"When did the name change? It was and still is called the "Chiefs Special"."
Don, I was all set to agree with you. But then I checked the S&W on-line catalog. This is what I found:
"When Smith & Wesson adopted model numbers in 1957, the Chiefs Special became the Model 36."
Model 36 Classics | Smith & Wesson
The times, they are a changing. And I don't like it.