1. Sorry for your loss. 2. My grandpa used to watch this stuff too ( plus The Andy Griffith Show ). There's just something about certain old TV shows that never go out of style.
I agree that this was the best version of the opening and not just because of the music. It was Arness' acting here, his clear showing of regret that he just had to end a life, but along with his steely resolve to do so. This is the time period where Gunsmoke got really dark, and it was the best.
I think that overall, the black and white episodes were the best -- but that even in later seasons in the color era there were some great episodes. The final season had a two parter called Island in the Sun and it's as good as anything that the show ever featured in its whole 20 year run.
@@vincentsartain3061 I prefer the early B&W half hour episodes, especially from Seasons 1 through 3. There were some pretty hard hitting stories in those seasons that are still relevant even today.
Gunsmoke was one of my favorite TV shows back when i was a kid, but it was this opening scence of the standoff withJ amess Arness that i loved the most, a TRUE American classic!!
With well over 600 episodes, there are bound to be some "bad" ones -- but most of modern television isnt even a mole on the "butt" of the BAD Gunsmoke episodes!
I read in the Gunsmoke Chronicles when filming this 1966 Gunsmoke opening sequence, Jim fell to the ground, he did it to get a laugh out of the film crew.. " it's all over said Jim, Dillon is officially dead".
They re-shot this opening several times during the course of the show. I saw outtakes on some other show (??) where Arness had some fun with it. When the cut comes for him to draw, he swings up a TOMMY GUN and empties the magazine, spraying back and forth! Then, in another take, he drops his Colt, grabs his chest and spits blood out of his mouth before falling to the ground! The producer probably had a hemorrhage when he played those back. :-)
The producers probably laughed along with Jim Arness's little pranks, I would imagine. I seem to recall that Arness got by with the "spoof" openings partly because he already owned a percentage of the show -- and he probably paid out of his own pocket for any costs involved in making his "spoof" outtakes.
@@jimbo97 I haven't checked lately, but I did see a version of this on RUclips where Matt is the one who gets shot and falls to the ground (a product of Arness' legendary clowning around on the Gunsmoke set.) 🤣
No doubt. Chuck Connors was a big, athletic guy....Dan Blocker was strong as a bull...but in a hand-to-hand fight, I don't think I'd take any of them over James Arness.
I remember watching this in the 70s. After Arness shoots and just stands there like an idiot for what seems like an eternity, my brother and I would go "Dang! I missed!" then collapse into gut wrenching, red-faced fits of laughter. (We were, like, 6 and 9.)
Yes! Season 12 had more pronounced drums. S11 was also good, and S10 had the big horn. But, I agree, for impact, I go with you on S12. The censors back then didn't like them. "Too violent," they thought. Hey, look at our country now. Are you trying to tell me that softening up the "Gunsmoke" opening helped us change for the better?
I remember reading in the Sunday paper that Ted Jordan (Nathan Burke) played the "bad guy" in the colored version opening replacing Arvo Ojala who was the baddie in the B&W version.
@@VinDcator Do u know who the gunfighter is the Marshal went up against ?? His name was Arvo Ojala...He was a hollywood consultant who coached other actors ( including James Arness) on the fine art of the fast draw...
Greatest opener of the show or even of any other TV Western! One slight quibble, though: does anyone else think that the distance between Matt and the challenging gunman seems to be a bit too far for either Matt or his opponent to shoot the other with accuracy?
Well, considering that Matt was a very well-trained federal delegate, and with great aim, he would have no trouble hitting his opponent at that distance.
For some reason I thought this opening was at least 5 to 8 seconds longer--seems like they cut some of the music right before the 10 second mark. Or maybe it's been my imagination all these MANY years....?
@@VinDcator Yes, the worrying producers and advertising agencies were like a bunch of school marms fretting over nothing. The way Arness handles this opener is masterful, as it's plain to see that before, during, and after the gun duel, Matt doesn't enjoy doing what had to be done; "glorifying gun violence," indeed!
