Does anyone know how and why Dennis Weaver was written out of the show?
Thanks!!!
I'll bet grizzledgeezer will know the answer!😺
Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought an idiot - than to open it and remove all doubt!
He wasn't "written out". He wanted to leave, because there was nothing more he could do with such a lunkheaded character, who mostly stood around making inane remarks. And losing the mail ("The Summons" *).
He had at least two episodes in which he was allowed to shine ("Chester's Mail Order Bride" and "Chesterland"), but two times in nine years was likely not often enough. (Weaver was never nominated for an Emmy for Gunsmoke.)
Does anyone know if his drawl was natural or affected? In McCloud, he sometimes seems to drop it.
I find it interesting that Dennis Weaver and Jack Larson had roughly the same role on Gunsmoke and Adventures of Superman, and both were "method" actors.
PS: Compliments are appreciated, but they can encourage others to expect things that cannot be achieved.
* One wonders how many times this scene had to be shot, as Arness -- who had a great sense of humor -- could probably not have suppressed his laughter at Weaver's fumfering.
Thanks, but I was also wondering how Chester's departure was explained within the series.
shareNo one's departure was ever explained (except perhaps Miss Kitty's). This has always struck me as disrespectful to the actor and the character. Of course, back then, syndicated reruns weren't aired in the original order, so such explanations might have seemed needless or even confusing.
shareWow, that's really something! So Chester was just gone one day with no explanation - was he ever mentioned again?
I know this has happened on other series (like Chuck on Happy Days, who disappeared without a trace), but I thought the Gunsmoke writers were a little more sophisticated than that.
PS How was Miss Kitty written out?
I think Chester is mentioned once, but I don't remember the episode.
shareDuel (1971) was awesome.
Smoke me a kipper. I'll be back for breakfast
I watched this grand show when I was a kid. Now, in my 50s, I am delighted to be watching it all again thanks to a garage sale where a guy sold me all his videos for a few bucks.
Anyways....
I love Dennis Weavers portrayal of Chester. He may not have been in it as much as he wished, but his moments shine bright.
In Season 3, ep 2, Gun For Chester, Dennis Weaver does an outstanding rendition of his own character who is not only scared, but he is scared with a gun! Although, he moves slowly and cautiously, the fear never left his eye. It was a spectacular performance that didn't go unnoticed.
In Season 3, ep 10, Never Pester Chester, the last few minutes between Arness and Weaver was moving, but Weaver has the spotlight as he weeps and feels sorry for himself for himself. Unnecessarily, he feels terrible for 'causing so much trouble', one could almost cry at his convincing portrayal.
Smoke me a kipper. I'll be back for breakfast
ever so sorry, grizz......... I was positive I'd read a post of yours on a different thread (quite some time ago) regarding Dennis Weaver's career with Gunsmoke. I've read over 100 of your Thread posts (and several of your reviews, btw), and I truly didn't believe I was putting you in a position that could "disappoint" any posters, or give anyone any false hope regarding your ability to offer insight, or answer questions. Please excuse me for honouring your fountain of knowledge.
Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought an idiot - than to open it and remove all doubt!
"Puddle" would be more-accurate, I think. <grin>
shareChester ... Does anyone know if his drawl was natural or affected?
He has also said he wanted to stretch as an actor...try new things..
share[deleted]
Dennis was in fact nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Emmy in 1958 for his career-defining role of Chester Goode...he WON it the next year (Milburn Stone was the only additional cast member to win an Emmy nearly 10 years later in 1968).
You can see the brief Emmy footage as part of the extras on the cool "Gunsmoke--50th Anniversary Collection" two-DVD set that came out in 2006 about a month before Dennis's passing. He provided full-length commentary for original pilot "Hack Prine" plus his favorite episode, 1961's "Chesterland." Inexplicably, none of the extras appear on the individual season sets btw. And home movies that he captured in 1957-1958 while Gunsmoke was on location and his infamous if good-natured 1959 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show where he tripped while doing Chester's patented stiff-legged gallop around a mini obstacle course are further icing on the cake.
https://www.amazon.com/Gunsmoke-50th-Anniversary-Collection-Volumes/dp/B000BITUYI/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1471387445&sr=1-1&keywords=gunsmoke+50th+anniversary+collection
Conducted on September 24, 2002, Dennis's two-hour Archive of American Television finds him explaining how he developed Chester's country bumpkin accent. While he was attending the University of Oklahoma he befriended a kid from Okarche County, Oklahoma, who had such a thick accent that you could hardly understand him. Later Dennis imitated him at parties when he was immersed in the New York theater, receiving plenty of laughs in the process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7M6P7x--HU&feature=youtu.be&t=20m14s
Later if you go to the 27:00--27:35 minute span Dennis busts out his iconic catchphrase, "Mister Dillon!"
