Skip to main content.

Gunsmoke - Single Episodes

(4,753 Sterne; 251 Bewertungen)

Gunsmoke is one of those long-running classic Old-Time Radio shows that everyone knows and remembers. It's also one that is still respected for its high values, in all aspects. Gunsmoke first aired on the CBS network on April 26, 1952, billed as the first adult western. It was set in Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870's.

The main character, Matt Dillon, was played by William Conrad. On August 6, 1951, William Conrad played the lead in a show entitled "Pagosa" in the series Romance, where he played the part of a reluctant sheriff in a tough Western town. Although not a true audition, Conrad's character role is very close the that of Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke. It was one of the "stepping stones" toward the production of Gunsmoke.

Other regular characters were Chester Proudfoot, played by Parley Baer; Kitty, played by Georgia Ellis; and Doc Adams, played by Howard McNear.

The series featured top-notch acting and well-developed scripts that set it apart from many other shows, not only Westerns; however, it was the sound effects that stood out the most. Listen carefully and one can hear many levels of sound that really helps transport the listener back to the old west.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

License

Chapters

Billy the Kid

29:04

Ben Thompson

7:43

Jaliscoe

29:19

Ben Slade's Saloon

28:45

Carmen

30:17

Buffalo Killers

29:45

Never Pester Chester (Paul Dubov)

29:51

The Boughten Bride

29:32

Doc Holiday

30:28

Gentleman's Disagreement

30:40

Renegade White

30:32

The Kentucky Tolmans

29:59

The Lynching

28:59

Shakespeare

30:14

The Juniper Tree

29:34

The Brothers

29:20

Home Surgery

29:40

Drop Dead

29:42

The Railroad (pre-cut, not final version)

26:24

Cain

29:47

Hinka-Do

29:19

Lochinvar

29:37

The Mortgage

29:50

Overland Express

29:59

Tara

29:59

The Square Triangle

29:53

Fingered

30:09

Kitty

29:51

I Don't Know

30:07

Post Martin

29:59

Xmas Story

29:56

The Cabin

29:59

Westbound

29:29

Word of Honor

29:59

Paid Killer

29:56

The Old Lady

29:54

Cavalcade

29:53

Cain (reused script)

30:22

The Round-Up

29:28

Meshougah

30:03

Trojan War

29:38

Absalom

30:01

Cyclone

29:34

Pussy Cats

29:05

Quarter Horse

29:27

Jayhawkers

29:37

Gonif

29:45

Bum's Rush

29:08

The Soldier

29:01

Tacetta

30:28

The Buffalo Hunter

29:51

The Big Con

29:54

Print Asper

29:43

Fall Semester

29:56

Sundown

30:00

Spring Term

29:50

Wind

29:22

Flashback

29:58

Dirt

29:58

Grass

29:58

Wild West

28:34

Hickock

28:50

Hickok

29:18

Boy

29:51

Sky

27:36

Moon

27:25

Gone Straight

29:29

Jesse

30:01

The Sutler

29:56

Prairie Happy

30:07

There Was Never a Horse

30:04

Fawn

30:12

How to Kill a Friend

3:34

How to Die for Nothing

29:03

Yorky

7:47

The Buffalo Hunter (reused script)

24:54

How to Kill a Woman

25:20

Stolen Horses

25:10

Professor Lute Bone

25:25

Custer

25:00

Kick Me

25:13

The Lamb

25:56

The Cast

25:13

Big Girl Lost

24:56

The Guitar

24:47

Stage Holdup

24:49

Joke's on Us

24:58

The Bear

22:36

Nina

24:56

Gunsmuggler

24:58

Big Broad

24:53

The Killer

25:00

Last Fling

24:52

Bad Boy

25:01

The Gentleman

24:47

Confederate Money

24:41

Old Friend

24:59

Blood Money (Sam Edwards)

24:58

Mr. and Mrs. Amber (Helen Kleeb)

24:46

Greater Love (John Dehner)

24:55

What the Whisky Drummer Heard

24:26

Murder Warrant

24:50

Cara

24:22

The Constable

24:51

The Indian Horse

24:00

Monopoly

24:40

Feud

24:49

The Blacksmith

25:17

The Cover Up

24:49

Going Bad

24:54

Claustrophobia

25:10

Word of Honor

24:32

Hack Prine

30:26

Texas Cowboys

29:21

The Queue

29:27

Matt for Murder

29:37

No Indians

29:41

Joe Phy

29:44

Mavis McCloud (Eleanor Tannin)

29:44

Young Man with a Gun

29:53

Obie Tater

29:54

The Promise aka The Handcuffs

29:58

The Promise aka The Handcuffs

29:37

Dooley Surrenders

29:13

The F.U.

