Originally published Friday, June 3, 2011 at 9:25 PM

James Arness dies at 88; TV's Marshal Dillon on landmark 'Gunsmoke' series

James Arness, the towering actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon, the commanding symbol of frontier justice on the landmark TV Western series "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88.

By Dennis McLellan

Los Angeles Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2011/06/03/2015224801.jpg

LOS ANGELES — James Arness, the towering actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon, the commanding symbol of frontier justice on the landmark TV Western series "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88.

Mr. Arness died of natural causes at his home in Brentwood, family spokeswoman Ginny Fazer said.

"Gunsmoke" debuted on CBS on Sept. 10, 1955, and, with the start of "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" on ABC four days earlier, a new era in television horse operas was launched: the adult Western.

But whereas "Wyatt Earp," starring Hugh O'Brian, ended its run in 1961, "Gunsmoke" ran until 1975, far outdistancing its many competitors and becoming one of the longest-running prime-time series in network TV history.

In the process, Mr. Arness became one of television's most enduring stars, returning as Dillon in a handful of "Gunsmoke" TV movies in the late '80s and early '90s.

At 6-foot-7, Mr. Arness was a bigger-than-life actor who filled the boots of the mythic Dodge City lawman in the series, which earned praise for breaking TV Western-genre conventions with its strong dramatic stories and psychologically complex characters.

"Matt," Mr. Arness once said, "is very human and has all the failings and drives common to anyone who is trying to do a difficult job the best he knows how."

"Gunsmoke" had been a groundbreaking hit radio show, with William Conrad providing the authoritative voice of Dillon, for three years when CBS began looking for an actor to star in the TV version.

At the time, Mr. Arness, a Minnesota native and World War II Army combat veteran, had amassed a string of film credits, including playing the alien monster in the 1951 science-fiction classic, "The Thing From Another World." He also co-starred in the 1954 sci-fi thriller, "Them!"

Then under contract to John Wayne's production company, Mr. Arness also had appeared in four pictures starring Wayne: "Big Jim McLain," "Island in the Sky," "Hondo" and "The Sea Chase."

Fearful that starring in a television series would damage his fledgling movie career, Mr. Arness only reluctantly agreed to test for the part of Dillon.

When CBS offered him the part, he hesitated, but Wayne urged him to take the role.

Mr. Arness became a welcome visitor in the homes of millions of viewers — as did the show's supporting cast members: Dennis Weaver as Dillon's stiff-legged deputy, Chester Goode; his replacement, Ken Curtis, as Deputy Festus Haggen; Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell, the proprietress of the Long Branch Saloon; and Milburn Stone as the weathered and wise Doc Adams.

Of Norwegian descent, Mr. Arness was born James Aurness in Minneapolis on May 26, 1923. His brother, future actor Peter Graves, was born three years later.

After an honorable discharge from the Army, Mr. Arness used the GI Bill to join the acting program where he was discovered by an agent.

That led to his being introduced to producer Dore Schary. The result: His 1947 screen debut playing a small part as one of Loretta Young's three Scandinavian brothers in "The Farmer's Daughter." Small roles followed.

On the "Gunsmoke" set, Mr. Arness was known for his sense of humor. He enjoyed practical jokes.

Off the set, he was known to avoid the Hollywood scene, preferring the company of stagehands and fellow pilots. A surfer since he arrived in California, he learned to fly in the late '60s so he could easily get to remote surf breaks in Baja. Mr. Arness, who also skied and sailed, flew his own plane to "Gunsmoke" locations; his buzzing of the sets became legendary.

Despite his desire for privacy, a rocky domestic life landed him in the news more than once.

He met future wife Virginia Chapman while both were studying at Southern California's Pasadena Playhouse. They wed in 1948 and had two children, Jenny and Rolf. Chapman's son from her first marriage, Craig, was adopted by Mr. Arness.

The marriage foundered and in 1963 Mr. Arness sought a divorce and custody of the three children, which he was granted.

The emotionally troubled Virginia Arness attempted suicide twice, in 1959 and in 1960. In 1975, Jenny Arness died of an apparently deliberate drug overdose. Two years later, an overdose police deemed accidental killed her mother.

Mr. Arness is survived by his wife, Janet; two sons, Rolf and Jimmy; and six grandchildren. His brother, actor Peter Graves, died in March 2010. Craig Aurness, a photographer, died in 2004.

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/television/2015228964_arnessobit04.html

RIP Marshall Dillon...  

I guess this kills any chance for a Gunsmoke reunion show.   :-\\

R.I.P James :\'(

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/148802/thumbs/s-PETER-GRAVES-DEAD-large.jpg

James Arness's brother 'Peter Graves' died last year.

This article also explains the last name change and how Graves was fearful of the movie 'Airplane' ruining his career

While James Arness was 6'7" tall, Peter Graves was only 6'3"


Peter Graves DEAD: Actor Found In Pacific Palisades Home

BOB THOMAS | 03/14/10 10:49 PM |  


LOS  ANGELES — Peter Graves, the tall, stalwart actor likely best known for his portrayal of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in the long-running television series "Mission: Impossible," died Sunday.

Graves died of an apparent heart attack outside his Los Angeles home, publicist Sandy Brokaw said. He would have been 84 this week.

