Great Bio of the lovely Ms. Blake. I remember back in the mid 1980's becoming acquainted with her shortly after her then husband had died. We would get together at her favorite restaurant in Paradise Valley. She was always fascinating to be with, and her affection for her beloved animal family was legendary. RIP dear Amanda.
I can binge watch Gunsmoke. All the characters have great story lines. A true classic with iconic guests stars. There no choosing on this one. They're all a favorite to me.
I wouldn't go so far as to say 'easily'...I'd rank Bonanza right alongside it. On a good week, either was about as good as tv gets. And even on a bad week, they were watchable because the characters were so likeable.
My mother and Amanda Blake became friends when they were both being treated for cancer at M.D. Andersson in Houston. They were coffee buddies and my mother treasured the time they spent together. My mom outlasted her, passing in the Fall of '99 to .. lower esophageal cancer. Thank you for this presentation.
Amanda Blake was world class. My favorite episode featuring her was " Stella" when Jacqueline Scott played Stella, a lady who bought a saloon across the street from the Longbranch to put Kitty out of business. The rivalry between the two characters was great. Every episode with Jacqueline Scott was a good one. She was such a multi-talented actress, along with singing and dancing. My favorite reoccurring quest star.
I just wonder why they turned his character from a hill man with a few rough edges who could roll along the plains to help replace the bellows that he broke while horsing around with Quint. Or flirt with Kitty “it doesn’t show a bit” to a ragtag who could barely speak English & wore rags & run over boots. That was not what I call comic relief.
I Love Gunsmoke and still watch it today , loved Mat take charge and take care of his town from corruption ! loved also all of the Guest Rising Stars today too !
Thank you for bringing me back to when I would watch that every day , it was my favorite tv series of all , I’m 56 n spent years healing from different motorcycles wrecks , n couldn’t work since I was 35 years old, n Gunsmoke kept me entertained throughout years of Pain , Kitty n Arness were a perfect combination and a great part of the story line !!! I want to start watching it again !!! Thanks for all the great memories ❣️
When I think of all the endless pointless soap operas today on Netflix I cannot help comparing them to the original half hour Gunsmoke episodes, many of which were masterpieces of conciseness. When I was a grad student in film production at UCLA our first assignment in editing class was to edit part of an episode of Gunsmoke from the original footage. All of us from that era remember that fondly: How good the camera work and direction were.
My aunt was a gorgeous blond with a Marilyn Monroe figure who dated James Arnez back then during Gunsmoke, he bought her a TV back then. She said he was a really good lover.
I laugh when i think back on as a kid why I didn’t like GunSmoke, it wasn’t in color like the other western shows until much later, now it’s my favorite.
Thank you for paying kind respects to Amanda, someone who in her own way changed my life and the lives of many for the better. My father was long-time friends with many in Hollywood, and Amanda and Frank were is long time family friends. My father, a rodeo cowboy, Stuntman, part-time casting agent and actor who was long time friends with Amanda, Ken Curtis, Milburn Stone, and of all the the Hollywood celebrities I knew when growing up, Amanda holds a special place in my heart for her tough, determined and compassionate heart. My father was also a Navy pilot who introduced Amanda to general aviation in the early days of her gunsmoke carrier, and later in the 70s she and Frank bought a Cessna 411 and hired a professional pilot for their business and pleasure travels. I expect they used the Cessna to commute from their ranch to Hollywood and when she said she did not like airplanes was a practical concern related to the old 411 and some close calls in their aircraft and I seem to recall Amanda and Frank having had a close call on a bush flight they took in Africa. My warmest memory of Amanda was during one of their close calls in the Cessna 411, in the mid-70s when they flew with us in their airplane on a fishing trip to Twin-Lakes lodge in British Colombia Canada, and we were clearing customs in Abbotsford BC, and I as a young boy when I noticed a taxiway marker light that had been damaged buy a propeller or something, next to where we were parked, and I tapped it with my foot and and it fell over and lens hit the tarmac and broke. My father started scolding me quite harshly for demolishing the light, (as it did as the harbor master in Cookoo's Nest th-cam.com/video/pGtGEI_I4kw/w-d-xo.html), just as Amanda and her pilot walked up to see why I was getting such a tongue-lashing. Amanda, Frank and their pilot said looked at the broken taxi-light and said : "LOOK! that that boy could not have damaged that light, it was taken out by a propeller, look at how it's been cut up!", but to protect his ego, my father doubled-down with his scolding. Amanda pipped up and said "THAT'S ENOUGH!" but my father persisted. Amanda again Said "STOP IT NOW!" and my father aside and sad "Look Mel, you do that and you'll ruin that boy, so quit acting like a little boy and grow up and apologize to your son". My father refused to apologize. Amanda placed her arm around me, gave my father a stern look (as we've seen in Gunsmoke) and Said, Come on, you don't have to put up with that, you're coming with us and ushered me up the air-stairs to their airplane as my father stood dumbstruck. On the way to the fishing lodge a couple of hours away, Amanda instructed me to stand-up to my father and anyone who tried to walk-over me and that my father and other would respect me if I did, Frank and his sons who were a bit older than me also lovingly expressed some life-shaping advice and encouragement about to deal with my father and people that still resonates with me today. The wake-up call Amanda administered to my father also changed how my father related to me and others, and without Amanda standing