Newsletter January 2026

At a time when radio drama was making way for television and CBS was investing in the newer and more promising medium, the fortuitous cancellation of another program created an opening for Gunsmoke.  Developed by Norman Macdonnell, a graduate of Escape and Suspense, this was a Western unlike any other.  The writing was high quality, the sound effects top notch, and there was no shortage of violence and bloodshed.  Scalpings were rife, bodies rotted on the plains, men were hanged, and frontier life consisted primarily of territorial disputes that neither party could win.  As events unfolded, the ever-watchful Marshal Matt Dillon of Dodge City, Kansas carried out the duties his shiny badge demanded.  Under the guidance of Macdonnell and talented scriptwriter John Meston, Gunsmoke aimed to portray the harsh and brutal reality of settlers’ lives.  Three geniuses from the CBS sound department – Tom Hanley, Ray Kemper, and Bill James – created the layered effects.  The sound of leather on leather, keys in the lock of the jailhouse cell, the horses’ hooves on dusty roads were all intricately reproduced.  Within a year, several radio programs tried to emulate Gunsmoke’s production vales.  None came close.  In 1955, the program made the transition to television with James Arness starring in the role William Conrad had made his own on radio.  It would ultimately make television history by becoming the longest-running U.S.- made Western series.  The radio program’s particular brand of genius also ensured its longevity.  Gunsmoke remained on air until June 1961.