Ben Costello was a self-confessed film and television buff. Starting at the age of five, he appeared on stage in a variety of dramatic and comedic roles. He also enjoyed writing and directing. Along with fellow comedian John Babrowski, Costello played in casinos and clubs from New York City to Las Vegas, frequently portraying characters similar to Abbott and Costello (no, Ben Costello and Bud Costello were not related). Costello and Babrowski performed the classic Who is on First routine at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, to kick off the 2000 World Series. They were the first to do so since Abbott and Costello performed the skit there 44 years earlier. Costello wrote, produced, and costarred in The Whitley & Costello Show in 1979. In 1987, he took the classic Laurel and Hardy movie Way Out West and adapted it for the stage, with the blessings of Lucille Hardy Price, widow of comedian Oliver Hardy. In 1988, his play titled Company B debuted. The show, a slapstick musical tribute to World War II, was so popular that it spawned five stage sequels. For his work on this production, Costello won Best Actor, Writer, Director, and Production awards from the Southern California Theatre Leagues. Costello taught seminars on Hollywood Comedy and Comedians and was an authority on television and motion picture Westerns. A father of one, Costello resided in the desert community of Joshua Tree, California.

Beckey Burgoyne, an elementary school teacher from Illinois and daughter of a farmer, has penned her first book Perfectly Amanda, Gunsmoke's Miss Kitty: To Dodge and Beyond. Burgoyne was driven to write this biography of Amanda Blake based on her deep admiration of the actress and the strong woman she portrayed on television s Gunsmoke. Born in Danville, Ill., Beckey Burgoyne has lived in Illinois and Indiana all of her life. A graduate of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill., Burgoyne has always had a passion for the theater and English. Putting her two loves together, it only made sense that her first book would be about the famous actress who inspired her in so many ways. As an elementary school teacher since 1992, Burgoyne has taught math, science and physical education classes. Outside of teaching and spending time with her family, she also loves flowers and the theater. The self-proclaimed Flower Lady has been designing, planting and caring for 15 flowerbeds at her local bank for the last 10 summers. She is also involved in the choir/drama department at her church and has taken part in their Christmas and Easter dramatic musical productions for the past 15 years. She also works with the Danville Light Opera, a local community theater group, whenever she can. As a wife, mother, full-time teacher and now a published author, however, Burgoyne doesn't find a lot of free time. Perfectly Amanda, Gunsmoke's Miss Kitty: To Dodge and Beyond was the result of Burgoyne s lifelong love for and admiration of the great actress Amanda Blake and her Gunsmoke character, Kitty Russell, the owner of the Long Branch Saloon and love interest of Marshal Matt Dillon on the legendary Western series. As a young girl, Burgoyne was greatly influenced by Miss Kitty. She admired her independent nature and contentment with choosing a career over homesteading. As television didn't often portray women with such strength and strong will, Miss Kitty was truly an inspiration and an excellent role model for a new generation of women. To honor all that she stood for, Burgoyne put pen to paper for this biography.