up to him, I think our lives would have been much the worse, and I am eternally grateful for Amanda and Frank for being the people they were and for being there for me. To continue with the flying close call story: When we arrived over the lodge, Amanda's pilot requested the airstrip elevation, but the lodge owner reported the elevation which was about 4800ft, rather than the field length which was only 2800ft, right on the edge for the big heavy old Cessna 411 and we landed fast and spun-out on the grass, nearly running off the end of the runway, through the boat dock and into the lake. I also remember while viewing a slide-reel with Frank and Amanda of one of their Africa trips. Amanda loved Africa, and my father asking Frank why people go to Africa, and Frank said: "Hell, other than the animals I see no reason, it's hot, dusty dammed uncomfortable but if Amanda loves it I'll go with her" Frank also related to my mother how troubled his son's were from his troubled marriage with their mother, and how Amanda was the best mother his boys could have had, and he could love her more for mentoring them into the fine young men they were. Thank you again for producing this and anyone who took the time to read this and for a moment to remember Amanda, and ponder what she gave to the world and so many others.
@@user-76hanging-on Thank you, from my recollection , Amanda was a private and unassuming person, and very much like the character she portrayed. A tough, frank and practical lady with a strong heart for others. A few other Hollywood well-known personalities My father and mother new as friends, and whom I met whom I recall as down-to-earth and having a warm and special spirit were: Milburn Stone 'Doc', Fess Parker 'Daniel Boon', Cliff Robertson, and Jack "Mick" Lord (Stoney Burke/Steve McGarrett Hawaii-Five-O) And Sammy Davis late Jr's wife Altovise Davis. My mom and Dad worked with 'Marilyn Monroe' on Bus Stop, and they both came away with quite a heart-felt fondness for her. My mother later remarked after her death, "What as dear, sweet and special young girl, and Hollywood and those Kennedys killed her" (Based partly on what Norman Mailer said to my mom and dad before he wrote his best selling book about Marilyn and her death. I've thought for some time having something like a dedicated website like Facebook where others could share personal recollections about who people who are so close to our hearts were as people in addition to the characters they portrayed
Love the comments as they round out the story of her life. By the way you might want to have someone familiar with the actors background photos of the time period to more closely review the photo identified as Amanda & Frank. I believe the photo is of singer & entertainer Phil Harris. As for some of her latter episodes Hostage & Lost were great but they could have been better if done as 2 parters. Growing up in my late teens early 20’s there wasn’t many role models that could have handled the subject of gang rape recovery or literally bouncing back from being lost in the wilderness & connecting to & mentoring the wild child. Blake had the strength as an actress that could. True it was a family show but all the more reason. Stand Tall …. She stood taller than any of them. Someone should have told Mantley there are 2 types of complainers those who just want to make waves & those who want & know how to make things better. Cancer isn’t for sissies.
@@susanvonthun620 Thank you. In the photo of Amanda and Frank Gilbert, Frank does look a bit like Phil Harris. It's been a LONG time ago but that does look like how I remember Frank. I found other versions of the photo online and doing an image search there's a press photo titled "1967 Press Photo Gunsmoke star Amanda Blake and Frank Gilbert at wedding in AZ | eBay' with a description on the photo describing it as a wedding photo. They were both pretty much the strong, stand-up commanding type, Frank perhaps a bit to commanding. My dad did a bit of stunt double work on a few of the early Gunsmoke episodes and learned from the same stuntman and school as Burt Reynolds so he knew Burt, Dennis Weaver and but was long time friends with Ken Curtis, whom I met once and was much different than I expected. Dad used to book Ken, Milburn Stone and Amanda at rodeos and state fairs as Celiberty guests, as was common at the time, they always seemed to enjoy meeting fans and and locals. I recall every year at the Arizona, California and New Mexico State Fairs, Amanda, Ken and Milburn used to take great pleasure visiting children's hospitals and being with the kids. My dad asked Arness, Weaver and Reynolds and they always refused. Ken Curtis (Festus) and Milburn stone used to do short Stand-up comedy routine at Rodeo intermissions and at the Kids homes and hospitals just like you see on Gunsmoke and it was fun. One year at at the California Rodeo and fair in Salinas, someone brought two cute African American kids who had became separated from their parents to the Announcing Stand, where Milburn and Ken were waiting to do their routine. Kids were scared and crying and Milburn comforted them until their parents could arrive. My Dad, and Milburn chatted with the kids over he microphone, and the kids and audience quite enjoyed that. It took quite a bit of time for the parent's to arrive and they were quite astonished to see "Doc" Watching over their kids. My dad having turned the search and reunion into a bit of entertainment for the audience said over the Mic as the kids and their parents were leaving: "There goes two of the sweetest, and cutest little buzzards you've ever seen" 'Buzzards' Being old cowboy term of endearment for kids he use to refer to my sister and me , I.e "Come meet my two little buzzards", and the next day two representatives from the NAACP showed-up and threatened to sue the California Rodeo and State Fair, and my father for comparing the kids to "scavenger birds that eat rotten meat" Milburne and Ken Curtis were there and helped bring some sanity to the scene. Celebrities for the most part back then had a respect for their audience we don't see today, but Amanda, Ken and Milburn had a love for their audience and people. I wish America could return to that.
