Gunsmoke's Miss Kitty, Amanda Blake, Had A Recurring Role On A Daytime Soap Opera

Everyone who watched "Gunsmoke" on CBS will remember the red-haired and razor-witted Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), the owner and operator of the Long Branch Saloon. The saloon was a local hub for Marshall Matt Dillon (James Arness) and most of Dodge City. But how many of us remember that Blake also had a recurring role in the popular daytime soap opera "The Edge of Night" as Dr. Julianna Stanhower?

 "The Edge of Night," which is considered one of the best daytime soap operas of all time, originally aired on CBS in 1956 before moving over to ABC in 1975 where it continued for another nine years. Blake, whose career spanned almost four decades, appeared in 10 episodes of the popular soap opera almost 10 years after "Gunsmoke" ended. Her psychiatrist on "The Edge of Night" was a change from the character she had previously portrayed for 19 years. 

Like any other hit soap opera, "The Edge of Night" featured a wide range of characters. While the character of Dr. Stanhower may not have been as memorable as "Edge of Night" primary characters Nancy Karr or Miles Cavanaugh, it was different from Blake's previous role as Miss Kitty. Blake had gone from preventing barfights with a double barrel to being a medical professional and former professor.

When speaking with Entertainment Tonight in 1984, Blake talked about her struggles in the acting industry after a cancer diagnosis one year after "Gunsmoke" concluded. "They have a tendency to drop you," she told them. "Even if they consider that you're still alive, as far as they're concerned you still have cancer and you might drop dead on set." At the time, she hoped that her limited role on "The Edge of Night" would be a career comeback after her remission, but she passed away in 1989.