A GREAT American...........

[Orangetxguy]

Well....at least one of MY favorite actors.......has died.

James Arness of 'Gunsmoke' fame dies at 88 - Yahoo! News

[MichiganDriver]

I was just reading about him passing away too.

James Arness has died: why he was the greatest TV Western lawman | Ken Tucker's TV | EW.com

The clips are interesting. Both The Duke and the clip from the show. Good stuff.

[Orangetxguy]

I was just reading about him passing away too.

James Arness has died: why he was the greatest TV Western lawman | Ken Tucker's TV | EW.com

The clips are interesting. Both The Duke and the clip from the show. Good stuff.

The following link, was included at the end of that article. The man had class. No way around it.


Greetings from James Arness

[GMAN]

It seems that everyone watched Gunsmoke when it was on the air. James Arness did a great job as Matt Dillon. Most people probably don't know that he and Peter Graves are brothers. Peter Graves stared in the original Mission Impossible series.

[Jackrabbit379]

I hate to hear that!
Well, he was the right man for the job in Dodge!
Another legend belongs to the ages.
Great actor. It would seem like he was just as great in his personal life.
So long, Matt.

[Slimland]

I used to pretend to be Matt Dillon. Lol

[golfhobo]

I used to pretend to be Matt Dillon. Lol

So did Arness.... but, he got PAID for it! Just messin' with ya, Slim.... don't "draw down on me!" I used to think I was faster than Wyatt Earp!

OTX: You were right the FIRST time! Indeed, a great (and classy) American; and your link to his own website proves it! Not only the posthumous appreciation letter to his fans, but also some info I read there about his charity work.

Michigan: Thanks for the link to the EW "memorium." I watched both of the clips, too, and found them both "interesting" in probably the same way you did. I also browsed YouTube for awhile and found some interesting clips (including one of Arness just a few years ago explaining the thinking behind Marshall Dillon's "use of his gun" in the various weekly contests.

Your link was extremely informative about the show itself, things I'd never considered, and how it "fit" the political and moral climate of the day. They called it an "adult" Western... meaning it dealt with sexual realities without "glorifying" them as so many shows do today! It dealt with "legal" alcohol use and responsible drinking at a level "JUST" above the average Saloon scene in most westerns of the day. And it dealt very strongly, and morally, with the issue of gun violence.

I read the comments, too (at least the ones on that page,) and found THEM very interesting and enlightening (especially when it turned to a mini war about Kitty's role in the show.)

But, this ONE paragraph/phrase stood out to me as the most striking and informative:

But the plots often found Arness at the center of an injustice that needed to be set right. A progressive show, it featured plots that had Marshal Dillon protecting black and Indian characters from mob violence. Dillon stood up for indigent farmers and helpless women of ill repute.

Note first, that Dillon was reacting, theorizing and planning his response to ALL "situations" from a "centrist" viewpoint. As I remember the show, he spent alot of time jawboning about the moral dilemmae he faced. And his gun was usually his LAST resort.

But, secondly, that the show INTENDED to be progressive in its message, while maintaining the morality (such as it was) of the main characters... and providing enough "red meat" violence and "instant justice" for the more "conservative" viewership.

What I don't know, is whether they were pandering to the liberals by making them "upstanding" folk.... or "exposing" the conservatives to be the HUMANISTS they are.

Like GMAN said, we ALL grew up watching Gunsmoke! And, I can't help thinking that SOME of us were watching a "different" show. What I mean is.... we ALL developed our own personal politics, to some extent, by HOW we were AFFECTED by that wonderful show.... and that VERY "American" actor (and his cast.)

Hobo