I saw these in the store today and was initially disappointed that both sets are highlights from the show's entire history but then realized I would never watch complete seasons of this anyway. The reviews I found made it sound like these are actual complete episodes (which is what I want to see) so are these worth watching?

The B/W episodes look great and appear complete, but the color ones are just so-so in quality.

At least one of the color shows is an edited syndication version with obvious added fades and a much shorter running time than the rest of them. I'm not sure if there are other instances of edits.

The extras are pretty good, especially the cast reunion from the Museum of Radio and TV. The commentaries are hit and miss, but they usually are.

I just started the 3rd set (Directors Edition) so maybe the color episodes ont hat will look better, but I kind of doubt it.

GUNSMOKE has been airing in reruns ad nauseum forever, so I figure these sets are probably worth picking up solely because of the extras, which appear to be quite interesting. I question the point of a "Director's Edition," since GUNSMOKE appears to have been run primarily by producers Norman Macdonnell and John Mantley, as well as James Arness. Plus, some of the directors being showcased aren't really directors per se, such as producer/actor William Conrad (whose feature directorial credits are perfunctory at best) and actor Peter Graves, who obviously got to direct one GUNSMOKE because of his brother Arness.

Meant to ask this question here before but forgot about it until this thread jogged my memory. Just to be perfectly clear, the Directors' Edition set contains completely different episodes from the earlier 50th Anniversary sets, right?

Dave

Yes, that is correct.

Well oddly enough (or not) I've never seen an episode of Gunsmoke and since I haven't had cable for a few years don't have any chance for current reruns (TVland). Growing up I watched TV in the afternoon after school and only occasional other shows so a result is I've seen nearly all of I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, Star Trek, Petticoat Junction, Twilight Zone and a few others but not much else. Didn't see any Honeymooners or Monty Python (TV) until my late 20s; they just didn't air in my hometown. But there are a few shows I want to encounter a bit and since I'm on a Westerns kick right now Gunsmoke seems like one of them.

William Conrad's "feature directorial credits are perfunctory"? Marty, have you seen BRAINSTORM (1965)? It's very much in the vein of other hysterically over-pitched dramas of the time such as LADY IN A CAGE and SECONDS, though I find it easier to take than either of them. Or do I misunderstand you?