Was John Wayne offered a role on Gunsmoke?
William Paley, the head of CBS, was preparing to transfer their hit radio series, Gunsmoke, to TV, and he was determined to have John Wayne star as Matt Dillon. He made Wayne an unprecedented offer: $2,000,000, plus partial ownership of the series.
Arness began working with Wayne in supporting roles in B-movies like "Big Jim McLain," "Hondo," "Island in the Sky," and "The Sea Chase." When Wayne recommended Arness for the lead role on "Gunsmoke," the legendary actor even introduced Arness to the television audience himself in the premiere episode's prologue in ...
John Wayne was the first choice to play Marshall Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke but he turned down the part because he didn't want to commit to a TV series.
Two big western stars meet again as "Gunsmoke" star Jim Arness stopped by to visit his old friend John Wayne. During the visit on the set of Wayne's current movie the actors recalled that back in 1952 Arness was under contract to Duke. Wayne was asked to a thing called "Gunsmoke" but sold the producers on Jim instead.
495), John Wayne was the first choice to play Marshal Matt Dillon, but he declined because he did not want to commit to a weekly television series. He did, however, recommend his good friend James Arness for the role and gave the on-camera introduction in the pilot.
The actor was 32 when friend John Wayne declined the lead role in "Gunsmoke" and recommended Arness instead. Afraid of being typecast, Arness initially rejected it. "Go ahead and take it, Jim," Wayne urged him.
Feldman introduced Arness to Wayne, who put the self-described 6', 6" actor under personal contract. Arness played several roles over the next few years for and with Wayne, whom he considered a mentor. In 1955, Wayne recommended Arness for the lead role of Matt Dillon in the TV series Gunsmoke (1955).
Gunsmoke made Ken Curtis' Festus Haggen a series regular to replace Dennis Weaver's beloved Chester Goode after he left to pursue other acting opportunities. However, Curtis refused to return for the first made-for-tv Gunsmoke movie after its 20-season run because of a couple of serious disagreements with a producer.
Despite very small differences in opinion, the cast had remained friendly during the show's run.
"Gunsmoke" I Thee Wed (TV Episode 1960) - IMDb.
Who is the gunfighter in the opening scene of Gunsmoke?
Arvo Oswald Ojala (February 21, 1920 – July 1, 2005) was a Hollywood technical advisor on the subject of quick-draw with a revolver. He also worked as an actor; his most famous role was that of the unnamed man shot by Marshal Matt Dillon in the opening sequences of the long-running television series Gunsmoke.
They knew that if he kissed her, the next time he better kiss her twice, show a little more passion.” As James Arness told the Archive of American Television, “I think they felt that… you could only go so far with it and then you'd have to change the character and nature of the show, so they kept it in that groove.
Ernie Saftig was one of John Wayne's longest and closest friends.
While much is known about the legendary Western star John Wayne, fans of the icon may not know that his grandnephew was a famous boxer.. John Wayne's grandnephew, Tommy Morrison, was a heavyweight boxer and a former World Boxing Organization champion.
According to DoYouRemeber.com, James Arness was happy to perform many of his character's stunts. This isn't all that surprising considering the actor's background. Not only did he play a tough guy on television, but Arness was also a tough guy in real life.
However, James Arness and Amanda Blake did lovingly interact on television while the show was still in its first few seasons. They starred in a commercial for L&M cigarettes where Blake hands Arness a carton and plants a big kiss on his cheek.
Instead of Kitty, who played the Long Branch saloon owner, Amanda Blake, Michael Learned was the one who received the smooch. “She's the only woman Matt ever kissed on screen,” said Arness.
A: Matt Dillon (James Arness) and Kitty (Amanda Blake) never married during the series 1955-75 run, although close watchers of the show were convinced they had connected at some time. But in a 1973 episode, Matt had a brief affair with another woman, Mike Yardner (Michael Learned), while he had amnesia.