Thanks for such a fast turnaround !!!!! Thanks also for additional information on the way public appearances were made. I would have loved to have seen these fine people
Im still watching this amazing show. Good vs evil, she did run this brothel as was saloons in this time frame. I enjoyed this cast, and they bloomed together.She was making huge money in that time frame, im glad she did well, she worked hard and sacrificed her personal life.........❤
I grew up watching Gunsmoke and I consider that one of the reasons my childhood was awesome! My favorite characters were Matt Dillon, Miss Kitty, Festus, and Doc. They seemed almost like family because I watched every week. I miss having Gunsmoke, Andy Griffith, and The Real McCoys on television. They simply do not make good quality shows like that anymore, which is probably why I haven’t turned my television on in over a year.🌷💐
icon, Goddess, we watch her everyday on the western channels (my mom's fav) ... mom be watching matt dillion, i be checking out Miss Kitty .... Miss Kittycat :)
My ex-wife used to do Amanda Blake's sculptured nails at a shop at 44th St. and Camelback here in Phoenix. She said that Amanda did not really talk much about her career. She talked about her animals and the charities that she supported.
SO UNBELIEVABLY, INCREDIBLY, EXTREMELY AWESOME "WESTERN TV PROGRAMS EVER". ALL THE CHARACTERS WERE UNBELIEVABLY AWESOME. I LOVED THEM ♥️ ALL. FESTUS THE LOYAL DEPUTY, MATT DILLON THE MARSHALL, MISS KITTY AMANDA, CHESTER, THE DOC MILBURN AND SAM THE BARTENDER. AWESOME ACTORS, AWESOME CHARACTERS. ❤❤❤❤❤
Back when the show was first on I was quite young - I still thought Miss Kitty was smoking hot. And yes Gunsmoke was the top western ever, in it's day it was more popular than Game of Thrones - for well over a decade straight. Watching it was an institution - and many of the people who watched it, like my grandparents, were born in the 19th century and could remember the lifestyle depicted. In the 1960's there was real nostalgia felt by these people, it was part of why westerns were so popular. PS - the oldest person I actually knew back then was born in 1872 and died at age 107.
All the characters in Gunsmoke were great, but I thought when Chester left the show, it would lose some of its appeal. However, the Festus character was a brilliant replacement, and the show continued to thrive. I still watch all the reruns.
In 1976 I was looking to buy a house in Van Nuys, Ca., narrowed it down to two houses next door to each other. The big one needed the most work and had too many big eucalyptus trees that needed a lot of work. We bought the smaller house. Turned out, the big one was being sold by Amanda Blake.
I used to think it was rifle man in my younger days but with advent of streamung I am presently bing waching Gunsmoke and it leaves even Bonanza in the dust!
I have no memory of this, but I'm told that at one point Amanda Blake visited either Branson or Silver Dollar City in southern Missouri. We lived in a small town nearby, and went down to see her. Apparently one of my parents handed me to her or she just picked me up but when I was a baby I was held by Amanda blake. I've always had a thing for redheads and wonder if that has something to do with it.
Not just the best western ever it is the best adult drama of all time. Not every episode is super heavy but the ones that are are written in that style where the children in the room don't get whats going on but all the adults do.
Beyond the superficial glamour of celebrity, they grapple with profound feelings of isolation and disenchantment, pining for the simplicity of an ordinary life.
SHE was so dynamic when i was a boy,all the guys i hung out with spoke of her,they put her on a pedestal,i tell ya,all my friends loved her,really,a lot of them said i want a woman like her,i said good luck,she's one in a million,what a DOLL,RIP AMANDA
Such a great show. I watched this as a kid and it taught me some lessons. ❤❤ James Arness was the ONLY guy who could play Mattt Dillion and Amanda Blake was the ONLY woman who could play Kitty.
I'm 64 & I Loved Gunsmoke as a Kid. But I Love it More Now Because I Understand Thing's Now. She is A Great Actress! I Still Watch that Show Everyday! I Wish They Still Made Great Show's Like That..
