James Arness Movies
American actor James Arness had an unremarkable Minneapolis childhood, but his wartime experiences shattered that normality - literally. During the battle of Anzio, Arness' right leg was peppered with machine gun bullets, and when the bones were set they didn't mend properly, leaving him with a slight but permanent limp. The trauma of the experience mellowed into aimlessness after the war.... (read more) Arness became a "beach bum," lived out of his car, and worked intermittently as a salesman and carpenter. Acting was treated equally lackadaisically, but by 1947 Arness had managed to break into Hollywood on the basis of his rugged good looks and his 6'6" frame. Few of his screen roles were memorable, though one has become an object of cult worship: Arness was cast as the menacingly glowing space alien, described by one character as "an intellectual carrot," in The Thing (1951). For a time it looked as though Arness would continue to flounder in supporting roles, while his younger brother, actor Peter Graves, seemed destined for stardom. John Wayne took a liking to Arness when the latter was cast in Wayne's Big Jim McLain (1953). Wayne took it upon himself to line up work for Arness, becoming one of the withdrawn young actor's few friends. In 1955, Wayne was offered the role of Matt Dillon in the TV version of the popular radio series Gunsmoke. Wayne turned it down but recommended that Arness be cast and even went so far as to introduce him to the nation's viewers in a specially filmed prologue to the first Gunsmoke episode. Truth be told, Arness wasn't any keener than Wayne to be tied down to a weekly series, and as each season ended he'd make noises indicating he planned to leave. This game went on for each of the 20 seasons that Gunsmoke was on the air, the annual result being a bigger salary for Arness, more creative control over the program (it was being produced by his own company within a few years) and a sizeable chunk of the profits and residuals. When Gunsmoke finally left the air in 1975, Arness was the only one of the original four principals (including Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone and Dennis Weaver) still appearing on the series. Arness made plans to take it easy after his two-decade Gunsmoke hitch, but was lured back to the tube for a one-shot TV movie, The Macahans (1976). This evolved into the six-hour miniseries How the West Was Won (1977) which in turn led to a single-season weekly series in 1978. All these incarnations starred Arness, back in the saddle as Zeb Macahan. The actor tried to alter his sagebrush image in a 1981 modern-day cop series, McClain's Law -- which being set in the southwest permitted Arness to ride a horse or two. It appeared, however that James Arness would always be Matt Dillon in the hearts and minds of fans, thus Arness obliged his still-faithful public with three Gunsmoke TV movies, the last one (Gunsmoke: The Last Apache) released in 1992. In between these assignments, James Arness starred in a 1988 TV-movie remake of the 1948 western film classic Red River, in which he filled the role previously played by his friend and mentor John Wayne. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Television: The First 50 Years
2003
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Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice
1994
This made-for-TV movie, one of a series that brought back James Arness in the role of Marshall Matt Dillon from the long-running TV Western serial Gunsmoke, finds...
Gunsmoke: To the Last Man
R 1992
When retired lawman Matt Dillon takes off hunting for some stolen cattle, he and his daughter discover a vigilante gang and get involved in one of the bloodiest and most deadly...
Gunsmoke: The Long Ride
1992
James Arness made his first appearance as Marshal Matt Dillon in eight years in the 1993 TV movie Gunsmoke: The Long Ride. Inasmuch as Amanda Blake (Kitty) and Milburn...
Gunsmoke: The Last Apache
PG13 1990
Matt Dillon is the only one available from the series in this movie. This time he discovers that he has a daughter he never even knew that he had. Unfortunately, however, she has...
Red River
1988
Inasmuch as Gunsmoke star James Arness was the protégé of movie luminary John Wayne, it is altogether fitting and proper that Arness step into Wayne's role in the...
Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge
R 1987
James Arness returns to the role of US marshal Matt Dillon after a twelve-year absence in the made-for-TV Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge. Amanda Blake is also back as Miss...
The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory
1987
The valor and anguish of the Alamo is resurrected in this '80s effort that features a considerably accomplished cast. Brian Keith plays Davy Crockett and James Arness is...
The Macahans
1976
The Macahans is a two-hour TV movie utilizing characters originally created for the 1962 Cinerama extravaganza How the West Was Won. In his first post-Gunsmoke project,...
Gunsmoke: Season 20
1974
The record-breaking 20th season of Gunsmoke also proved to be the series' last stand--not because it had lost its huge fan base (the series still managed to rank among the 30...
Gunsmoke: Season 19
1973
That Gunsmoke was the longest-running dramatic series in TV history was common knowledge by the time the program entered its nineteenth season in the fall of 1973. What few...
Gunsmoke: Season 18
1972
With the cancellation of Bonanza in December of 1972, Gunsmoke remained standing as the last of the "golden age" TV westerns as it entered its record-breaking eighteenth...
Gunsmoke: Season 17
1971
Seventeen seasons and 540 episodes since it burst on the TV scene as the first truly "adult" western back in 1955, Gunsmoke returned with 24 all-new episodes in the fall of...
Gunsmoke: Season 16
1970
Having twice "cheated the hangman" by eluding CBS' efforts to cancel the series, the venerable western Gunsmoke was still safely imbedded in its by-now-familiar Monday...
Gunsmoke: Season 15
1969
Rescued from cancellation when it was moved from Saturdays to Mondays during its thirteen season, the venerable TV western Gunsmoke continued to steadily climb in the ratings...
Gunsmoke: Season 14
1968
Despite stiff competition from NBC's top-rated Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, the venerable CBS western Gunsmoke continued to flourish in its (relatively) new...
Gunsmoke: Season 13
1967
Rescued from cancellation by an eleventh-hour decision from CBS president William Paley, Gunsmoke entered its 13th season in a brand-new timeslot: Monday evenings at 7:30...
Gunsmoke: Season 12
1966
Beginning with its 12th season, Gunsmoke switched from black-and-white to color, one of the last major network series to do so. This necessitated the reshooting of the series'...
Gunsmoke: Season 11
1965
By the time Gunsmoke entered its record-breaking eleventh season in the fall of 1965, the series had past beyond the realm of ordinary western and into the lofty heights of...
Gunsmoke: Season 10
1964
The fact that Gunsmoke is able to enter its 10th season despite ever-descending ratings is a tribute not only to the series' solid story and production values but also its most...