# Gunsmoke season 6

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 6 aired in the United States on September 3, 1960, and the final episode aired on June 17, 1961. All episodes were broadcast in the U.S. by CBS.
Season 6 of Gunsmoke was a half-hour program filmed in black-and-white, as one hour episodes were not introduced until season 7, and color episodes were not filmed until season 12.

## 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 three other citizens of Dodge City: Doctor Galen "Doc" Adams (Milburn Stone), the town's physician; Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake), saloon girl and later owner of the Long Branch Saloon; and Chester Goode (Dennis Weaver), Dillon's assistant.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* James Arness as Matt Dillon
* Dennis Weaver as Chester
* Milburn Stone as Doc
* Amanda Blake as Kitty

## Production

Season 6 consisted of 38 half-hour black-and-white episodes produced by Norman Macdonnell.

### Writing

Occasionally, titles were re-used. Season six had three such episodes: episode 7, "The Squaw" was also the title of season 20, episode 14; episode 23, "Reprisal" was also the title of season 14, episode 20, and episode 33, "The Prisoner" was also the title of season 14, episode 25.

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 196 | 1 | "Friend's Pay-Off" | Jesse Hibbs | Story by : Marian Clark Screenplay by : John Meston | September 3, 1960 (1960-09-03) |
| Matt shoots and kills the outlaw who wounded his old friend on the road to Dodge, but the assailant's dying words will alter the Marshal's friendship. ||||||
| 197 | 2 | "The Blacksmith" | Andrew V. McLaglen | Story by : Norman MacDonnell Screenplay by : John Meston | September 17, 1960 (1960-09-17) |
| An immigrant blacksmith faces the backlash from a disgruntled rancher when he refuses to sell his land. ||||||
| 198 | 3 | "Small Water" | Andrew V. McLaglen | John Meston | September 24, 1960 (1960-09-24) |
| Despite his claims of innocence, Matt arrests a family patriarch and escorts him to Dodge, but his sons give chase and methodically cut off the Marshal's escape. ||||||
| 199 | 4 | "Say Uncle" | Andrew V. McLaglen | John Meston | October 1, 1960 (1960-10-01) |
| A young man suspects his recently arrived uncle of murder when his father dies in a freak accident. ||||||
| 200 | 5 | "Shooting Stopover" | Andrew V. McLaglen | Story by : Marian Clark Screenplay by : John Meston | October 8, 1960 (1960-10-08) |
| Matt and Chester transport a prisoner to Wichita by stagecoach and are forced to take a stand at the stage's stopover when they're set upon by bandits. ||||||
| 201 | 6 | "The Peace Officer" | Jesse Hibbs | Story by : Norman MacDonnell Screenplay by : John Meston | October 15, 1960 (1960-10-15) |
| Matt relives Tascosa's Sheriff of duty after a complaint of corruption, and in return he sends his henchmen to intercept the Marshal while making a veiled threat, "there's a lot of prairie between here and Dodge". ||||||
| 202 | 7 | "Don Matteo" | Jesse Hibbs | Story by : Marian Clark Screenplay by : John Meston | October 22, 1960 (1960-10-22) |
| A Mexican rancher, Matt's friend from his Texas border days, arrives in Dodge hunting the ill-tempered gunman that dishonored his family and the Marshal warns him to not take the law into his own hands. ||||||
| 203 | 8 | "The Worm" | Arthur Hiller | John Meston | October 29, 1960 (1960-10-29) |
| A crude buffalo hunter and his bullied lackey come to Dodge to sell their hides and encounter ridicule and discrimination. ||||||
| 204 | 9 | "The Badge" | Andrew V. McLaglen | Story by : Marian Clark Screenplay by : John Meston | November 12, 1960 (1960-11-12) |
| Matt is ambushed and held hostage by two bank robbers who desperately need a horse, but it's his badge that proves pivotal. ||||||
| 205 | 10 | "Distant Drummer" | Arthur Hiller | Story by : Marian Clark Screenplay by : John Meston | November 19, 1960 (1960-11-19) |
