Gunsmoke

I watched lots of Westerns when I was growing up. Gunsmoke was my dad's favorite show. My older brother loved it so much he wanted to name the new baby, Matt Dillion. The new brother did get "Matt" as part of his name. In fact, Matthew is his middle name. My two brothers were always playing cowboy games. For guns, they used sticks, and our dogs and chicken were the livestock. Skeeter, the family dog, got tired of getting locked up in a pen and ran off to hide under our house.

My older sister pretended to be Miss Kitty. She wore big hats and lots of make-up. Of course, hoops skirts were no longer in, but that did not bother her. She wore dresses with long fringe on her dresses. When she danced, the fringe swayed back and forth, too. Like Miss Kitty, my sister painted a mole on her face. I thought it looked hideous, but she adored it. She also wore long wigs or falls attached to her hair. As she walked out the door, she flung her head around to make her long blond hair swing.

My favorite actor on Gunsmoke was Festus. He was funny but smart, too. I love the way he talked out of the side of his mouth and rolled his eyes when he talked. Apparently, he had his own language. Sometimes, my husband talks like him. There was never a dull moment on Gunsmoke. Matt Dillion looked ten feet tall as he stood ready to shoot intruders. Surprisingly, none of my brothers turned out to be sheriffs. Gunsmoke played an influential role in my family. Every evening, we came together to eat supper and watch the exciting Western saga. Miss Kitty had a mother's heart but a hooker's body. I think she was born in the wrong time period. She probably wanted to have a family, but Matt Dillon was too busy fighting to uphold the law. 


Westerns often made frontier life look glamorous. Of course, it was not. There was no running water or antibiotics to fight disease. The Doc had his hands full trying to keep infections down. I realize the magic of Westerns lies in nostalgia. But it does not hurt to dream of a simpler time. Matt Dillon always captured the outlaws and brought justice to his town. He was a fair man that everyone respected. I think his character was a good influence on my brothers. As far as my sister goes, she did not turn out to be a scarlet woman or own a bar, like Miss Kitty. But she still dresses up. Some things never change.