When big-screen legend Bette Davis rode into Dodge City for a small-screen guest appearance on Gunsmoke, it was destined to be memorable, not just for audiences, but for the cast behind the scenes. Her 1966 turn in the episode “The Jailer” brought undeniable star power to the long-running Western, but it also stirred unexpected tension, particularly with series regular Amanda Blake.
A Closer Look
Bette Davis, already a towering figure of Hollywood’s Golden Age, was known for her fierce professionalism and commanding presence. On the Gunsmoke episode, “The Jailer,” she portrayed a hardened woman caught in a morally complex situation; exactly the kind of layered role that had defined her film career. The show’s cast and crew approached her arrival with a mix of excitement and apprehension, aware that Davis did not suffer fools lightly.
Gunsmoke star Amanda Blake, in particular, had spent a decade embodying the warm yet resilient Miss Kitty, was the show’s leading female presence and a key part of its identity. But Davis’s arrival shifted the dynamic. As a guest star of immense stature, she naturally drew focus, both on-screen and off.
According to the book, Gunsmoke: A Complete History, by SuzAnne Barabas and Gabor Barabas, Blake believed that her own role might be overshadowed, which leding to a subtle but palpable strain between the two actresses.
Shortly before the episode began filming, Blake was called into a producer’s office, and thought, “Oh, God! I’ve been fired.”
But Then The Tide Turned
Blake soon learned, however, that the meeting had to do with the “The Jailer” episode, about a woman, who imprisons Marshall Matt Dillion, played by series male leading man James Arness, and Miss Kitty, Blake’s leading lady, with the intent to kill Dillion in vengence for haning her husband.
Blake’s initially thought, “That sounds wonderful.”
However, upon learning that Bette Davis would be playing the criminal woman, Blake said she “turned purple,” and screeched, “What? You’ve got to be kidding!”
“You practically had to carry me down in a gurney,” the actress continued to explain. “I was a basket case. I couldn’t even walk I was so scared.”
But in the end, Blake added, Davis “was wonderful. She could tell I was nervous and she was nervous as well.”
At one point, though, Davis turned to Blake and said, “These first days are [tough], aren’t they?”
To which Blake responded, “You’re so right…They certainly are.”
“After that,” Blake concluded, “we sort of settled down…and…got along great.”
In the End
The tension between Amanda Blake and Bette Davis was less about open conflict and more about contrasting styles and status. Blake was a television mainstay, deeply connected to the show’s ensemble rhythm, while Davis carried the gravitas, and expectations, of a cinematic legend. Their differing approaches could have created a quiet divide, emblematic of the broader gap between film and television at the time.
Ultimately, “The Jailer” remains a standout episode, enriched by Davis’s formidable performance. Yet its legacy is also a reminder that even in the fictional calm of Dodge City, strong personalities could spark drama just beyond the camera’s reach.
Related:
- Original ‘A-Team’ TV Boss George Peppard: A Look Back 32 Years After His Devastating Death
- Forever “Chester”: The Tragic Death of ‘Gunsmoke’ Star Dennis Weaver (25 Years Later)
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This article originally appeared on Newsbreak.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org
