Gunsmoke (TV Series) Matt Gets It (1955) User Reviews

Good first episode

[gordonl56 · 7/10 · 25 May 2016]

GUNSMOKE "Matt Gets It" 1955

GUNSMOKE was the longest running western TV series ever. The series last for 20 years and a total of 635 episodes. (Plus several TV movies) The lead, James Arness, plays Dodge City Marshall, Matt Dillion. Over the years cast regulars included, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Dennis Weaver, Ken Curtis, Burt Reynolds and many others. The list of guest stars is endless.

In this episode, the first of the series, the episode is introduced by none other than, John Wayne.

Dodge City Marshall, James Arness is paid a visit at his office by a Sheriff from Texas. The man, Robert Anderson, is in Dodge looking for a fast gun wanted for shooting an unarmed man. The gunman, Paul Richards, is believed to be in Dodge City. Anderson does not want any help arresting Richards. Anderson is just telling Arness what is going on.

Anderson finds Richards in the saloon and calls him out. Richards steps out into the street with Anderson. Arness and his Deputy, Dennis Weaver are both watching from nearby. Iron flashes and Anderson is the last to clear leather.

Now Arness approaches Richards to put the grab on him. Guns are yarded again, with Arness going down with two rounds in him. Richards calmly holsters and returns to the bar.

The just barely alive, Arness, is hauled off to the town doctor, Milburn Stone. It is touch and go for a bit, but Arness pulls through. He slowly recovers while thinking over how the gunfight had gone. He is sure he noticed something odd about Richards during the fight.

Arness, is soon back on his feet gathering his strength for a re-match. When ready, Arness buckles up his gun belt and looks up Richards at his room at the hotel. He calls Richards out and watches Richards closely. For every step Richards takes toward him, Arness takes one back, keeping a good distance between them. Arness is sure that Richards has a fast hand, but that he needs to be close because of poor eyesight.

Guns are pulled again with Richards, again, the quickest. But this time he misses and Marshall Arness drops him. It is Boot Hill time for Richards.

This is a pretty good first episode, with some nice work from both the cast and crew. The episode was directed by Charles Marquis Warren, who also supplied the screenplay.

The look of the episode is quite sharp with one time Oscar nominated, Ernest Miller, in the cinematographer's chair.

A Matter of Pride

[wdavidreynolds · 8/10 · 22 November 2021]

The greatest western television series in history makes its debut with this episode designed for the thirty-minute time slot. In 1955, television was still very much in its infancy. Network executives did not think audiences would accept shows that were longer than thirty minutes in length. (There were even fifteen-minute shows during this time.)

Much has been written about the pioneering nature of the Gunsmoke series as an "adult" western. The series "The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp" starring Hugh O'Brien was introduced a few days prior to Gunsmoke's debut, and the two shows ushered in a new era of dramas that were considered more realistic. Earlier westerns portrayed the main characters as invulnerable, squeaky-clean caricatures.

(One could argue the wise, milk-drinking, upright Wyatt Earp character as portrayed in "The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp" very much fit this same profile. Any student of history that has read anything about the real Wyatt Earp would not recognize the version Hugh O'Brien played.)

John Wayne had been offered the Matt Dillon role but turned it down. He recommended his friend James Arness for the role. Wayne appears at the beginning of this episode to provide an introduction and to clearly lend credibility to the series.

In this story, a brazen, fearless gunman named Dan Grat is involved in some shootings in Amarillo, Texas. He killed two men in a fair fight, and he shot another who was not armed. A man named Bird visits Grat to inform him the unarmed, injured man has died. Now Grat is wanted for murder. He is extremely fast on the draw, and he is confident he can outdraw anyone he faces.

(The John Wayne introduction and the opening scene where Bird visits Grat to inform him of the unarmed man's death are sometimes edited out of the broadcasts to allow more commercial time.)

Jim Hill, the sheriff in Amarillo arrives in Dodge City and pays a courtesy visit to Marshal Matt Dillon. Sheriff Hill knows Grat was on his way to Dodge. The Marshal offers his assistance, but Sheriff Hill refuses.

Hill and Grat eventually find one another, and Grat kills the Sheriff. When Matt Dillon tries to arrest Grat, Grat challenges the Marshal to try to outdraw him. Unfortunately, Dillon is no match for Grat, either. Matt is shot and left for dead.

