Like too many other TV characters, Gunsmoke’s Chester Goode seemingly vanished into thin air. Dennis Weaver last played the character on the TV western in Season 9’s “Bently.” That episode, at least, ...

For the first nine seasons of Gunsmoke, James Arness' Marshal Matt Dillon was joined on the job by the lovable (albeit simple) Chester Goode, played remarkably by Dennis Weaver. A faithful and ...

Offscreen, James Arness traded Dodge City’s saloon dust for the comfort of his own king-size bed. Photographed in 1956, the towering Gunsmoke star relaxes with a script for an upcoming episode, ...

‘Gunsmoke’ aired from 1955 to 1974 and set a new standard for TV drama Tereza Shkurtaj is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working for PEOPLE since 2025. Her work has previously appeared in ...