I am going to take you back to The 1870's, Dodge City Kansas; Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) and Marshall Matt Dillon (James Arness, a Minneapolis native) visiting inside the Long Branch Saloon. Gunsmoke, on the air for 20 seasons, with 635 episodes; was the most produced, if not still the longest running drama series in American TV history. Winning Nielsen's yearly top rated show crown 4 times and a perennial favorite residing in the top ten, 13 out of those 20 years. Times have changed, but at its inception this was a cutting edge show. Adapted from radio and introduced to the small screen by John Wayne in September 1955, this was the first TV western morality play made for adults. It was also fairly loose for the day; considering Kitty's wardrobe, certain scenes and dialogue. The over the top (puns intended) censors, started toning it down after the first couple years.

First year episode - Hack Prine, Original Airdate May 12,1956. The scene begins with a shot of Matt Dillon watching Miss Kitty coming downstairs from the Long Branch Saloon's second floor. That is where the ladies had a place to stay and entertain men in privacy. At this point in time, Miss Kitty is just one of the many ladies working in the saloon. In the early years of the show especially, many a happy couple were filmed going up and down those stairs. Now clearly, I don't think we were led to believe they were playing Parcheesi up there .  

Back to the continuing scene, Miss Kitty and Matt carry on some small talk about her beautiful dress (low-cut with no sheer cover up) and sit down at a table by the bar. While discussing some local gossip that Kitty has been hearing, she states "Men their gabbier then women" Matt says "Maybe they are when they're with you" Kitty exclaims "Matt do you think if I closed my eyes and prayed real hard that they'd all go away?" Matt comments "Then what would you do for a living?" Kitty says "Oh I don't know, bust up sod for some skinny homesteader maybe." Matt replies "You'd hate it." Kitty ends the conversation by saying with a sincere look "Of course I would!!!"

As any red-blooded man, Matt was attracted and very fond of Miss Kitty. It was left for you to decide what the true relationship was between them. I picked four scenarios below, which one do you thing best describes what was never mentioned? Perhaps you will entertain us with one of your own.  

1. Kitty was Matt's all time favorite provider.

2. They were going steady with full benefits.

3. Just close friends.

4. Matt would rather ride his horse, Buck.

In my opinion, I think they begin as a one and it evolved into a two once Kitty became part owner of the Long Branch, later becoming sole owner.

As it was depicted over and over again on the show, the force for good always went after genuine criminals. You know, the bad ones who hurt or take from others. What a novel idea! Never did the law intrude into what is simply sexual human nature or the private desires of victimless men and women. I am only talking about fully independent, clear minded mature adults here; who have between them a mutually satisfying agreement. In reminiscing about all the timeless attributes of the Matt Dillon fictitious character, I see him as the perfect role model for lawmen of any era. Plus compared to the reality today, characterized frontier justice was fair, swift and not petty, while politicians were less intrusive and more honorable.

What is my point? This program portrayed with the laws acceptance, the true, completely natural and honest morality of Miss Kitty and our male gender's human need for her. Normal desires are going to happen no matter what the law says anyway. Inevitably demand finds supply. Lucky for us guys there are many lovely ladies around, who rewarded for their time and companionship; truly love to help fulfill our inherent male yearnings. Today's politicians, judges, prosecutors and L.E: should wakeup, take an honest look at themselves in the mirror, step down from their contrived shaky pulpits and spend all their time and funding going after the real crooks.  

To further ad lib my thoughts with another TV flashback, do you remember the commercial line with thunder sounding and lightning all around "it's not nice to fool with mother nature!" ? ----------------- Ok, I added a with .

I am a guy who enjoys classic TV and movies, mostly one's that I could not see originally. What is your favorite old TV show or movie and why?  

A toast out to all of you open-minded ladies and gentlemen of the TER community; who share my laissez-faire attitude, CHEERS!

... but had a healthy sexual appetite that was frequently depicted on-screen (to the extent the censors of the time allowed) was James Tiberius Kirk. That guy bedded women on dozens of planets--humans, aliens, even in one case an android (ok, he wanted to bed her, but never got the chance).  Once he tried to explain to an alien from another galaxy (far, far away) humans' interest in sex. He said simply, "We enjoy it!"

He blew it only once. Some aliens used mind control to force him to embrace, and then kiss, Lieutenant Uhura, played by lovely Nichelle Nichols, an African American. It was TV's first interracial kiss, and NBC expected a lot of angry mail about it. And they got it. The general thrust of the letters was:  "Kirk is an idiot! If he's got a woman like that in his arms, he shouldn't need aliens to force him to kiss her!!"  

As a boy, I used to imagine myself as a Starfleet Captain.

You know a man's "hoss" was pretty damn important in those days. I could see him keeping a woman on the side - just the way of the American Wild West in those days!

END OF MESSAGE

From the scene you  relayed I'll say kitty & Matt were item number 1  
If you say the evolved to number 2 I'll take your word for it as I've never seen this show.....
                           But I may just go look for it on YouTube now....

 
I love your take on how it was way back then with LE being so much more honorable & politicians keeping a lower profile......
How cool would that be?!?  

 
 Ok as far as my favorite old time show, well nick at night used to air patty duke kinda good, but I hated the black & white  
(Spoiled right) & my real favorite was 3's company Jack & his lovelies always did such stupid funny things.  
                 You write so well I felt like I was really watching an episode of gun smoke, I will have to check it out.....

Interesting comments all.  

Mindy, I remember watching re-runs of The Patty Duke show, now that too is going way back. I loved watching Three's Company. Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers), I had a crush on her back then.  

In it's final years, I always watched Gunsmoke with my Dad. That connection, led me to check out the earlier episodes filmed in black and white with Chester (Dennis Weaver). I found them to be mostly excellent performances. Even superior, except for the lack of color to later shows. Though with Westerns, the lack of color can sometimes add to the starkness of the story. Anyway, that's one way to look at it. As an adult you watch these shows from a different perspective. In judging the overall acting, directing and writing as a mature discriminating critic; this is one of the few old TV shows I actually appreciate and admire even more today. The Twilight Zone and I love Lucy also spring to mind in that regard!