You and me both and we're the same age. I didn't speak English back as a kid but have learned to in the last 8 years by watching translate to Japanese from English comments left on TH-cam videos. How would you rate my English and phrasing my sentences and putting those in text so as the average English speaking human can understand it.
Wow Miss Kitty She had such beautiful photos ❤ G.S. used to be my dads favorite show He’d playfully complain that we’d never get back in time when I would take him out for lunch to watch Gun Smoke 💨.. which started at 1:00 o’clock Kinda crazy I forgot too that Burt Reynolds used to come out on the show I think before Festus 🤠….
I was a teenager but I had a crush on Kitty. The character represented a beautiful big hearted woman. She was the opposite of my mother. Great roll model.😊
I watch the show and enjoy it so much but I’ve never seen Dillon and Mrs Kitty putting their lips together once despite their love for each other I wonder why the producers decided that way.Bringing Festus Haggen to fill Chester’s spot was the best move.
They were afraid they would have to change the “direction” of the show. Don’t know why - they went on vacations together although they usually got interrupted.
Never watched it much back then, but watching them now they become a great retrospective view of the times, but remember, the scenes depicted are just a movie? 👍
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 88 | คู่เอก "ป้อมเพชร vs อัสลามจอน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZqTVVbMgbo/mqdefault.jpg)
WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE ON GUNSMOKE?
Festus
Festus
Matt
Chester
Matt had the funniest lines.
I still watch Gunsmoke today. My favorite show
Amen...Pass the cornbread.
We watch it every night on INSP..
@@wandarussell5983Me too. Great show, great network!
We watch Gunsmoke all the time and still love it. Of course it's all reruns but still enjoy it.
Indeed, so many gems of morality plays.
Great Bio of the lovely Ms. Blake. I remember back in the mid 1980's becoming acquainted with her shortly after her then husband had died. We would get together at her favorite restaurant in Paradise Valley. She was always fascinating to be with, and her affection for her beloved animal family was legendary. RIP dear Amanda.
lucky you, Adam! To get to know "Amanda" so well and spend time together. Bravo!
P
Yes, my favorite western TV show.
Miss Blake made Gunsmoke what it was back then and left an lasting impression to this very day as one of the very finest westerns of today.
I doubt YOU ever MET AMANDA BLAKE ! Let Alone went on dinner Dates with her! I think YOUR LIENG straight thru YOUR TEETH!
WOW. To be on a show for that many years. She was great in her role.
Yes! Gunsmoke was the greatest western show of all time!!😀😀
The writing was top drawer
Roger That😊😊😊 !!!
I greatly agree!
Absolutely concur !
Gunsmoke started as a radio show. William Conrad was the original Marshall Dillion.
I still watch gunsmoke. One of my favorite shows
I can binge watch Gunsmoke. All the characters have great story lines. A true classic with iconic guests stars. There no choosing on this one. They're all a favorite to me.
My cousin is also a binge watcher 😂
Easily the best western series in American television history.
I wouldn't go so far as to say 'easily'...I'd rank Bonanza right alongside it. On a good week, either was about as good as tv gets. And even on a bad week, they were watchable because the characters were so likeable.
Best Western for me of all time on TV for sure. I still occasionally binge watch episodes.
I remember when Burt Reynolds was on the show, to this day Gunsmoke is still one of my favorite TV shows to watch.
That was on a couple days ago. Today was Loretta Swift's episode
Sorry dog gone spell check🤣
@@2001-4evermoreHe played Quint in 50 episodes.
My mother and Amanda Blake became friends when they were both being treated for cancer at M.D. Andersson in Houston. They were coffee buddies and my mother treasured the time they spent together. My mom outlasted her, passing in the Fall of '99 to .. lower esophageal cancer. Thank you for this presentation.
Amanda Blake was world class. My favorite episode featuring her was " Stella" when Jacqueline Scott played Stella, a lady who bought a saloon across the street from the Longbranch to put Kitty out of business. The rivalry between the two characters was great. Every episode with Jacqueline Scott was a good one. She was such a multi-talented actress, along with singing and dancing. My favorite reoccurring quest star.
Yep, I agree. I thought Jacquline Scott was hot
Yes the interplay of Kitty & Stella was fantastic.
I always love Festus Hagen.
I just wonder why they turned his character from a hill man with a few rough edges who could roll along the plains to help replace the bellows that he broke while horsing around with Quint. Or flirt with Kitty “it doesn’t show a bit” to a ragtag who could barely speak English & wore rags & run over boots. That was not what I call comic relief.
I Love Gunsmoke and still watch it today , loved Mat take charge and take care of his town from corruption ! loved also all of the Guest Rising Stars today too !