29:41

Helping Hand

29:36

Matt Gets It

29:36

Love of a Good Woman

28:54

Kitty Caught (Lawrence Dobkin)

28:47

Ma Tennis

29:39

The Patsy

29:00

Smoking Out the Beedles

28:58

Wrong Man

28:52

How to Kill a Woman

29:47

Cooter (John Dehner)

28:56

Cholera

28:54

Bone Hunters

29:26

Magnus

25:48

Kitty Lost

29:48

The Bottle Man

29:49

Robin Hood

29:15

Chester's Murder

29:36

Sins Of The Fathers

29:34

Young Love

29:54

Cheyennes

29:55

Chester's Hanging

29:31

Poor Pearl

29:03

Crack-Up (John Dehner)

28:56

Kite's Reward

29:01

The Trial

30:32

The Mistake

30:10

Horse Deal

29:47

Bloody Hands (Alafraganza)

29:40

Skid Row

28:45

Gypsum Hills Feud

29:37

Born to Hang (Joseph Kearns)

29:25

Reward for Matt

29:01

Potato Road

29:41

Robber Bridegroom

29:56

The Liar from Blackhawk

29:55

Cow Doctor (Tom Hanley)

29:53

Jealousy

29:55

Trust

29:50

The Reed Survives (Michael Ann Barrett)

30:17

The Army Trial

30:06

General Parsley Smith

29:59

Uncle Oliver

29:59

20/20

29:53

Ben Tolliver's Stud (Norman Macdonnell)

29:50

Tap Day for Kitty

29:59

Innocent Broad

29:49

Johnny Red (Virginia Gregg)

29:57

Indian Scout

29:45

Doc Quits

29:47

Change of Heart

29:18

Alarm at Pleasant Valley

29:46

Thoroughbreds

29:48

Indian White

29:49

Barton Boy

29:55

Good Girl - Bad Company

24:52

The Coward (Vic Perrin)

24:48

Trouble in Kansas

24:48

Brush at Elkader (James Nusser)

24:59

The Choice (Lawrence Dobkin)

24:58

The Second Choice

24:48

The Preacher

24:49

Dutch George

24:50

Amy's Good Deed

24:49

Sunny Afternoon

24:56

Land Deal

24:50

Scared Kid

24:51

Twelfth Night (Helen Kleeb)(reused script)

24:52

Pucket's New Year (James Nusser)

24:48

Doc's Revenge

24:48

How to Cure a Friend

24:57

Romeo

24:47

Bureaucrat

24:49

Legal Revenge

24:50

Kitty's Outlaw

24:51

The New Hotel

24:48

Who Lives by the Sword

24:45

The Hunter

24:46

Bringing Down Father

25:55

The Man Who Would Be Marshal

24:52

Hanging Man

24:52

How to Sell a Ranch

24:50

Widow's Mite

24:49

The Executioner

24:52

Indian Crazy

24:52

Doc's Reward

24:24

The Photographer

24:40

Cows and Cribs (Jeanette Nolan)

24:48

Buffalo Man

24:51

Man Hunter

24:50

The Pacifist

24:50

Daddy-O (John McIntire)

24:50

Cheap Labor

24:49

Sunday Supplement

24:50

Gun for Chester

24:50

Passive Resistance

24:50

Letter of the Law (Joseph Kearns)

25:03

Lynching Man

25:01

Lost Rifle

24:58

Sweet and Sour (Harry Bartell)

24:57

Snakebite

24:56

Annie Oakley

24:59

No Sale

24:48

Old Pal

24:51

Belle's Back

24:46

Thick 'n' Thin

24:11

Box O' Rocks

24:10

The Brothers (different story than 52-09-06)

