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James Arness, dead at 88

P

PeterZ

James Arness, who played Marshall Matt Dillon for 20years on Gunsmoke has died at age 88. He died in his sleep, and a message to fans he'd written to be posted after his death is on his website. He was brother to the late, great Peter Graves.
 
PeterZ said:
James Arness, who played Marshall Matt Dillon for 20years on Gunsmoke has died at age 88. He died in his sleep, and a message to fans he'd written to be posted after his death is on his website. He was brother to the late, great Peter Graves.
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I liked him as the Mean Spirited Alien In The Movie, "The Thing From Another World" (1951).
 
Would I be wrong in calling Gunsmoke the definitive TV Western, and not simply because of its longevity?
 
Nate Wesley said:
Would I be wrong in calling Gunsmoke the definitive TV Western, and not simply because of its longevity?
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IMHO Gunsmoke wasn't as much of a Western as it was a generic drama set in the Old West. In the later years it wasn't much of a story either what with Matt always "being out of town". Kitty wasn't very believable as a hard-boiled/soft-hearted saloon keeper. And Ken Curtis' Festus was one of the most objectionable players in the history of Hollywood.

As bad as Bonanza was (and it was very bad in more than a few areas), it was more believable than Gunsmoke.

Calling Gunsmoke 'definitive' because it had a long run would be like naming 'The Simpsons' the definitive cartoon for the same reason. Nah!
 
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