‘Gunsmoke’: Amanda Blake Revealed the Main ‘Monotonous’ Complaint Dennis Weaver Had for Quitting
Actor Amanda Blake had a very close relationship with her Gunsmoke cast members. They became like a tight-knit television family, working many hours over the course of their shooting schedules. However, this also gave them the agency to criticize one another. Blake once revealed why her Gunsmoke co-star, Dennis Weaver, decided to quit the show, which she called “monotonous.”
Dennis Weaver starred as Chester on ‘Gunsmoke’ for 9 seasons
Gunsmoke had a long-lasting life on television after making its move from the radio. After 20 seasons, longtime fans continue to stay loyal to the Western television show for all of the joyous memories it gave them. However, some of the original cast members didn’t stick around for its entire duration, including Weaver, who played Chester.
Weaver starred as Chester for the first nine seasons of Gunsmoke with a total of 290 episodes under his belt. Meanwhile, Blake remained on the show as Kitty Russell for 19 seasons, which included 425 episodes total. Arness’ Marshal Matt Dillon and Milburn Stone’s Doc Adams starred in all 20 seasons, or 653 episodes.
‘Gunsmoke’ actor Amanda Blake said Dennis Weaver left the show for ‘creativity’
In a 1964 interview with TV Mirror, Blake revealed the reason why Weaver left Gunsmoke and her feelings about him leaving for good. There were many reasons released over the year, but the actor once explained how it all came back to the truth of a complaint that Weaver had about his place on the legendary Western television show.
“Well, after all, it’s the third time he’s left the show,” Blake said. “It does get a little monotonous–I mean, how many going away parties can you have? … But there’s no more problem, it looks like that other show of his [Kentucky Jones] is going to go on–though, I can’t understand why he’d want to do another series.”
Blake continued: “That seemed to be his main complaint with Gunsmoke; he claimed his creativity was being submerged or something … The only way I could understand his wanting to go into another series is on account of m-o-n-e-y!”
Dennis Weaver moved on to other roles on and off the screen
After Weaver’s time on Gunsmoke along Arness, Blake, and Stone, he took his fame from the show onto other projects. For example, he played a supporting role in 1958’s Touch of Evil. Weaver also appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Presents‘ “Insomnia” and a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone titled “Shadow Play.” Another one of his big roles was playing the title role in NBC’s McCloud, where he earned two Emmy Award nominations. However, he already earned a nomination in 1958 for Gunsmoke and a win the following year for the same iconic role.
Weaver also made some power plays in other aspects of the entertainment industry. He became the president of the Screen Actors Guild between 1973 and 1975. Weaver’s final work was on ABC’s Wildfire, where he starred as Henry Ritter until his death in 2006.