As he would do repeatedly during the twenty-year run of the series, Doc Adams manages to save Matt's life.

Meanwhile, with Matt out of commission, Grat fearlessly terrorizes the people of Dodge. Matt knows the man must be stopped. Doing so will require another showdown between the two, and Grat has already proven to be the superior talent with a gun.

Paul Richards portrays the Dan Grat character in this episode. Richards's acting career was distinguished by playing this primarily emotionless, matter-of-fact character. Dan Grat is one of those amoral characters in which John Meston specialized. (Meston authored this story, although Charles Marquis Warren wrote the screenplay and directed and produced the episode.) Richards would go on to participate in four Gunsmoke episodes.

Robert Anderson had roles in several television westerns over the years, and the parts were usually smaller or uncredited roles. He plays the part of Sheriff Jim Hill in this episode. Anderson returned for another three episodes in the series.

Actor Malcolm Atterbury was just beginning his acting career when this episode was filmed. He has a small part as the character known only as Bird. Over the next several years, Atterbury would return in more substantial roles for another seven episodes of the series.

Howard Culver makes his first appearance as the clerk at the hotel. He is credited only as "Hotel Clerk," as he would be for several episodes. Later in the series, he would become known as Howie. Culver's last appearance in the series was in the Season 20 episode, "The Fourth Victim." In total, Culver appeared in forty-nine Gunsmoke episodes. Several years earlier, Culver portrayed the character Mark Dillon (the original name of the Matt Dillon character) in a pilot for the Gunsmoke radio show.

The central element of this story is pride. Grat, Hill, and Marshal Dillon all allow pride to dictate their actions. One puzzling aspect is why there was no attempt to overwhelm Grat and arrest him. Everyone is content to face Grat on Grat's terms.

Some sixty-five years after this episode was produced, it may be difficult to understand how groundbreaking this episode and the series that followed was. Before this episode aired, the main characters in television westerns were impervious. They never showed any vulnerability. To have the main character nearly killed is daring for the first episode.

It is worth noting this was actually the second episode filmed for the series. The first was the pilot episode "Hack Prine," which would not air until Episode 26 of Season 1. Many of the settings for the pilot were different than the settings in the rest of the first season and the series.

A simple plot to start the long journey

[kfo9494 · 7/10 · 25 April 2013]

I am sure this was a great episode if I had watched the series in order of production. But I was raised on the color episode and then watched the one hour black and white episodes and the character's already had their identity and form of acting. But after going from the last seasons till this first episode I can say that everyone in the cast is real green.

It really is a simple plot about a man named Dan Grat that is a gunslinger that kills people just for fun. After killing a sheriff, the Marshal calls out Grat for arrest. But Grat is faster and shoots Matt in the chest and head.

But thanks to Doc Adams it is not long before Matt, as a lawman, knows what he has to complete the arrest. He again gets into a show-down with the fast Grat.

I giving a pass on this episode due to the fact that the actors are not established in their parts. The acting was green and the story simple. But I guess you have to start basic to develop a loyal following.

An Adult Western Rides into TV Land

[dougdoepke · 23 September 2007]

The series' first episode-- and who could have guessed that the show would last another 20 years, becoming the longest lasting dramatic series in TV history! There's little indication of such astonishing success in this first installment. It's a good one with an exceptional moment, but otherwise pretty routine. Gunfighter Grat (Paul Richards) arrives in Dodge behind a sheriff from Amarillo looking to take him back. After that, there's a surprising clash with Matt that caused me a double-take to make sure I'd seen it correctly. There's a nice little character question posed by the script-- is it duty or pride that drives Matt to a final showdown. In fact, the problem of runaway pride amounts to something of a sub-text in this initial entry.

John Wayne does a friendly 60 second introduction to the show and lead actor Arness. No doubt, his most note-worthy comment is that Gunsmoke will try to be both adult and realistic. Given that TV's prior programming of Westerns had been along the lines of Hopalong Cassidy and Gene Autry, Wayne's comment proved highly significant. In fact, Gunsmoke's immediate success ushered in a raft of "adult" Westerns that dominated programming for about another ten years. My guess is that this inaugural entry was selected because of the novelty of a lawman's losing a fast-draw contest; thus demonstrating the show's determination to be, as Wayne put it, both adult and realistic. I also suspect that for those folks who tuned in on that long-ago night, the strategy worked, and worked well for many years to come.

