Les Crutchfield

Les Crutchfield
Born
Leslie Marcellus Crutchfield[1]

(1916-01-23)January 23, 1916[2]
Hutchinson, Kansas, United States
DiedOctober 6, 1966(1966-10-06) (aged 50)
Los Angeles, California, United States
OccupationScriptwriter
Years active1947–1966
Spouse(s)Thelma Marshall (m. 1938–div. 19??)
LaVonne Reardon (1948–his death)
Children1 daughter

Leslie Marcellus Crutchfield (January 23, 1916 – October 6, 1966) was an American scriptwriter for radio and television series between the late 1940s and mid-1960s, most notably for the Western series Gunsmoke, which aired on CBS Radio from 1952 to 1961 and on CBS Television from 1955 to 1975. 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.[3][4] While Gunsmoke is the most prominent showcase for Crutchfield's writing talents, he also composed original stories and adapted works by other authors for the CBS radio anthology series Escape as well as other weekly radio and television series and at least two feature films.

  1. ^ Crutchfield's 1948 marriage license includes his full personal signature, a typed transcription of his full name, and one other handwritten entry with his name. In all instances his middle name is clearly spelled "Marcellus" with a "u"."California, County Marriages, 1850–1952", Crutchfield-Reardon, July 30, 1948, Pasadena, California. FamilySearch, archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  2. ^ "California Death Index, 1940–1997," Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento, California. FamilySearch. Retrieved March 4, 2019 .
  3. ^ John Meston is credited with writing 379 episodes for the radio and television versions of Gunsmoke between 1952 and 1965.
  4. ^ Barabas, SuzAnne and Gabor, Barabas (1990). Gunsmoke: A Complete History and Analysis of the Legendary Broadcast Series. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 1990, pp. 39, 113, 142, 613.