My robots are at it again. They temporarily hijacked my computer long enough to put this show together. They worked hard at it. They think I don't know.
Just humor them.
It looks like we are in the old west today with Matt Dillon, Chester and the rest. The show gets clipped in the closing credits, but the episode is all there.
Westerns have been around since the days when cowboys and indians romed the plains and deserts. It took until 1949 though before a program was developed for adults rather than kids. Instead of centering on gunfights, horse chases and general swashbuckling,
Gunsmoke had its focus on relationships. The characters were meant to have flaws and be more realistic. Chester was just an average citezen, Kitty, as a saloonkeeper, was definitely not in nice society circles. Matt Dillon was a ranch hand who got tired of sitting in a saddle and took to upholding the law. Not what he would have picked as a career choice, but he normally had a solid sense of what was fair.
The human interaction might easily be rewritten for any time period, not just the old west. That is what makes Gunsmoke such an appealing show for adults. People face the same kind of relationship issues all through the ages, and those relationships will always be relevant. The writers and show producers did all they could to show a version of reality, even if the characters sometimes make bad decisions or display flaws.
Thanks for listening,
Keith H
PS: It's that time of month again. Shows from last August have cleaned out of the server to make space. If anyone is interested, a CD will soon be available containing all the shows from my first year in podcasting. Let me know whether you would prefer to have the shows exactly as I posted them. With robot hosts and all. Or just the Old Radio shows. With No extra comments. The cost of the CD will be $10 and include shipping in the continental United States.
When the CD is ready, I'll put a button, or at least a link to a page with a button to order it.
--kh
