[Idaho_Cowboy]

I'm a huge fan of Gunsmoke. Especially the old ones when it was still black and white and Chester played by Dan Weaver was Matt's partner. He really did a great job being the comedy relief without being ridiculous; not that Festus was bad he just wasn't quite as good. It really had a gritty feel to it in the early days. I love the first episode, where Matt loses the first gunfight. Something that never happened to Gene Autry or Roy Rogers.

I've also seen the first two of the Gunsmoke made for TV Movies, and they were good. I would love to track down the rest of them.

The rifleman is also another favorite of mine.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Correction: Dennis Weaver, forgot to check before I posted. Dennis Weaver was Chester.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***It really had a gritty feel to it in the early days.**

They had good scripts aimed at adults without offending the kids.

All that changed in 1968 when Bobby Kennedy was murdered and TV went into an anti-violence panic. They brought in lots of kids on the show,(even Milburn Stone complained about all the kids now on the show) and dumbed down the scripts.