Most of the Gunsmoke regulars like the ones who played Miss. Kitty and Doc did not appear on TZ. Weird but it almost seems like they deliberately avoided doing TZ and somehow seem connected to TZ as Gunsmoke came close to seeming like TZ's sister show.

What you saw was an early version of a "crossover" between two CBS TV series. Not in the sense that occurred later on with characters crossing over, but just actors from the CBS "stable" (no pun intended).

As for actors like Pat Hingle, Dabbs Greer and John Dehner, they appeared in so many TV shows that it's not unusual for them to show up in both of the aforementioned series as well as many others. Dehner in particular guested in several westerns, as did Greer and John Anderson et al. And Arness's voice-over is just an example of cross promotion between two CBS series.

They were only used as samples. There were plenty of more actors in common like superstar John Carradine and character actors like Robert Sorrels.And Robert Hogan. Many actors

No, the TZ ep endings where Arness would talk about Dodge ( and the TZ ep where the condemned man spoke of it)showed what was happening. It was a part of a CBS plan to mix two big shows together. It was a connection. It seems like they deliberately just did not have some of the Gunsmoke ( like Arness himself)regulars do TZ so not to be too obvious.Marley's ghost.

Dennis Weaver's TZ appearance be considered hands down the crossover highpoint! He did good in the role but I bet Ken Curtis would have been even better as Adam Grant dreamer/ condemned man!

@Benton12 said:

Dennis Weaver's TZ appearance be considered hands down the crossover highpoint! He did good in the role but I bet Ken Curtis would have been even better as Adam Grant dreamer/ condemned man!

"Shadow Play" is one of my favorite episodes of TZ (along w/"Walking Distance"). I don't know if Ken Curtis would have been better than Weaver in that, but I thought Weaver's performance was one of his best in anything he did.

Well, you see Ken Curtis was a far more amazing actor than Dennis Weaver. His Festus was not just scripted and directed but relied on the very special and highly unique talents of Mr. Curtis. So if frantic acting was the best Dennis Weaver ever did then a chance at frantic acting by Curtis was expected to be mega-incredible. And a performance that would have made the Emmy association(?) lose all credibility if they did not give KC an Emmy for it.

At least 150 actors did both TZ and Gunsmoke. It's not longetivity of the former. Only around 40 actors in common would have to been for that reason alone! Left-wing M*A*S*H was a Gunsmoke contemporary with some doing the latter after the former and they only had a few actors in common. TZ was indeed Gunsmoke's sister series!

About Shadow Play. Onecurious problem. Mr. Ritchie ( Gunsmoke veteran Harry Townes) has a wife and ( played by also Gunsmoke veteran Wright King) Carson tells him how the former could not have a beautiful wife in real life. But was Mr. Ritchie's wife really a beauty? Certainly a nice enough looking lady but if she was at a party and stood on a coffee table and began dancing around I am not sure that many men at the party would find her great and hot to watch.

Why in blazes did they not bring back Inger Stevens to be his beautiful wife? Would have been her third TZ appearance. She would have mattered more to the plot too.

@Benton12 said:

About Shadow Play. Onecurious problem. Mr. Ritchie ( Gunsmoke veteran Harry Townes) has a wife and ( played by also Gunsmoke veteran Wright King) Carson tells him how the former could not have a beautiful wife in real life. But was Mr. Ritchie's wife really a beauty? Certainly a nice enough looking lady but if she was at a party and stood on a coffee table and began dancing around I am not sure that many men at the party would find her great and hot to watch.

Well, I think we're getting way off topic now. It might be better to discuss this on the TZ forum. In any case, I believe Mr. Ritchie referred to his wife and his nice house, etc.--his entire lifestyle seemed better than he deserved. And frankly, I did feel that his wife was far more attractive than he was. One didn't need Inger Stevens to make that point.

Why in blazes did they not bring back Inger Stevens to be his beautiful wife? Would have been her third TZ appearance. She would have mattered more to the plot too.

There could be many reasons Stevens didn't come back. Unavailable; they and/or she didn't want to be overused on the series; maybe they couldn't reach a contract agreement w/her; maybe the other actress was more affordable; etc.

