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Did James Arness ever get tired of Gunsmoke?
Was Arness ever upset with the series that made him a star?
While repetition can feel exhausting sometimes, for an actor, there's no better feeling. The life of an actor is a tenuous one, with many actors relying on each new job for their livelihood. An actor is only as good as their next role, and the future isn't always guaranteed.
Luckily, James Arness was guaranteed a future in television history when he joined the cast of Gunsmoke, he just didn't know it yet.
During a 1970 interview with the Associated Press, Arness was questioned as to whether he had grown tired of the same old Western routine after fifteen years of starring as Marshal Matt Dillon. The actor was asked if he ever grew weary of putting on that old cowboy hat, and how he kept interest in the role as an actor.
"That's not hard to do," said Arness. "Sure, a lot of the work is routine, like walking in the saloon and saying, 'Hello, how are you,' and that sort of thing. But every now and then I get scripts that really make me stretch as an actor. That's where all the fun is; that's how I keep it alive."
Arness was also pressed as to whether the repetitive schedule of filming a T.V. series ever grated on his nerves.
"Not really," he said. "I spend a lot of time here, but the shows are planned so that only one out of every four or five are heavy with my scenes. The rest of the time, I'm in and out, and the others in the cast carry on. So, I get a couple of days off here and there. Then we get eight to ten weeks off in the winter and eight to ten weeks off in the summer."
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4 Comments
I'm old and never watched it too much through the years, but am now a fan.
One question: did Dennis Weaver leave the series for McLean Stevenson/Shelley Long/David Caruso reasons or was the decision made FOR him?
Just checking.