Thursday, November 22, 2012

Parley Baer #2


Few may recall that Gunsmoke was a hit radio show for CBS, running for 10 seasons, before it went to TV. Many remember the role of
Chester, as played on TV by Dennis Weaver, but only Old Time Radio fans know the role was created by Parley as Chester Wesley
Proudfoot. L to R are Howard McNear as Doc Adams, William Conrad as Matt Dillon, Georgia Ellis as Miss Kitty, and Parley Baer as
Chester. As we know, when the show moved to television, CBS demanded an all-new cast, and these four roles went to other actors, who
made them famous from 1955 to 1975.

Posted by Buckles at 11/22/2012 06:22:00 AM

3 comments:

Buckles said...

Parley once told me that when word got out the the show was going on TV he was informed by the producers that everyone in the cast would be included except William Conrad whose profile didn't fit the image he portrayed.
Being a tightly knit group they announced it would be all of them or none. Big mistake.
I asked him if later when Conrad made it big in "Cannon" did he remember any of his tightly knit friends and he said "No."

22 November, 2012 06:39
Buckles said...

In 1972 we were playing the LA area with the Miller-Johnson Circus and while setting up the show on a High School football field Ernie and Parley stopped by on their way to see the Blue Show at the Forum.
First thing I did was introduce them to Cliff Vargas who during the course of the conversation mentioned that he had never seen the Ringling Show.
So the final upshot was Cliff, Parley and I went to the Forum while Ernie and Barbara remained on the lot.
After the show I asked Cliff what he thought about it and he said, "I can do better".
Imagine my surprise returning home to find half the show squeezed into my trailer. My wife had decided to throw a party and Ernie came up with a West Coast recipe called "Harvey Wallbanger".
Needless to say, both hostesses were in a state of Kaboobelism.

22 November, 2012 08:06
Roger Smith said...

Producer Norman MacDonnell later said he dreaded the day when he had to gather the radio cast and tell them they were replaced. It did come as a result of their decision to hang together, but they believed the roles they created had to remain theirs for television. Parley said it killed him to miss the rehearsals, and those Saturday morning tapings. But MacDonnell did what he could over the next 20 TV seasons to bring on members of the radio cast in various character roles, as a sort of "mea culpa" for being the one to break the news that they were decisively replaced. Conrad branched out beyond acting, and was among the many episode directors the TV version needed.

22 November, 2012 21:58

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