@Benton12 said:

Well, you see Ken Curtis was a far more amazing actor than Dennis Weaver. His Festus was not just scripted and directed but relied on the very special and highly unique talents of Mr. Curtis. So if frantic acting was the best Dennis Weaver ever did then a chance at frantic acting by Curtis was expected to be mega-incredible. And a performance that would have made the Emmy association(?) lose all credibility if they did not give KC an Emmy for it.

That's a matter of opinion. Weaver was able to carry the lead in a long-running TV series, Curtis never did. Curtis's only award was a Bronze Wrangler Western Heritage Award (in 1967), not individually but as a member of the Gunsmoke cast. In contrast, Weaver was nominated for and won a large number of awards, including prime time Emmys. Weaver also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television. The list is far too long to put here. If you want to see it, go here. And Weaver also turned in an acclaimed performance in Steven Spielberg's film "Duel".

I personally got as tired of the Festus character as I did of the Chester character. And I liked the early Weaver episodes better than the later Curtis episodes. But as I said, it's a matter of opinion.

@pt100 said:

@Benton12 said:

About Shadow Play. Onecurious problem. Mr. Ritchie ( Gunsmoke veteran Harry Townes) has a wife and ( played by also Gunsmoke veteran Wright King) Carson tells him how the former could not have a beautiful wife in real life. But was Mr. Ritchie's wife really a beauty? Certainly a nice enough looking lady but if she was at a party and stood on a coffee table and began dancing around I am not sure that many men at the party would find her great and hot to watch.

Well, I think we're getting way off topic now. It might be better to discuss this on the TZ forum. In any case, I believe Mr. Ritchie referred to his wife and his nice house, etc.--his entire lifestyle seemed better than he deserved. And frankly, I did feel that his wife was far more attractive than he was. One didn't need Inger Stevens to make that point.

Why in blazes did they not bring back Inger Stevens to be his beautiful wife? Would have been her third TZ appearance. She would have mattered more to the plot too.

There could be many reasons Stevens didn't come back. Unavailable; they and/or she didn't want to be overused on the series; maybe they couldn't reach a contract agreement w/her; maybe the other actress was more affordable; etc.

Huh! I did not claim Mr. Ritchie was better looking than his wife!Sure she was better looking than him by far. But not unobtainable was she! Not enough of a dream within a dream was she! And I commented on what Carson said about a beautiful wife!

@pt100 said:

@Benton12 said:

Well, you see Ken Curtis was a far more amazing actor than Dennis Weaver. His Festus was not just scripted and directed but relied on the very special and highly unique talents of Mr. Curtis. So if frantic acting was the best Dennis Weaver ever did then a chance at frantic acting by Curtis was expected to be mega-incredible. And a performance that would have made the Emmy association(?) lose all credibility if they did not give KC an Emmy for it.

That's a matter of opinion. Weaver was able to carry the lead in a long-running TV series, Curtis never did. Curtis's only award was a Bronze Wrangler Western Heritage Award (in 1967), not individually but as a member of the Gunsmoke cast. In contrast, Weaver was nominated for and won a large number of awards, including prime time Emmys. Weaver also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television. The list is far too long to put here. If you want to see it, go here. And Weaver also turned in an acclaimed performance in Steven Spielberg's film "Duel".

I personally got as tired of the Festus character as I did of the Chester character. And I liked the early Weaver episodes better than the later Curtis episodes. But as I said, it's a matter of opinion.

Gunsmoke lasted just great without Chester! He was obnoxious in 'Duel'! He was screaming throughout a quarter of the movie!

Ken Curtis was kinda like Larry Linville ( of Mash). The latter played Frank Burns many different ways and was inimitable. So was was Curtis as Festus! Chester OTOH was played very much the same by Dennis Weaver throughout! He was easy to imitate. No great tour de force was Weaver. McCloud the series was a lot besides just his regular performance in it.

Speaking of gifted Linville he was Bonanza but never made Gunsmoke. He was not one of the Mash performers I wrote above about!

I once was a show where some ladies mafe a chocolate cake with no sugar and they wondered what it'd taste like. Same with Adam Grant played by Ken Curtis. No way to imagine how he would have played the character in court screaming! There are many Gunsmoke outtakes ( see my postings) but none of Ken Curtis. as Festus Haagen It was a real magnificent on screen creation. How did they do it? Darn it where are the bloopers when we need them?