Art occasionally mirrors life, but at other times, it responds to or evolves alongside it.
In a turbulent three-month span in 1968, the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shook the very fabric of American society. While these tragic events had immediate impacts, their influence on the world of art and entertainment became evident only as the decade drew to a close.
The action-packed series Gunsmoke was a prime example of this shift. Initially bursting onto the scene in 1955 with its saloon brawls and shootouts, the show was forced into a period of restraint in the late ’60s due to network pressures to reduce on-screen violence.
However, by 1970, Gunsmoke began to reclaim its gritty, Wild West roots. In a pivotal moment, the Associated Press’s Bob Thomas visited the set to interview James Arness (Marshal Matt Dillon) on the day they filmed their first new action sequence, marking a significant return to the show’s original, unbridled spirit.
“That’s the first fight we’ve had in a long time,” Arness told the journalist, “and I suspect that the network will cut it out of the finished show.”
Like many other TV series, Gunsmoke lost its edge in the wake of the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in ’68. These back-to-back murders of high-profile public figures made networks wary, fearing that audiences would find fictional violence distasteful. Amid the tense cultural climate that followed these politically motivated killings, shows like Gunsmoke were severely restricted, unable to feature nearly as much gunplay.
By the time Gunsmoke was filming its 16th season, things were slowly beginning to return to normal in Dodge City.
“We have a little more freedom, but not much,” said Arness. “I understand the reasons for cutting down violence, but I must say it makes it damned hard to film a Western when you can’t use fists or guns.”
Despite these restrictions, Gunsmoke continued to climb in the ratings. By 1969, it had become the second-biggest show on television, regularly drawing in 14.5 million viewers.