Amanda Blake was such a tremendous actress. A beautiful lady. Who was the greatest of her time !!! ❤
Thank you for bringing me back to when I would watch that every day , it was my favorite tv series of all , I’m 56 n spent years healing from different motorcycles wrecks , n couldn’t work since I was 35 years old, n Gunsmoke kept me entertained throughout years of Pain , Kitty n Arness were a perfect combination and a great part of the story line !!! I want to start watching it again !!! Thanks for all the great memories ❣️
She was awesome
It makes my day to see an episode I have never seen before. How can you have a favorite Gunsmoke character?
How could have not seen every episode I have and still do
I grew up watching Gunsmoke & Miss Kitty was an inspiration for us young girls. Love her ❤
Amanda Blake my best favorite actress beautiful actress ❤️ 💕 💖
Beautiful? Come on now!
I watched Gunsmoke as a kid & loved it. Ms Kitty was a class act. I enjoyed all of them. Great memories 😊
When I think of all the endless pointless soap operas today on Netflix I cannot help comparing them to the original half hour Gunsmoke episodes, many of which were masterpieces of conciseness. When I was a grad student in film production at UCLA our first assignment in editing class was to edit part of an episode of Gunsmoke from the original footage. All of us from that era remember that fondly: How good the camera work and direction were.
Love watching this show growing up in the early 70s and now still watching it
I remember Gunsmoke. It was the first t.v. series to use a helicopter to film a scene from above. Miss Kitty was awesome.
What episode was that ???
Thank you so much, my dear friend for a wonderful video about this wonderful character in our history
Still watching most days 😂
You didn't mention that Amanda Blake reprised her role as Miss Kitty one last time in Gunsmoke, Return to Dodge.
Mantley ruined that script’s ending. They still could have used the other films.
That was a truck load of money per episode back then. One of my favorite westerns. I watched them all as they rolled out.
My aunt was a gorgeous blond with a Marilyn Monroe figure who dated James Arnez back then during Gunsmoke, he bought her a TV back then. She said he was a really good lover.
400 eps..that's a record. Well done on cancer awareness, you didn't have to but you did speak up.
Amanda Blake was my favorite character. She was so gifted & talented. She had such a tremendous actress !!!! ❤
Gunsmoke was the best western of all times!! I still watch reruns every day ❤
It is and always will be, bar none, the greatest TV Western of all times!
I laugh when i think back on as a kid why I didn’t like GunSmoke, it wasn’t in color like the other western shows until much later, now it’s my favorite.
Thank you for paying kind respects to Amanda, someone who in her own way changed my life and the lives of many for the better. My father was long-time friends with many in Hollywood, and Amanda and Frank were is long time family friends. My father, a rodeo cowboy, Stuntman, part-time casting agent and actor who was long time friends with Amanda, Ken Curtis, Milburn Stone, and of all the the Hollywood celebrities I knew when growing up, Amanda holds a special place in my heart for her tough, determined and compassionate heart.
My father was also a Navy pilot who introduced Amanda to general aviation in the early days of her gunsmoke carrier, and later in the 70s she and Frank bought a Cessna 411 and hired a professional pilot for their business and pleasure travels. I expect they used the Cessna to commute from their ranch to Hollywood and when she said she did not like airplanes was a practical concern related to the old 411 and some close calls in their aircraft and I seem to recall Amanda and Frank having had a close call on a bush flight they took in Africa.
My warmest memory of Amanda was during one of their close calls in the Cessna 411, in the mid-70s when they flew with us in their airplane on a fishing trip to Twin-Lakes lodge in British Colombia Canada, and we were clearing customs in Abbotsford BC, and I as a young boy when I noticed a taxiway marker light that had been damaged buy a propeller or something, next to where we were parked, and I tapped it with my foot and and it fell over and lens hit the tarmac and broke.
My father started scolding me quite harshly for demolishing the light, (as it did as the harbor master in Cookoo's Nest th-cam.com/video/pGtGEI_I4kw/w-d-xo.html), just as Amanda and her pilot walked up to see why I was getting such a tongue-lashing. Amanda, Frank and their pilot said looked at the broken taxi-light and said : "LOOK! that that boy could not have damaged that light, it was taken out by a propeller, look at how it's been cut up!", but to protect his ego, my father doubled-down with his scolding. Amanda pipped up and said "THAT'S ENOUGH!" but my father persisted. Amanda again Said "STOP IT NOW!" and my father aside and sad "Look Mel, you do that and you'll ruin that boy, so quit acting like a little boy and grow up and apologize to your son". My father refused to apologize.
Amanda placed her arm around me, gave my father a stern look (as we've seen in Gunsmoke) and Said, Come on, you don't have to put up with that, you're coming with us and ushered me up the air-stairs to their airplane as my father stood dumbstruck. On the way to the fishing lodge a couple of hours away, Amanda instructed me to stand-up to my father and anyone who tried to walk-over me and that my father and other would respect me if I did, Frank and his sons who were a bit older than me also lovingly expressed some life-shaping advice and encouragement about to deal with my father and people that still resonates with me today.
