The Gunsmoke movies (made after the Gunsmoke TV series ended) air fairly frequently on Encore Westerns. They pick up with Matt Dillon as having retired to ranching, and has a daughter. Fairly well-made movies.
I never saw the after series TV movies. Darn...I’ll have to tvo Arness and hope.
He had a daughter?!!! What was the backstory? I don’t imagine it was Kitty...she was a wonderful character, but pretty old by the time the show ended. Let me guess, some widow from back east that had a daughter, that was killed by Indians...then he adopted the girl. That sounds like a Gunsmoke kinda story.
I have never know the identity of the poor sap that Matt Dillon gunned down every week in the opening of “Gunsmoke”. He was a weekly loser.
On a personal note, “Gunsmoke” premired the night before I was born, so I missed that. Great series. I have seen the intro that John Wayne did for GS. James Arness seemed to tower over Wayne who was no lightweight himself at 6’-4”.
RIP Matt.