Yep. Arness and the producers felt it best Dillon never drew first to accentuate the notion he was administering the law as opposed to being the aggressor.
Have to agree. S10 and S111 had great opening themes, too, but S12's menacing arrangements resonate like no other. It's a shame they had to later capitulate over this nonsense. The latter is actually one sec longer than the two previous seasons. They had done a "Hitchcock." Hats off for getting away with it!
Hello, Great, well, I watched the opening of The Rifleman and it really is very good. But unfortunately this series didn´t come to Brazil. In Brazil we watched Bonanza, Laramie, Big Valley, The Virginian, Rin Tin Tin, Bat Masterson, James West, and Gunsmoke which was the longest series along with Bonanza. I didn´t know the Rifleman series, but the opening really is very very good.
Rifleman very good, but a little bit over the top. With the face into the camera...Gunsmoke better. Bonanza Theme first or second together with Gunsmoke.
@@dallasgunsmoke I do like the theme music of The Virginian and The Big Valley, but there's no action to speak of in the openings of either show. The Virginian's opening footage is like Bonanza's, just people riding on horses; The Big Valley's opening is similar to the openings of the later seasons of Gunsmoke.
The opener of The Rifleman is pretty good, displaying the rapid speed with which Lucas McCain / Chuck Connors handles the Winchester rifle, but is Lucas really hitting targets when he fires 12 or 13 rounds with the rifle?
I loved this show growing up, but just now seeing this again, and I know this is infantile, but how funny would it make the scene if he had a shit stain on the back of his trousers?
My grandpa just past a day ago and I remember visiting and he would always be watching this and other westerns along with the Andy Griffith show
My father liked westerns series. We watched Bonanza, Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Laramie, The Virginian, Bat Masterson, James West and many others.
Everyone knows this already, natch, but "Floyd the barber" on Andy Griffith was the "Doc Adams" of the radio version of Gunsmoke. 🙂
1. Sorry for your loss.
2. My grandpa used to watch this stuff too ( plus The Andy Griffith Show ). There's just something about certain old TV shows that never go out of style.
Now imagine this at the volume of a jet engine and you've got the authentic Watching Gunsmoke with Grandpa experience.
Oh yeah. My Uncle Dan would have the Gunsmoke volume cranked up so high the neighbors thought we were having a shootout or something.
That’s funny. And that was my family as well. And I thought Marshall Dillon was badass
Give me Gun Smoke any day over these silly why mess with my evening reality shows!! I watch Gun Smoke every day & evening. Yes, I'm an aging senior!!
I'm in my late 30's and I love this show. Always try to watch it when showing on INSP.
I agree that this was the best version of the opening and not just because of the music. It was Arness' acting here, his clear showing of regret that he just had to end a life, but along with his steely resolve to do so. This is the time period where Gunsmoke got really dark, and it was the best.
I think that overall, the black and white episodes were the best -- but that even in later seasons in the color era there were some great episodes. The final season had a two parter called Island in the Sun and it's as good as anything that the show ever featured in its whole 20 year run.
The half hour episodes, especialy the first few seasons, were pretty gritty also. S1 E1 "Matt Gets It" was a very dramatic series opener.
I agree, the music fit like a glove.
17
@@vincentsartain3061 I prefer the early B&W half hour episodes, especially from Seasons 1 through 3. There were some pretty hard hitting stories in those seasons that are still relevant even today.
Gunsmoke was one of my favorite TV shows back when i was a kid, but it was this opening scence of the standoff withJ amess Arness that i loved the most, a TRUE American classic!!
My Father's favorite All Time T.V Western. RIP Calvin Bealer Sr 1929-2013.
The best Western TV show ever!
I agree 100%
Yes
With well over 600 episodes, there are bound to be some "bad" ones -- but most of modern television isnt even a mole on the "butt" of the BAD Gunsmoke episodes!