24:53

The Gambler

24:46

Gunshot Wound

24:49

'Til Death Do Us

24:50

Dirty Bill's Girl

24:49

Crowbait Bob (Nov 4th broadcast preempted)

24:50

Pretty Mama

24:49

Brother Whelp

24:50

Tail to the Wind

24:52

Speak to Me Fair

24:50

Braggart's Boy

24:51

Cherry Red

24:40

Beeker's Barn (Ralph Moody)

24:48

Hound Dog

23:37

Devil's Hindmost

23:49

Ozymandias

24:38

Categorical Imperative

24:58

Woman Called Mary

20:30

Cold Fire

21:36

Hellbent Harriet

19:32

Doubtful Zone

19:58

Impact

19:31

Colleen So Green

22:59

Grebb Hassle

20:02

Spring Freshet

17:51

Spring Freshet

19:15

Saddle Sore Sal

24:53

Chicken Smith

21:39

Rock Bottom

21:01

Saludos

24:40

Bear Trap

24:41

Medicine Man

22:06

How to Kill a Friend (reused script)

22:45

Sheep Dog

25:00

One Night Stand

24:25

Pal

23:05

Ben Tolliver's Stud (Les Crutchfield)(reused script)

26:03

Dodge Podge

23:00

Summer Night

23:33

Home Surgery (reused script)

23:04

The Buffalo Hunter

21:23

Word of Honor (reused script)

20:35

Bloody Hands (Long Branch)(reused script)

24:52

Kitty Caught (James Nusser)(reused script)

21:58

Kitty Caught

20:32

Cow Doctor

24:32

Big Hands

24:33

Jayhawkers

24:02

The Peace Officer

19:51

Grass

24:23

Jobe's Son

23:36

Looney McCluny

22:26

Child Labor

22:25

Custer

24:52

Another Man's Poison

23:02

The Rooks

19:20

The Margin

19:44

Professor Lute Bone (reused script)

23:43

Man and Boy

20:03

Bull

24:14

Gun Shy

23:47

The Queue (Ben Wright)(reused script)

23:57

Odd Man Out

24:36

Jud's Woman

25:30

Long as I Live

25:08

Ugly

24:56

Twelfth Night (December 22 broadcast pre-empted) (Virginia Gregg)(reused script)

25:07

Where'd They Go?

19:00

Pucket's New Year (reused script)

19:35

Second Son

24:33

Moo Moo Raid

24:56

One for Lee

25:06

Kitty's Killing

25:03

The Joke's on Us (reused script)

18:17

Bruger's Folly

24:59

The Surgery

24:13

The Guitar (reused script)

18:55

Laughing Gas

23:39

Real Sent Sonny

24:35

Indian

24:44

Why Not

22:01

Yorky (reused script)

21:24

Livvie's Loss

23:25

The Partners

22:52

The Squaw

23:37

How to Die for Nothing (May 4th broadcast preempted)(reused script)

19:05

Little Bird

20:54

The Stallion

24:12

Blue Horse

24:55

Quarter Horse (reused script)

24:07

Hot Horse Hyatt

25:05

Old Flame

23:29

Target

25:27

What the Whiskey Drummer Heard (James Nusser)(reused script)

25:20

Chester's Choice

23:53

The Proving Kid

20:39

Marshal Proudfoot

24:21

The Cast (reused script)

24:15

Miguel's Daughter

19:34

A House Ain't a Home

24:57

The Piano

23:45

The Blacksmith (Barney Phillips)(reused script)

25:01

I Thee Wed

22:19

Tried It - Didn't Like It

21:41

False Witness

20:09

Big Girl Lost (reused script)

20:33

Kitty's Rebellion

19:07

Tag, You're It

19:50

Doc's Showdown

19:36

Kick Me (reused script)

19:56

The Tragedian

25:05

Old Man's Gold

20:09

Target - Chester

19:29

Brush at Elkader (James Westerfield)(reused script)

20:10

The Correspondent

18:25

Burning Wagon

19:30

The Grass Asp

19:22

Kitty's Injury

19:25

Where'd They Go? (reused script)

21:47

The Choice (reused script)

