Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon, Gunsmoke Season Three, Volume 2 finally comes to DVD. This wildly popular series about the Wild West’s own Dodge City (where Dillon is the lawman) ran for well-over a decade. As a matter of fact it ran so long that the series first nine seasons were in black and white and its final seasons were in color. While the color seasons are by far more well-known from reruns, the black and white seasons seem to be the favorites of die-hard, longtime fans. This DVD collection features twenty episodes and helped win the series an Emmy for Best Dramatic Television Series in 1958.
Matt Dillon really comes into his own as a character in the latter half of season three. Arness’s portrayal finds its voice here in the early episodes (which, keep in mind, are midseason). I love seeing the cats really begin to gel, who knew they would have another 17 seasons left before calling it a day?! The show looks beautiful as have the previously released DVDs I have seen. This is an excellent restoration, particularly when critiqued against none CBS released shows of the same era. Gunsmoke had it all, edgy ideas, superb writers, and actors that would become legends long before they retired. If you have never made the trip to Dodge City, I’d start from the beginning for the sake of understanding all the nuances but it’s honestly not that hard to jump in midstream either. No matter which leap you choose, make sure to go through with it. You’ll be happy you did.
Overall I loved this collection. I’m not all that familiar with the series so I’m not sure how it stacks up in the grand scheme of things, but it definitely bodes well when takes as a stand alone season. I bet some great documentaries could be made on this show. Maybe they are saving it all for the final season. When all is said and done though, this show looks and feels like a class act because it is one. Watching this has certainly reminded me that television today is a long way off the mark.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
