Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge

It was interesting to see another Gunsmoke chapter.However,with a few changes this could have been a joy to watch.The storyline itself is very good.The poor set lighting (particularly on night and interior shots) is way too dark and makes viewing a chore.The Long Branch scenes really suffer due to this problem.In 20 years of the TV series the production quality was excellent.This made for TV movie looks amateurish due to the dim lighting. James Arness needed drastic makeup help.He looked like someone out of a horror film rather than the clean cut Matt Dillon we knew for 20 years.The Dillon character would not have changed his grooming habits at his age. With better lighting,makeup and camera angles Amanda Blake would have benefited as well. Where the production really missed was in casting.The character Earl Holiman played (Matt's friend) should have been cast with Ken Curtis as Fester Haggen.This would have made the entire story and movie more satisfying.That character's motivation would have been stronger and we the audience deserved as many familiar Gunsmoke regulars as were still living (if Curtis absolutely refused to appear then Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode should have been cast as the friend.Why were Ted Jordan and Tom Brown excluded also?) Steve Forrest as Mannon did the best acting whether in flashback or present.He was a real scene stealer. I agree with the IMDb review that Miss Kitty deserved more than she got at the end from Matt in the final scene. This could have been a much.much better movie.Why wasn't it?