Doc Adams, Gunsmoke question

[rwsmith]

She had a heart of gold.....

I always wondered why Ms. Kitty, who is the brothel pimp, never really flirted with or took the customers up the stairs. I mean after all she was suppose to be a prostitute running the local cat house. Never made much sense to me especially in later years they could at least made her character a little more risque.

As far as the doctor, yeah he made house calls and traveled to the patients. However, I do remember him drinking a lot so while they probably did not make him an alcoholic it definitely gave the impression that he liked to party.

She may have been a shady lady but a good, tough businesswoman, was always generous and took care of her girls like she was their mother. And Matt was her sometimes boyfriend so she couldn't be all bad. I never ever heard her suggest to one of the girls that she and her friend would be more comfortable upstairs. I believe we were supposed to figure that out for ourselves.

 

[Bell Charter Oak Holsters]

Funny stuff and remarkable the responses, like every old fart, I watch it(Gunsmke and every old western I get on the dish) over and over again on the western channel every afternoon. Lord help us! Still fun stuff. They just cain't do it again, damn shame, they are exceptional films. They are not high art hollywood, but they were darn entertaining while you were watching a b&w 16 inch tube and had the family gathered around "TV tables" eating a Swanson "TV dinner". Hell, that wasn't ordinary in my house, that was "Cowboy Night" and it was special. Frozen choclate layer cake from Pepperidge Farm or a Frozen apple pie from Mrs. Smiths, now a little boy in a pair of six cap guns and a Hop A'long Cassidy hat was in cowtown heaven. God Bless, Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers;
Lefty

 

[Big Stick]

I can't believe nobody has keyed on the fact that the historically correct series took place long before the advent of the Tort happy attorney, bent on suing small business' into bankruptcy over violations of the ADA......

Not to mention that not may patients back in the 18xx period needed a less than 3% grade for their mobility scooters to make it up the ramp to the office. I guess folks were just heartier and such back then......

 

[Jack Flash]

... I guess folks were just heartier and such back then......

Or they died a lot younger!

 

[Old TexMex]

Matt's wound tally-

TOTAL = 55

The show ran for 20 years.
So, that's only an average of 2.75 wounds per year.
Considerin' that so many were only flesh wounds, ma'am, that ain't nuthin for a man as tough as Matt.

Trivia-
John Wayne was asked by Gunsmoke producers who might be right for the Dillon role. Wayne told them he had a young man under contract that was perfect for the job, and hooked Arness up.
Arness was 6'-6" or 6'-7" tall, depending on who you read.
Peter Graves (Mission Impossible TV series) was his younger brother.
Arness was shot up badly in one leg at Anzio (3rd ID), and spent months in the hospital, having multiple surgeries. The leg bothered him the rest of his life. Ever notice him limping in some episodes?

In my earlier life, (mid '60s) I lived near Santa Barbara, CA and surfed regularly at a spot called Rincon. James Arness also surfed, and I met him there. He was a very soft spoken gentleman. He loved surfing and had been at it for years. His son Rolff was World Champion In 1970.
I suppose all those gunshot wounds from Gunsmoke didn't affect his abilities in the water, except he did, as Lee notes, have a nasty scar on one leg. Never asked about it around the bonfire on the beach.( or why Doc had his office upstairs...)

 

[Skeetr57]

I live in a small town in SC that was established in the 1880's on the railroad. Main street only had one side as the other was the RR tracks. The business district was two blocks long by one block deep. The older main buildings along the main street were all two story, with stairs to the second story between buildings. All of the second floor offices were occupied by professional people, Drs. Dentists and Lawyers. The doctors worked long days, and made house calls at night. Our family doctor did minor surgery in his office with his nurse as anesthesiologist, and I had my tonsils removed in his office when I was 6 or 7 years old. I think that the offices being on the second floor was just efficient utilization of space. It is cheaper to build a two story building than a single story building with the same square footage.

 

[therewolf]

Seems like you partially answered your own question, OP.

The second floor was somewhat up, and away from the

"dirt, dust and general unsanitary conditions"

of the street, IIRC.

Also, Doc always seemed like a bit of a closet alky to me.

As I re-watch episodes, Doc's (Sorry, the actor's name escapes me,

at the moment.) acting is rather brilliant, in that

he adopted many of the mannerisms of a person in the lifelong

grip of booze, and or Laudanum, a popular opium medicinal potion

at the time- wiping the forehead, squinting, constantly butting heads with

Festus, almost steadfast refusal to work at anything but his craft,

a general spirit of antsiness, dislike of loud confrontations, etc.

I would not be surprised to hear he either knew an alcoholic well,

or studied them, before taking on this role , in the show.


