The Photographer: Gunsmoke (May 6, 1956)

“The Photographer” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast May 6, 1956. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

A traveling photographer named Professor Jacoby arrives in Dodge City with his camera, eager to capture images of the Old West for audiences back east. He's particularly interested in photographing Marshal Dillon and the violent side of frontier life, but Dillon refuses to pose. Jacoby decides to wait for the cattle drives to begin so he can photograph real gunfighters and action.

Dodge City, Kansas in spring, centered around the Long Branch saloon

Characters: Matt Dillon, Chester, Kitty, Professor Jacoby

Listen for: The introduction of Professor Jacoby and his photographic equipment, the discussion of what makes good pictures of the West, and Kitty's reluctant pose for the camera.

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.