Susan Gordon, an established child actress at the time, portrayed the role of Charity Gill on the “Little Girl” episode of Gunsmoke.
Charity Gill was a young girl who was only featured in one Gunsmoke episode in the sixth season of the show. But Susan Gordon’s portrayal of this fiery orphan (and all of her other characters) has stuck with fans to this day.
Who played Charity on Gunsmoke?
Gunsmoke certainly featured a wide variety of both up-and-coming and established acting talent throughout its 20 years on the air.
But even with this constant revolving door of characters, some roles have managed to stick in the minds of fans, even years later.
One such character is the young but feisty orphan, Charity Gill, who the show’s lead and notable Dodge City Marshal, Matt Dillon is tasked with re-homing in the “Little Girl” episode, which aired in 1961.
By the time that Susan Gordon had landed the role of Charity in this memorable Gunsmoke episode, she had already established herself as one of the most talented child actors in Hollywood.
She used this acting experience and know-how not only to charm and manipulate Dillon on screen, but also to win over the hearts of the thousands of Gunsmoke fans watching from home.
About the “Little Girl” Gunsmoke episode
“Little Girl” first aired on April 1, 1961, as part of the sixth season. It was the 223rd Gunsmoke episode, overall.
Besides Susan Gordon this episode also featured other guest stars like Wright King (Hi Stevens), Bill McLean (Rafe), Loyal T. Lucas (Albie) and Ann Morrison (Mrs. Henry).
Most notably, all of the other children in this episode were either played by the real-life children of Dennis Weaver (who directed the episode and played Chester on the show), or Wright King.
Susan Gordon was born into the spotlight
Although it was not rare for children to act in the 1960s when Gunsmoke was airing, Gordon had a more established career than most of the other young actors on the show.
This is likely because Gordon’s father was a film director named Bert I. Gordon who started encouraging her to act from the age of eight years old. He even directed Gordon in the 1958 film, Attack of the Puppet People.
Susan Gordon’s impressive career
In addition to Gunsmoke, Gordon also landed roles in other successful shows like The Twilight Zone, Ben Casey, My Three Sons, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Donna Reed Show, Route 66, and many, many more.
Gordon’s talents also extended to the theatre, and she appeared in productions like A Magic Place in a New Time (2002) and the 1959 live broadcast of Miracle on 34th Street.