Love James Arness. Wonderful person from everything I’ve ever read, seen, or heard.
The best intro to the series, hands down.
Yes, this is the classic version of the opening. Later deemed to be too violent.
"GUNSMOKE"!
Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon!
John Wayne Gunsmoke Promo...ruclips.net/video/yvy0RP-I4is/видео.html
Yes
@El Chapo ye
The big gun and the big man. Still the best!
Iconic. This is the intro I remember from reruns as a kid in the 80s.
The Best Western Ever. And Crew Of This Movie. R.i.P. All Stars From This Movie 🙏🏻✝️.
I read in the Gunsmoke Chronicles when filming this 1966 Gunsmoke opening sequence, Jim fell to the ground, he did it to get a laugh out of the film crew.. " it's all over said Jim, Dillon is officially dead".
Aw yeah, i remeber watching this with my father almost every day
They re-shot this opening several times during the course of the show. I saw outtakes on some other show (??) where Arness had some fun with it. When the cut comes for him to draw, he swings up a TOMMY GUN and empties the magazine, spraying back and forth! Then, in another take, he drops his Colt, grabs his chest and spits blood out of his mouth before falling to the ground! The producer probably had a hemorrhage when he played those back. :-)
The producers probably laughed along with Jim Arness's little pranks, I would imagine. I seem to recall that Arness got by with the "spoof" openings partly because he already owned a percentage of the show -- and he probably paid out of his own pocket for any costs involved in making his "spoof" outtakes.
@@vincentsartain3061 Probably true. I'd like to see those outtakes again but not online that I have found.
@@jimbo97 I haven't checked lately, but I did see a version of this on RUclips where Matt is the one who gets shot and falls to the ground (a product of Arness' legendary clowning around on the Gunsmoke set.) 🤣
Dillan was hands down the most bad ass character in TV westerns.
No doubt. Chuck Connors was a big, athletic guy....Dan Blocker was strong as a bull...but in a hand-to-hand fight, I don't think I'd take any of them over James Arness.
Agreed. '65 was good, but this is the best.
Love gunsmoke and bonanza.
The best opening.
I remember watching this in the 70s. After Arness shoots and just stands there like an idiot for what seems like an eternity, my brother and I would go "Dang! I missed!" then collapse into gut wrenching, red-faced fits of laughter. (We were, like, 6 and 9.)
Yes! Season 12 had more pronounced drums. S11 was also good, and S10 had the big horn. But, I agree, for impact, I go with you on S12. The censors back then didn't like them. "Too violent," they thought. Hey, look at our country now. Are you trying to tell me that softening up the "Gunsmoke" opening helped us change for the better?
This was my father's ringtone for about 3 years
Agreed. The look on Dillon's face says it all.
I remember reading in the Sunday paper that Ted Jordan (Nathan Burke) played the "bad guy" in the colored version opening replacing Arvo Ojala who was the baddie in the B&W version.
I would certainly have had my holster strap tied when heading to a gun fight.
James Arness the Brother of Peter Graves!😎👍
I totally remember that.
Just listen to those DRUMS !!!!
The best, and for that very reason.
@@VinDcator Do u know who the gunfighter is the Marshal went up against ??
His name was Arvo Ojala...He was a hollywood consultant who coached other actors ( including James Arness) on the fine art of the fast draw...
The Sheriff was actually out drawn.
Can’t believe that the Simpsons parody this scene correctly
Greatest opener of the show or even of any other TV Western!
One slight quibble, though: does anyone else think that the distance between Matt and the challenging gunman seems to be a bit too far for either Matt or his opponent to shoot the other with accuracy?
Well, considering that Matt was a very well-trained federal delegate, and with great aim, he would have no trouble hitting his opponent at that distance.
@@Ayoris14Umbra Perhaps not, but the enemy gunman would probably want to be closer.
Old West historians wouldn't notice the "quibble", after all, the fast draw was purely a Hollywood fantasy.
