Gunsmoke rig

[Dwight]

I've been watching some old Gunsmoke shows . . . and two things came to mind.

One . . .  just about all of us teen guys were in love with Miss Kitty . . . and I really doubt if any of us knew her age.

She turned 30 . . . same year I turned 15 . . .  and I never had a clue until just a couple years ago.

But # 2 . . .  I really got a chance to take a good look at that "Marshall Dillon" gun rig . . .  and was surprised at the number of bullets he had on that rig.  I'm not sure I could keep my pants up with that weight trying to pull me down.   The more I've seen it . . .  the more I'm probably just gonna make me one.  I'll wear it in a parade or two . . .  then put it on Ebay . . .  and get a reasonable price for a "used" rig.  

May God bless,

Dwight

[billybopp]

10 hours ago, Dwight said:

I've been watching some old Gunsmoke shows . . . and two things came to mind.

One . . .  just about all of us teen guys were in love with Miss Kitty . . . and I really doubt if any of us knew her age.

She turned 30 . . . same year I turned 15 . . .  and I never had a clue until just a couple years ago.

But # 2 . . .  I really got a chance to take a good look at that "Marshall Dillon" gun rig . . .  and was surprised at the number of bullets he had on that rig.  I'm not sure I could keep my pants up with that weight trying to pull me down.   The more I've seen it . . .  the more I'm probably just gonna make me one.  I'll wear it in a parade or two . . .  then put it on Ebay . . .  and get a reasonable price for a "used" rig.  

May God bless,

Dwight

He probably needed all those bullets to help make him look more regular sized - He was nearly 6'7" tall!

[chuck123wapati]

i haven't had a Matt Dillon rig since i was about 8 or 9 lol I still have my Fanner 50 but the holster is long gone. It sure sounds like a fun project. He shot someone every week so he needed a lot of bullets. I still watch the show and check out the holsters. Some of the bad guy holsters are pretty cool too.

[Dwight]

1 hour ago, chuck123wapati said:

i haven't had a Matt Dillon rig since i was about 8 or 9 lol I still have my Fanner 50 but the holster is long gone. It sure sounds like a fun project. He shot someone every week so he needed a lot of bullets. I still watch the show and check out the holsters. Some of the bad guy holsters are pretty cool too.

Years ago I never paid any attention . . .  but the producer and / or director of Bonanza and a few others . . .  must have been anti gun people.  None of them carry even one extra bullet . . .  blank belts all the way around.  

Didn't notice it until I got into holster making . . . then started watching . . . goofy if you ask me.

May God bless,

Dwight 

[JSage]

🤣🤣😁.... Dwight, I too, many years ago when a boy thought it very strange the Bonanza bunch didn't have "cartridge belts". That is until I was a young adult and realized the "era" the show was supposedly portraying 1861 through 1867. The issue wasn't their belts, it was their guns. those Colt model P Peacemaker SAAs hadn't been invented yet! That said, they didn't have a cap or cartridge box either.😉

Yes my wife and I still enjoy the old reruns occasionally.🤠

[fredk]

I've been watching 'Rawhide'. Its sort of set about 1870

They too use the SAA. And the '73 Winchester. Sometimes you see a character using an older style Colt pistol

[MarlinDave]

Most of those shows and movies use 1892 and 1894 Winchester’s, which were developed in those years. Sometimes they take the forearms off and pretend they are Henrys. The movie Joe Kidd has bolt actions with scopes, a Broomhandle Mauser, and an 1895 Winchester. 

[jrdunn]

3 hours ago, MarlinDave said:

Most of those shows and movies use 1892 and 1894 Winchester’s, which were developed in those years. Sometimes they take the forearms off and pretend they are Henrys. The movie Joe Kidd has bolt actions with scopes, a Broomhandle Mauser, and an 1895 Winchester. 

That might be because "Joe Kidd" was set in the early 1900's.  JM2C, Jim

[Lobo]

James Arness (the actor portraying Matt Dillon) was trained, like many other actors, by Arvo Ojalla, a noted holster maker and quick-draw artist of the time. The holster and belt were probably from Ojalla's shop also, as he was the source for a lot of western TV shows and movies. In the opening scene in every episode Mr. Dillon is faced off against a man for a street duel, and that part was played by Arvo Ojalla.

There is a spoof version of the opening scene you can probably find on U-tube in which Dillon faces off against Ojalla, then Dillon gets shot and collapses. Otherwise, a close rendition of the usual episode opening, but Matt Dillon lying dead in the street. They were all probably having a little fun that day.

James Arness was a brother to actor Peter Graves, of the original "Mission Impossible" series and some of the later movies.

The original radio show "Gunsmoke" featured William Conrad (Jake and the Fat Man) as Marshal Dillon.

Alongside Arness in the earlier series as his sidekick was Dennis Weaver as Chester. Later years featured Ken Curtis as Festus Hagin. Mr. Curtis grew up in Las Animas, Colorado where his father was sheriff of Bent County, and spent his teen years tending to the prisoners in the county jail overnight. Went on to a singing career with the Sons of the Pioneers prior to WW2, then went into acting with several excellent performances. I was fortunate to meet Mr. Curtis several times during the 1980s and 1990s, always found him to be a very pleasant gentleman.

Just about everybody in show business had a role in a Gunsmoke episode at some time over the years. Burt Reynolds had his first significant, and recurring, role. Carroll O'Connor (All in the Family) played a number of characters. You name the actor of the period, he probably appears in Gunsmoke.

Nothing about the show "Gunsmoke" is remotely authentic in terms of location, firearms, holsters, or anything else. Pure Hollywood entertainment for the masses.