In terms of Westerns on the small display, few are as iconic as Norman Macdonnell and John Meston’s “Gunsmoke.” Primarily based on the radio drama of the identical identify, the present debuted on CBS in 1955 and went on to develop into one of many longest-running tv scripted sequence in American tv historical past, producing over 600 episodes. Sadly, although, “Gunsmoke” rode off into the sunset after 20 seasons, however like all good gunslingers who cannot keep down, it got here again with a bang. “Gunsmoke” produced five television films after the sequence ended, and due to reruns and streaming, new generations proceed to find the basic TV Western.
“Gunsmoke” takes place in Dodge Metropolis, Kansas, and follows U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) and his deputies as they shield the city from outlaws, outsiders, troublemakers, and different fallacious kinds. The sequence can also be notable for that includes some bona fide Hollywood legends in early profession roles, together with Kurt Russell, Harrison Ford, Leslie Nielsen, and “Star Trek” star Leonard Nimoy, whose character was less than enlightened. Nonetheless, it is a enjoyable present to look at if you wish to attempt to spot some well-known faces participating in shootouts at excessive midday.
Regardless of a lot of the story’s motion going down in Dodge Metropolis, “Gunsmoke” did not use any actual places in Kansas. The sequence visited a number of hotspots throughout the US to create its model of the Outdated West, with every one being historic in its personal proper.
Gunsmoke used California’s Melody Ranch Studio to recreate Dodge Metropolis
California’s Santa Clarita Valley has doubled for the Outdated West for many years, and “Gunsmoke” was one in every of many films and TV exhibits to create a frontier city within the space’s well-known Melody Ranch Studio. Whereas the present ventured to different places every now and then, Melody Ranch is the place it was mostly related to throughout its early years, particularly for capturing exterior pictures.
In accordance with James Arness in an interview with SCTV, the lot was integral to “Gunsmoke,” and he has fond reminiscences of working there. “The primary couple of years, we did most of our outside work proper there at Melody Ranch. It was such an awesome place.” Fittingly, the actor additionally acquired his Stroll of Western Stars award there in 2006, which simply so occurred to coincide with a cowboy pageant.
Melody Ranch is a convincing recreation of the frontier, and all through the years, it is remained a go-to hotspot for internet hosting cowboy-themed leisure. The 21-acre lot has been utilized in every little thing from “Deadwood” to “As soon as Upon a Time in Hollywood,” with the latter film making it central to the diegetic “Bounty Law” series that Quentin Tarantino hopes to make in real life someday. This location is steeped in Hollywood cowboy historical past, however it is not the one iconic ranch that helped convey “Gunsmoke” to life.
Some Gunsmoke scenes had been filmed on the Paramount Ranch
Situated in Southern California’s Conejo Valley, the Paramount Ranch supplied the setting for a various vary of films and TV exhibits. Nevertheless, the 2700-acre vista is synonymous with Westerns, as William Hertz — a wealthy superfan — bought the ranch in 1953 and reserved a particular spot for on-screen frontier adventures.
The aptly titled Western City space of the Paramount Ranch set the stage for a few of the most iconic TV horse operas of all time, together with “Rawhide,” “Bonanza,” “The Cisco Child,” and, in fact, “Gunsmoke.” That is as a result of the set was designed to duplicate the dusty streets and old-looking buildings we affiliate with frontier life, and the encompassing Santa Monica mountains supplied a backdrop that regarded undisrupted by trendy life — that means that it was good for period-themed leisure.
Sadly, the Paramount Ranch burned down through the Woolsey wildfires in 2018, successfully ending a golden interval of Hollywood historical past. That mentioned, it remained widespread till its ultimate days, with Twenty first-century Westerns like “Bone Tomahawk” and HBO’s “Westworld” utilizing it to nice impact.
Utah additionally served as a backdrop for Gunsmoke
California wasn’t the one place to operate as a stand-in Kansas through the manufacturing of “Gunsmoke,” particularly because the present’s tales ventured outdoors of Dodge Metropolis every now and then. Among the exterior scenes had been shot within the Johnson Canyon in Utah, which is positioned close to the town of Kanab. This spot was a go-to location for treasure hunters within the space, however it will definitely grew to become a well-liked staple within the realm of leisure.
Just like the Paramount Ranch, the Johnson Canyon space boasts a scenic backdrop comprising massive hills and wild terrains that seize the rawness of the American frontier. It was additionally a notable film and tv set again within the day, residence to a wide range of wood buildings modeled after the cowboy hotspots of yesteryear.
Nowadays, Johnson Canyon is a vacationer vacation spot, however the outdated set is not open to the general public. Nevertheless, followers of “Gunsmoke” who need to test it out will be capable to see it from a close-by path, and that is higher than nothing, proper?