The wake-up call Amanda administered to my father also changed how my father related to me and others, and without Amanda standing up to him, I think our lives would have been much the worse, and I am eternally grateful for Amanda and Frank for being the people they were and for being there for me.
To continue with the flying close call story: When we arrived over the lodge, Amanda's pilot requested the airstrip elevation, but the lodge owner reported the elevation which was about 4800ft, rather than the field length which was only 2800ft, right on the edge for the big heavy old Cessna 411 and we landed fast and spun-out on the grass, nearly running off the end of the runway, through the boat dock and into the lake.
I also remember while viewing a slide-reel with Frank and Amanda of one of their Africa trips. Amanda loved Africa, and my father asking Frank why people go to Africa, and Frank said: "Hell, other than the animals I see no reason, it's hot, dusty dammed uncomfortable but if Amanda loves it I'll go with her" Frank also related to my mother how troubled his son's were from his troubled marriage with their mother, and how Amanda was the best mother his boys could have had, and he could love her more for mentoring them into the fine young men they were.
Thank you again for producing this and anyone who took the time to read this and for a moment to remember Amanda, and ponder what she gave to the world and so many others.
Didn't know her but I respected her!
Thanks!
@@user-76hanging-on Thank you, from my recollection , Amanda was a private and unassuming person, and very much like the character she portrayed. A tough, frank and practical lady with a strong heart for others.
A few other Hollywood well-known personalities My father and mother new as friends, and whom I met whom I recall as down-to-earth and having a warm and special spirit were: Milburn Stone 'Doc', Fess Parker 'Daniel Boon', Cliff Robertson, and Jack "Mick" Lord (Stoney Burke/Steve McGarrett Hawaii-Five-O) And Sammy Davis late Jr's wife Altovise Davis.
My mom and Dad worked with 'Marilyn Monroe' on Bus Stop, and they both came away with quite a heart-felt fondness for her. My mother later remarked after her death, "What as dear, sweet and special young girl, and Hollywood and those Kennedys killed her" (Based partly on what Norman Mailer said to my mom and dad before he wrote his best selling book about Marilyn and her death.
I've thought for some time having something like a dedicated website like Facebook where others could share personal recollections about who people who are so close to our hearts were as people in addition to the characters they portrayed
Love the comments as they round out the story of her life. By the way you might want to have someone familiar with the actors background photos of the time period to more closely review the photo identified as Amanda & Frank. I believe the photo is of singer & entertainer Phil Harris.
As for some of her latter episodes Hostage & Lost were great but they could have been better if done as 2 parters. Growing up in my late teens early 20’s there wasn’t many role models that could have handled the subject of gang rape recovery or literally bouncing back from being lost in the wilderness & connecting to & mentoring the wild child. Blake had the strength as an actress that could. True it was a family show but all the more reason. Stand Tall …. She stood taller than any of them. Someone should have told Mantley there are 2 types of complainers those who just want to make waves & those who want & know how to make things better. Cancer isn’t for sissies.
@@susanvonthun620 Thank you. In the photo of Amanda and Frank Gilbert, Frank does look a bit like Phil Harris. It's been a LONG time ago but that does look like how I remember Frank. I found other versions of the photo online and doing an image search there's a press photo titled "1967 Press Photo Gunsmoke star Amanda Blake and Frank Gilbert at wedding in AZ | eBay' with a description on the photo describing it as a wedding photo. They were both pretty much the strong, stand-up commanding type, Frank perhaps a bit to commanding.
My dad did a bit of stunt double work on a few of the early Gunsmoke episodes and learned from the same stuntman and school as Burt Reynolds so he knew Burt, Dennis Weaver and but was long time friends with Ken Curtis, whom I met once and was much different than I expected.
Dad used to book Ken, Milburn Stone and Amanda at rodeos and state fairs as Celiberty guests, as was common at the time, they always seemed to enjoy meeting fans and and locals. I recall every year at the Arizona, California and New Mexico State Fairs, Amanda, Ken and Milburn used to take great pleasure visiting children's hospitals and being with the kids. My dad asked Arness, Weaver and Reynolds and they always refused.
Ken Curtis (Festus) and Milburn stone used to do short Stand-up comedy routine at Rodeo intermissions and at the Kids homes and hospitals just like you see on Gunsmoke and it was fun.
One year at at the California Rodeo and fair in Salinas, someone brought two cute African American kids who had became separated from their parents to the Announcing Stand, where Milburn and Ken were waiting to do their routine. Kids were scared and crying and Milburn comforted them until their parents could arrive. My Dad, and Milburn chatted with the kids over he microphone, and the kids and audience quite enjoyed that. It took quite a bit of time for the parent's to arrive and they were quite astonished to see "Doc" Watching over their kids.
