This Forgotten ‘Gunsmoke’ Episode Starred a Young Ron Howard
Before he was Richie Cunningham on Happy Days (or one of the most successful directors of all time) but after The Andy Griffith Show ended, a young Ron Howard made a surprising guest appearance on Gunsmoke — on the episode that won the show its final Emmy.
“Charlie Noon,” which aired on November 3, 1969 featured two familiar names at very different points in their careers: in addition to Howard, who was 15 at the time, the episode also starred James Best, who played the titular Noon — a prisoner who is being transported by Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness). Best, who was already a seasoned television and film actor, gave the character a layered presence that made the episode stand out. Long before he became widely known as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard, Best built his reputation on guest appearances in Westerns, and his turn in Gunsmoke is remembered as one of his strongest.
Everett Collection
Howard, credited as Ronny Howard, appears in the role of Jamie Barker,a young man hiding in a burned-out cabin with his stepmother, a Native American woman whose name is never given (Miriam Colon). When Dillon decides to help Jamie and his stepmom travel into town, as well, the group find themselves in danger, as the young boy and woman are actually on the run.
Though Gunsmoke was known for having many repeat guest stars, it was Howard’s only appearance on the show; Best appeared in three episodes and Colon popped up a whopping eight times on the show.
“Charlie Noon” was more than just a straightforward Western episode as it was also technically distinguished — the episode earned Gunsmoke an Emmy Award in 1970 for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing.
Though Howard hasn’t commented on the role, it did play a role in the back story of one of his greatest successes as a director … kind of. In 1995, Howard directed the hit Apollo 13, about the dangerous April 11, 1970 Apollo 13 moon voyage. According to a September 2025 oral history of the film in The Hollywood Reporter, Howard missed out on following live news of the mission because he “spent most of the crisis at Vasquez Rocks, 45 mile north Los Angeles, filming a guest spot on the TV Western Gunsmoke. There was no TV reception, and it was hard to get the radio. By the time he emerged back to civilization, astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise had returned to Earth safely.”
However, the dates don’t quite line up — the Apollo 13 mission occurred almost 6 months after this episode aired on TV. Did Howard shoot another guest spot for the show that never aired?
Now tell us, what is your favorite guest star or episode of Gunsmoke?
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Wild West- Heroes & Villains
November 2022
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