OTGT: Was Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke an FS sex worker?

Google says:

Kitty Russell aka “Miss Kitty"

Occupation/Career:

Half-owner of the Long Branch Saloon, although once hinted to in both the radio series and early on in the TV series as a dance hall girl/prostitute.

“obviously Miss Kitty was not selling chocolate bars or Girl Scout cookies”

Mighta been. Cost you half your herd to find out.

Extra credit if you know if she did greek.

^ Only James Aeneas knows for sure.

^ Arness My fricken has been correcting my spelling rong

I have it on good authority that Festus spent most of his off-hours in the $2 VIP rooms.

How the hell you think Chester got that limp? Why do you think Doc grew that little go-to-hell mustache? It sure wasn't for his looks!

True story:

Chester comes riding into to Dodge City Buck Naked! Matt: "Whoa Chester! you can't be running around like that without your clothes...how do you explain yourself?" Chester: "Well you know... me and Miss Kitty were riding out by the Thomas ranch and we stopped at that little lake to water our horses...then Miss Kitty said "it would sure be nice if we could take a swim here being so hot as it is"...and I told her we didn't have no bathing suits. Miss Kitty then told me to hide behind a bush while she got naked and in the lake...then I was to do the same. After a few minuets we both came out of that lake...both naked! and Miss Kitty said to me "you know Chester now that we are both naked...and there is nobody around...and you're a man and I'm a woman...I can't think of one reason why you don't just "mount up" and "go to town!" "So here I am Mr Dillon!"

My impression was that Miss Kitty had previously worked as a prostitute but as the owner/manager of the Long Branch was now functioning as a madame - maybe with some "extras" for the federal marshall.😉

Yes. In some of the early episodes, Dillon could be seen coming out of one of the upstairs rooms putting his shirt on. Kitty would come out a little later.

Chester: Mr. Dillon, Mr. Dillon, get your ass down to the Long Branch. Mr. Dillon: Where do you think I been gettin' it Chester?

^ It's okay, Scrub. You're pretty laughable every single day.

Never really watched westerns growing up. I guess my parents always had something else on. So most of my watching has been in reruns. My top 5 from the 60’s (Modern shows intentionally left off)

1. The Rifleman
2. The Big Valley
3. Wild, Wild West
4. Bonanza
5. Gunsmoke

I remember “Branded” with Chuck Connors. It had a cool beginning theme song playing while he was getting his sergeant stripes and buttons, etc ripped off cavalry uniform by an officer for cowardice - undeserved!

He the proceeded to be brave and kick ass killing outlaws and bad guys the rest of the show.

@motorhead: I loved Wild Wild West when I was a kid. Absolutely hated the Will Smith movie. Only good part of that was Kenneth Branagh.

Anybody else remember Barbary Coast, with William Shatner, and Brisco County with Bruce Campbell?

SJG

There was also the character played by Joan Crawford, in Johnny Guitar. Also a saloon owner.

Interesting movie because it seems that the towns people are actually the villans. It was intended to reverse the anti-communist doctrine which had gotten into the movies.

SJG

Thin Lizzy 1983 youtube.com

Have Fun, Will Travel (Richard Boone) and The Bounty Hunter (Steve McQueen), both good shows. Also, Cheyenne.

That should have been "Gun", not "Fun". I plead fat fingers.

That show was interesting as there seemed to be a bit left unsaid. I think there’s something to the truth about this sordid side to her. Each western town must have had a series of madams and whores to keep the men going.

In the old, OK-for-family hour Westerns, saloon chicks only did the Can-Can, you didn't bleed or scream when you got shot, and there were pretty much only white people. And injuns (white people with pronzer). East Asian people were only seen when there was laundry to be done, except for the Cartrights dude-maid.

The 60’s Westerns were pretty unrealistic. Everyone was neat and clean and well scrubbed.

I thought Lonesome Dove, both the novel and the mini series, did a reasonably good job of showing the dirt and grime of the West.

And Buffalo Heifer was likely a realistic portrayal of a typical whore