| A naive Civil War drummer boy is harassed and badgered by a couple of Dodge City locals and then jailed when one of the tormentors turns up dead. ||||||
| 206 | 11 | "Ben Tolliver's Stud" | Andrew V. McLaglen | Story by : Norman MacDonnell Screenplay by : John Meston | November 26, 1960 (1960-11-26) |
| A brash ranch hand quits his job over disagreements with his boss and appropriates the horse he caught and broke, but the rancher claims ownership of the steed and accuses him of theft. ||||||
| 207 | 12 | "No Chip" | Jean Yarbrough | John Meston | December 3, 1960 (1960-12-03) |
| Neighboring ranchers spar over cattle grazing rights which escalates into an all-out war where one elderly rancher must confront three lawless brothers alone. ||||||
| 208 | 13 | "The Wake" | Gerald Mayer | John Meston | December 10, 1960 (1960-12-10) |
| A bold and daring man brings his dearly departed best friend into Dodge for a proper burial and the madcap wake that comes with it. ||||||
| 209 | 14 | "The Cook" | Ted Post | John Meston | December 17, 1960 (1960-12-17) |
| A drifter becomes extremely popular when he pays off his debt by cooking at Delmonico's, but an altercation with a customer leads to murder. ||||||
| 210 | 15 | "Old Fool" | Ted Post | John Meston | December 24, 1960 (1960-12-24) |
| A married farmer is attracted to a widowed temptress who steadily lures him in, but his strong-willed wife ends up teaching both a lesson. ||||||
| 211 | 16 | "Brother Love" | Franklin Adreon | John Meston | December 31, 1960 (1960-12-31) |
| Matt investigates a robbery and murder at Jonas' general store and what results is an unexpected family tragedy. ||||||
| 212 | 17 | "Bad Sheriff" | Andrew V. McLaglen | John Meston | January 7, 1961 (1961-01-07) |
| Matt is suspicious of an opportunistic sheriff and his deputy who caught a stagecoach robber with a saddlebag full of money. ||||||
| 213 | 18 | "Unloaded Gun" | Jesse Hibbs | Story by : Marian Clark Screenplay by : John Meston | January 14, 1961 (1961-01-14) |
| Matt becomes quite ill suffering from fever and exhaustion when a cold-blooded killer comes to town and in his daze, he confronts the outlaw totally unaware that Chester has cleaned and unloaded his gun. ||||||
| 214 | 19 | "Tall Trapper" | Harry Harris Jr. | Story by : Marian Clark Screenplay by : John Meston | January 21, 1961 (1961-01-21) |
| A Georgia couple traveling by wagon share a camp outside of Dodge with a trapper and the next morning the husband begs Doc to come out and treat his ailing wife, but what he finds is far more distressing. ||||||
| 215 | 20 | "Love Thy Neighbor" | Dennis Weaver | John Meston | January 28, 1961 (1961-01-28) |
| A misunderstanding over a stolen sack of potatoes leads to a deadly feud between two homestead families. ||||||
| 216 | 21 | "Bad Seed" | Harry Harris | Story by : Norman MacDonnell Screenplay by : John Meston | February 4, 1961 (1961-02-04) |
| Matt saves a runaway teenage girl from her abusive father, but she creates further difficulties for the Marshal. ||||||
| 217 | 22 | "Kitty Shot" | Andrew V. McLaglen | John Meston | February 11, 1961 (1961-02-11) |
| Kitty is caught in the crossfire during a bar room brawl and Matt trails the shooter out on the open range, but little does he know, a mysterious rider is tracking him. ||||||
| 218 | 23 | "About Chester" | Alan Crosland Jr. | Story by : Frank Paris Screenplay by : John Meston | February 25, 1961 (1961-02-25) |
| Chester fights for his life when he's held captive by an irrational off-balanced horse thief and his abused common-law wife. ||||||
| 219 | 24 | "Harriet" | Gene Fowler Jr. | John Meston | March 4, 1961 (1961-03-04) |
| Matt inadvertently gives away a young woman's daring cat-and-mouse plan of revenge against the two men that murdered her father. ||||||
| 220 | 25 | "Potshot" | Harry Harris | John Meston | March 11, 1961 (1961-03-11) |
| Chester is shot and wounded which coincides with the arrival of a strange old man, who thoroughly enjoys stirring up a little mischief. ||||||