The Gunsmoke actors actually drank beer, but the whiskey was tea or colored water. Marshall Trimble is Arizona's official historian and vice president of the Wild West History Association.
"Gunsmoke" Whelan's Men (TV Episode 1973) - Harrison Ford as Hobey - IMDb.
What guest star appeared on Gunsmoke the most?
James Arness, who starred as Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running CBS Western series Gunsmoke, had the most guest star appearances on the show with a total of 40. Arness stood out among other guest stars by also playing multiple characters over the course of the run.
The television series of Gunsmoke ran from 1955 to 1975 and is said to be one of the longest running prime-time shows on television. There were 635 episodes and many of the outdoor scenes for this show were shot in Johnson Canyon near Kanab, Utah.
But Arness not showing up for the part was only one bit of bad luck in what turned out to be a cursed production for the Duke. Wayne felt under immense pressure to produce a film that rivaled his mentor director John Ford. As a result, the actor never quite forgave Arness for abandoning him when the chips were down.
Jester Hairston was the first black actor to appear in the series.
The horse Matt Dillon rode “Buck” on Gunsmoke was in fact the very same “Buck” as was ridden by Ben Cartwright in 'Bonanza. Lorne Greene actually bought Buck (whose real name was Dunny Waggoner) when the 'Gunsmoke series ended. He then donated Buck to a therapeutic riding center.
But the changing of the guard really happened in the Season 9 episode titled "The Prairie Wolfer," where Chester and Festus actually appear together. In fact, this particular episode had appearances from Matt, Kitty, Doc, Chester, Festus, Sam and Quint.
Weaver told the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News in 1957 that he chose to limp with his right leg because his left leg was stronger. As a teen in high school, Weaver had set records in football and in track and field, and his left leg was the one he used to jump off with.
— “When you learn a thing a day you store up smart.” — “Quieter than a gagged gopher.” — “Sincere as a $5 funeral.” For the record, there were 635 episodes of Gunsmoke and never once did Marshal Dillon kiss longtime girlfriend Miss Kitty.
Arness, who remained close to Weaver after he left the series, praised him as a “really fine actor.” “We really liked each other a whole lot,” Arness said.
8 married couples who appeared on Gunsmoke.
What happened to Matt Dillon's daughter on Gunsmoke?
“He gets a letter from Mike asking him to come to her ranch. When he gets there, he finds out about his daughter, who has just been taken captive by the Apaches.” Now, it's up to Dillon to rescue the daughter he never knew he had and return her to her mother, played again by the Emmy-winning Learned.
He began his film career with minor appearances in The Way West (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), season five of Mission: Impossible and guest-starred on television in the Western Gunsmoke (1972) and the television films Murder in Texas (1981) and The Shadow Riders (1982).
According to the Chicago Tribune, Amanda had simply grown tired of having to travel to Hollywood. She lived in Phoenix, making her commute rather unbearably long. After 19 years of doing that commute, she decided enough was enough.
CELEBRATED ACTOR Glenn Ford was billed as "the fastest gun in Hollywood" – able to draw and fire in 0.4 seconds – even faster than James Arness ("Gunsmoke") and John Wayne.
Arvo Ojala, a legendary Hollywood quick-draw expert and gun coach who appeared as the anonymous bad guy who loses the gun duel with James Arness' Marshal Matt Dillon in the opening of the long-running weekly TV series “Gunsmoke,” has died.
Joe calls Matt out, but Lee escapes, throwing herself through a second story window. This allows Joe and Matt to kill the Douglas brothers. The story ends with Joe sitting at the bedside of the injured Lee, promising to stay with her.
However, Reynolds left the show to pursue a film career and that worked out very well for him. The issue was that when he joined the cast, Reynolds had made a big point about NOT leaving (like Weaver).
Dillon goes after cowboy Jake Bayloe after he guns down his partner in the Long Branch , shooting Kitty in the crossfire and critically wounding her.
