Gunsmoke – The Second Season Volume 2 (DVD)

CBS / Paramount is slowly and surely releasing episodes from one of the longest-running shows in existence, Gunsmoke. When one adds on the years that it spent as a radio show, the length of time that Gunsmoke was a fixture of American audiences is unparalleled. This time out, the second half of the second season (which originally was aired in 1957) is covered, with the Gunsmoke cast featured in 19 different episodes. While it may make more sense for CBS / Paramount to release each season in one fell swoop, the higher number of episodes that were present in the early seasons of the show would necessitate 8 or 10-DVD sets, pushing up the cost for each set to a level that would depress sales considerably.

What is immediately shocking about these episodes is how sharp the footage is; the shows were originally televised over fifty years ago, and at some points, the footage here surpasses what is currently on individual’s televisions . Taken together, the three boxed sets that have been released cover 78 episodes, which barely covers 10% of the 635 episodes that originally were commissioned for the show. The best thing about CBS / Paramount releasing these early episodes of the show is because most times that individuals watch the re-runs of Gunsmoke now, they see episodes that were made towards the end of the series.

Having these episodes present gives individuals a better context for the episodes that would follow, along with giving viewers a third of a day worth of footage. Obviously, there is not much in the way of extra space considering all these episodes together constitute over 8 hours of footage, but CBS / Paramount have placed some additional footage on this DVD set. This means that the original sponsor spots are reproduced in their entirety. If you are a fan of the early years of Gunsoke, make it a point to catch up by buying the season 1 set and the two parts of season 2. By doing that, you will give CBS and Paramount enough of a vote of confidence with going forth and releasing subsequent seasons of the show. Perhaps by the time that the DVD format as a whole is on its last legs, the final seasons (and made for TV movies) of Gunsmoke will be released. All I can say is “keep the episodes coming!”.

Rating: 8.0/10

Gunsmoke – The Second Season Volume 2 / 2008 Paramount / 560 Minutes / http://www.paramount.com/homeentertainment /