Back in early April of this year, I posted this to the Classic TV Western Lovers’ Haven page on Facebook. (I’m proud to be a founding member there.)
Despite a rumor to the contrary, Albert Einstein never appeared on ‘Gunsmoke’. Albert Einstein died on April 18, 1955, 4 1/2 months before ‘Gunsmoke’ aired. The fact-checking website Snopes attributes the likely origin of the rumor to Stephen Hawking appearing in an episode of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ in 1993. Actor Brent Spiner was quoted at the time as saying it was "the most notable moment in television history since Albert Einstein guest-starred on ‘Gunsmoke’." Although Spiner's remark was a joke, someone wrote to TV Guide in 1994 to ask if Einstein really had appeared on the show.
I know he was a big fan of the Western genre; he enjoyed going to see the outdoor pageants in Germany which celebrated the writings of Karly May, a German author of Western adventures in the style of dime novels.
What if he did ask for the chance to appear on a TV Western? Considering that he died in April, 1955, from an aneurysm, options were limited....
Hopalong Cassidy
6/24/1949 – 12/23/1951 NBC
Gene Autry
7/23/1950 – 8/7/1956 CBS
Death Valley Days
1952-1970, Also 1974 Syndicated
Stories of the Century
1954 Syndicated
1955 was the year in which TV Westerns took off in popularity.
I could see him being starry-eyed for the chance to meet Gene Autry and William Boyd, but I think 'Death Valley Days' would have been a better showcase for the German genius. He could have played some famous German scientist who visited the Old West. Perhaps in an episode focusing on Philip Deidesheimer, a mining engineer who improved the safety of mine shafts and tunnels. (His story was told in an episode of 'Bonanza'.)
Glückliche Wege!
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