Misc James Arness died at 88 - Page 2

ROYC75 · 06-03-2011, 12:45 PM

James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday.

He was 88.

The actor died in his sleep at his home in Brentwood, Calif., according to his business manager, Ginny Fazer.
Arness' official website posted a letter from Arness on Friday that he wrote with the intention that it be posted posthumously: "I had a wonderful life and was blessed with some many loving people and great friends," he said.

"I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the many years of being a fan of Gunsmoke, The Thing, How the West Was Won and all the other fun projects I was lucky enough to have been allowed to be a part of. I had the privilege of working with so many great actors over the years."

As U.S. Marshal Dillon in the 1955-75 CBS Western series, Arness created an indelible portrait of a quiet, heroic man with an unbending dedication to justice and the town he protected.

The wealth and fame Arness gained from "Gunsmoke" could not protect him from tragedy in his personal life: His daughter and his former wife, Virginia, both died of drug overdoses.

Arness, a quiet, intensely private man who preferred the outdoor life to Hollywood's party scene, rarely gave interviews and refused to discuss the tragedies.

"He's big, impressive and virile," co-star Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty) once said of Arness, adding, "I've worked with him for 16 years, but I don't really know him."

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. "You're too big for pictures. Guys like Gregory Peck and I don't want a big lug like you towering over us. Make your mark in television."

"Gunsmoke" went on to become the longest-running dramatic series in network history until NBC's "Law & Order" tied in 2010. Arness' 20-year prime-time run as the marshal was tied only in recent times, by Kelsey Grammer's 20 years as Frasier Crane from 1984 to 2004 on "Cheers" and then on "Frasier."

The years showed on the weathered-looking Arness, but he -- and his TV character -- wore them well.
"The camera really loved his face, and with good reason," novelist Wallace Markfield wrote in a 1975 "Gunsmoke" appreciation in The New York Times. "It was a face that would age well and that, while aging, would carry intimations of waste, loss and futility."

Born James Aurness in Minneapolis (he dropped the "u" for show business reasons), he and brother Peter enjoyed a "real Huckleberry Finn existence," Arness once recalled.

Peter, who changed his last name to Graves, went on to star in the TV series "Mission Impossible."
A self-described drifter, Arness left home at age 18, hopping freight trains and Caribbean-bound freighters. He entered Beloit College in Wisconsin, but was drafted into the Army in his 1942-43 freshman year.

Wounded in the leg during the 1944 invasion at Anzio, Italy, Arness was hospitalized for a year and left with a slight limp. He returned to Minneapolis to work as a radio announcer and in small theater roles.

He moved to Hollywood in 1946 at a friend's suggestion. After a slow start in which he took jobs as a carpenter and salesman, a role in MGM's "Battleground" (1949) was a career turning point. Parts in more than 20 films followed, including "The Thing," "Hellgate" and "Hondo" with Wayne. Then came "Gunsmoke," which proved a durable hit and a multimillion-dollar boon for Arness, who owned part of the series.

His longtime co-stars were Blake as saloon keeper Miss Kitty, Milburn Stone as Doc Adams and Dennis Weaver as the deputy, Chester Goode.

When Weaver died in February 2006, Arness called it "a big loss for me personally" and said Weaver "provided comic relief but was also a real person doing things that were very important to the show."

The cancellation of "Gunsmoke" didn't keep Arness away from TV for long: He returned a few months later, in January 1976, in the TV movie "The Macahans," which led to the 1978-79 ABC series "How the West Was Won."

Arness took on a contemporary role as a police officer in the series "McClain's Law," which aired on NBC from 1981-82.

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

The marriage foundered and in 1963 Arness sought a divorce and custody of the three children, which he was granted. He tried to guard them from the spotlight.

"The kids don't really have any part of my television life," he once remarked. "Fortunately, there aren't many times when show business intrudes on our family existence."

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 that police deemed accidental killed her mother.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment...#ixzz1OEwqnZkr

Wyatt Earp · 06-03-2011, 02:54 PM

R.I.P Marshall Dillon. I'll have to take a cruise down Gunsmoke St. this evening.

mikey23545 · 06-03-2011, 03:16 PM

Dammit, we lost another great one...

RIP, Marshall...

Deberg_1990 · 06-03-2011, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Gunsmoke came on channel 41 at 3AM every night.

heh, i miss those old UHF days....

This show was slightly before my time, but i remember the reruns. RIP....

chiefqueen · 06-03-2011, 03:28 PM

I remember when I was in boarding school (state ran school for disabled - we weren't allowed in public schools yet) if I was not in bed by the Gunsmoke theme ended on Monday nights I was in a heap of trouble with my housefather.

**Bwana** · 06-03-2011, 05:59 PM

Oh damn, that sucks. I have two signed 8x10 photos of Mr. Arness, out in the Man Cave.

RIP

milkman · 06-03-2011, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCFalcon59

Just found out today that Peter Graves was his brother. R.I.P

I didn't know that either.

Is there anyone who didn't like Gumsmoke?

I still occassionally catch an episode here and there on TV Land.

cardken · 06-03-2011, 08:53 PM

RIP Marshall Dillon.

4th and Long · 06-03-2011, 09:05 PM

He's hanging out at the celestial Long Branch with Festus, ordering a whiskey from Sam and paying Ms. Kitty a visit. R.I.P. Marshal Dillon.

Frankie · 06-03-2011, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohninGpt

RIP Marshall Dillon.

Be careful. Last year I got an infraction from the Planet for using a similar phrase announcing the death of Jim Arness's bro Peter Graves.

