The Gunsmoke set was very similar to other big television productions in how they established the mood. U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon actor James Arness was known to be a kind-hearted man with a warm energy that comforted the cast and crew surrounding him. However, there was strictly one “naughty” word that the network didn’t allow anyone to say on the Gunsmoke set without having to put a nickel in the jar.
‘Gunsmoke’ was made from scratch from the radio iteration
According to Broadcast Telecasting, there was a lot to establish before filming on the Gunsmoke set took place. They didn’t have the luxury of simply capturing the radio show scripts on camera because CBS had a much grander vision in mind for the show. Decision-makers thought it was most effective for them to start entirely from scratch and build it up from there.
However, both the radio and television iterations constructed Gunsmoke to fit within the genre of adult dramas. There were some initial rumors that movie star John Wayne was to play Matt, but he turned it down. The truth was that he recommended Arness for the part. Wayne didn’t care for television Westerns, although he was confident enough in this one to introduce the first episode.
The word ‘Western’ was a ‘naughty’ word on the ‘Gunsmoke’ set
Who’s out there in TVLand remembers GunSmoke? I’m watching it now… I had to take u way back to 1962 ?? pic.twitter.com/oh0gbUVNzc
— Dr. Sharrieffa Barksdale OLY (@sbark1984) February 27, 2018
Broadcast Telecasting wrote that the Gunsmoke set had a particular “naughty” word that nobody was allowed to say–Western. They considered categorizing the television show within the genre to be “taboo” during production, which was also the case with the original radio version.
However, the television show took it a step further with a punishment tied to the other end of letting the word roll off the tongue. The network’s publicity department wanted people to associate Gunsmoke with the drama genre, rather than as a Western. As a result, anybody in the production who said the word “Western” had to put a nickel in the “coffee kitty.”
CBS knew that if they followed the tropes that one would expect from the show, it wouldn’t do well. As a result, they brought in Charles Marquis Warren to properly adapt the show from the radio series. They took their time filming the pilot and getting the series up and running before it became the well-oiled machine that practically ran itself.
Despite the word “Western” that CBS didn’t want to be spoken on the Gunsmoke set, audiences would come to know the show as such, but also as a drama. However, they were right to pivot the series into an area that was unlike anything else already on television. It ultimately influenced the adult Western genre, bringing in viewers of all ages.
Gunsmoke taught its audiences about honesty, personal responsibility, among other valuable lessons. It provided the youngins with this messaging, but it also provided older audiences with more mature themes that would keep them hooked. No other Western show on television could compete with the heights that it grew to.