One died during the run of the show, in 1973, at the age of 74—Glenn Strange, a real New Mexico cowboy who played Sam the bartender. The regulars who are still with us are: Roger Ewing (Thad Greenwood), who is 73; Buck Taylor (Newly O'Brien), who is 77; and Burt Reynolds (Quint Asper), who is 79.
103-year-old Uncle Finney was played by 84-year-old Burt Mustin. Although this was his only appearance in Gunsmoke, he had 197 film acting credits, beginning in 1951 at age 67. Mr. Mustin passed away in 1977 at the age of 92.
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. Leading this cast of Western stars was James Arness, a man who was— apparently— as tall as he was kind.
Taylor said he was up for a couple of other film roles at the time and had to make a choice. It turns out to have been the best decision of his career. Newly became a key member of the cast and Taylor stayed with the series for eight seasons and 174 episodes until its cancellation in 1975.
GUNSMOKE (1955–1975) Cast THEN AND NOW 2023 Who Else Survives After 68 Years?
Why did Festus quit Gunsmoke?
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.
Nineteen years of encouraging the good works of Marshal Matt Dillon on the TV show ”Gunsmoke,” and never even a kiss from the hero. Amanda Blake, who played Miss Kitty, grew tired of commuting from her Phoenix home to Hollywood and quit the show in 1974.
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.
' ” 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.
Who turned down the role of Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke?
But that was the reasoning behind Polly Bond's decision to refuse the part of Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke. The former Polly Ellis had recently married Tommy Bond, a former child actor most famous for playing "Butch" on The Little Rascals.
A list of Gunsmoke cast members in order of how many episodes they appeared in would start predictably enough. James Arness, who lead the series as Marshall Matt Dillon, was in all 635 episodes.
Stone continued playing the Doc Adams character until the show was canceled after season 20. Stone passed away in 1980 after another heart attack. Of course, Stone did not participate in any of the Gunsmoke reunion movies, because they were filmed long after Stone's death.
Chronologically, John Colicos (playing Judge Flood) was the last death "filmed". He was shot at the end of episode 631, first aired 24-Feb-75. According to William Smith this was the last episode of "Gunsmoke" filmed, although not the last one aired.
Dennis Weaver never anticipated that the series would be as successful and long running as it was— and as he neared the end of his time on Gunsmoke, he was entirely out of creative directions in which to take his character, and he began to feel the physical repercussions of walking with a limp for so long.
First of 6 episodes where Pat Hingle played Dr. John Chapman as a replacement for Doc Adams when Milburn Stone left the series for heart bypass surgery.
He became a close friend of John Wayne and appeared in supporting roles in Big Jim McLain, Hondo, Island in the Sky and The Sea Chase, all starring Wayne. Arness starred in Gun the Man Down, a fast-paced Western, for Wayne's production company.
Stone was brought on as one of the original principal cast members along with James Arness, Amanda Blake, and Dennis Weaver. However, they didn't all initially get along. Stone initially “hated” Arness because he didn't think that he took the job seriously enough.
Unlike many television stars, Arness never took on too many characteristics of his most famous role, nor did Dillon become more like the actor. "As for the issue of the onscreen personality and the real person, there's no comparison, no way.
What was the cause of Miss Kitty's death on Gunsmoke?
For nearly 20 years, Blake played Miss Kitty Russell on the popular Western TV series Gunsmoke. Although when she died in August 1989, the media initially reported that she died of cancer, the cause of death was later confirmed to be AIDS-related complications. It is not known how she contracted the virus.
Between 1963 and 1967, the ratings for Gunsmoke had declined to the point where the show fell outside the Top 30 in the Nielsen ratings. The decision to cancel Gunsmoke was initiated by a younger core of CBS executives, who felt that Gunsmoke was outdated and should be replaced with a more contemporary show.
Did James Arness ever miss an episode of Gunsmoke?
He was the only actor to appear in all 635 episodes of Gunsmoke (1955). In 1968, he donated his 1,400-acre ranch in northern Los Angeles County to the Brandis Institute.
