‘Gunsmoke’: Amanda Blake Was Almost Fired for Describing Kitty as a ‘Tramp’
Gunsmoke actor Amanda Blake was an essential part of the Western television show. Longtime fans and cast members recognize her as an instrumental part of the series. However, Blake almost lost her job when she was asked to describe her character, Kitty, in an interview with a journalist. She called the saloon owner a “tramp” and CBS executives didn’t like that very much.
‘Gunsmoke’ actor Amanda Blake traveled to fairs and rodeos with other cast members
According to a 1960 TV Guide interview with Blake, she talked about her participation with Gunsmoke off-screen. She explained how she joined Dennis Weaver and Milburn Stone once a month at fairs and rodeos as their characters to interact with the show’s loyal fans. However, this asked a lot of the actors, who were already spending an enormous amount of their time on the set in these roles.
Stone said, “Without Amanda, it wouldn’t be Gunsmoke, and that’s a fact.” They became a tight-knit family that supported one another. The television set didn’t have the typical entertainment ego conflict, as they worked together as a joint unit.
Amanda Blake almost lost her ‘Gunsmoke’ role after calling Kitty a ‘tramp’ in an interview
Blake told TV Guide that she was very excited about working on Gunsmoke when she first joined. However, she was also incredibly blunt when it came to talking about Kitty. It’s not because she didn’t have respect for the character, but because she thought that it was common knowledge. As a result, the CBS studio executives threatened her job.
“When I first started, a reporter asked me what Kitty was anyways?,” Blake recalled. “I said, ‘Why, she’s a tramp.’ I thought it was common knowledge. But, CBS screamed. I almost lost my job.”
However, that’s not all Blake had to say about Kitty. She also recognized the place of men in the character’s life.
“There was a man–isn’t there always?,” Blake said. “He loved her and he left her and then they put a label on her. Kitty isn’t the type to take in washing. Somehow, I have the idea–don’t ask me how I got it–that Kitty came from New Orleans. Let’s just say that I think seaport cities are more feminine, that they bring out the womanly jungle instant. So, she drifted, and she’d drift out of Dodge if it weren’t for Matt Dillon.”
She played Kitty for 19 years
Blake became very closely associated with her role as Kitty in Gunsmoke due to her playing the character for 19 years. She started in 1955 and continued to play the character until 1974. As a result, she didn’t have much spare time to work on many other television projects or feature films. Nevertheless, Blake was more than happy to work on Gunsmoke, especially with this cast with whom she developed such a close and personal connection.
Western fans continue to acknowledge Blake as one of the Western genre’s most notable stars. She was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
