Tall in the Saddle
Your profile of Boetticher was a superb job on one of our premier Western directors, with one glaring exception: the reference to Charles Marquis Warren as the “creator” of “Gunsmoke,” a too-oft-repeated error.
Norman MacDonnell deserves that distinguished credit. Although Warren produced the first TV shows, “Gunsmoke” was a highly successful mid-’50s CBS radio program, and Norman was its producer, director and creator, the latter credit shared with John Weston.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Dec. 20, 1992 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday December 20, 1992 Home Edition Calendar Page 91 Calendar Desk 1 inches; 20 words Type of Material: Correction
Because of a typographical error, the name of John Meston, a co-creator of the radio series “Gunsmoke,” was misspelled in a letter last Sunday.
When “Gunsmoke” was the top-rated radio program, I was a struggling actor. Through great good fortune, I was introduced to Norman MacDonnell, and an audition earned me some “off-mike-ad-lib-head nod” jobs on the radio program. And more to the point, it led to a long-lasting friendship with Norman.
Later, on the television show, Norman gave me a script-writing assignment; this led to eight more and, when he was replaced by the powers that be at CBS, to the position of executive story consultant for three years.
PAUL SAVAGE
La Quinta
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