BS: Obit: Actor James Arness - June 2011

Subject: BS: Obit - James Arness - June 2011
From: Wesley S
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 03:19 PM

James Arness just rode off into the sunset. But he'll always be "The Thing" to me.



James Arness of 'Gunsmoke' fame dies at 88
June 3, 2011, 12:09 PM EST
CBS spokesman Chris Ender says former "Gunsmoke" star James Arness has died at age 88.

Ender had no further details, but Arness' official website said the actor died Friday of natural causes.

Arness played U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon in the 1955-75 CBS Western series that ran on CBS from 1955 to 1975, becoming the longest-running dramatic series in network history until NBC's "Law & Order" tied.

Subject: RE: BS: Obit - James Arness - June 2011
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 03:38 PM

I loved Gunsmoke! Matt, Chester, Festus, Doc, and Miss Kitty were all great characters! RIP!

Subject: RE: BS: Obit - James Arness - June 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 03:45 PM

"It was a chancy job but it made a man watchful, and a little lonely."

Here's to you!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Obit - James Arness - June 2011
From: ranger1
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 05:33 PM

Another childhood hero rides off into the sunset. The big treat when I was little was my grandparents letting me stay up late to watch Gunsmoke. I was six when it went off the air in 1975.

Subject: RE: BS: Obit - James Arness - June 2011
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 06:00 PM

Oh! I loved Matt Dillon and thought James Arness was a wonderful person and actor. I knew he was old, but he still looked so good last time I saw him in interview on TCM. It's a sadder place knowing he finally met his "match."

Thanks Marshall Dillon!

katfan

Subject: RE: BS: Obit - James Arness - June 2011
From: Amergin
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 07:46 PM

I remember watching that show with my grampa when I was a kid.

Subject: RE: BS: Obit - James Arness - June 2011
From: Bobert
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 07:55 PM

Sniff...

He was one tough hombre...

Plus, I got to meet him when I was a kid... His sister and her husband lived next door to us and he visited a couple times...

Guess they'll set out a shot for him at the Long Branch Salon...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: James Arness - June 2011
From: olddude
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 09:13 PM

Love him in gunsmoke. so many memories of myself and my grandpa watching that show together

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: James Arness - June 2011
From: olddude
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 09:13 PM

Rest in peace and thank you for the memories

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: James Arness - June 2011
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 10:37 PM

Heck my seven year old grandson is going to remember watching reruns of it with me, ever since he was tiny!

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: Actor James Arness - June 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Jun 11 - 09:15 AM

Of course some of us ancient ones grew up listening to the Gunsmoke radio shows, starring William Conrad. He had a nice deep voice, much deeper than Arness. In retrospect it's a pity that the original radio cast didn't make the cut for the television version. Here's a link to the radio cast as they posed in costume for their gallant but futile appeal to the television producers: click here for PIXS!

They look to me like real frontier characters!

Charley "Chester" Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: Actor James Arness - June 2011
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 04 Jun 11 - 10:52 AM

I'll trade you all the hour episodes of Gunsmoke for the original half-hour episodes. Those first years are gold!

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: Actor James Arness - June 2011
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Jun 11 - 11:17 AM

I just barely remember our family tuning in every Sat. night to listen to it on the radio, Charley. I DO remember it was a perennial favourite. Thanks for the visuals links. I have to say Conrad's voice was wonderful, but he just doesn't *look* like a Marshall Dillon, to me.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: Actor James Arness - June 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Jun 11 - 10:46 AM

Bobert-

"Guess they'll set out a shot for him at the Long Branch Salon"

Now that's an image that's hard to erase from the mind: Matt Dillon having a shot of rye whiskey while he's having his nails and hair done.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: Actor James Arness - June 2011
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 05 Jun 11 - 01:41 PM

I loved those 50s/early 60s tv westerns. And, I loved my heroes to be tall back then, and they didn't come any taller than James Arness.
Thankfully, quite a few of those stars are still with us. For example, I'm pretty sure Dale Robertson, Clint Walker and Hugh O'Brian are still around.
However, my all time favourite Jock(The range Rider)Mahoney has been gone for quite a while now.
Luckily, releases of dvds of those old shows have become more and more readily available

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: Actor James Arness - June 2011
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Jun 11 - 10:49 PM

EIP

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: Actor James Arness - June 2011
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Jun 11 - 10:49 PM

Typo-- RIP