It was 1974. Gunsmoke had been the undisputed king of the television prairie for nearly two decades. But something felt off. If you were watching CBS back then, you probably noticed the Long Branch Saloon felt a little colder, a little emptier. Amanda Blake, the woman who had played the fiery, red-headed Miss Kitty Russell for nineteen years, was suddenly gone. Fans were stunned. How do you just remove the heart of Dodge City? Honestly, how did they write Miss Kitty out of Gunsmoke after nineteen seasons of sexual tension and saloon management?
The answer isn't a single plot point. It’s a mix of exhaustion, a long commute, and a surprisingly low-key exit that left many viewers feeling cheated.
The Quiet Departure: How Miss Kitty Left Dodge
When characters leave a show today, it’s usually a "Very Special Episode." They die in a tragic accident or leave in a blaze of glory. That didn't happen here. In the Season 20 premiere, "The Fourth Victim," Kitty Russell simply wasn't there.
There was no grand goodbye. No tearful farewell to Matt Dillon.
Instead, the show handled it with a brief, almost dismissive explanation. It was mentioned that Kitty had packed up and moved back to New Orleans. That was it. Nineteen years of history, thousands of drinks poured, and a relationship with Matt Dillon that defined "slow burn" before the term even existed—all reduced to a throwaway line about moving back East.
Basically, the writers chose the path of least resistance. They didn't want to kill her off because, let’s be real, the fans would have rioted. But by not giving her a proper send-off, they created a void that the show never quite filled. Some fans felt it was disrespectful to Blake’s legacy. Others just felt confused. You’ve got to remember that back then, there was no social media to announce a departure. You just turned on the TV and someone was gone.
🔗 Read more: A Simple Favor Blake Lively: Why Emily Nelson Is Still the Ultimate Screen Mystery
Why Amanda Blake Walked Away
You can’t talk about how she was written out without talking about why she left. Amanda Blake didn't get fired. She quit.
Imagine doing the same job for 19 years. Now imagine that job involves wearing a heavy, bone-crushing corset every single day under hot studio lights. Blake was tired. She lived in Phoenix, Arizona, at the time and was commuting to Hollywood for filming. That’s a lot of travel, even for a TV icon. She reportedly told friends that she just couldn't do the commute or the corset anymore.
There’s also the "John Mantley factor." Mantley was the executive producer, and he and Blake didn't always see eye-to-eye. When her contract came up for renewal before the 20th season, the negotiations didn't go well. Blake wanted a lighter schedule. The studio wasn't budging. So, she walked.
The Impact on Matt Dillon
The way they wrote Miss Kitty out of Gunsmoke fundamentally changed James Arness’s character. For nineteen seasons, Matt Dillon was the stoic lawman with one soft spot: Kitty.
Without her, Matt became a grimmer figure. The Long Branch was still there, and a new character named Miss Hannah (played by Fran Ryan) eventually took over the saloon, but the chemistry was non-existent. It was strictly business. The writers tried to keep the show going, but the heart had been ripped out.
💡 You might also like: The A Wrinkle in Time Cast: Why This Massive Star Power Didn't Save the Movie
Interestingly, the show only lasted one more season after Blake left. Coincidence? Maybe. But most TV historians agree that the loss of the Matt-and-Kitty dynamic was the final nail in the coffin. The show was already aging, but losing its leading lady made it feel like a relic.
The Return That Fixed the Mistake
If the 1974 exit was a disappointment, the 1987 reunion movie Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge was the apology.
Producers realized they’d messed up. When they brought the cast back for the first TV movie, Amanda Blake was the first person they called. This gave fans the closure they never got in the series. We finally saw Matt and Kitty together again, older and wiser. It didn't change the fact that she was missing from that final season, but it softened the blow.
Why the "Move to New Orleans" Plot Failed
Looking back, the New Orleans excuse was weak writing.
- It ignored Kitty's loyalty to the town.
- It ignored her relationship with Matt.
- It felt like a temporary fix for a permanent problem.
In the world of 1970s television, "continuity" wasn't the obsession it is today. Writers assumed the audience would just accept a change and move on. But Gunsmoke fans were different. They had grown up with these people. Writing her out so casually was a miscalculation of the audience's emotional investment.
📖 Related: Cuba Gooding Jr OJ: Why the Performance Everyone Hated Was Actually Genius
The Legacy of the Exit
Ultimately, the way they wrote Miss Kitty out of Gunsmoke remains a case study in how not to handle a legendary character's departure. It was abrupt, it was cold, and it lacked the dignity that Amanda Blake had earned over two decades.
If you’re a fan looking to revisit those final years, keep these points in mind:
- Season 19 is the last time you'll see the real Long Branch dynamic.
- The Season 20 premiere is where the "New Orleans" mention happens.
- Watch the 1987 reunion movie if you need actual closure.
The lesson here is simple: you can replace a saloon owner, but you can't replace a soulmate. When Miss Kitty left Dodge, the West didn't just get wilder—it got a lot lonelier.
To truly understand the impact of her departure, watch the Season 19 finale and then skip to the Season 20 premiere. The shift in tone is jarring. It serves as a reminder that even in the tough-as-nails world of Westerns, the relationships are what keep the audience coming back. Without Kitty, Matt Dillon was just a man with a tin star and a very quiet saloon.