Gunsmoke ** (1953, Audie Murphy, Paul Kelly, Susan Cabot, Charles Drake, Mary Castle, Jack Kelly, Donald Randolph) – Classic Movie Review 7716

Director Nathan Juran’s 1953 Universal Pictures Technicolor Western film Gunsmoke stars Audie Murphy as Reb Kittridge, a young gun-slinging drifter who sees the truth and helps the rancher Dan Saxon (Paul Kelly) and his daughter Rita Saxon (Susan Cabot) he is supposed to shoot in an agreement with bad guy rival rancher Matt Telford (Donald Randolph).

The plot development is as unsurprising as the premise of D D Beauchamp’s screenplay, based on the 1951 novel Roughshod by Norman A Fox, but Gunsmoke is neatly worked out, well shot in Technicolor by Charles P Boyle and competently made.

Also notable in the cast are Jack Kelly, Mary Castle, Charles Drake, Jesse White, William Reynolds and Chubby Johnson.

The film has no connection to the then contemporary radio series Gunsmoke that ran from 1952 to 1961 (with Marshal Matt Dillon played by William Conrad) and later TV series Gunsmoke that ran for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975 (with Marshal Matt Dillon played by James Arness).

The film started filming in June 1952 under the title of Roughshod and shooting took place in Big Bear Lake, California. It was released on 4 May 1953 (US).

It is the first of three Westerns Murphy made with Nathan Juran over two years.

Gunsmoke is directed by Nathan Juran, runs 79 minutes, is made and released by Universal Pictures, is written by D D Beauchamp, based on the 1951 novel Roughshod by Norman A Fox, is shot in Technicolor by Charles P Boyle, is produced by Aaron Rosenberg, is scored by Herman Stein, and is designed by Robert F Boyle and Alexander Golitzen.

Audie Murphy stars as Reb Kittridge in Gunsmoke.

The cast are Audie Murphy as Reb Kittridge, Susan Cabot as Rita Saxon, Paul Kelly as Dan Saxon, Charles Drake as Johnny Lake, Mary Castle as Cora Dufrayne, Jack Kelly as Curly Mather, Jesse White as Professor, Donald Randolph as Matt Telford, William Reynolds as Brazos, Chubby Johnson as Doc Farrell.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7716

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