Gunsmoke in History

Events in Film & TV

  • 1955-09-10 "Gunsmoke" premieres on CBS TV starring James Arness

Emmy Awards

1958-04-15 10th Emmy Awards: Gunsmoke, Robert Young & Jane Wyatt win

Television Finale

1991-05-03 356th & final episode of CBS second longest running series TV show "Dallas", (2nd only to "Gunsmoke")

Film & TV History

2018-04-29 Animated series "The Simpsons" surpasses 635-episode count of "Gunsmoke"'; highest number of episodes of any series on TV


Birthdays in Film & TV

  • 1888-10-09 Hank Patterson, American actor (Gunsmoke, Fred Ziffel-Green Acres), born in Springville, Alabama (d. 1975)
  • 1899-08-16 Glenn Strange, American actor (Sam the Bartender-Gunsmoke), born in Weed, New Mexico (d. 1973)
  • 1904-07-05 Milburn Stone, American actor (Gunsmoke, Pickup on South Street), born in Burrton, Kansas (d. 1980)
  • 1905-06-29 Herb Vigran, American character actor (The Ed Wynn Show - "Ernie"; Gunsmoke - "Judge Brooker"; The Jack Benny Program), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1986)
  • 1907-02-26 Dub Taylor [Walter Clarence Taylor Jr], American character actor (Gunsmoke), born in Richmond, Virginia (d. 1994)
  • 1916-04-26 Vic Perrin, American radio and television actor (Dragnet), and screenwriter (Gunsmoke), born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin (d. 1989)
  • 1916-07-02 Ken Curtis, American actor (Ripcord, Festus - Gunsmoke), born in Lamar, Colorado (d. 1991)
  • 1917-04-02 Robert "Dabbs" Greer, American actor (Gunsmoke, The Green Mile, Little House on Prairie), born in Fairview, Missouri (d. 2007)
  • 1918-03-31 Ted Post, American television and film director (Gunsmoke; Beneath the Planet of the Apes; Magnum Force), born in Brooklyn, NYC (d. 2013)
  • 1921-01-17 Dehl Berti, Chiricahua Apache actor (Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Guns of Paradise), born in Pueblo, Colorado (d. 1991)
  • 1923-05-26 James Arness, American actor (Gunsmoke, How the West Was Won), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2011)
  • 1924-06-04 Dennis Weaver, American actor (Chester-Gunsmoke, Duel, Battered), born in Joplin, Missouri (d. 2006)
  • 1926-02-06 Walker Edmiston, American actor (Star Trek, Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, The Dukes of Hazzard), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2007)
  • 1928-01-12 Lew Gallo, American character actor and screenwriter (Get Smart; Gunsmoke; 12 O'Clock High), born in Mount Kisco, New York (d. 2000)
  • 1929-02-20 Amanda Blake [Beverly Louise Neill], American actress (Kitty Russell-Gunsmoke), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1989)
  • 1938-05-13 Buck Taylor, American actor (Monroes, Gunsmoke), born in Hollywood, California

Deaths in Film & TV

  • 1973-09-20 Glenn Strange, American actor (Sam the Bartender-Gunsmoke), dies at 74
  • 1975-08-23 Hank Patterson, American actor (Gunsmoke, Fred Ziffel-Green Acres), dies at 87
  • 1979-03-06 Charles Wagenheim, actor (Halligan-Gunsmoke), dies at 83
  • 1980-06-12 Milburn Stone, American actor (Gunsmoke, Pickup on South Street), dies from a heart attack at 75
  • 1981-01-08 Woody Chamblis, American actor (Mr Lathrop-Gunsmoke), dies at 66
  • 1984-08-04 Howard Culver, actor (Howie-Gunsmoke), dies at 66
  • 1986-11-29 Herb Vigran, American character actor (The Ed Wynn Show - "Ernie"; Gunsmoke - "Judge Brooker"; The Jack Benny Program), dies of cancer at 76
  • 1989-08-16 Amanda Blake [Beverly Louise Neill], American actress (Gunsmoke), dies at 60
  • 1991-01-21 Frank Mitchell, actor (Music is Magic, Prairie Gunsmoke), dies
  • 1991-04-28 Ken Curtis, American actor (Festus - Gunsmoke), dies at 74
  • 1991-11-26 Dehl Berti, Chiricahua Apache actor (Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Guns of Paradise), dies of a heart attack at 70
  • 1994-10-03 Dub Taylor [Walter Clarence Taylor Jr], American character actor (Gunsmoke), dies from a heart attack at 87
  • 2000-06-11 Lew Gallo, American character actor and screenwriter (Get Smart, Gunsmoke, 12 O'Clock High), dies at 71
  • 2006-02-24 Dennis Weaver, American actor (Chester-Gunsmoke, Duel, Battered), dies at 81
  • 2007-02-15 Walker Edmiston, American actor (Star Trek, Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, The Dukes of Hazzard), dies at 81
  • 2007-04-28 Robert "Dabbs" Greer, American actor (Gunsmoke, The Green Mile, Little House on Prairie), dies of a kidney and heart ailment at 90
  • 2011-06-03 James Arness, American actor (Gunsmoke, How the West Was Won), dies of natural causes at 88