Vintage Gunsmoke TV Show 15th Anniversary Cast Party Poster Preston Wood 1969

Description

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Estate sale find, original vintage Gunsmoke Wanted poster for William Preston Wood II in celebration of the 15th anniversary of Gunsmoke.
The poster alludes to his involvement and influence relating to the "theft" of ratings involving various TV classics such as The Man from UNCLE, Monkees, I Dream of Jeanie, and Rowan and Martin's laugh In.
In TV's early days, commercial sponsors controlled the shows they paid for. The "mad men" were the network moguls. So it was that Wood's entry into television was through his new employer, advertising titan Young & Rubicam.
Back in those early days, television directing was a craft to be learned and invented simultaneously. Wood worked with his mentor and fellow trailblazer Frank Telford.
In 1961, the Woods moved to Los Angeles as Preston assumed the duties of story editor for the second season of the western series Outlaws.  The following year he took the plunge into freelance script writing, changing his life forever. It was this decision that yielded the extensive filmography accumulated over two decades of steady script work.
The output is diverse, startlingly so. There were contemporary dramas - Mr. Novak, Slattery's People, the latter one of his favorite shows, although it had but a brief run. There was comedy -- The Addams Family, the creation of his NBC/Y & R boss David Levy. One episode featured a sidesplitting turn for Uncle Fester, played by Jackie Coogan, who would always remember it as one of his favorite efforts.
Wood's work for shows such as Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Big Valley, and The Virginian earned him a lifetime membership in the Western Writers of America. A 1968 episode of Gunsmoke garnered guest star Jack Albertson an Emmy award for his portrayal of the title character in "Danny".
In late 1966, Wood was recruited by Jack Webb to write for a revival of his popular 1950's television program Dragnet. His first script for Dragnet 1967 aired in January 1967, and he would freelance for the show throughout its run. Wood went on to write for the similarly popular Webb spinoff, Adam-12.
The item measures approximately 9" X 12.5", approximate shipping weight 6 ounces
PLEASE SEE DESCRIPTION AND PHOTOS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS  -  The item is in overall Fair to Good Minus used condition, signs of wear, creases, fading, tears, chipping, sunning and age toning, soiling, stains, ink stamp, writing, no odors, please see images.
(C1B11-108)