Gunsmoke: Season 2, Vol. 2

Product Description

James Arness vaulted into the annals of television history with his iconic portrayal of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon in the long running television Western Gunsmoke. Armed with a quick draw and an even quicker wit, the principled and intelligent Marshal Dillon brought peace and righteousness to the lawless frontier of 1800s Dodge City with the help of his trusted deputy, Chester Goode (Dennis Weaver), his friend Doc Adams (Milburn Stone), and saloon keeper Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake). This collection presents the second volume of the series' second season. Star James Arness, Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone, Dennis Weaver Special Features: Keep Case Multi-disc Set Full Frame, 1.33 Audio: English Runtime: 500 minutes.

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Dodge City has a bad reputation. Its "the wickedest, cruelest town in Kansas," some Wichita yokel notes in the episode, "Sweet and Sour." "No decent man could stand it more than a day." Marshall Matt Dillon (James Arness) is a decent man, but hes got a reputation, too. Residents know not to mess with him. When he tells one alcohol-fueled miscreant to give up his gun in the episode, "Chesters Murder," the man instantly complies, "Sure, I aint that drunk." But its not just his marksmanship that distinguishes Dillon. When a former Army officer shows up in Dodge angling for Dillons job in "The Man Who Would Be Marshal," Dillon demonstrates his keen grasp of human nature. Rather than arrest a rowdy sodbuster, he allows him to "blow off steam," explaining, "Thats his way of reminding himself hes a man." But the psychological toll of the dark and bloody side of Dillons job is the focus of "Bloody Hands," one of the best episodes in this collection of season-concluding episodes. Dillon kills three bank robbers. It's self-defense, but that doesnt stop the nightmares, and he resigns. Its up to his trusty sidekick, Chester (Dennis Weaver) to appeal to his sense of justice. The bad guys, he pleads, "gotta be stopped, and thats all." And stop 'em Dillon does in his own inimitable style. After punching one man, his friends complain, "You hit him with your fist. We dont like it." Dillon coolly replies, "How do you know? You havent tried it yet" As another bad man remarks in "Cheap Labor," "That aint no way for a lawman to talk." Dillon still has a little to learn about women. In "Sweet and Sour," he insists that Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), who becomes the co-owner of the Longbranch saloon, hire Rena, a pretty newcomer to town. "A pretty face will throw you any time," Kitty cautions. "Her kind spells nothing but trouble." Sure enough, four men are dead after Rena instigates fights over her. Gunsmoke set a new standard for the television western. Dillon is occasionally wrong, innocent people are killed, and not all episodes end with justice served or the expected happy ending. In one episode, a photographer (Sebastian "Mr. French" Cabot) sets up his camera in Dodge City. "Its authenticity Im after," he insists. In these half-hour black and white episodes, Gunsmoke achieved it. --Donald Liebenson