06-03-2011, 12:45 PM
ROYC75 Time For Your Wake Up Call !!! Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Barn Yard Casino cash: $2257400	James Arness died at 88 James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88. The actor died in his sleep at his home in Brentwood, Calif., according to his business manager, Ginny Fazer. Arness' official website posted a letter from Arness on Friday that he wrote with the intention that it be posted posthumously: "I had a wonderful life and was blessed with some many loving people and great friends," he said. "I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the many years of being a fan of Gunsmoke, The Thing, How the West Was Won and all the other fun projects I was lucky enough to have been allowed to be a part of. I had the privilege of working with so many great actors over the years." As U.S. Marshal Dillon in the 1955-75 CBS Western series, Arness created an indelible portrait of a quiet, heroic man with an unbending dedication to justice and the town he protected. The wealth and fame Arness gained from "Gunsmoke" could not protect him from tragedy in his personal life: His daughter and his former wife, Virginia, both died of drug overdoses. Arness, a quiet, intensely private man who preferred the outdoor life to Hollywood's party scene, rarely gave interviews and refused to discuss the tragedies. "He's big, impressive and virile," co-star Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty) once said of Arness, adding, "I've worked with him for 16 years, but I don't really know him." 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. "You're too big for pictures. Guys like Gregory Peck and I don't want a big lug like you towering over us. Make your mark in television." "Gunsmoke" went on to become the longest-running dramatic series in network history until NBC's "Law & Order" tied in 2010. Arness' 20-year prime-time run as the marshal was tied only in recent times, by Kelsey Grammer's 20 years as Frasier Crane from 1984 to 2004 on "Cheers" and then on "Frasier." The years showed on the weathered-looking Arness, but he -- and his TV character -- wore them well. "The camera really loved his face, and with good reason," novelist Wallace Markfield wrote in a 1975 "Gunsmoke" appreciation in The New York Times. "It was a face that would age well and that, while aging, would carry intimations of waste, loss and futility." Born James Aurness in Minneapolis (he dropped the "u" for show business reasons), he and brother Peter enjoyed a "real Huckleberry Finn existence," Arness once recalled. Peter, who changed his last name to Graves, went on to star in the TV series "Mission Impossible." A self-described drifter, Arness left home at age 18, hopping freight trains and Caribbean-bound freighters. He entered Beloit College in Wisconsin, but was drafted into the Army in his 1942-43 freshman year. Wounded in the leg during the 1944 invasion at Anzio, Italy, Arness was hospitalized for a year and left with a slight limp. He returned to Minneapolis to work as a radio announcer and in small theater roles. He moved to Hollywood in 1946 at a friend's suggestion. After a slow start in which he took jobs as a carpenter and salesman, a role in MGM's "Battleground" (1949) was a career turning point. Parts in more than 20 films followed, including "The Thing," "Hellgate" and "Hondo" with Wayne. Then came "Gunsmoke," which proved a durable hit and a multimillion-dollar boon for Arness, who owned part of the series. His longtime co-stars were Blake as saloon keeper Miss Kitty, Milburn Stone as Doc Adams and Dennis Weaver as the deputy, Chester Goode. When Weaver died in February 2006, Arness called it "a big loss for me personally" and said Weaver "provided comic relief but was also a real person doing things that were very important to the show." The cancellation of "Gunsmoke" didn't keep Arness away from TV for long: He returned a few months later, in January 1976, in the TV movie "The Macahans," which led to the 1978-79 ABC series "How the West Was Won." Arness took on a contemporary role as a police officer in the series "McClain's Law," which aired on NBC from 1981-82. Despite his desire for privacy, a rocky domestic life landed him in the news more than once. Arness 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 Arness. The marriage foundered and in 1963 Arness sought a divorce and custody of the three children, which he was granted. He tried to guard them from the spotlight. "The kids don't really have any part of my television life," he once remarked. "Fortunately, there aren't many times when show business intrudes on our family existence." 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 that police deemed accidental killed her mother. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment...#ixzz1OEwqnZkr
Posts: 37,945

06-03-2011, 02:54 PM	#16
Wyatt Earp Starter Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Dodge City, Kansas Casino cash: $-2245673	R.I.P Marshall Dillon. I'll have to take a cruise down Gunsmoke St. this evening.
Posts: 355

06-03-2011, 03:16 PM	#17
mikey23545 MVP Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $10015321	Dammit, we lost another great one... RIP, Marshall...
Posts: 12,314

06-03-2011, 03:28 PM	#19
chiefqueen On my throne Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Kansas City, MO Casino cash: $7922060	I remember when I was in boarding school (state ran school for disabled - we weren't allowed in public schools yet) if I was not in bed by the Gunsmoke theme ended on Monday nights I was in a heap of trouble with my housefather.
Posts: 4,196

06-03-2011, 05:59 PM	#20
Bwana It's Five O'Clock Somewhere Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Billings, Montana Casino cash: $2135963647	Oh damn, that sucks. I have two signed 8x10 photos of Mr. Arness, out in the Man Cave. RIP __________________ Adventure is dangerous....but monotony can kill you.
Posts: 70,480

06-03-2011, 08:53 PM	#22
cardken Veteran Join Date: Nov 2006 Casino cash: $10004900	RIP Marshall Dillon. __________________ This country can't be knocked out in one punch. We get right back up again and when we do the world is going to hear the roar of our engines. Yeah. It's halftime, America. And our second half is about to begin.
Posts: 1,722

06-03-2011, 09:05 PM	#23
4th and Long Sad Patrick Is Sad. :( Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: In a house Casino cash: $6454925	He's hanging out at the celestial Long Branch with Festus, ordering a whiskey from Sam and paying Ms. Kitty a visit. R.I.P. Marshal Dillon. __________________
Posts: 21,578