Back to the second story thing, in wood buildings, steps are noisy, and

if somebody started up the steps, he would hear them, and

have a few seconds to gather himself, and straighten the place

up, before they started knocking on his door. Not to mention, for

most folks, to go to the trouble of

climbing the steps was more of a commitment of effort than

just sashaying in off the street from the first floor.

Thus, it guaranteed he would have more privacy than if he

were downstairs, somewhere...

 

[the ringo kid]

Doc's education / credentials:
In the TV show, several times over the years Doc mentioned that he studied medicine "back East". I believe he was also a doctor in the Civil War.

In the radio show, Doc is little more than a self-educated quack who would do just about anything to turn a buck.

I believe that back in the 1870s, just about anyone could hang out a shingle and call himself a doctor.

I THINK in season 1, Doc mentioned he was an Army doc, I forget which outfit. Anyway, it was touched on.......

 

[the ringo kid]

I noticed watching the show and your statistics hold it up how often Matt was 'winged'.

Anybody seen this 'alternative' opening that starts about 29 seconds into this video??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqpa8i7R4uM


PS After many years Gunsmoke is my favorite western that I can still enjoy just like when it was first on. Bonanza was great, but something about the flavor just doesn't hold up well and a lot of the stories were really contrived.

Remember when Hoss saw the leprechauns or 'martians'? "Pa, I saw them little green men?

I never seem to get tired of 'The Rifleman" either, except I've seen some of the shows a dozen times. One that I like because it was different was 'The Guns of Will Sonnet'. Wagon train is a little like Bonanza where they are constantly running into unusual situations.

Did you know that the guy Dillon shot in the opening shown, was Leo Gordon? Great character actor.

 

[the ringo kid]

I can't believe nobody has keyed on the fact that the historically correct series took place long before the advent of the Tort happy attorney, bent on suing small business' into bankruptcy over violations of the ADA......

Not to mention that not may patients back in the 18xx period needed a less than 3% grade for their mobility scooters to make it up the ramp to the office. I guess folks were just heartier and such back then......

The shows timeline bounced back from late 1860s through the 1880s.

 

[Jack Flash]

As with most TV series, continuity wasn't Gunsmoke's strong suit. I believe the series did bounce back and forth in time.

Speaking of the Army, Matt mentions that he served, presumably in the Civil War. I don't think he mentioned which side. IIRC, Chester was supposed to have been in the Confederate Army.

 

[the ringo kid]

As with most TV series, continuity wasn't Gunsmoke's strong suit. I believe the series did bounce back and forth in time.

Speaking of the Army, Matt mentions that he served, presumably in the Civil War. I don't think he mentioned which side. IIRC, Chester was supposed to have been in the Confederate Army.

Doc -- Yankee.
Chester--allegedly Confederate.
Dillon-- I THINK mentioned being in a Northern unit as a Lieutenant--but I can't be sure yet?

Most of the rest of any recurring characters, were Yanks. Festus seems like he would have been with Southern arms.

 

[the ringo kid]

Also, beware, we both may be headed for Boot Hill for thread drift.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Also, beware, we both may be headed for Boot Hill for thread drift.

You are so correct!
When the handcart arrives, it's time!

 

[shouldazagged]

I liked the TV show, but preferred the darker radio version that preceded it, with William Conrad as Dillon.

 

[rwsmith]

Before Festus....

Drifting?
How bout Ken Curtis (Festus) singing -
Tumbling Tumble Weeds.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fWR6FLnPack

Before Festus, Ken Curtis played 'Hunky' roles and was in "Mr. Roberts" and one of the co-stars of 'Ripcord'. There is a lot more to Ken Curtis than most people know. I had no idea myself that he was in "The Killer Shrews"

 

[DWalt]

All this Gunsmoke talk made me record what I think what was the very first Gunsmoke episode from Encore Western yesterday (free this weekend). It was from September 1955, and had the John Wayne introduction. It was a very thin plot line. Bad guy (a Southpaw) comes to town, shoots the Amarillo Sheriff (who was chasing the BG for a murder in Amarillo), then shoots Matt, then Matt several days later shoots and kills the BG only because BG was a lousy shot (BG got the first shot off in the second encounter, but Matt was too far away and BG missed). In the first encounter, Matt took a slug to the chest and another grazed his forehead. Of course, Doc Adams sewed up Matt and had him out of bed, on his feet, and in gunfighting condition in just a couple of days. For unexplained reasons, BG stuck around in Dodge while Matt was recuperating. Doc talked Chester out of going after the BG while Matt was out of the fight. Miss Kitty sure looked young in that one, more like a high school girl than a cowtown Madam. I didn't recognize her at first. You couldn't tell if Doc's office was upstairs or downstairs, as the only scenes of it were interiors while Doc was operating, with Chester looking over his shoulder.