When Michael Learned returned to Dodge City for a Gunsmoke reunion

Gunsmoke: The Last Apache caught Learned at a career crossroads.

January 30, 2025, 10:55AM By MeTV Staff

The Everett Collection

For most of Gunsmoke's run, Marshal Matt Dillon wasn't allowed much of a love life. Sure, James Arness had a lot of onscreen chemistry with Amanda Blake, but Dillon and Miss Kitty's romance never really developed. There was never much of a physical connection between the Marshal and his lady counterpart. They never even kissed.

However, despite Matt Dillon's clear affection for Miss Kitty, some fans might remember his first kiss on the show was with a different woman. In 1973, almost 20 years in, Gunsmoke finally served up a little more than flirtation in an episode where Dillon had amnesia. The illness allows him to explore a new love without "cheating" on Miss Kitty.

Instead, he spends a little quality time with a character played by Michael Learned. The Waltons star was already Olivia on CBS, so viewers may have even recognized her when she showed up in Dodge.

Most importantly though, this episode, "Matt's Love Story," provided Matt Dillon's first kiss!

16 years later, Learned returned for a Gunsmoke TV movie. By then, Gunsmoke had been over for more than a decade, and The Waltons had also left the airwaves. Both franchises, however, benefitted greatly from reunion movies, as viewers tuned in in droves to see their favorite characters together again.

When she reappeared in Dodge for Gunsmoke: The Last Apache, Learned was filming a new ABC show called The Living Dolls. While both Gunsmoke and The Waltons still have a ton of fans, Dolls never reached the same level of popularity. In a November 1989 interview with The Kansas City Star, Learned spoke about that series and why it never caught on.

"The show [The Living Dolls] hasn't found itself yet," said Learned.

"They're trying this, trying that. It's confusing. I love the cast, but frankly, they still haven't found who the show appeals to. They know it appeals to teenagers, but I keep telling them, 'You've got to put some jokes in for my friends, too.'"