Les Crutchfield
Crutchfield is credited with writing a total of 138 radio and television stories and scripts for Gunsmoke, a body of work that is second only to the number of episodes written by John Meston, the series' co-creator.
[6] Around 1946, while still working at Caltech, Crutchfield met Norman Macdonnell, a producer and director for CBS Radio's West Coast or "Hollywood" division, which operated in the facilities of network affiliate KNX in nearby Los Angeles.
[1] Crutchfield's early years as a CBS scriptwriter are not as well documented as his work for later radio, television, and film projects, but records do show that by 1947 he was adapting stories for Escape.
In its review of that initial episode, the widely read trade paper Variety commends Crutchfield's adaptation, calling it "skil[l]fully scripted".
In 1953, The New York Times reviewer Jack Gould praised the series' writing and credited its quality foremost to Meston and Crutchfield, whom he described as "craftsmen in their field".
"[15] Another reviewer in 1953, Anton Remenih of the Chicago Daily Tribune, complimented the series' scripts too, but in his assessment focuses on Crutchfield, stating he "does not treat his listeners as if they were morons able to understand nothing more subtle than a pistol shot or a punch in the jaw.
Ultimately, Crutchfield wrote 81 scripts for the radio version of Gunsmoke, which amounts to 17 percent of the series' entire nine-year catalog in that medium.
He created teleplays for the "small screen" while still composing scripts for Gunsmoke's ongoing radio counterpart and for Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and Fort Laramie.
[21] Portrayed by actor Ken Curtis, the scruffy and illiterate Festus had been born, according to Crutchfield's script, in the "hills" and raised by a family or clan of "outlaws"; but over the course of the series he becomes the trusted deputy of Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness).
[23] Subsequent scripts by Crutchfield, such as "Once a Haggen", and Festus-related episodes by other writers provided a foundation on which Curtis further developed the appearance, mannerisms, and personality of the character.
[27] Macdonnell, as a producer, director and as a writer himself for Gunsmoke, regarded Crutchfield as "one of the solid contributors" to the series and a dependable, highly versatile author who was skilled at crafting "dark" storylines but better known among his colleagues for applying light, humorous touches to episodes.
[31] Crutchfield also developed stories for two Hollywood feature films released in 1959: Tarzan's Greatest Adventure starring Gordon Scott and the Last Train from Gun Hill co-starring Anthony Quinn and Kirk Douglas.