Part of the problem (at least for John Wayne) was the two men represented different eras of the western film genre. Wayne had been one of the first major western stars in the 40s and 50s and really wasn't a fan of the new way Eastwood's films represented the Old West.
Despite the fact that John Wayne had fired Robert Mitchum from Blood Alley (1955) ten years earlier, he was happy to work with Mitchum again, and they became good friends.
What was John Wayne's most famous line?
1. "Whoa, take 'er easy there, Pilgrim." 2. "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
The actor John Wayne never served in the U.S. military, but the classic "John Wayne" served through World War II, the Korean War and in Vietnam, right up until the early 1980s.
He made more than 200 films. A heavy smoker, Wayne had most of his left lung removed in 1964 and died of complications from stomach cancer 15 years later.
In the days when westerns were big box office and TV attractions, cowboys and their horses often shared equal billing. Champion, wonder horse of the West, was Gene Autry's mount. John Wayne rode Duke, his devil horse, and, of course, there was Roy Rogers and Trigger billed as the smartest horse in the movies.
Bond's wife Polly Bond (aka Polly Ellis), a former model and Miss California, turned down the role of "Miss Kitty" on Gunsmoke (1955).
Although he was only in 50 episodes and joined mid-season, Reynolds didn't feel like an outsider. In fact, while he was there, he and the cast became great friends. "He was a wonderful guy to work with, and we all became friends," Arness said. "He just fit right in with the family group, and we had a wonderful time.
An urban legend has it that John Wayne was offered the leading role of Matt Dillon in the longtime favorite television show Gunsmoke, but he turned it down, instead recommending James Arness for the role.
Denver Pyle and Raymond Burr were considered for the role of Matt Dillon. Pyle would appear as different characters in 14 episodes from season 2 through season 18. After sixteen seasons, the producers decided to let Milburn Stone choose Doc's first name.
Prior to "Gunsmoke," the four movies Arness worked on with Wayne were "Big Jim McLain," "Island in the Sky," "Hondo," and "The Sea Chase." Arness also reprised the role of Matt Dillon for a number of TV movies in the '90s, culminating in "Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice" in 1994.
Gunsmoke made Ken Curtis' Festus Haggen a series regular to replace Dennis Weaver's beloved Chester Goode after he left to pursue other acting opportunities. However, Curtis refused to return for the first made-for-tv Gunsmoke movie after its 20-season run because of a couple of serious disagreements with a producer.
Who was offered the role of Matt Dillon first?
John Wayne appeared in the beginning to introduce the series. He was also originally offered the role of Matt Dillon but turned it down. And he recommended James Arness for the role.
Actor Ken Curtis, who played Festus Haggen on Gunsmoke, appeared in the most episodes of the show, a total of 225. He was the only original cast member to continue appearing in the show beyond the first seven seasons and is widely considered to be the longest-running character.
Despite very small differences in opinion, the cast had remained friendly during the show's run.
— “Quieter than a gagged gopher.” — “Sincere as a $5 funeral.” For the record, there were 635 episodes of Gunsmoke and never once did Marshal Dillon kiss longtime girlfriend Miss Kitty.
If you've seen any episode of Gunsmoke, you know the unmistakable romantic tension between U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon and saloon owner Kitty Russell. Their will-they-won't-they relationship lasted almost the show's entire run, for 19 seasons. Amanda Blake, who played Miss Kitty, appeared in 569 of the shows 635 episodes.
Both men shared the same birthday. Wayne was born on May 26, 1907, while Arness was born on May 26, 1923.
Following the aforementioned "Gunsmoke" TV movies (the last in 1994, when Arness was 71), Arness basically retired.
After more than 70 low-budget westerns and adventures, mostly routine, Wayne's career was stuck in a rut until Ford cast him in Stagecoach (1939), the movie that made him a star. He appeared in nearly 250 movies, many of epic proportions.
