Gunsmoke Tv Series Wiki (2024)

FAQs

How old was James Arness in the first episode of Gunsmoke? ›

At the time it aired, James Arness was 64, twice the age he was (32) when he started 'Gunsmoke' in 1955. This is sequel to the 1969 episode of Gunsmoke (1955), titled Mannon (1969).

Festus didn't leave Gunsmoke. The show ended. Festus was a character on Gunsmoke until 1975: when the network ended the show. He made his first appearance in the eighth season of the show and stayed on for eleven years.

'Gunsmoke' Was Cancelled Abruptly Before Season 21

But the real reason Gunsmoke ended the way it did wasn't because the writers didn't want to give the Western series a proper ending, but rather because CBS had been trying to give Marshal Dillon and his friends the axe for years.

In an interview with the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Weaver confessed that he had decided to leave the series because he felt that the character had run its course. Specifically, he said, "After almost ten years, I want to walk without a limp."

Geoffrey elaborates, "Peter Graves and James Arness got along, they loved each other, but I think because of their background, men didn't show affection. I don't think there was hugging and kissing on the cheek going on between them, but I think they loved each other.

James Arness rode the same Buckskin horse (Buck) in this movie as he rode in many episodes of Gunsmoke (1955).

' ” 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.

Reynolds left Gunsmoke to pursue a career in movies, which ultimately led him to become an iconic movie star.

Amanda Blake, who played Miss Kitty, grew tired of commuting from her Phoenix home to Hollywood and quit the show in 1974. –that`s a nasty thing for me to say, but it`s true,” she said, grinning. Blake went on to live through her own personal drama.

The mark of a good actor isn't their talent, it's the way that their castmates speak of them when they're not around. The cast of Gunsmoke was able to get pretty chummy with each other during the show's twenty-season run, to the point where they felt like a family.

How old was Doc on Gunsmoke when he died? ›

Fully retired to his ranch in 1975 after the show's cancellation, he was eventually awarded an honorary doctorate from St. Mary of the Plains College in (of course) Dodge City, Kansas. Married to Jane Garrison, the 75-year-old veteran died of a heart attack on June 12, 1980 in La Jolla, California.

He stayed with Gunsmoke through its entire television run, with the exception of 7 episodes in 1971, when Stone required heart surgery and Pat Hingle replaced him as Dr. Chapman.

In this season nine entry, we witness the crossroads of the program, Chester and Festus appear together as if a torch was being passed.

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.

After over 200 episodes of the show, Glenn Strange stepped away from Gunsmoke in 1972 because of his lung cancer diagnosis.

Death. Arness died from natural causes at the age of 88 years at his Brentwood home in Los Angeles on June 3, 2011.

Gunsmoke began as a radio series in 1952. When the decision was made to bring these nail-biting tales to television, a search began to find Dodge City its defender. Fortunately, it was as if a heavenly spotlight shined down on then-32-year-old James Arness.

John Wayne was the first choice to play Marshal Matt Dillon on the small screen. Alas, the Duke did not want to commit to a weekly television series. The Hollywood icon recommended his friend, James Arness, for the role. He then surprised his pal with a special introduction to the premiere.