Gunsmoke: The orphans went on to television and movie fame

In the 1971 episode of Gunsmoke titled "PS Murry Christmas." Jeanette Nolan portrayed Miss Grundy who ran an orphanage where the children never enjoyed Christmas. Jack Elam portrayed the man who volunteered at the facility and loved the children.

Elam's character complained about there not being Christmas presents so he left the orphanage along with the seven parentless children and headed to Dodge City. Ms. Grundy soon followed and by the end of the episode, the orphans were enjoying their first Christmas at the Long Branch Saloon with Matt Dillon, Kitty Russell, Festus Hagan, and Doc.

Looking at the children in those roles who would ever have suspected at the time that these seven young actors would all continue to have varying levels of success with their future careers?

Jody Foster

In the cover photo, Foster is the blonde girl second from the left. She is now a movie director who has received the honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award, 2 Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, and three Golden Globes. Jodie had roles in Bugsy Malone, The Accused and Silence of the Lambs as well as numerous television credits.

She has been the most successful of the group and has been on several lists for the greatest movie stars of all time. The actress has also been considered as one of the greatest during her generation which is the baby boomers, (those born between 1948 and 1964).

Todd Lookinland

Eric Todd Lookinland is the small blonde boy in the front. His older brother Mike became famous as Bobby the youngest brother on The Brady Bunch. Todd did not become a household name like his older sibling but he had roles in The Karate Kid (1984), Star Wars: Episode I -The Phantom Menace (1999), and Men in Black (1997).

Josh Albee

Albee is the blonde boy standing beside Jodie Foster. He also portrayed the mute boy Caleb in the movie Jeremiah Johnson, Albee also had roles in the television shows Sealab, Lassie, The ABC Afternoon Playbreak, The Secret of Isis, Code Red and The Young and the Restless plus many more.

Erin Moran

Moran is the tall girl on the left with long blonde hair. She portrayed Joannie Cunningham in Happy Days and the spin-off series Joannie Loves Chachi. The actress also appeared on Diagnosis Murder, The Love Boat, and Murder She Wrote. Sadly Moran's life took a downward spiral in later life. She shared that her home had been foreclosed on and she later died from complications of throat cancer near Thanksgiving of 2017.

Brian Morrison

Morrison is the dark haired boy third from the left. He portrayed Phillip the grandson of Bea Arthur's character in the sitcom MAUDE. He was also in the films Deadly Eyes, Airport, and The Death and Return of Superman

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Patty Cohoon

Cohoon is the girl on the far right and she has had roles in a number of popular television series. These include Mannix, Moonlighting, Amen, and Days of Our Lives. A She was also in the ABC After School Special and the television movies Deadly Desire and The Haunted Lady.

Willie Aames

Aames is the male in the group who has had the most success. He is best known for portraying Tom Bradford in the television series ight is Eough. He also had roles in Swiss Family Robinson, Charles in Charge and the direct to DVD movie Bibleman. He was in the film Scavenger Hunt and the soap opera The Edge of Night. The actor has admitted in recent years that he has been battling alcoholism. In 2010 Aames left acting behind and became a cruise ship director for Regent Seven Seas.