23:12

The Coward (Joseph Kearns)(reused script)

23:16

The Wolfer

29:24

Kangaroo

24:57

The Boots

29:04

The Bobsy Twins

23:58

Groat's Grudge

25:04

Body Snatch

26:37

Sarah's Search

24:33

Big Tom

24:15

Maw Hawkins

23:49

Incident at Indian Ford

24:00

The Trial (Joseph Kearns)(reused script)

23:30

Laurie's Suitor

29:57

Trapper's Revenge

23:28

Chester's Mistake

24:23

Third Son

23:54

The Badge

25:19

Unwanted Deputy

29:46

Dowager's Visit

30:17

Scared Boy

22:41

Wagon Show

25:01

The Deserter

26:26

Doc's Indians

24:52

Kitty's Kidnap

29:30

Carmen (reused script)

23:50

Jailbait Janet (reused script)

28:23

Emma's Departure

28:41

Friend's Payoff

25:45

Second Arrest

25:45

Old Beller

23:35

Ball Nine, Take Your Base

27:56

Mavis McCloud (Barbara Eiler)(reused script)

24:24

Pokey Pete

27:48

The Reed Survives (Lynn Allen)(reused script)

27:45

Shooting Stopover

28:29

Matt's Decision

24:41

Johnny Red (Helen Kleeb)(reused script)

27:31

Gentlemen's Disagreement (reused script)

24:37

Personal Justice

24:30

Hinka-Do (reused script)

23:43

Kitty's Quandary

29:06

The Mortgage (reused script)

25:18

Old Gunfighter

26:14

Westbound (reused script)

27:03

Cavalcade (reused script)

26:38

The Square Triangle (reused script)

24:05

Paid Killer (reused script)

23:43

Hard Lesson

25:49

Big Chugg Wilson

25:52

Don Mateo

25:05

Beeker's Barn (Joseph Kearns)(reused script)

24:46

Pucket's New Year (reused script)

23:18

Trojan War (reused script)

24:16

Luke's Law

25:16

Fiery Arrest

25:10

Bless Me Till I Die

25:18

Chester's Dilemma

25:39

Delia's Father

23:37

Distant Drummer

27:20

Mr and Mrs Amber (Virginia Gregg)(reused script)

22:03

Prescribed Killing

29:42

Blood Money (John Dehner)(reused script)

21:49

Unloaded Gun

25:06

The Constable (Barlett Robinson)(reused script)

23:20

Indian Baby

25:52

Greater Love (Vic Perrin)(reused script)

25:02

Dave's Lesson

24:51

Solomon River

28:49

Stage Snatch

25:28

Nettie Sitton

25:04

Wrong Man

24:55

Tall Trapper

25:24

Marryin' Bertha

24:46

Bad Seed

27:48

Fabulous Silver Extender

29:13

Kitty Accused

29:19

Line Trouble

22:30

Little Girl

24:48

Reluctant Violence

26:48

Busted Up Guns

23:32

The Impostor

24:15

Stage Smash

25:53

Old Fool

25:03

The Noose

25:46

Dangerous Bath

25:51

The Tumbleweed

24:57

The Peace Officier

23:57

About Chester

24:36

Two Mothers

29:54

Doc Judge

25:08

The Big Itch

29:30

Born to Hang

29:49

Crack-Up

25:09

Newsma'am

29:56

Never Pester Chester

28:05

Jedro's Woman

24:52

The Big Con

28:14

The Professor

29:45

Dirt

28:09

Kitty's Good Neighboring

23:49

The Cook

23:42

Hero's Departure

23:05

Minnie

19:21

Spring Term

22:05

Old Faces

24:33

The Wake

24:49

Hard Virtue

24:30

Harriet

24:15

Love of Money

24:35

Daddy-O (John Dehner)(reused script)

25:02

Kitty Love

24:59

Joe Sleet

23:31

Melinda Miles

24:03

Sweet and Sour

20:09

Joe Phy

31:18

No Indians

24:50

Chester's Inheritance

24:13

Hangman's Mistake

24:18

Cooter

22:49

Father and Son

20:14

Ex-Urbanites

24:22

Ma's Justice

23:44

The Lady Killer

23:54

Chester's Rendezvous

23:22

The Sod-Buster

23:54

Cows and Cribs (Anne Morrison)(reused script)