| 221 | 26 | "Old Faces" | Harry Harris | John Meston | March 18, 1961 (1961-03-18) |
| A young married couple come to Dodge to settle down, but the bride's past quickly catches up to both of them. ||||||
| 222 | 27 | "Big Man" | Gerald Mayer | John Meston | March 25, 1961 (1961-03-25) |
| A belligerent man who made unwanted advancements on Kitty is found beaten to death and an eyewitness comes forward claiming Matt did it. ||||||
| 223 | 28 | "Little Girl" | Dennis Weaver | Story by : Kathleen Hite Screenplay by : John Meston | April 1, 1961 (1961-04-01) |
| Matt and Chester come upon a burnt homestead and are surprised by a ten-year-old girl emerging from the brush who attaches herself to the Marshal. ||||||
| 224 | 29 | "Stolen Horses" | Andrew V. McLaglen | Story by : Norman MacDonnell Screenplay by : John Meston | April 8, 1961 (1961-04-08) |
| Matt and Chester track down a murderer and horse thief into Indian territory. ||||||
| 225 | 30 | "Minnie" | Harry Harris | John Meston | April 15, 1961 (1961-04-15) |
| A wounded female buffalo skinner seeking medical attention flaunts all her womanly charms when she becomes enamored with Doc. ||||||
| 226 | 31 | "Bless Me Till I Die" | Ted Post | Story by : Ray Kemper Screenplay by : John Meston | April 22, 1961 (1961-04-22) |
| The town's diminutive loudmouth bully has a beef with a newly arrived couple and recognizes the husband who's hiding his checkered past. ||||||
| 227 | 32 | "Long Hours, Short Pay" | Andrew V. McLaglen | John Meston | April 29, 1961 (1961-04-29) |
| Matt captures a gunrunner trading rifles with the Pawnees and in turn is captured himself. ||||||
| 228 | 33 | "Hard Virtue" | Dennis Weaver | John Meston | May 6, 1961 (1961-05-06) |
| A freight line owner has an accident with a down-and-out young couple and offers the husband a job, but it's his wife that he's more interested in. ||||||
| 229 | 34 | "The Imposter" | Byron Paul | Story by : Kathleen Hite Screenplay by : John Meston | May 13, 1961 (1961-05-13) |
| A Sheriff from Miami, Texas comes to Dodge looking for a bank robber and murderer, but Matt soon learns that he's not what he seems. ||||||
| 230 | 35 | "Chester's Dilemma" | Ted Post | Story by : Vic Perrin Screenplay by : John Meston | May 20, 1961 (1961-05-20) |
| Chester becomes infatuated with a runaway girl from Ohio who exploits his position as Marshal's assistant to hide her secret. ||||||
| 231 | 36 | "The Love of Money" | Ted Post | John Meston | May 27, 1961 (1961-05-27) |
| Matt's friend, a retired U.S. Marshal from Oklahoma territory is shot in the back and his murder may go unsolved, but when a $500 information reward is offered, greed and betrayal take over. ||||||
| 232 | 37 | "Melinda Miles" | William D. Faralla | John Meston | June 3, 1961 (1961-06-03) |
| A rancher's daughter alibi's her boyfriend, who's suspected of killing her father's right-hand man leaving Matt to solve the mystery. ||||||
| 233 | 38 | "Colorado Sheriff" | Jesse Hibbs | John Meston | June 17, 1961 (1961-06-17) |
| A Colorado Sheriff is insistent in arresting the wounded man Matt and Chester found out on the open prairie, but without an arrest warrant, the Marshal suspects that he's being untruthful. ||||||

## Release
### Broadcast

Season six aired Saturdays at 10:00-10:30 pm (EST) on CBS.

### Home media

The sixth season was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment in two volumes. 19 episodes were released on August 7, 2012 and 19 episodes were released on October 16, 2012.

## Reception

Gunsmoke held the number one primetime spot in the Nielsen ratings four years straight, for the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons.

## 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. 87–102.
* ↑ "1957-1958 TV Ratings". classictvguide.com."1958-1959 TV Ratings". classictvguide.com."1959-1960 TV Ratings". classictvguide.com."1960-1961 TV Ratings". classictvguide.com.