1 ‘Gunsmoke’ Expense Cost More Than Feature Films ‘by Far’
The Western television show Gunsmoke cost more than one might imagine. However, a particular aspect was so expensive that it required more of a budget than most feature films at the time. Charles Marquis Warren worked on adapting Gunsmoke from a radio series to television, but there were certain costs that he refused to settle on. Fortunately, it ultimately paid off in creating one of the most successful shows ever to hit the screen.
‘Gunsmoke’ was designed to be unlike anything else
Gunsmoke was unlike anything else on television beyond the cost of the production. Warren designed the show to bring something unique and different to the air from the very start. According to Broadcast Telecasting, Warren wanted to make the Western “as much a departure as possible from the type of drama with a Western background which had been seen on television.”
As a result, Warren knew the importance of Gunsmoke having a great cast, which comes at a cost. This meant that they had to find notable talent to take on their most prominent roles. Therefore, the production had to employ some unique ways of sourcing these folks from the crowded acting field.
‘Gunsmoke’ testing cost more than any of Charles Marquis Warren’s feature films
Broadcast Telecasting revealed that Warren included a 10-minute scene containing an “opening, climax, and conclusion” for all of the Gunsmoke principal characters. The cost to pull this off had never happened over at CBS before, but Gunsmoke would find a way to make it a regular practice for its own casting. All auditions found them playing the “exact character” they were testing for, rather than reading for any other scenes or roles.
Over the course of testing, 45 actors tested for the four main roles of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, Miss Kitty Russell, Doc Adams, and Chester Goode. However, a staggering 26 of them were testing for Matt.
The Gunsmoke test scene cost a huge $44,500, which included a crew to work on more than 150 test scenes in total. The amount that Warren spent on finding his lead actors was “more by far than Mr. Warren had spent on tests for feature motion pictures such as Arrowhead … which grossed in excess of $3.5 million.”
The dream principal cast emerged
The extreme cost of Gunsmoke testing was ultimately worth it to find the principal cast. Western movie star John Wayne recommended James Arness for the lead role of Matt, which launched him into stardom. Meanwhile, Amanda Blake earned the role of Miss Kitty after employing the tactic of waiting outside of the casting office until they gave her a shot.
Meanwhile, Milburn Stone garnered plenty of attention from the network decision-makers after his test as Doc Adams. Finally, Dennis Weaver scored the part of Chester, who became a fan favorite of the show for many years.
The Gunsmoke cast excelled in the manner that they did for more reasons than their individual talent. They shared an impressive chemistry that ultimately allowed them to become like a close-knit family on the set.
