The Associated Press [link expired] ran a story on actor Gerald McRaney, formerly TV’s detective in Simon and Simon, and later “Major Dad.” He once appeared as a villain on the traditional western “Gunsmoke” early in his career. Now he plays historical mining baron George Hearst on HBO’s edgy western “Deadwood.” He addressed the issue of language and censorship stirred by the show’s critics. Surprisingly, the former family friendly actor from Major Dad was quoted as saying; “I’m a little tired of government treating us all like children.” He loves his role on Deadwood and has a lot to say about the show and it’s creator, as well as vocalizing his opposition to government censorship.

Actor Gerald McRaney had the honor of being the last bad guy on the longest running TV series, Gunsmoke. From that conservative western series, where the family oriented network wouldn’t even confess to Miss Kitty as being a brothel madam, to dirty talking whore house proprietors and full on sexual scenes, McRaney seems to have an appreciation for both.

McRaney plays the antagonist George Hearst, one of the characters of Deadwood based on actual historical people. George Hearst was the father of the newspaper and print tycoon William Randolph Hearst. In his study of the historical figure, actor Gerald McRaney comments that the real George Hearst was likely less education and not such a crafter of words as the one portrayed on Deadwood. However, he believes that the real Hearst was every bit as possessive of his mined gold and related assets. McRaney goes on to say, “The money didn’t matter to him. He was like a stamp collector…. It wasn’t a matter of ‘What is the value of all these stamps?’ but, ‘I have them and other people don’t.’”

Critics of Deadwood attack the show on its lurid sexual content and most notably the plentiful supply of dirty language. McRaney explains how government restrictions on network television do not permit the level of creativity as seen on HBO’s Deadwood series. He also explains that the show is not simply a bunch of random characters all using profanity. The vocabulary fits the character, from George Hearst’s reserved and refined manner of speech to the rough talking saloon owners and “pimps.” He says, “The guys who use a lot of foul language are pimps. And the people around them are assistant pimps and whores, and they were not known for their lofty language.”

Gerald McRaney has played very family friendly characters such as family oriented Marine father “Major Dad” and later a wholesome family man on the show “Promised Land.” Yet, even though Deadwood is in contrast to those programs, Gerald McRaney stresses that it is the parent’s duty to keep children away from programs such as “Deadwood” if they don’t approve of the language and content. He makes the point it should be up to the individual, not the Federal government, to decide what entertainment to allow in their home. “I’m a little tired of government treating us all like children. I’m a conservative and I’m for limited government. This idea of telling me what I can see, what I can read — don’t go there,” McRaney said.

McRaney also talks about Deadwood creator David Milch. “David has a very specific take on what he wants. If a thing is too on the money, if a thing is too direct, that’s not good enough. We have to find the curves in there. And if it’s too well-defined, let’s some fine emptiness to play — to give it texture, and also to give it human imperfection.” He goes on to describe David Milch as “one of those great Arab carpet-weavers who purposely will weave imperfections in, because only God is perfect.”

The fourth season of Deadwood was canceled by HBO, as discussed in this Linuxchix.Net article. You can see Gerald McRaney on the entire 12-episode third season of Deadwood. A concluding pair of two hour television movies will wrap up Deadwood in place of a fourth season.