@@Caje-zf8md Or maybe the fantasy of the dime novel Westerns before Hollywood was a gleam in the eye.
Anyone ever notice the white line and dot in the window behind Dillon's left side? Once you see it, it can never be unseen! Watch closely! lol
For some reason I thought this opening was at least 5 to 8 seconds longer--seems like they cut some of the music right before the 10 second mark. Or maybe it's been my imagination all these MANY years....?
The censors had thought that the opening glamorized violence. They were, of course, wrong.
@@VinDcator Yes, the worrying producers and advertising agencies were like a bunch of school marms fretting over nothing. The way Arness handles this opener is masterful, as it's plain to see that before, during, and after the gun duel, Matt doesn't enjoy doing what had to be done; "glorifying gun violence," indeed!
Was this filmed outside Kanab Utah?
Is there a longer version of this song? Can’t find it anywhere. Love this version the best
0:16 it just blanks man
I am surprised Matt survived "the draw" . .. guess his opponent missed . . .HE fired first. . .. same with the black and white version.
Yep. Arness and the producers felt it best Dillon never drew first to accentuate the notion he was administering the law as opposed to being the aggressor.
kitty was a madame.
0:15, Way To Go Matt Dillon
Happy bday to James Arness Matt Dillon
He got mad at Chester for leaving and shot him in the good leg. Matt, I would be ashamed.
They're gonna have Alec Baldwin play Matt Dillon in the remake. 🤣
😂
Funny how bobby denton shoots before james arness gets his gun out of the holster.
Often, the contest was won not by whom shot first but by whom shot the straightest.
Like Wyatt Earp said, "Gotta take your time in a hurry."
Man Matt Dillon had a fast draw.
So, MATT DILLON is the one who shot you, J.R.? (Not everyone will get my little joke. 🤣)
Have to agree. S10 and S111 had great opening themes, too, but S12's menacing arrangements resonate like no other. It's a shame they had to later capitulate over this nonsense. The latter is actually one sec longer than the two previous seasons. They had done a "Hitchcock." Hats off for getting away with it!
I liked the one where Matt looked like it was his life on the line. Tense. @ 1:40
ruclips.net/video/0W_A6VJEDYc/видео.html
Gunsmoke: Starring Desi Arnez as Matt Dillon.
"Feztuzz, you got some 'splainin' to do!"😆
He leans too much into his draw in the opening credits after the 1964 season. My favorite is '72-'74 where he doesn't even draw.
So the Simpsons surpassed Gunsmoke in viewership
Sorry, but I disagree....I prefer the opening of "The Rifleman" with Chuck Connors.
Hello, Great, well, I watched the opening of The Rifleman and it really is very good. But unfortunately this series didn´t come to Brazil. In Brazil we watched Bonanza, Laramie, Big Valley, The Virginian, Rin Tin Tin, Bat Masterson, James West, and Gunsmoke which was the longest series along with Bonanza. I didn´t know the Rifleman series, but the opening really is very very good.
Yes, "The Rifleman" opening was great, AFTER the intro opening scene.
Rifleman very good, but a little bit over the top. With the face into the camera...Gunsmoke better. Bonanza Theme first or second together with Gunsmoke.
@@dallasgunsmoke I do like the theme music of The Virginian and The Big Valley, but there's no action to speak of in the openings of either show. The Virginian's opening footage is like Bonanza's, just people riding on horses; The Big Valley's opening is similar to the openings of the later seasons of Gunsmoke.
The opener of The Rifleman is pretty good, displaying the rapid speed with which Lucas McCain / Chuck Connors handles the Winchester rifle, but is Lucas really hitting targets when he fires 12 or 13 rounds with the rifle?
I loved this show growing up, but just now seeing this again, and I know this is infantile, but how funny would it make the scene if he had a shit stain on the back of his trousers?
+Ninjamohawk Yeahh kkkkkk it will be very funny
blasphemy!
That was the worst opening back then..
No It’s Not