Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) (TV)

Director:

Vincent McEveety

Writer:

Jim Byrnes (written by)

Release Date:

26 September 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Western

Tagline:

In a Lawless Land Ruled by the Gun, He's the Law.

Plot:

Will Mannon, "product of the Devil's loins," is released from a frontier prison and promptly goes in search of the people who put him there some 12 years ago -- Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell. |

Plot Keywords:

Shootout | Pistol | Gunfight | U.S. Marshal | Cowboys And Outlaws

Cast

James Arness	...	Matt Dillon
Amanda Blake	...	Kitty
Buck Taylor	...	Newly
Fran Ryan	...	Hannah
Earl Holliman	...	Jake Flagg
Ken Olandt	...	Lt. Dexter
William Morgan Sheppard	...	Digger McCloud (as W. Morgan Sheppard)
Patrice Martinez	...	Bright Water
Tantoo Cardinal	...	Little Doe
Steve Forrest	...	Will Mannon
Mickey Jones	...	Oakum
Frank Totino	...	Logan (as Frank M. Totino)
Robert Koons	...	Warden Amos Brown
Walter Kaasa	...	Judge Collins
Georgie Collins	...	Mrs. Collins
Tony Epper	...	Farnum McCloud
Louie Elias	...	Bubba
Ken Kirzinger	...	Potts
Denny Arnold	...	Clyman
Alex Green	...	The Flogger
Paul Daniel Wood	...	Harry
Larry Musser	...	Wilber
Robert Clinton	...	Guard
Frank Huish	...	Watt
Jacob Rupp	...	Hutter
Mary Jane Wildman	...	Indian Woman
Ken Curtis	...	Festus Haggen (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Ted Jordan	...	Nathan Burke (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
Tom Brown	...	Ed O'Connor (flashback sequence) (archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Milburn Stone	...	Dr. Galen Adams (flashback sequence) (uncredited) (archive footage)
Glenn Strange	...	Sam, the Bartender (flashback sequence) (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Vincent McEveety

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jim Byrnes		written by

Produced by
Stanley Hough	....	supervising producer (as Stan Hough)
John Mantley	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerrold Immel

Cinematography by
Charles Correll		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ray Daniels

Casting by
Pam Polifroni

Production Design by
Albert Heschong

Set Decoration by
Bruce Sinski

Makeup Department
Iloe Flewelling	....	hair stylist
Byrd Holland	....	makeup artist: James Arness
Al Magallon	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Shirley Gill	....	unit production manager (as Shirley J. Gill)
Norman S. Powell	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bud Grace	....	first assistant director
Joe Thornton	....	second assistant director (as E. Joseph Thornton)

Art Department
Rick Janzen	....	stand-by painter
D. Brent Lane	....	property master
Don Anderson	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
G. Michael Graham	....	sound editor
George Tarrant	....	production sound mixer
Kelly Zombor	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Wayne Beauchamp	....	special effects coordinator

Stunts
William H. Burton	....	stunt coordinator: USA (as Bill Burton)
Brent Woolsey	....	stunt coordinator: Canada

Camera and Electrical Department
Jerry Bertolami	....	key grip
Jim Gregor	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Gordon Schmidt	....	lamp operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Bette Chadwick	....	casting: Edmonton
Diane Rogers	....	casting: Calgary

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Frances Harrison Hays	....	costume supervisor (as Frances Hays)

Editorial Department
Cosmas P. Bolger	....	post-production executive (as Cosmas Bolger)

Music Department
Robert Drasnin	....	music supervisor
Robert Takagi	....	music editor

Other crew
Temple Anderson	....	script supervisor
Tana Tocher	....	caterer
Paul L. Tucker	....	production executive (as Paul Tucker)
Karen Redford	....	production secretary (uncredited)

Thanks
Roy Barcroft	....	dedicatee: in memory of
Woody Chambliss	....	dedicatee: in memory of (as Woodrow Chambliss)
James Nusser	....	dedicatee: in memory of
Charles Seel	....	dedicatee: in memory of
Milburn Stone	....	dedicatee: in memory of
Glenn Strange	....	dedicatee: in memory of
Charles Wagenheim	....	dedicatee: in memory of

Production Companies

• CBS Entertainment Production (as CBS Entertainment Productions)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Distributors

• CBS / Fox Video (1988) (Greece) (VHS)
• CBS Worldwide Inc.
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1987) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | Iceland:16 | Canada:G | Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company:

CBS Entertainment Production

Trivia:

The revolver used at the beginning by the vengeance-seeking escaped convict is a Merwin Hulbert 1st Model, an advanced design for its day and a relatively popular revolver, being fourth best-selling after Smith & Wesson, Colt, and Remington, in that order. Its scarcity today is a result of a factory fire, a devastating bankruptcy, and the First World War driving the company out of existence for most of the 20th century.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[to two young Indian boys]
Logan:Git!
[to Dillon, who is carrying a bale of furs]
Logan:Them papooses - I'd keep 'em out if I was you. If it ain't nailed down, they'll steal it.
Matt Dillon:They live here.
Logan:Well, I guess a squaw is better than no woman a'tall, huh?
Matt Dillon:You were given 15 years in territorial prison, Logan. What are you doin' out?
Logan:Lookin' for you. Been a long look, Dillon, but I promised myself I'd pay you back. Here I am.
Matt Dillon:Mister, you aren't the first gunny come lookin' for me. There's two more buried out in back there. Now you better drop the gunbelt.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Followed by Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992) (TV)

It could have been much,much more

It was interesting to see another Gunsmoke chapter.However,with a few changes this could have been a joy to watch.The storyline itself is very good.The poor set lighting (particularly on night and interior shots) is way too dark and makes viewing a chore.The Long Branch scenes really suffer due to this problem.In 20 years of the TV series the production quality was excellent.This made for TV movie looks amateurish due to the dim lighting. James Arness needed drastic makeup help.He looked like someone out of a horror film rather than the clean cut Matt Dillon we knew for 20 years.The Dillon character would not have changed his grooming habits at his age. With better lighting,makeup and camera angles Amanda Blake would have benefited as well. Where the production really missed was in casting.The character Earl Holiman played (Matt's friend) should have been cast with Ken Curtis as Fester Haggen.This would have made the entire story and movie more satisfying.That character's motivation would have been stronger and we the audience deserved as many familiar Gunsmoke regulars as were still living (if Curtis absolutely refused to appear then Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode should have been cast as the friend.Why were Ted Jordan and Tom Brown excluded also?) Steve Forrest as Mannon did the best acting whether in flashback or present.He was a real scene stealer. I agree with the IMDb review that Miss Kitty deserved more than she got at the end from Matt in the final scene. This could have been a much.much better movie.Why wasn't it?