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===As Newly O'Brien====​

===As Newly O'Brien====​

Taylor's long-term role on ''Gunsmoke'' was not his first role in a weekly series. In the preceding 1966–1967 season, he starred in ten episodes as John "Brad" Bradford, along with Michael Anderson, Jr., and Barbara Hershey]in ABC's ''The Monroes,'' the story of an orphaned family trying to survive in the [[Wyoming]] wilderness.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060011/fullcredits#cast "The Monroes" (1966) – Full cast and crew]. imdb.com</ref>

Taylor's long-term role on ''Gunsmoke'' was not his first role in a weekly series. In the preceding 1966–1967 season, he starred in four episodes as John "Brad" Bradford, along with Michael Anderson, Jr., and Barbara Hershey in ABC's ''The Monroes,'' the story of an orphaned family trying to survive in the [[Wyoming]] wilderness.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060011/fullcredits#cast|title=The Monroes (1966) – Full cast and crew]|publisher=Internet Movie Database|accessdate=October 30, 2019}}</ref>

''Gunsmoke'' introduced Taylor on a weekly basis to millions of viewers. Dub Taylor also guest-starred numerous times on the series. Before Taylor was cast as handsome young gunsmith "Newly," he had appeared in an earlier segment of the series as an outlaw.  As Newly, however, he was clearly one of the "good guys" in the same tradition as James Arness as Matt Dillon. The Newly character superseded that of Clayton Thaddeus "Thad" Greenwood, played by Roger Ewing. Taylor got along so well with the ''Gunsmoke'' cast that he named his second and third sons Matthew Taylor and Cooper Glenn Taylor for James Arness' Matt Dilloon role and Glenn Strange (1899–1973), the character actor who played the bartender, Sam, and remained on the program until [[cancer]] claimed his life. Strange never knew of the honor, for Cooper Taylor was not born until 1975. Taylor was actively involved in the preparation of the script for the 1987 ''Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge'' reunion film,<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Gunsmoke-Return-Dodge-James-Arness/dp/6302662346 Amazon.com: Gunsmoke- Return to Dodge] (VHS, 1987)</ref> by which time Milburn Stone, the cranky Doc Adams character, had died. Ken Curtis, who had portrayed the deputy Festus Haggen, felt shortchanged by the offer of far less pay than Amanda Blake and passed on the project. In 1991, Taylor co-starred with Curtis in what turned out to be Curtis' last acting role in the film version of [[Louis L'Amour]]'s ''Conagher,'' which also starred Taylor's friend Sam Elliott and Elliott's wife, Katharine Ross.<ref name=buck/>​

''Gunsmoke'' introduced Taylor on a weekly basis to millions of viewers. Dub Taylor also guest-starred numerous times on the series. Before Taylor was cast as handsome young gunsmith "Newly," he had appeared in an earlier segment of the series as an outlaw.  As Newly, however, he was clearly one of the "good guys" in the same tradition as James Arness as Matt Dillon. The Newly character superseded that of Clayton Thaddeus "Thad" Greenwood, played by Roger Ewing. Taylor got along so well with the ''Gunsmoke'' cast that he named his second and third sons Matthew Taylor and Cooper Glenn Taylor for James Arness' Matt Dilloon role and Glenn Strange (1899–1973), the character actor who played the bartender, Sam, and remained on the program until [[cancer]] claimed his life. Strange never knew of the honor, for Cooper Taylor was not born until 1975. Taylor was actively involved in the preparation of the script for the 1987 ''Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge'' reunion film,<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Gunsmoke-Return-Dodge-James-Arness/dp/6302662346 Amazon.com: Gunsmoke- Return to Dodge] (VHS, 1987)</ref> by which time Milburn Stone, the cranky Doc Adams character, had died. Ken Curtis, who had portrayed the deputy Festus Haggen, felt shortchanged by the offer of far less pay than Amanda Blake and passed on the project. In 1991, Taylor co-starred with Curtis in what turned out to be Curtis' last acting role in the film version of [[Louis L'Amour]]'s ''Conagher,'' which also starred Taylor's friend Sam Elliott and Elliott's wife, Katharine Ross.<ref name=buck/>​