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Stories

Why Amanda Blake Kept Choking On Her Lines In ‘Gunsmoke: Return To Dodge’

by Peace A

Published April 23, 2023

Amanda Blake Gunsmoke

Amanda Blake maintained a good relationship with her co-stars in Gunsmoke over the many years they worked together on the Western television show. Bonds form, and it can be hard to let go — but filming the Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge TV movie was difficult for her.

The actress, who died at age 60 in 1989, was choking on her lines, trying to hold back tears during filming because of her memories of late co-star Milburn Stone. Stone, who played Doc Adams on the show, died of a heart attack in June 1980 at the age of 75.

Related:

  1. Whatever Happened To Amanda Blake, Miss Kitty From ‘Gunsmoke’?
  2. Whatever Happened To Amanda Blake, Miss Kitty On ‘Gunsmoke’?

Blake Tried Fighting Tears During Filming

Amanda Blake
GUNSMOKE, from left: Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, (1965), 1955-1975. ph: Russ Halford / TV Guide / Courtesy Everett Collection

The release of Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge in 1987 happened over a decade after the show was canceled following its twentieth season. While filming her first scene on the Long Branch Saloon set, Blake struggled and could not say her lines smoothly. Fran Ryan, who played Hannah, noticed Blake was having a hard time delivering her lines and went up to her. When Ryan asked her what was wrong, Blake could only mutter “Doc” at that moment, referring to Stone.

RELATED: ‘Gunsmoke’ Cast Then And Now 2022

“Milburn would just be in his glory here,” Blake opened up eventually in her dressing room. “He was not only Doc, but our technical adviser. He would straighten us out, even if we didn’t need straightening out. I miss him so much.”

Amanda Blake
GUNSMOKE, Amanda Blake, (Season 9, 1964), 1955-1975. photo: Mario Casilli/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection

‘Gunsmoke’ Was Quite Irreplaceable

Return to Dodge featured Stone as Doc in flashback sequences. “Milburn gave such a brilliant performance and we all loved him so deeply that I didn’t think we should replace him,” a Gunsmoke producer told TV Guide, explaining that they “never considered having a new Doc.”

Before Stone originally accepted the role of Doc Adams in Gunsmoke, he demanded a contractual point that creators considered “ridiculous” — but he did not give in until they bent to his terms. “It finally got to the place where the terms were just great. Everything’s good except I wanted a residual contract in perpetuity,” Stone told Kansas History at the time. “The amount of money could be negotiated, but I wanted to be paid for every Gunsmoke that ever showed, forever, no matter where. No way! Absolutely no way.”

Amanda Blake
GUNSMOKE, Amanda Blake, modeling a new costume for Season 4, a plaid taffeta street dress designed by Sylvia Posner, Al Nichols, Bob Odell, and herself, (Season 4, premiered September 13, 1958), 1955-1975. photo: Zinn Arthur/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection

Besides Stone, only one other Gunsmoke actor stayed through season 20: James Arness. Weaver left for other roles after season nine, and Blake left in the penultimate season but came back for seasons one to five of Return To Dodge, playing Kitty Russell.

Next up: Nicolas Cage Used To Think He Was An Alien When He Was A Kid
Previous article: Nicolas Cage Used To Think He Was An Alien When He Was A Kid
Next Post: The First Thing Milburn Stone Bought With His Earnings From ‘Gunsmoke’

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