We're off to a great start!

[mitchrmp · 10/10 · 6 February 2011]

Starting a Western with John Wayne is just ingenious! What's better than the Duke's seal of approval? He promised it was an adult western, so the subjects would be a bit darker and geared away from kids, and they were! I'm not sure what makes Gunsmoke so great, but it is. Like all the other Westerns, it holds a bit of magic in each episode.

Of course, Matt has to get shot in the very first episode. This sets us up for future Matt shootings. How many times did he get shot in his twenty years? In this episode, we meet all my favorite characters: Miss Kitty, Doc, and Chester Good. I love Chester! And right off, we get a true picture of just what the Chester/Matt/Doc relationship is going to be...

The man who shot Matt played in an episode of The Rifleman. I saw him in something else the other day (The Loner, i think). He's great. This is really the first time I've seen him as a "bad" guy.

Great beginning!

There Are Two Versions of this Episode

[theartfuldodger2012 · 10/10 · 1 February 2017]

I had recently watched this episode, for the first time, on MeTV and it blew me away. One of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed in 62 years of watching television. More on why later.

A few weeks later however I noticed that it was being repeated on that same channel during a holiday special run of several back-to-back episodes. Much to my surprise, this was a different version. Same story, but the screen writing was very pedestrian, the directing lackluster and the episode was nothing special at all.

Everything lies in the execution.

But if you ever have the privilege of viewing the version NOT directed by Charles Marquis Warren, you will know what I'm talking about when I say that this is something special.

While Mr Warren isn't much of a director (in my opinion), he is a hell of a writer. The story outlines three themes that will be repeated periodically throughout the 20 year series run:

1. A REAL lawman in the old west couldn't pick and choose his opponents. He had to stand up for the law each and every time, even in situation when he knew he was probably facing certain death. Matt Dillon was such a man.

2. In a gunfight, it isn't only about how fast you can draw. It takes "sand" to stand there and take that extra split second to aim before you squeeze one off. All the while knowing that your opponent is aiming his gun at you with the intention of killing you.

3. Dillon survived as a lawman not only because he was a big man who was quick with a gun, but because he was smart as well. It was his brains that allowed him to survive this episode.

Short-sighted

[darbski · 10/10 · 31 July 2018]

***SPOILERS*** The reason I say short-sighted will be evident. This is a great beginning to a the greatest of television westerns. After it becomes evident that Matt (or someone just like him) has to take down Grat, they go at it, and Grat almost kills Matt. Mat lives, but it takes some time to recover. During that recovery, Matt figures out a serious flaw in Grat's gunplay. He's nearsighted. When they finally meet up inside the Dodge House lobby, there is just enough distance between them for Matt to kill him. Paul Richards (kind of a Stuart Whitman lookalike) does a good job of dying on cue, and he doesn't take too long at it. Long-term fans of the show, as am I, will note that the Marshal's office is different from the set used in later episodes. I like this one better, but.... oh, well.. Amanda Blake was a real fox when she was young, and Milburn Stone actually had dark hair. James was athletically built, and the whole thing just reminded me of sitting on the floor, in front our Zenith round-tube T.V. when I was 7 years old. What a great time to be alive, and a kid. I was very lucky. This was a 10. I will brook no dispute.

a semi-auspicious start

[grizzledgeezer · 8/10 · 4 July 2013]

This first episode (there is no pilot, as the radio show was presumably the "pilot" *) only hints at would a fine series "Gunsmoke" would become.

It suffers from uncomfortable performances and clunky direction. Though part of this is doubtless due to simple unfamiliarity, a good part has to be due to the script, which sounds like a more or less direct transcription of a radio script. (John Meston is given story credit.)

There are some unintentionally risible lines. When Grat challenges the sheriff sent to get him, he says "If you want me… You come take me.", then "Closer'n that, sheriff, a lot closer… If ya want me." Perhaps what Grat really wants is a date for the next bull dance.

James Arness is remarkably youthful. He looks enough like the comic-book character that he'd have made an excellent Superman. (Note the forelock.) Of course, the point of this episode is to reveal that Matt is not invincible -- which is frankly remarkable, and the thing that makes this episode such a standout.

The music is generally superior to what would come later, with one lapse in taste -- as Chester rides up, we hear a bit of "Turkey in the Straw", to remind us that Chester is a hick. No music credit is given, so the score was probably assembled from existing cues.

