Why Does Chester From 'Gunsmoke' Limp? The Backstory to His Injury

Chester from 'Gunsmoke' is known as the comic reduction of the classic western show, but why exactly does this sidekick walk with a limp?

The vintage TV display Gunsmoke, which ran for 20 years on CBS, was one among the very best sitcoms of its time. Running from 1955 to 1975, this old-time western vintage can nonetheless be watched on CBS's streaming carrier.

Article continues below commercial

The display's comic-relief personality, Chester, used to be in truth considered one of the first to be solid in the display, coming even prior to Matt Dillon was once solid. Actor Dennis Weaver has shared the tale of his casting, telling how he managed to make the casting administrators chuckle so exhausting he could not even end his traces.

But one thing that's rather less identified is why Chester is the most effective persona on the display who walks with a limp. Why does Chester limp?

Article continues beneath commercial

Why did Chester stroll with a limp?

Once everybody used to be cast for Gunsmoke, it became obvious to the producers that they had forged two males who, at the time, looked like main males, so to differentiate between the two characters, Dennis had to be able to make it clear that Chester was once the sidekick.

According to MeTV, the manufacturers advised 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 once why they asked Dennis to make Chester have a bodily handicap.

Article continues beneath advertisement

"I thought that is really a silly reason for someone developing a handicap, but I was excited about the challenge," he had said at the time. "So I thought if I just can’t bend my knee and do everything else as good as I can, that might work.”

Making the limp believable was the hard part. According to MeTV, Dennis spent hours in his backyard trying to perfect the limp, only to realize after years of playing the role that it was really hard to maintain.

Article continues below advertisement

"If I knew I used to be going to be doing that for nine years, I might’ve had a special thought of it," he said, according to the outlet. "Because you ever try and construct a campfire with a stiff leg? Or worst of all, you ever take a look at to put your boot on with out bending your knee? I had to take yoga classes to perform a little of that stuff.”

There's lately no clear backstory to Chester's incapacity, though there may be some speculation that his personality was injured during the Civil War, leading to his stiff leg.

But Chester did not all the time limp on the same leg.

If you'll get previous the totally ableist reason why in the back of Chester's on-screen limp, you'll notice the manufacturers' indifference to it led to some inconsistencies.

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 couple of slip ups. Dennis would it appears sometimes disregard about his character's limp whilst filming — or would even limp on the improper leg!

Apparently, this took place enough occasions that there are plenty of clips out there of Chester walking normally or on the mistaken leg. If you have not already noticed it, pay special attention the subsequent time you binge the display. 

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXSramam6Ses7p6wqikaKhfrLW6ecOonKxlk52ytMDEq2SgrZ6ourC3xGajoqWg