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(More customer reviews)Before "Gunsmoke" became a comfy institution, it fought hard for its TV turf. The show's dramatic early success often is credited to its adult subject matter, unheard of in TV Westerns of the early 1950s. (The series "is honest, it's adult, it's realistic," the Duke cautioned the first episode's audience.)
"Gunsmoke" writers such as Sam Peckinpah and series co-creator John Meston had the freedom to tell tales of rape, slavery, thrill kills, child abuse and, of course, prostitution. A long way from Zorro and the Lone Ranger. This is the side of "Gunsmoke" a lot of people haven't seen, and it's on display here in volume 1.
Paramount's new sets -- by far the best "Gunsmoke" product out there -- go for the star power. DVD producer Paul Brownstein corralled episodes with such guest stars as Charles Bronson, Jon Voight, Richard Chamberlain, John Drew Barrymore, Leonard Nimoy, Kurt Russell and Jodie Foster.
The all-star approach yields a tree-ring view that wouldn't have been possible with greatest-hits collections. Some shows are definitely weaker than others, usually coinciding with one of the series' format changes. The writers, for example, didn't know what to do with all that extra time when the show went from 30 minutes to 60. There are plenty of terrific episodes, though, including star James Arness' favorites "Chato" (with Ricardo Montalban as a renegade Apache) and the charming comedy "A Quiet Day in Dodge."
Images range from excellent to barely passable. The black-and-white shows look a bit flat but are solid overall; there's surprisingly little wear, considering. Check out the noir-influenced lighting that revealed the evils of Dodge City after dark.
The color episodes from the mid-'60s show their age; two are borderline unwatchable. One of the stranger shows ("The Jailer") feels like one of those old 3-D demos, with the actors dressed in bright colors and garish makeup -- like Fellini characters -- to demonstrate TV's new color palette. A bizarre performance by Bette Davis (highlighted by her blue eyes and green teeth) completes the experience. The DVDs' mono audio gets the job done -- dialog is clear, gunshots sharp.
The DVD sets' 11 commentaries include talks from guest stars Angie Dickinson, George Kennedy, Ed Asner and Bruce Dern. Arness, 82, provides two rewarding commentaries as well as short introductions to all of the episodes. Dennis Weaver (Chester) and Buck Taylor (Newly) also do talks. (Cast "family members" Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone (Doc) and Ken Curtis (Festus) all died before the DVD era.)
The generous collection of extras are spread about the six discs. Most are short, upbeat and nostalgic. Among the more interesting bits are two 1970s talk show appearances with Blake, who tells Mike Douglas she left the show because she "couldn't take it anymore ... (being) locked in this saloon all these years." A panel discussion with Blake and Arness was filmed in the year of her death, showing the actress frail and still ready to rumble. The sets lack a strong "Gunsmoke" documentary, a real missed opportunity.
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Marshall Matt Dillon is responsible for bringing law and respectability to the Dodge City in this western action-drama. The show still holds the record for being the longest running primetime drama series in television history.
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