For all its minor failings, you'd be hard-pressed to find another 1955 TV oater of this quality.

PS: In the opening scene, as Matt walks through the graveyard, you can see one of the cardboard headstones flapping in the breeze.

* Actually, there is a pilot. It was shown about halfway through the first season. It is, oddly, better-acted and directed, and has distinctly different cinematography.

Matt Gives As Good As He Gets!!!

[zardoz-13 · 10/10 · 3 July 2023]

By now, every enlightened "Gunsmoke" fan knows superstar John Wayne introduced this landmark adult western television series to audiences and praised its towering star-James Arness as U. S. Marshal Matt Dillon of Dodge City, Kansas. During a preamble for the first show, Wayne appeared on camera and predicted the show would be a classic. Whether blessing or curse, "Gunsmoke" reigned as the longest running, prime-time, television shows in CBS-TV history. The sun rose on the show in 1955 and then set on it in 1975. The time limit format would change, too. The end credits for 233 "Gunsmoke" episode would roll around the 30-minute mark. Seasons one through six lasted a half-hour. By comparison, 402 episodes were 60 minutes in length. This black & white debut episode entitled "Matt Gets It" served not only to introduce the primary characters-Mister Dillon, Chester, Doc, and Kitty-but also it established the gallantry of Matt Dillon. One man might take another in a gunfight, but it was a gamble for both opponents. As many "Gunsmoke" afficionados know, the opening gunfight christened each episode for a decade. Even as it was, all we see is two gunmen confronting each other in the classic western showdown trope. They whip out their six-guns and blast away at each other. We never see Matt's opponent after Matt shoots him, and Matt isn't harmed by his opponent's flying lead. You could show action, but you had to sanitize violence in the 1950s. Nevertheless, "Gunsmoke" pioneered the 'adult western.' No, this didn't mean that kiddies were exempt from frontier violence, but "Gunsmoke" amounted to a revisionist western, with an emphasis on law and order.

A desperado on the loose fleeing from a charge of murder blows into Dodge City. Dan Grat (Paul Richards of "Four Fast Guns") has a reputation for being a fast draw. However, he has been hit by hard times. Unbeknownst to him when he opened fire on his opponent, the adversary was unarmed! Amarillo Sheriff Jim Hill (Robert Anderson of "The Left-Handed Gun") warns Matt about Grat. Later, Matt encounters Grat at the Long Branch Saloon. He sends Chester out to alert Hill about Grat's presence. The sheriff and Grat meet in the middle of Main Street. Hill tells Grat to disarm himself and turn away from facing him. Grat lures Hill toward, closing the distance between the two adversaries. Grat drops Hill and adds a couple of shots for good measure. Matt intervenes, but he proves himself no match for Grat! He takes a slug in the arm and Grat's other bullet grazes his skull. He lies sprawls in the dust. Grat whines that all he wants is to be left alone to do whatever he wants. Chester and Doc get the fallen lawman up to Doc's upstairs office. Naturally, Ms. Kitty is alarmed. Nevertheless, Matt makes a surprising recovery, takes daily hikes to restore his stamina, and challenges Grat again. This time the showdown takes place in the Dodge House. Repeatedly, Matt warns Grat not to close the distance between them. Matt surprises the cocksure gunslinger and drills him at the foot of the stairs. Matt emerges triumphant, but not without some grief. Of course, Matt would face the same perils on a regular basis, but he always came through in the end. Richards registers strongly as the villain who refuses to be brought to justice.

Fairly simple for the premiere episode

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 5 July 2022]

This is basically just about Matt Dillon getting shot by an outlaw, and focuses on his recovery and when is it too soon for Matt to go back out after him. Not much meat on the bones.

What is interesting to see is how the characters evolve. In the beginning Matt is much more impulsive than he is even later on in the first season. Doc Adams is acting like some kind of surrogate father to Matt. And Miss Kitty acts much more involved with Matt than later on in the series as their relationship becomes very low key. You do see a start of what is one of the fun teams on Gunsmoke - well meaning Chester annoying the rather irascible but dedicated Doc Adams.

It does do a good job of adapting to TV something that had been a staple of old time radio. If you ever see any other radio shows adapted to TV, often the more pedestrian ones act like they are still on the radio. The actors AND the writers deal with dialogue that makes it seem like the audience cannot see them. Early talkies had a similar problem - Actors behaving like the audience could not hear them.

