The official reason why James Nusser left Gunsmoke is still unknown, but it certainly was not caused by any bad blood with the producers.
James Nusser certainly made the character of Louie Pheeters one that fans still remember to this day. But there are very few official details about why he decided to leave Gunsmoke after 1969.
Why did James Nusser leave Gunsmoke?
James Nusser, the famed character actor got his start in radio dramas. But the role that he is perhaps most well-known for today is still the role of the lovable town drunk, Louie Pheeters in Gunsmoke.
Though Louie was never intended to be more than a background character on the show, Nusser’s incredible comedic timing and earnest portrayal quickly made Louie a favorite among Gunsmoke fans.
Thus, he was ultimately featured on and off throughout several seasons of the series.
Nusser left Gunsmoke just a few years before the show’s cancellation in 1970, without an official statement. Even the character of Louie simply faded away, without another word.
Nusser definitely made his mark on the Gunsmoke set and was greatly admired by the producers and his fellow actors, but he remained very private about his personal life throughout his career.
Some rumors have suggested that his own addictions may have been part of the reason for Nusser’s exit from the show, but this remains unconfirmed.
What made Louie such a fan-favorite character?
Nusser’s incredible knack for playing Louie as (in his own words) a “bit cynical” but “very loyal to his friends” drunk is what ultimately prompted producers to give the character more lines and screentime over the years. And is what earned him a title episode in the eighth season.
The Gunsmoke producer, John Mantley, even described Nusser as “one of the finest actors in town” in 1969, which further suggests that there was no bad blood when Nusser split from the series a year later.
How many Gunsmoke episodes was James Nusser in?
Even before Nusser landed his now infamous role as Louie on Gunsmoke, he appeared on the show seven other times under varying character names.
All in all, Nusser was part of the Gunsmoke family for well over a decade, and if you count all of his appearances (including the few which are un-credited) during this time, he was featured in over 80 episodes.
James Nusser’s last Gunsmoke episode
The very last time that Nusser took on the role of Louie on Gunsmoke was for the 1969 episode, titled “A Matter of Honor”, in which Louie is implicated in a deathbed murder accusation.
Louie spends most of the episode behind bars trying to remember what happened on the night when this murder occurred.