The future film star played a role that was particularly special to fans. It wasn’t a huge role, but it was just two episodes prior to the final one that would air. In the third-to-last taping, he plays Harvey Daley, a character who dies after he decided to ride a wild horse.
Daley’s death was the final one in the series, and many say he was the last person killed on the show.
A Future Indiana Jones
A (very) young Jodie Foster made an appearance in episode 19 of season 17, which aired in 1972. And she wasn’t the only one, either. That same year, Harrison Ford would pop up in his first episode of the series.
Ford appears in the episode titled "The Sodbusters," in which he plays the role of an outlaw named "Print." Although his character gets shot – twice – he returns the following season. But when he comes back, the marshal is out of town and it’s up to Miss Kitty to handle him and his gang.
Meet the Pre-Brady Bunch
A few future "Brady Bunch" cast members were on "Gunsmoke." In fact, three of the main cast members appeared in at least one episode of the series. The youngest Brady, played by Susan Olsen, was one of them.
Olsen first made an appearance on "Gunsmoke" in a 1968 episode titled “Abelia.” On the show, Festus must nurse her character, Marianne, back to health after she’s bitten by a rattlesnake. Marianne returns to the show the following season for another episode as well. The same year that Olsen first appeared on the show, her fellow 'Brady Bunch' cast member, Christopher Knight, popped up in an episode, too.
Record Breaking
"Gunsmoke" is by far one of the longest-running shows in television history. In fact, if you Google “longest running TV shows,” you’ll find that it pops up at the top of almost every list. It actually held the record for having the most episodes of any show – until it was beat out.
"The Simpsons" is still creating new episodes today, while the western favorite stopped at 635 episodes. But, "Gunsmoke" is still in second place on the “longest running shows” lists.
Two Timing
Over the two decades that the show was on the air, it only ever held two time slots. While shows often jump around, and/or are shifted around, "Gunsmoke" as a television show, more or less remained in the same place for fans to enjoy.
When it was first released, it aired on Saturday evenings from 7:30-8:00 pm, a schedule which it held throughout the first six seasons. Then, in 1967, it was moved to Monday nights, where it remained for the rest of the show’s running.