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Gunsmoke
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Gunsmoke Ken Curtis (left) in the role of Festus Haggen and James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon in a scene from the television western series Gunsmoke.

Gunsmoke

American television series
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Jan Shepard, Actress in ‘King Creole’ and a Wagonful of TV Westerns, Dies at 96 • Jan. 28, 2025, 2:44 AM ET (The Hollywood Reporter)

Gunsmoke, American television western that aired on CBS for 20 seasons (1955–75), becoming the longest-running prime-time television western in history. The series was the top-rated show from 1957 to 1961 and maintained excellent ratings throughout its run. Gunsmoke was set in Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1890s and began as a radio program that CBS aired from 1952 to 1961. Like the radio version, the television series centred on the character of Matt Dillon (played by James Arness), a U.S. marshal charged with maintaining law and order in an American frontier town. The supporting characters included Miss Kitty Russell (Amanda ...(100 of 274 words)

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