In the last quarter of "The Fourth Victim," a thrilling episode from the final season broadcast on November 4, 1974, Chester is briefly mentioned--Quint Asper is too--by gunsmith Newly O'Brien as being jury members years ago. That's the only time I can recall. Here's a synopsis posted on IMDB by Peter Harris.....
The Fourth Victim: "Late one night, a man (seen only from the shoulders down or in silhouette) enters the Dodge House Hotel, swipes a room key, lets himself into the room and goes back to return the key. A few minutes later, the room's occupant comes in. As he shuts the door, he looks up and sees the silhouette -- pointing a rifle at him. The slug drills him through the heart, but there is no sound of the shot and he's not discovered until the next morning. Newly thinks that someone could fashion a device to silence muzzle blasts. Matt sends word throughout Dodge and the nearby communities to form a street police force. But the killer strikes again the next night, and the next. Matt's now convinced that the serial killer is choosing his victims for a specific purpose -- most likely because they served on a jury. Matt questions Doc, who's lived in Dodge the longest, about the juries he remembers serving on and whether he remembered the men who served with them and who they judged. From Doc's information, Matt figures that Doc himself is the next on the list. But when the chief suspect is reported already dead, Matt must try to find the killer all over again."
whew! I am still in the 1950s... at the rate I am going, it will take me just under on year to get to the 70s... but it will b worth it. I enjoyed it when I was a kid... I am enjoying it now as an adult.
Thanks Jeremy jr for the info.
Smoke me a kipper. I'll be back for breakfast
You're most welcome, StarGazer. You can think of your long quest in watching every Gunsmoke episode as chock full of many future hidden treasures just waiting to be unearthed.
Sincerely,
Jeremy
Some additional, definitive Dennis Weaver performances as Chester:
1. "Doc Judge" (February 6, 1960).......While Matt is out of town, an ex-convict comes hunting Doc, believing despite the doctor's protests that he is the judge who sentenced the man to a long stretch in prison. For anybody that thinks Chester is a deluxe hillbilly fool, think again--he's intelligent here, recognizes the villain's unhinged state when nobody else does, and single-handedly defeats him with nary a marshal in sight; just a suspenseful, well-written episode http://watchseries.cr/series/gunsmoke/season/5/episode/22
2. "The Ex-Urbanites" (April 9, 1960.....Far from Dodge, Chester finds himself in the uncomfortable position of trying to extract a bullet in order to save Doc's life after the two are ambushed by a pair of savage prairie wolfers.....Chester has some good scenes with future replacement Ken Curtis.....and he defeats the wolfers all by himself.....the moment when he breaks down and begs God to heal Doc brought a tear to my eyehttp://watchseries.cr/series/gunsmoke/season/5/episode/30
3. "Tell Chester" (April 20, 1963; one hour episode)........Polly is looking forward to marrying Wade, a co-worker at her father's business. She tells Chester she loves him too but as a friend. When Chester is out hunting he helps a sick woman and finds she is already married to Wade, and he promises not to tell Polly............the two minute span between the 29:00 and 31:00 minute mark demonstrates Dennis's gifted acting ability; he gets so angry that he loses his patented twangy accent and sounds like himself in real life (e.g. "Somebody oughta squash you like a bug!".......and he defends himself admirably when the bad guy tries to kill him http://watchseries.cr/series/gunsmoke/season/8/episode/32
4. "Daddy Went Away" (May 11, 1963; one hour episode)......Chester's casual scenes with the pre-Dallas, 11-year-old Morgan Brittany are always a delight but the moment when he reveals his true feelings about the supposed widow to Marshall Dillon is right on the mark: "Well I know one thing Mister Dillon...what I feel is...well it's just different than anything that I've ever felt before. It's different..." http://watchseries.cr/series/gunsmoke/season/8/episode/35
5. "Quint's Trail" (November 9, 1963; one hour episode)......skip all the limp romantic Quint scenes and focus on the Chester subplot; he sits in the marshal's chair and is briefly mistaken for the man himself by a family needing a guide to take them to Oregon; Chester says he is up for the task but Matt comes in and squashes his intentions, instead recommending Quint; it's disappointing to watch Chester's friends (i.e. Matt, Doc, & Kitty) make fun of his inability to do anything right; later Chester takes matters into his own hands and tracks down the guy who stole the family's nest egg; the moment at 33:45 minutes in when Chester ropes the hombre & physically drags him backward on foot has to be seen to be believed; and oh yeah for a supposed idiot trail guide Chester beats bona fide Indian Quint to their destination, returning the family's stolen money; a rare opportunity to see Chester revel in his victory http://watchseries.cr/series/gunsmoke/season/9/episode/7
I am totally enjoying these old shows, Jeremy Jr. My wife and I use Gunsmoke to wind down for the evening. It took her a little while to convince her that this was more than a western... it's a show about people and decisions and life. The moral and ethical value of this show is tremendous. She is now a big fan of Matt, Kitty, Doc and Chester.
