Gunsmoke was a long-running American old-time radio and television Western drama created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories took place in or about Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West.The radio version ran from 1952 to 1961, and is commonly regarded as one of the finest radio dramas of all time; the television version ran from 1955 to 1975 and still holds the record for the longest-running U.S. prime time fictional television program.