Both had great voices, just sayin....

Yes they did. Supposedly William Conrad auditioned for the role when they were casting the tv show but was turned down due to his weight. Ironically I’ve heard Raymond Burr also tired for the role and was rejected for the same reason. I think William Conrad did a great job on the radio show,but I could never imagine anyone but James Arness as Matt Dillon on the TV show. I think the show was at its best before Dennis Weaver (Chester) left.

Agreed. They had given Ken Curtis cameo roles before he became Dillon's permanent sidekick as Festus, but I also think Dennis Weaver fit the role better. I never did understand though, why they saddled him with a bum leg in the part.

Dennis Weaver was the one who made the the decision to give Chester the limp. he later regretted it and supposedy that,along with the fear of being typecast,spurred his decision to leave the show after the 9th season.

“So once auditions wrapped for the day, Weaver went to find out, and that's when he said the producer told him, "You know, my problem is that you are physically a leading man, and James Arness is physically a leading man, and historically and traditionally, a sidekick has always been too old or too fat or too young or too something to get involved in the physical stuff." The producer was worried the audience wouldn't buy into Chester Goode as Matt Dillon's sidekick, because why wouldn't Chester be fighting and wearing a gun, too? That's why the producer came up with this solution: He asked Weaver to develop a handicap for his character. Something that would explain why he was the sidekick, and not the sheriff.�

You can read the whole article here. https://www.metv.com/stories/dennis-wea ... -that-limp

Ken Curtis was ok,but after Dennis Weaver left the tone of the show changed. the early episodes had a much darker,more existential feel to them.I liked the opening scenes they used to use where Matt would walk through "boot hill" and reflect on life and the duties of his job. Gunsmoke also had some terrific guest actors. Strother Martin,Sebastian Cabot,Bruce Dern,Buddy Ebsen,DeForest Kelley,etc. Any of the episodes with Claude Akins were great. I just saw "The Guitar" which has Arron Spelling in it. he plays a meek guitarist who gets bullied by two men,ultimately leading to the townspeople taking the law into their own hands and hanging the two men. it was one of the rare instances where Matt was forced to look the other way since nobody would say who did it.

Gunsmoke was a great show. the 50's were such a different time.we just dont have shows like that anymore. the line between good and evil was clear. Matt Dillon wasnt morally ambiguous like the "heroes" in todays shows. One of my favorite episodes was one where Matt Dillon beats the tar out of a gunman who provokes fights with people who pose no threat to him so he can kill legally. Matt takes off his guns forcing him to fight with his fists and Matt beats him so severely that the guy loses his nerve and cant draw anymore and has nightmares continuously about it. James Arness,Dennis Weaver,Millburn Stone and Amanda Blake did a terrific job bringing thier characters to life and imbuing them with depth and humanity.

Thx for the illumination regarding Dennis Weaver's bum leg; was always wondering about that.
At one time we had damn near every episode of Gunsmoke on DVD. The earlier years were indeed different than the later ones, but don't forget, the country had changed from 1955 when the series began, to the way things were 10 years later, and then up to 10 years after that. I imagine that sociologic development had a hand in guiding the series changes.

BTW, I was watching a mid 1930's serial on You Tube last night entitled, "The Master Key", and none other than "Doc" was the star, as a detective. He also had supporting parts in a number of other feature films before being cast in Gunsmoke.

You're welcome "fifties",glad I was able to help. I'd like to have the complete series on DVD but its extremely expensive and cbs/paramount chose to break up each season into several "volumes" so you have to buy multiple sets just to complete one season.

I was watching Laurel and Hardy on youtube last night. Thanks for the tip on "The Master Key",I will have to watch that tonight to see Millburn Stone as a detective!

Thought I’d share this here. This is one of the very best episodes of Gunsmoke ever made titled “the gallows� and shows what happens when the system fails an honest man. The ending is very moving. Matt is so upset by the miscarriage of justice that he risks his career and gives his prisoner a chance to escape. I won’t spoil it here for those who haven’t seen it before. We don’t have tv shows like this anymore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNe8M2cXdGs

Edit-I forgot to include the title of the episode.

Hi-Fi in Fiberglass, in case you'd like to see Amanda Blake and John Dehner in another flick;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI6-86x ... maClassics

Great story, fast moving, and she has a lengthy supporting role.

speaking of 'twos', as we all know, 'Gunsmoke' first appeared on radio, with Howard McNear portraying Doctor Adams. Once the TV version arrived, of course Milburn Stone became doctor Adams, BUT Howard McNear appeared in 6 of the TV version of Gunsmoke between the years 1956 and 1964. I always wondered if Milburn and Howard compared their own version of doctor Adams?