21:07

Doc's Visitor

24:15

Letter of the Law (Vic Perrin)(reused script)

23:46

Cyclone

29:34

Fawn

30:12

How to Kill a Friend

3:34

Yorky

7:47

Quarter Horse (reused script)

24:07

Old Man's Gold

20:09

Marryin' Bertha

24:46

Bewertungen

Long live marshall dillon

(5 Sterne)

I am a big fan of this show. I recently found it online with all the episodes listed here and have them all in my ipod. Now I cannot go to sleep without having it playing in my ear. I can honestly see the town in my mind as the episodes play. The funny thing is that I can't really get into the tv show, but I love the otr broadcasts. You can almost smell the gunsmoke when marshall dillon puts one of the bad guys down. I recommend this show to anyone who has never enjoyed the theater of the mind.

Gunsmoke is the greatest radio show of all time

(5 Sterne)

It is a very tough call between Dragnet and Gunsmoke, but I guess the incredible sound effects and the high quality writing, along with the talented cast of regular and guest supporting actors give Gunsmoke a decided edge in my own humble opinion. William Conrad had such a wonderful voice for radio and he also was a better actor in every respect than James Arness. Conrad's only drawbacks to playing Marshal Matt Dillon in the television version of Gunsmoke were his height and especially weight. Many people probably don't even know that he was a fighter pilot in World War II. He made the role of Matt Dillon his own on radio and I don't think Arness could ever have held a candle to him. I have watched the t.v. series many times for years before ever hearing the radio version and I definitely think the radio version is far superior in every respect. On t.v. both Dillon and the other regular characters (Doc Adams, Miss Kitty Russell and Chester Proudfoot (Goode on t.v.) and also (later Festus Haggan on t.v.) were seen less and less as the years went by and more guest stars were primarily given the reins and on-screen time. Matt Dillon was out-of-town far too much in the later t.v. episodes, often leaving Dodge City in the highly questionable hands of Festus and Newley, the town's blacksmith. While the t.v. show is a great classic, no question, as proven by the length of the time it was on the air, the radio show was consistently better in keeping Matt Dillon in Dodge City where he always belonged.

Gunsmoke the King OTR

(5 Sterne)

Dragnet is great, but Gunsmoke is the best radio program of all time. I'm not a hugh fan of western themed radio (except Six Shooter which is pretty good too!)TV or Movies but Gunsmoke was so real and smart. I've often finsihed listening to a pretty raw, real episode come acrossed amazed that they did this program in the 50's. One episode a man cuts the tongue out of a young Indians mouth and his racist remark was so difficult, but Matt Dillion was the voice of reason and justice prevailed. I could name dozens of outstanding episodes but If you interested at all, do yourself the favor and download all of them. These shows have given me hours and hours of listening pleasure. Then give Dragnet, Jack Benny Program, Our Miss Brooks, Great Gildersleeve,Yours truly Johnny Dollar and Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show a try these are favorites.

it wasn't just the commercials

(5 Sterne)

Muskratbill- it wasn't just the commercials that the 2 previous reviewers wanted cut. They wanted the parts that portrayed people eating meat, the violence that was done to the indians, AND all the gunplay that they want cut out of the Gunsmoke episodes too. I'm not trying to get anyone's hackles up, but a few of the other reviewers were trying to have OTTR cut out what they found offensive too. The point I'm trying to make is simple; if there is any material that people find offensive, the listener can simply stop listening. OTTR is trying to give us shows as they were THEN and not to chop up the audio shows so that the few can now "safely" listen to what THEY want to hear NOW. I just don't understand why they are picking on Gunsmoke when there is worse things out there that people listen to every day that is so much worse than Matt Dillon and Chester eating a steak at Delmonico's or defending themselves in a FICTIONAL setting!