Graves had just returned from brunch with his wife and kids and collapsed before he made it into the house, Brokaw said. One of his daughters administered CPR but was unable to revive him. Graves' family doctor visited the house and believed he had a heart attack, Brokaw said.

Although Graves never achieved the stardom his older brother, James Arness, enjoyed as Marshal Matt Dillon on TV's "Gunsmoke," he had a number of memorable roles in both films and television.

Normally cast as a hero, he turned in an unforgettable performance early in his career as the treacherous Nazi spy in Billy Wilder's 1953 prisoner-of-war drama "Stalag 17."

He also masterfully lampooned his straight-arrow image when he portrayed bumbling airline pilot Clarence Oveur in the 1980 disaster movie spoof "Airplane!"

Graves appeared in dozens of films and a handful of television shows in a career of nearly 60 years.

The authority and trust he projected made him a favorite for commercials late in his life, and he was often encouraged to go into politics.

"He had this statesmanlike quality," Brokaw said. "People were always encouraging him to run for office. But he said, 'I like acting. I like being around actors.'"

Graves' career began with cheaply made exploitation films like "It Conquered the World," in which he battled a carrot-shaped monster from Venus, and "Beginning of the World," in which he fought a giant grasshopper.

He later took on equally formidable human villains each week on "Mission: Impossible."

Every show began with Graves, as agent Phelps, listening to a tape of instructions outlining his team's latest mission and explaining that if he or any of his agents were killed or captured "the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

The tape always self-destructed within seconds of being played.

The show ran on CBS from 1967 to 1973 and was revived on ABC from 1988 to 1990 with Graves back as the only original cast member.

The actor credited clever writing for the show's success.

"It made you think a little bit and kept you on the edge of your seat because you never knew what was going to happen next," he once said.

He also played roles in such films as John Ford's "The Long Gray Line" and Charles Laughton's "The Night of the Hunter," as well as "The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell," "Texas Across the River" and "The Ballad of Josie."

Graves' first television series was a children's Saturday morning show, "Fury," about an orphan and his untamed black stallion. Filmed in Australia, it lasted six years on NBC. A western, "Whiplash," also shot in Australia, played for a year in syndication, and the British-made "Court-Martial" appeared on ABC for one season. In his later years, Graves brought his white-haired eminence to PBS as host of "Discover: The World of Science" and A&E's "Biography" series.

He noted during an interview in 2000 that he made his foray into comedy somewhat reluctantly.

Filmmakers Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker had written a satire on the airplane-in-trouble movies, and they wanted Graves and fellow handsome actors Lloyd Bridges, Leslie Nielsen and Robert Stack to spoof their serious images.

All agreed, but Graves admitted to nervousness. On the one hand, he said, he considered the role a challenge, "but it also scared me."

"I thought I could lose a whole long acting career," he recalled.

"Airplane!" became a box-office smash, and Graves returned for "Airplane II, The Sequel."

Born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, Graves adopted his grandfather's last name to avoid confusion with his older brother, James, who had dropped the "U" from the family name.

He was a champion hurdler in high school, as well as a clarinet player in dance bands and a radio announcer.

After two years in the Air Force, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota as a drama major and worked in summer stock before following his brother west to Hollywood.

He found enough success there to send for his college sweetheart, Joan Endress. They were married in 1950 and had three daughters – Kelly Jean, Claudia King and Amanda Lee – and six grandchildren.

Graves credited the couple's Midwest upbringing for a marriage that lasted more than 50 years in a town not known for long unions.

"Hollywood or New York ... can be very flighty and dangerous places to live, but the good grounding we had in the Midwest ethic I think helped us all our lives," he said.

___

Associated Press Writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this report.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/14/peter-graves-dead-actor-f_n_498528.html




Dan

He was a great actor indeed. RIP James, you'll be greatly missed.

RIP Marshall Dillon...  

I guess this kills any chance for a Gunsmoke reunion show.   :-\\


Who's left in Gunsmoke? ???

Who's left in Gunsmoke? ???



Just the smoke!


Dan

Who's left in Gunsmoke? ???


Let's see:

Buck Taylor, the dude who played Newly.

Bert Reynolds, he played Quint.

Let's see:

Buck Taylor, the dude who played Newly.

Bert Reynolds, he played Quint.



Who's that guy in the Alpo commercials,Wasn't he in Gunsmoke? ???

Who's that guy in the Alpo commercials,Wasn't he in Gunsmoke? ???


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B43Lnqs-eUg

You're thinking of Lorne Greene from Bonanza




Dan

Found this cool site...

http://www.whosaliveandwhosdead.com/actors.asp





Dan

I had hoped that once The Simpsons surpassed Gunsmoke's episode count, they would have James Arness do a guest spot. 

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y286/SNOOP97DAWG/NHL/HomerSimpson50.gif

Goodbye Mr. Arness.  You were good competition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B43Lnqs-eUg

You're thinking of Lorne Greene from Bonanza




Dan



Thanks Dan. :)

Found this cool site...

http://www.whosaliveandwhosdead.com/actors.asp





Dan


Wow,that is cool Dan,Thanks.  :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B43Lnqs-eUg

You're thinking of Lorne Greene from Bonanza
Dan


This must have been filmed some time after my cousin punched Lorne in the jaw.  ;D