It’s a clear sign that you’ve got a good job when you want to spend all your time there, even on your days off.
Amanda Blake was a member of the Gunsmoke cast for over fifteen years, so there’s little question about whether she enjoyed herself. However, to quell any lingering fears as to just how fond Blake was of the series, she actually revealed in an interview with TV Guide that she enjoyed spending time on set even when she wasn’t needed for filming.
Blake said, “I feel just as much at home in that saloon as I do here — more so because I spend more time there!” At the time of the interview in 1964, Gunsmoke didn’t even seem close to slowing down, though Blake seemed to dread a day when the series would be over for good.
She said, “When the show ends, I’ll have ’em pack up that set and move it out here. I don’t know what I’d do without it — and besides, the bar is practical!”
Blake’s loyalty to the series had been paid back to her in full, making her a television star. In an interview with the Ottowa Citizen, Blake said, “As Kitty Russell of Gunsmoke I’ve achieved status not only in the eyes of the industry, but in my own eyes, I’ve become a successful actress, and I made it the hard way. No one gave me anything in this business except my start at Metro. I’ve struggled all the way.”
In another interview with the Burlington Free Press, Blake said, “I went into Gunsmoke thinking I could get established on the show. If the show was successful, I thought I could become a name in the business. Then, as the years went by, I thought to myself, ‘This is marvelous.'” She continued, “I’m very grateful.”