The 13th Season of Gunsmoke due out on DVD on May 22, 2018…details following. (1 Viewer)

[Flashgear]

James Aurness in WW2. He landed at Anzio Italy with the 3rd ("Texas") division on January 22, 1944. Because of his height (6'6"), he was ordered to be the first man off the landing craft to determine the water depth. Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy was also in the 3rd division. The Anzio beach head quickly became a bloody stalemate going nowhere when the Germans swiftly counter attacked. The entire beach head under artillery and air attack with heavy casualties. On the night of February 1, James Aurness was badly wounded by German machine gun fire in his right leg, badly fracturing his tibia. This wound would bother him for the rest of his life. In the later years of Gunsmoke, his leg and back injuries necessitated more stand-in and stunt man substitutions for Arness in action scenes.

Like so many of those guys (my father and uncles included), he never made a point of mentioning his war service and suffering. You would hardly know what these guys went through. It wasn't until 2000 that the dept. of the Army awarded James Arness the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Happy Memorial Day and Honor the Veterans!

 

[bmasters9]

It wasn't until 2000 that the dept. of the Army awarded James Arness the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

And very well-deserved it was, even if so long belated!

 

[Dan McW]

I'm through three discs of Volume 1, and every episode has looked pretty nice with run times of 50:02 or so (one clocked in at about 49:55).

Whoever did the subtitles did a fairly good job. They seem accurate for every speaker except Festus, who presents a challenge for any transcriber. When Festus says something like "That's the pure ol' D truth," it usually comes out as "purely truth" in the subtitling. The subtitler did get Ma Smalley's name correct in one early season 13 episode. In one of the black-and-white seasons, the subtitling had Ma Smalley as "Moss Molly."

 

[Bryan^H]

Normally I would complain seeing HD content downrezzed to SD DVD, but I'm just happy to have it. It is wonderful, and looks so much better than the TV Land episodes airing from the same season.

 

[phenri]

Did anyone purchase either volume at Walmart? In the past, the single Gunsmoke seasons were sold there, and their price always beat Amazon. I wanted to know if it was worth even trying to look there for a purchase.

 

[smithbrad]

Did anyone purchase either volume at Walmart? In the past, the single Gunsmoke seasons were sold there, and their price always beat Amazon. I wanted to know if it was worth even trying to look there for a purchase.

I checked at my local Walmart first with no luck, but they've downsized the DVD section that I feared they'd no longer stock a release like this. I ended up getting it from Walmart online. While the in store price is typically $20 per volume, the online price was only about $2.50 more per volume. I realize Amazon has it for that price as well, but they are just matching Walmart, so I figured I'd give the business Walmart's direction.

 

[Blimpoy06]

I looked for it at two Walmart's in my area. (NKY) No luck here either.

 

[bmasters9]

I looked for it at two Walmart's in my area. (NKY) No luck here either.

Why would that Walmart not have the thirteenth-season Gunsmoke releases?

 

[Blimpoy06]

Why would that Walmart not have the thirteenth-season Gunsmoke releases?

I've seen most of the prior releases of Gunsmoke here. They do have the multi-season sets. Just no season 13 in store. The Walmart website still says it's a pre-order arriving....May 21st?

 

[ChrisALM]

I checked my two local Walmarts, and no copies of the latest Gunsmoke releases were there. I had bought season 12 there, but now, it looks like Walmart is not stocking Gunsmoke or Death Valley Days.

 

[Flashgear]

Sorry to hear some folks are having difficulty in finding this at their Walmarts. I'm in Canada, and my local Walmart had multiple copies of both volumes on street day. Same thing with the recent reissue of Alfred Hitchcock Presents season one. But I got both volumes of Gunsmoke season 13 from Amazon at about $44 U.S., total. I suppose I'm one of those people not helping to encourage Walmart in stocking these for the near future...but if I'd bought them at Walmart, these would have cost me about $16 U.S. more than I paid in my Amazon pre-order. But only because of a pricing flub by Amazon.ca on their initial pre-order tab listing, which was quickly corrected. But not before my arthritic flying finger of fate had hit it fair and square, ha, ha...

 

[Randy Korstick]

While I still believe Blu Rays and DVDs have about 10-12 years of life left. I think discs being available at retail stores has only about another year or two and is why this hard to find at Walmart.

 

[Flashgear]

Some screen captures from one of my favorite Gunsmoke season 13 episodes, "Dead Man's Law" (Jan. 8, 1968)...the great John Dehner guest starring with Gunnar Hellstrom. A Buck Taylor Newly episode. Steve Raines from Rawhide and Eddie Little Sky are also in this one...the familiar and well used location of Vasquez Rocks State Park has never been used better...

John Dehner, one of our favorite guest stars in vintage tv...

John Dehner with Gunnar Hellstrom...Hellstrom was also directing 3 Gunsmoke episodes in season 13, "Cattle Barons" (Forest Tucker), "Death Train" (Dana Wynter), and "Mr. Sam'l" (Ed Begley).

Buck Taylor as "Newly" was in 11 episodes in season 13...

Eddie Little Sky

 

[Flashgear]

I'm really enjoying Gunsmoke season 13...Another gorgeous episode is "The Jackals" (Feb. 12, 1968), filmed at Alabama Rocks at Lone Pine California (Love that place!). Guest starring Paul Richards, Tige Andrews and Joe Desantis. Here are some screen captures I took from this episode...

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Yep, the show sure does look good in color. And there seems to be some outstanding guest stars in season 13. I had planned on not getting any Gunsmoke sets after the black and white years, but your screenshots are tempting me, Randall.

Sorry to hear that Walmart's DVD selection continues to shrink. The one near my parents' place in southwestern Washington State (a more rural area) is usually pretty good for carrying classic TV on DVD, especially westerns. I'll be back there in August and will see what their selection looks like. Sadly, I think Randy's predictions about retail stores and physical media is likely correct.

 

[Blimpoy06]

I finally saw season 13 of Gunsmoke at my local Walmart today. It is the same price per volume that Amazon is currently selling them for, ($22.96), so I let them sit. But at least they are showing up in stores.

 

[bmasters9]

Sorry to hear that Walmart's DVD selection continues to shrink. The one near my parents' place in southwestern Washington State (a more rural area) is usually pretty good for carrying classic TV on DVD, especially westerns.

Mine has a lot of times had deals on the classics, which, also a lot of times, I have taken advantage of; unfortunately, most of the time, it's either been regular movies (generally of today) or the television of today.