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Chester Goode

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Chester on Doc's stairs. Chester with a pick ax.
  • What is Chester's last name?

      Goode ... According to Parley Baer who played Chester Proudfoot on the radio, Chester's last name was changed for television in order to avoid a plagerism lawsuit.

  • Chester was Dillon's deputy.

      False ... he was never deputized. The attributing of a deputy status to Chester is one of the most common mistakes made in the chronicling of television history. It is made in a number of summaries of television program histories, including a special issue of {\it People Magazine dedicated to the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of television.

  • Which of Chester's legs was stiff?

      The right one. The reason for his stiff leg was never explained. The first director of Gunsmoke, Warren, had Chester have a stiff leg to partially explain why he would work at such a menial job such as marshal's assistant.

  • Did Chester ever go to church on Sundays?

      Yes

  • Chester had a brother.

      True ... his name was Magnus.

  • Chester was an orphan.

      True ... raised by a man named Ben Cherry.

  • Does Chester know Morse code?

      No

  • Where did Chester sleep when he was in Dodge City?

      In a cot in the Marshal's Office. So did Dillon.

  • Did Chester carry a hand gun?

      Not generally.

  • Chester was known for shooting himself in the foot.
      • False
  • Chester had a hard time sleeping after the sun came up because his feet began to do what?

      Sweat

  • The following song was sung by Chester in part or in whole on a number of Gunsmoke episodes. What is the missing word that goes in the blank:

      Run _____ the dog's gonna get you.

      Run _____ run - you gotta get away.

      Run _____ run, the dog's gonna get you.

      Run _____ run - you gotta get away.

      The _____ ran.

      The _____ flew.

      The _____ tore its tail in two.

      Answer: Rabbit

  • Here's another ditty that Chester sang. What are the two missing rhyming words:

      You can look all over Kansas.

      In every Kansas ________

      You'll not find another pair

      Like her eyes of ________.

          Answer: Town and Brow

  • (T/F) Dennis Weaver won an Emmy in 1958 for his role as Chester

      True!

  • What is the missing word in the following Chester quote. ``I'll ______ better for it when I do ______, though, knowing I didn't miss nothin' when I wasn't sleepin', you know."

      Sleep

  • One of Chester's chores was to wash the pillow cases used in the jail.

      False...they didn't use pillow cases.

  • In response to the grumps, to what Gunsmoke regular did Chester mutter the phrase ``What's the matter? Somebody pull you through a knothole?"
     

    Doc

  • When Dennis Weaver left Gunsmoke, he was replaced by Festus. Did Chester and Festus ever appear in the same episode of Gunsmoke?

      Yes...and both got star billing in the credits.

  • Which two of the following musical instruments did Chester play on Gunsmoke: (a) banjo. (b) guitar. (c) harmonica. (d) trombone. (e) bugle. (f) tissue-paper-on-a-comb.

      Answers: b ... guitar and f, the comb.

  • One of Chester's hobbies was knitting.

      False.

  • What did Chester wear over his shirt that neither Matt, Newly or Festus wore and why did he wear them?

      Suspenders to keep his pants up.

  • One of Chester's favorite toys was a three foot long piece of rope with a knot in the end. What trick did he do with it?

      He would hold the unknotted end in one hand and let the knot dangle. Then, with a quick upward jerk of his hand, the knotted end would jump up. Chester would guide its fall so that the rope tied itself into a loop knot.

  • Did Dennis Weaver use a brace to keep his leg stiff?

      No

  • Doc teased Chester about
    • his stiff leg.
    • his fat brother, Mangus.
    • the lousy coffee that Chester made.
    • all of the above.

      Answer: ... the lousy coffee. Chester prided himself in his brewing ability. ``Most people just don't know how to make good coffee. In the first place, they boil the water before they put the coffee in. Any fool knows you gotta put the coffee in the cold water and bring them both to a boil together. That way you get all of the flavor. Worst thing they do, they throw away the old grounds after using them once. What they don't know is that they are throwing away the best part. You got to keep them old grounds and you add alittle fresh coffee every morning and let her boil. Shoot, you don't make a cup, you bui;ld a pot. You don't really get a good pot until you've been usin' it about a week. Then it's coffee!"

  • Chester's brother owned a livery store in Waco, Texas.

      False ... Chester's brother hated cities.

  • What was Chester's middle initial?

      Chester B. Goode... not unlike the Chuck Berry hit, Johnny B. Good.

  • Chester appeared on Gunsmoke before Dillon did.

      True ... on the first Gunsmoke episode aired in 1955, Chester appears on the screen before Dillon does. The other main characters appear in the following order: Matt, Kitty, Doc and Howie, the clerk at the Dodge House. The first dramatic actor to appear on Gunsmoke was Paul Richards.

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