A Podcast Introduction/Breakdown of Gunsmoke

(5 Sterne)

In Episode 3 of Our Show of Shows Podcast we talk about the great 1950s radio western, Gunsmoke (and, as much as possible, we avoid talking about the mediocre TV version). Gunsmoke was the first radio western made strictly for adults, and its creators originally intended Marshall Matt Dillon to be as a sort of Philip Marlow of the Old West, but the show quickly grew into a complex, often dark drama that went to some really harrowing places. We veer off topic into the original Maltese Falcon prop (which sat on Gunsmoke star William Conrad’s mantle for years) and the cast’s connections to Rocky & Bullwinkle, Star Trek, and the Keebler cookies, but we eventually circle back to talk about the curse of being Matt Dillon, why Fort Laramie is no Gunsmoke, and we discuss the pioneering disabled woman who wrote 80 of the last 200 episodes of the show, Marion Clark. And Dan still doesn’t have a good tag line. https://archive.org/download/OurShowOfShowsPodcast/OurShowOfShowsPodcastEpisode003.mp3

Gunsmoke

(5 Sterne)

I LOVE this program and everything that goes with it. Yes, that means the vintage commercials as well!! Those commercial are almost as entertaining as the show and I wouldn't want to have them cut out in fact I personally would just like a few more added. I get to liten to this at work and I really enjoy being able to listen to something that isn't all sexed up and riddled with profanity!!

William Conrad's contribution

(5 Sterne)

After listening to the radio series, it is hard to imagine how avid listeners in that era, could have made the transition between William Conrad and James Arness. William Conrad's had contributed so much to the fictional character Matt Dillion, that it would be almost next to impossible to make the transition without missing the baritone husky voice that made him a legion.

Pretty violent, some good episodes...

(4 Sterne)

Some of you probably aren't going to like me, because of this review. Don't get me wrong, I've listened to about every episode of Gunsmoke, and it is undoubtedly one of the best otr shows ever produced, along with Dragnet. It has some really good episodes to listen to. I think my favorite is the episode about the German blacksmith who is getting a hard time from 3 of the townspeople, at least one won't pay him, and complains about his work, even though his work is fine. He puts up with it until his German mail order bride shows up. Then they start messing with her, and he won't take that, and beats the tar out of them - all with Matt's blessings. And, it has some good episodes, like that one. But, one morning I was thinking about the show and I got to thinking, man, living in Dodge would have been like living in the bad place (the opposite of heaven). I mean, it seemed like hardly anyone liked anyone else, guys would ride into town and start trouble right out of the blue. You'd only be about a second away from eternity as so many people got gunned down and stabbed and even though I liked Matt a lot, he gunned down a lot of people. It was usually justified, but I'll bet he won about 300 gunfights. I don't have any idea of what the old west was really like. I've heard it was nothing like the TV shows and radio shows about it. Well, I hope Dodge was nothing like the radio show. If it was, who'd want to live there? They said on a couple of the episodes that Abilene wasn't as wild - I'd go live there. And, I'm really surprised, with the censorship back then, that they allowed the violence of Gunsmoke to get through. The pros about the show - Matt is a good moral marshall who believes in the law, though sometimes he has to carry out the sentence himself. Kitty, Doc (Howard McNear), and Chester are all good characters, many of the episodes are interesting, with interesting mysteries. The quality is pretty good with pretty even audio throughout the collection, etc. The cons - the main con definitely has to be the violence. In one episode an indian boy's tongue is cut out, to give an example, numerous gunfights, it is far more violent and really not much like the popular TV show that it spawned, the numerous necktie parties, and just the general way people treated one another. I mean, I know there are still horrible places to live in the world. But, the way that people treated each other in Dodge, who'd want to live there? It is depressing. I don't know - that is my 2 cents worth. If I listen to any more episodes (which I probably will). I'm going to try to find the ones that aren't real violent and where people treat one another in a decent manner, with a good mystery to it. Again, I don't see how the violence in this show got past the censors back then, but it sure did. Even though it gave birth to a TV show, I don't think it would have ever got past the censors had they done the TV show like the radio show, with the blood and gore, shootings, knivings, and murders, and just horrible things that people did to other people. That's my 2 cents worth. Please don't get mad at me. I love old time radio, and was really surprised that I liked Gunsmoke at all, as it really wasn't my type of western. I like the more light hearted ones - the kind with guys like Roy Rogers and Red Ryder in them. Hope you all have a good day.