A small thrill we get is to see the quest stars... like Mory Amsterdam, John Anderson, Vic Perrin, Barbara Eden, Robert Vaughn, Deforest Kelly, Angie Dickinson... on and on... and we are just at season 3! We've yet to recognize tons more.
My mother used to watch this show too. As for myself, a huge Star Trek fan, I started to tune into Gunsmoke in the 70s. The episode I recall most was a 2 part ep. called 'Snow Train'... I remember there was a life and death dilemma that the Marshal had to make.
Great acting, camera work, lighting, directing, the sets are splendid... but the writing and stories and dialogue are above and beyond.
Smoke me a kipper. I'll be back for breakfast
StarGazer, you're totally on the money here.....there's just not a quality show like Gunsmoke on TV anymore......and we're all the worse for it. Love the story about your wife becoming a recent Gunsmoke fan! Sounds like you picked the right lady to spend your life with. I seriously envy you.
As for the guest stars, they really start appearing in earnest once the show transitioned to an hour format in 1961. Charles Bronson did two Gunsmoke appearances early on before he was a household name ("The Killer" from the first season in 1956 has him playing one of the most low down bad guys ever.....to senselessly murder an innocent cowboy on the prairie while supposedly shaking out a blanket filled with fleas is a scene I'll never forget. Plus the cowboy had just eaten supper with Bronson and had lay down on his bed roll for the nite!).
For probably the most famous guest star I'd nominate Bette Davis in "The Jailer," a color episode from 1966. You oughta track that one down, as TV Guide added it to their list of the "Top 50 Dramatic Episodes of All Time." Also an early appearance by the scene-chewing Bruce Dern, aka the guy who had the nerve to shoot John Wayne in the back in The Cowboys.
You can watch it here............http://watchseries.cr/series/gunsmoke/season/12/episode/3
Here's a summary written by IMDB user Peter Harris for "The Jailer:" Etta Stone is the matriarch of a crime family, whose husband was hanged and three sons imprisoned six years earlier at Matt's instigation. Now the sons have gotten out of jail and their first order of business is to kidnap Kitty, forcing Matt to come alone to rescue her. He gets a dire welcome when he sees a do-it-yourself working gallows right in the Stone front yard, and he is quickly seized and locked in the barn (Kitty is locked in the house). Etta Stone, with the help of the three imprisoned sons, tells Matt that he will be hanged from the gallows "on the morning of the second day." The only honest people around are the youngest son and the wife of another son, who have developed a romance of their own. One of the other sons can be bought, but he comes to a bad end -- Etta catches him helping Kitty try to escape and blows her own son away with the rifle she always carries. Now Kitty will also hang for "murder" immediately after Matt does, unless somehow Matt and Kitty can outwit the remaining crooks (which is hard; Matt survives a second botched escape attempt only because Etta demands that he be hanged rather than shot when cornered) and escape Etta herself.
Thanks, Jeremy Jr. My wife is the best. We are definitely ying yang, and learn from each other... (and annoy each other at times). I am organized, and she is (to put a long story short)... NOT! Also, she is a cat person, and I am a dog person... so naturally, we have three cats. I feel lucky to be with her.... she has three sisters, but Jeremy Jr, I want to keep you as a friend.
Anyways........
Ya... Charles Bronson in The Killer was fantastic! CB portrayed a sociopath who murdered unsuspecting persons... and he was terrified of Matt. Brilliant! ... and frightening considering there really are people out there like that. I'll look forward to seeing CB in the other episode.
Last night we watched anther episode with a sociopath, but on a different level. A rancher accuses a homesteader for stealing his horse, and so he hangs him. He learns he mad a mistake and nonchalantly, apologizes to the wife. Pretty sick and tragic, but an interesting study on human behavior.
I am also looking forward to Bette Davis ep.
Smoke me a kipper. I'll be back for breakfast
StarGazer,
Sounds like it was serendipity that your path collided with your lovely significant other. Charles Bronson's second and final Gunsmoke episode came in season four. The "Lost Rifle" episode (aired November 1, 1958) finds him notably playing a good guy at that early stage of his career, but it's a bit of a letdown compared to "The Killer." Those 30-minute black and white episodes were perfectly crafted character studies of prairie folks often experiencing bleak, insurmountable conditions.