My dad having turned the search and reunion into a bit of entertainment for the audience said over the Mic as the kids and their parents were leaving: "There goes two of the sweetest, and cutest little buzzards you've ever seen" 'Buzzards' Being old cowboy term of endearment for kids he use to refer to my sister and me , I.e "Come meet my two little buzzards", and the next day two representatives from the NAACP showed-up and threatened to sue the California Rodeo and State Fair, and my father for comparing the kids to "scavenger birds that eat rotten meat"
Milburne and Ken Curtis were there and helped bring some sanity to the scene.
Celebrities for the most part back then had a respect for their audience we don't see today, but Amanda, Ken and Milburn had a love for their audience and people. I wish America could return to that.
Thanks for such a fast turnaround !!!!! Thanks also for additional information on the way public appearances were made. I would have loved to have seen these fine people
My favorite was Festus, I like Amanda Blake (Miss Kiddy) as well. She had principles.
I still watch GunSmoke today when I go and visit my mother she and my father are big fans of GunSmoke
Too bad she didn’t have children. She was a Queen of the screen. My husband and I still watch episodes over and over.
Thanks for the great job.
Im still watching this amazing show. Good vs evil, she did run this brothel as was saloons in this time frame. I enjoyed this cast, and they bloomed together.She was making huge money in that time frame, im glad she did well, she worked hard and sacrificed her personal life.........❤
I grew up watching Gunsmoke and I consider that one of the reasons my childhood was awesome! My favorite characters were Matt Dillon, Miss Kitty, Festus, and Doc. They seemed almost like family because I watched every week. I miss having Gunsmoke, Andy Griffith, and The Real McCoys on television. They simply do not make good quality shows like that anymore, which is probably why I haven’t turned my television on in over a year.🌷💐
icon, Goddess, we watch her everyday on the western channels (my mom's fav) ... mom be watching matt dillion, i be checking out Miss Kitty .... Miss Kittycat :)
My ex-wife used to do Amanda Blake's sculptured nails at a shop at 44th St. and Camelback here in Phoenix. She said that Amanda did not really talk much about her career. She talked about her animals and the charities that she supported.
Well done
I love Doc and Matt Marshall Dillion as well. I love these characters on Gun Smoke.
We’ve been watching it for the last seven years, my husband always had watched it but I never got into it…now I love it!
I watch GUNSMOKE almost every night for the last 50 years to me they never get old.
SO UNBELIEVABLY, INCREDIBLY, EXTREMELY AWESOME "WESTERN TV PROGRAMS EVER". ALL THE CHARACTERS WERE UNBELIEVABLY AWESOME. I LOVED THEM ♥️ ALL. FESTUS THE LOYAL DEPUTY, MATT DILLON THE MARSHALL, MISS KITTY AMANDA, CHESTER, THE DOC MILBURN AND SAM THE BARTENDER. AWESOME ACTORS, AWESOME CHARACTERS. ❤❤❤❤❤
Back when the show was first on I was quite young - I still thought Miss Kitty was smoking hot. And yes Gunsmoke was the top western ever, in it's day it was more popular than Game of Thrones - for well over a decade straight. Watching it was an institution - and many of the people who watched it, like my grandparents, were born in the 19th century and could remember the lifestyle depicted. In the 1960's there was real nostalgia felt by these people, it was part of why westerns were so popular.
PS - the oldest person I actually knew back then was born in 1872 and died at age 107.
Still watching. ❤
Yes, Gunsmoke was the best western ever made in my opinion! Also, Kitty was THE GOAT saloon boss! (greatest of all time!)
I love the radio version with William Conrad as Matt Dillon just as much. Terrific show.
Gunsmoke was 1 of the few my Grandparents never missed i watch with them from the beginning being just a kid loved it to.
I loved all things Amanda Blake and all things gunsmoke and still to this day thank you to all that seen the talent and story of all involved
All the characters in Gunsmoke were great, but I thought when Chester left the show, it would lose some of its appeal. However, the Festus character was a brilliant replacement, and the show continued to thrive. I still watch all the reruns.
I like the fact that Amanda was an animal lover.
Like Betty White ! !
Ms Blake was great playing Ms kitty R.I.P
I love all the Gunsmokes and everyone played their part very well
When I was a kid in Scotland in the 50's it was called Gun Law. I have no idea why, maybe they wanted it to sound less 'violent'. Still, I loved it.
In 1976 I was looking to buy a house in Van Nuys, Ca., narrowed it down to two houses next door to each other. The big one needed the most work and had too many big eucalyptus trees that needed a lot of work. We bought the smaller house. Turned out, the big one was being sold by Amanda Blake.
I used to think it was rifle man in my younger days but with advent of streamung I am presently bing waching Gunsmoke and it leaves even Bonanza in the dust!
