It is 1872 and you are living 12 miles from town. Your wife is screaming in pain in her last stages of labor, about to give birth to your first born.

You are frantic because you have no idea how to deliver a child. Suddenly, a horse drawn carriage pulls up out front. It is the doctor with his bag and his medical knowledge. You shout into the house to your wife that the doctor has arrived.

Who is it? It is Doctor Charles Adams from Dodge City, Kansas, there to give assistance to this important event. He has been doing this type of thing for many years, birthing children, setting broken bones, and curing illnesses. He has even removed bullets from people, including the city's marshal, Matt Dillon.

He is gruff at times, but he loves the people he tends and gives them the tender, loving care they deserve. Adams, portrayed by veteran actor, Howard McNear, is the only doctor in town and his importance there cannot be overstated, because without him, many people would have not survived the illnesses and injuries that overtook them. Everyone loves him as we become involved in the exciting, action filled stories of this early American town and its people.

Variety Magazine, the show business journal, called Gunsmoke an amazing presentation, and The New York Times labeled it Something new and entirely exciting in radio. CBS Radio knew it had a winner. Listen to the Sparkling Audio Quality in Radio Archives restoration of Gunsmoke, Volume 3

William Conrad