As one of the most adored characters on the show, the actor who brought him to life, Dennis Weaver, even won a Supporting Actor Emmy for the role. That’s why when Chester left the series in its ninth season to hunt down a killer, it came as such a surprise to the Gunsmoke family.
The New Mexico-set thriller aired from 1970 to 1977. Dennis Weaver regretted giving Chester a limp. One of Chester’s most noticeable features is his stiff right leg — the cause of which is never explicitly stated, though it’s implied that he was injured during the Civil War.
In the early days of Gunsmoke, Chester Goode won over audiences everywhere with his kind nature, sweet serenades, love of coffee, and comic relief. As one of the most adored characters on the show, the actor who brought him to life, Dennis Weaver, even won a Supporting Actor Emmy for the role.
According to IMDB, Weaver said that Chester didn’t carry a gun on him was “because they wanted him to be non-violent.” If you remember, Chester was sidekick to Marshal Matt Dillon, played by James Arness. Show producers, though, wanted something to make Chester appear separate from Dillon.
Who was the sidekick in Gunsmoke?
Once everyone was cast for Gunsmoke, it became apparent to the producers that they had cast two men who, at the time, appeared like leading men, so to differentiate between the two characters, Dennis had to find a way to make it clear that Chester was the sidekick.
The classic TV show Gunsmoke, which ran for 20 years on CBS, was one of the best sitcoms of its time. Running from 1955 to 1975, this old-time western classic can still be watched on CBS’s streaming service.
According to MeTV, the producers told Dennis that “historically and traditionally, a sidekick has always been too old or too fat or too young or too something to get involved in the physical stuff.”. This was why they asked Dennis to make Chester have a physical handicap.
According to True West Magazine, Chester’s limp wasn’t heavily enforced on set, and despite his work to make it believable, there were a few slip ups. Dennis would apparently sometimes forget about his character’s limp while filming — or would even limp on the wrong leg!
But Chester didn’t always limp on the same leg. If you can get past the completely ableist reason behind Chester’s on-screen limp, you’ll realize the producers’ indifference to it resulted in some inconsistencies.
Why did Chester leave Gunsmoke?
That’s why when Chester left the series in its ninth season to hunt down a killer , it came as such a surprise to the Gunsmoke family. So why did the lovable character step away from one …
But the biggest reason Dennis Weaver said farewell to his most famous role was due to his fear of being typecast and potentially losing out on career-changing opportunities as a result. While his decision was risky, it ended up paying off for the actor.
When Dennis Weaver landed the role of Chester Goode, it was apparent that he was leading man material. To create a more fitting character, Dennis Weaver began portraying Chester Goode with a limp and speaking in a Midwestern twang—a decision that would ultimately help steer his decision to leave the series.
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Dennis Weaver went on to star in the short-lived and unsuccessful series Kentucky Jones directly after his time on Gunsmoke. But things soon turned around for the actor. After a few years of steady work in minor roles, he finally reached leading man status, starring as Sam McCloud in the hit crime series McCloud for seven seasons— and cementing himself as a Hollywood icon.
But the biggest reason Dennis Weaver said farewell to his most famous role was due to his fear of being typecast and potentially losing out on career-changing opportunities as a result. While his decision was risky, it ended up paying off for the actor.
Why did Chester leave the show?
His last episode, titled “Bently,” saw Chester leave Dodge City, Kan. to find a murderer following a suspicious deathbed confession.
For example, Matt Dillon’s trusty sidekick, Chester Goode (Chester Proudfoot in the radio version), walked with a limp on television, a physical attribute that would be nearly impossible to convey over airwaves. Despite being a main staple when the CBS show debuted in 1955, viewers will notice that Chester is absent from the drama’s later seasons.
Dennis Weaver dressed as his character from ‘McCloud.’. The then 39-year-old followed up his big break with a starring role on the short-lived NBC dramedy Kentucky Jones. “I got into the business of playing a leading man and had more say-so about whether the show’s a success or not,” he shared.
