 10:00-11:00 pm (EST) on CBS.
CBS cancelled the series due to low ratings. However, letters of protest and pressure from his wife persuaded William S. Paley, the network's chief executive, to reinstate Gunsmoke for a thirteenth season, whereupon its ratings rebounded and it again became one of the top ten highest rated programs for the next six seasons.

### Home media

The twelfth season was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment in a two volume set on September 20, 2016.

## Response

Gunsmoke season 12 failed to make the top 30 in the Nielsen ratings.
In 1997, TV Guide ranked episode 3, "The Jailer", as number 28 on its "100 Greatest Episodes of All Time" list.

## Footnotes

* ↑ Barbaras 1990, p. 74–75.
* ↑ Brooks & Marsh 2007, p. 570–571.
* ↑ McNeil 1996, p. 351–352.
* 1 2 Brooks & Marsh 2007, p. 570.
* ↑ Barbaras 1990, p. 116–118.
* ↑ Barbaras 1990, p. 87–102.
* ↑ Barbaras 1990, p. 126–127.
* ↑ Barbaras 1990, p. 123–125.
* ↑ Costello 2006, p. 416–429.
* ↑ Costello 2006, p. 76; 429–442.
* ↑ "1966-1967 TV Ratings". classictvguide.com.
* ↑ TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-7624-3007-9.