The start of a great TV Series

[cpolster · 8/10 · 15 July 2023]

Anyone that likes westerns will enjoy Gunsmoke. The introduction by John Wayne is a great lead in to introduce James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon as well for Milburn Stone as Doc Adams, Dennis Weaver as Chester and Amanda Blake as Kitty, later Miss Kitty Russell.

When you watch Gunsmoke in other episodes you will see many actors from the older B Westerns and other TV series. Thru the years some of the cast had different repeat roles and many went on to other TV shows and movies. That is a long list of both men and women.

This episode I rated an 8 which is a good start. The page story line is hard to add to. This show has proven John Wayne's introduction at the beginning of the show, Growing up, Gunsmoke was one show we watched on TV,. Late 50's and on and I still watch every chance I can, Gunsmoke in my opinion is the best western show to watch many tines over.

Interesting introduction by John Wayne

[Paularoc · 6/10 · 15 September 2012]

I watched this show regularly for its entire 20 year run. The best thing about this episode was John Wayne's introduction (to my surprise, he introduced himself as "Wayne" and not his full name). All the main supporting characters for the first several years of the series are introduced: Doc, Miss Kitty and Chester. I suppose it was shocking that the lead was shot in the very first episode but when I watched this episode last week, there was nothing about it to indicate that this would be such a long running series. The show is without an iota of humor (Festus later added a bit of humor), and Arness certainly was no great shakes as an actor. However, the business about pride or duty, as another reviewer mentioned, was intriguing. And maybe because the question even arose is why its referred to as an adult Western.

The Beginning Of "Gunsmoke"

[StrictlyConfidential · 7/10 · 23 June 2021]

"Matt Gets It" (episode 1) was first aired on television September 10. 1955.

(*Matt Dillon quote*) - "I hear Dan Grat killed Frank Scarth."

Anyway - As the story goes - Justice proves costly for U. S. Marshal Matt Dillon when he tries to stop a notorious gunslinger's homicidal rampage.

Matt Gets It

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 10 January 2024]

Dan Grat (Paul Richards) is a wanted gunman who arrives at Dodge City. He's a fast draw who provokes his opponents to draw.

Grat was involved in some shootings in Amarillo, Texas. He killed two men in a fair gunfight but shot another man dead who was not armed. That upsets Grat.

Chasing him to Dodge City is Sheriff Hill hoping to arrest Grat for murder. Hill is not fast enough for Grat and is shot dead.

It is now up to Marshal Matt Dillon to challenge Grat and Matt ends up seriously wounded. Doc Adams manages to save Matt's life as Grat stays on terrorising the city.

It leads to another showdown between the two, this time Matt hopes to be faster and sees a weakness in Grat that he hopes to take advantage of.

The first episode of the long running series Gunsmoke has a special introduction from John Wayne. He calls it a more adult type western.

It is shot a little differently, it has more mature aims compared to the likes of The Lone Ranger. The villain is a drat, Richards plays him well.

Mixed messages

[tamsin-parker-262-538925 · 7/10 · 6 June 2020]

A lot of things could be solved without the use of guns. The scene that kicks off the plot is Grat learning that the man he killed was unarmed, and Dillon wishes that he could argue instead of having to draw. Had Dillon been unarmed when he confronted Grat, Grat wouldn't have touched him. But Doc rightly points out that it's not about the law, it's about pride. So many times in the series Dillon would kill people, and there would be a later episode where he has nightmares about the people he killed. He doesn't just want to have the moral high ground, he wants to be the best. I think that Charles Marquis Warren was also trying to make a case for the Second Amendment. I know that 'Gunsmoke' is only entertainment, but it's very of its time, and I think that film and television is political, even when it doesn't intend to be. Particularly in the 1950s. There's not much racial representation but Dodge City is depicted to be very territorial. Although because it's in Kansas, that makes sense. I don't know where Dillon's from but his accent isn't very Kansan, but I digress. Grat is from Amarillo, Texas, and like many guest stars in TV Westerns he's an unwanted stranger. I can't figure out what exactly his motives are. I thought that part was unclear. 'Gunsmoke' is an artfully shot series. The lighting, for its time, is cinema quality. No offense to the costume designers but Miss Kitty is clearly wearing Dior's New Look.