Originally, John Wayne was offered the role but turned it down because he had no interest in committing to a weekly TV series. If he had accepted the part, it's incredibly unlikely the series would have ever run that long, and more TV movies of "Gunsmoke" probably would have hit the airwaves instead.
Wayne did contribute to the show's legacy, however, as he had previously worked with James Arness and recommended him for the role to Gunsmoke writer/producer Charles Warren.
William Paley, the head of CBS, was preparing to transfer their hit radio series, Gunsmoke, to TV, and he was determined to have John Wayne star as Matt Dillon. He made Wayne an unprecedented offer: $2,000,000, plus partial ownership of the series.
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.
Did Burt Reynolds get along with the Gunsmoke cast?
Luckily, Reynolds not only had the support of Gunsmoke producers, but he had Marshal Matt Dillon on his side as well. The actor said that, while James Arness had a more reserved personality, he gave Reynolds his undivided support.
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.
' ” 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.
But the changing of the guard really happened in the Season 9 episode titled "The Prairie Wolfer," where Chester and Festus actually appear together. In fact, this particular episode had appearances from Matt, Kitty, Doc, Chester, Festus, Sam and Quint.
Wayne outright condemned the evolution the Western genre underwent in the 1960s, refusing to star alongside Clint Eastwood even though Clint Eastwood was eager to work with him. Because the two subgenres of Wild West movies were never reconciled, it meant inevitably that Wayne and Eastwood would never be either.
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.
James Arness was the quiet type while he was away from his character, Marshal Matt Dillon. His Gunsmoke character was known for his strong moral code, sense of justice, and fairness, but off-screen Arness was known to limit personal appearances and interviews.
John Wayne found Katharine Hepburn to be very feminine and called her “a man's woman”. They had a special on screen chemistry that was apparent to everyone. He called her Sister.
Did Harrison Ford ever play in Gunsmoke? - Quora. Yes he did. He was in two episodes "Gunsmoke" The Sodbusters (TV Episode 1972) and "Gunsmoke" Whelan's Men (TV Episode 1973 ).
Festus' character was known, in part, for the nasally, twangy, rural accent which Curtis developed for the role, but which did not reflect Curtis' actual voice.
The story line was that she could no longer tolerate having a man in her life that has been shot eleven times and knew the next time might prove to be fatal. Miss Kitty closed the Long Branch Saloon, and put it up for sale, and then left Dodge. Amanda Blake chose to leave Gunsmoke voluntarily.
MacRae was also cast multiple times on the long-running Gunsmoke, appearing once in the role of Fanny in the 1962 episode "Half-Straight" and then, between 1962 and 1965, appearing four times as April, the girlfriend of Festus Haggen, one of the series' main characters.
After Gunsmoke ended, Arness performed in Western-themed movies and television series, including How the West Was Won, and in five made-for-television Gunsmoke movies between 1987 and 1994. An exception was as a big-city police officer in a short-lived 1981–1982 series, McClain's Law, starring with Marshall Colt.
What actor appeared in the most Gunsmoke episodes?
James Arness played Marshal Matt Dillon in 635 episodes of Gunsmoke, the only cast member to appear in every single one. While fellow regulars Amanda Blake and Milburn Stone can't top that, they were both in more than 500 episodes — a significant achievement by any standard!
Milburn Stone was 51 years young when he first started playing Doc Adams on Gunsmoke in 1955. Little did he know it would be the last acting job he would ever need.
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.
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.