It’s 2024 and I still love Miss Kitty she was awesome. She took care of Matt and she was a great bartender and a premier saloon girl.
I have no memory of this, but I'm told that at one point Amanda Blake visited either Branson or Silver Dollar City in southern Missouri. We lived in a small town nearby, and went down to see her. Apparently one of my parents handed me to her or she just picked me up but when I was a baby I was held by Amanda blake. I've always had a thing for redheads and wonder if that has something to do with it.
Not just the best western ever it is the best adult drama of all time. Not every episode is super heavy but the ones that are are written in that style where the children in the room don't get whats going on but all the adults do.
Beyond the superficial glamour of celebrity, they grapple with profound feelings of isolation and disenchantment, pining for the simplicity of an ordinary life.
At 11:50, that's Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger) on James Arness' left side!
Festus, for the rest of us! Did you ever catch the one where Fustus had to wash his face? Priceless.
That was just comical 😅
@@2001-4evermoreFunny, I even remember where I was then. Cheers!
Still watch it everyday on INSP. Loved all the characters
I did not know that Amanda Blake (Miss Kiddy) dies in the 86. I liked Amanda Blake. She was a legend.
Actually she died in 89
SHE was so dynamic when i was a boy,all the guys i hung out with spoke of her,they put her on a pedestal,i tell ya,all my friends loved her,really,a lot of them said i want a woman like her,i said good luck,she's one in a million,what a DOLL,RIP AMANDA
Festus is my favorite... character with comedy... sometimes an interpreter was called for.
She was an amazing woman.
I have been watching Gunsmoke and I still do
Such a great show. I watched this as a kid and it taught me some lessons. ❤❤ James Arness was the ONLY guy who could play Mattt Dillion and Amanda Blake was the ONLY woman who could play Kitty.
I ❤ & still watch this show daily. I wish I had a mere portion of those Beautiful Dresses she wore in the SHOW. ❤
I'm 64 & I Loved Gunsmoke as a Kid. But I Love it More Now Because I Understand Thing's Now. She is A Great Actress! I Still Watch that Show Everyday! I Wish They Still Made Great Show's Like That..
You and me both and we're the same age. I didn't speak English back as a kid but have learned to in the last 8 years by watching translate to Japanese from English comments left on TH-cam videos.
How would you rate my English and phrasing my sentences and putting those in text so as the average English speaking human can understand it.
Amanda B. played Ms. Kitty to a "T."
I remember the 1947 movie Stars In my Crown. It had a religious theme Amanda Blake's character survived typhoid.
I love and look at Gunsmoke everyday. Love each of the actors and actresses.
Wow Miss Kitty She had such beautiful photos ❤ G.S. used to be my dads favorite show
He’d playfully complain that we’d never get back in time when I would take him out for lunch to watch Gun Smoke 💨.. which started at 1:00 o’clock
Kinda crazy I forgot too that Burt Reynolds used to come out on the show I think before Festus 🤠….
Mat Dillon
I was a teenager but I had a crush on Kitty. The character represented a beautiful big hearted woman. She was the opposite of my mother. Great roll model.😊
I remember Miss Kitty to be an eloquent lady on the show.
Everybody LOVED Miss Kitty, but Festus was the BESTUS!
I got to see him in person at the Arkansas State Fair when I was 8!!!
I really think alot of Amanda Blake shewas a great Actress
I saw Amanda Blake and her husband on the TV game show Tattletales hosted by Bert Convy (1974-1975). Tattletales reruns are on the Buzzr channel.
I still watch Gunsmoke reruns
amanda blake was a very classy lady. a true legend. rip
Gunsmoke is my all time favorite, still watch it!!!!
When I was a kid, I used to sit up with my dad every Saturday evening watching "Gunsmoke".
Absolutely love watching Gunsmoke my favorite episodes are the ones in black and white
I remember Miss Kitty's voice starting out high and as time went on her voice got deeper and deeper. It was sad.
That's what smoking will do.
Kitty,Doc and of course Matt.
We love Miss Kitty in Sacramento, California USA 🇺🇸 ❤
I named my most dearest cat Amanda after her, a sweet and endearing kitty.
Named mine Kitty.
Love this show, watch it every day
Gunsmoke is missed.
I watch the show and enjoy it so much but I’ve never seen Dillon and Mrs Kitty putting their lips together once despite their love for each other I wonder why the producers decided that way.Bringing Festus Haggen to fill Chester’s spot was the best move.
They were afraid they would have to change the “direction” of the show. Don’t know why - they went on vacations together although they usually got interrupted.
Never watched it much back then, but watching them now they become a great retrospective view of the times, but remember, the scenes depicted are just a movie? 👍
Sorry Friends..I think she loved JKA ❤...all Others was Show
Loves thats show till watch