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Arness' first television job was
as Hector the Giant Clown on KBOB-TV in Los Angeles.
False
Arness was the only regular cast
member on Gunsmoke to have been born in the same state that Gunsmoke
was centered
False ... he was born in Minneapolis,
Minn.
Was Gunsmoke James Arness' first
western?
No
After Gunsmoke was on the air
for a few years, Arness was given the executive title of
Prior to Gunsmoke, James Arness
played the title character in the original version of a classic
monster movie. The movie, initially filmed in black and white,
has been colorized. What was this movie's name?
The Thing
James
Arness as The Thing. Click here for
a picture of the colorized video jacket.
Arness also played the title role
in the remake of this monster movie.
False... although the movie was
remade.
Arness was in a 1954 monster movie
whose title was a pronoun. What was the movie?
Them!
Arness
(right) next to Fess (Davey Crockett) Parker in Them!
James Arness' first role in a television
anthology series was in an episode entitled The Chase on
Prior to Gunsmoke, Arness had established
himself as a major Hollywood personality.
False
Arguably the best director of the
movie western was John Ford. Did Arness ever work in a western
under Ford's direction.
Yes ...Wagonmaster in 1950.
Did Arness ever act in a motion
picture that won an acadamy award?
Yes ... Arness was in The Farmer's
Daughter in 1947 which won a best actress oscar for Loretta
Young.
John Wayne recommended Arness for
the lead role in Gunsmoke.
True
James Arness once worked for John
Wayne's production company.
True
At the time he signed to star in
Gunsmoke, James Arness' agent was (a) Bill Fring. (b) William
Conrad. (c) Conrad Williams. (d) Al Biggs. (e) Kurt Frings.
Answer: e ... Frings
Arness' agent when he signed to
do Gunsmoke also has represented Liz Taylor.
True
The night before he was scheduled
to show for wardrobe fittings for the Gunsmoke series, CBS was
told that Arness had changed his mind and wouldn't be working
in the series.
True... but William Dozier, who
was then west coast director of programming for CBS, called
Arness and eventually persuaded him to accept the television
role of Matt Dillon.
Arness starred in the 1956 film
The Traveling Saleslady with
Did James Arness ever appear in
a motion picture with John Wayne?
Yes... Three of them. Wayne played
the title role. Click HERE for
more information.
Did James Arness ever appear in
a motion picture with Jimmy Stewart?
Yes..in the 1981 movie Carbine
Williams. Stewart played the title role. (Click HERE to
see a scene from the movie).
Arness appeared in an episode of The
Lone Ranger in 1950.
True
After Gunsmoke, Arness starred
in the television western (a) How the West Was Won. (b) The Virginian.
(c) Alias Smith and Jones. (d) The Campbells. (e) Six Shooter.
Answer: a ... How the West Was
Won. Click here for some photos
from this series.
This series was later extended
into a series entitled The Macahans. In this series, Arness played
the character of
-
Matt Macahan, ex U.S. Marshall.
-
Buzz Macahan, aged Sheriff
of Elkader Kansas.
-
Zeb Macahan, ex- Calvary scout.
-
Frank Macahan, farmer and rancher.
Answer: ... Zeb the scout
Schedules of later Gunsmokes were
arranged so that Arness only had to work an average of three
days a week.
True - but Arness appeared in every
Gunsmoke episode.
To within three, in what year did
Arness pick up his first part in a film?
Answer: 1943
Arness has no children.
False ... sadly, his daughter committed
suicide (a drug overdose) in 1975. His first wife attempted
suicide twice. Click here for
more information.
In 1987, Arness starred as Jim
Bowie in a television movie remake of what famous John Wayne
film?
The Alamo: Thirteen Days to
Glory.
The television remake of the John
Wayne film received good reviews and finished the week in the
top twenty of most watched television programs.
False ... USA Today called the
movie ``hokey". The movie tied for number 32 out of a
field of 66 in the Nielson ratings for the week of Jan. 26,
1987.
In 1988, Arness repeated the role
of Tom Dunson originally played by John Wayne in a TV remake
of what classic 1948 western movie?
Red River. The 1948 movie
is rated 4 stars by TV Guide. The Arness remake is rated with
2 stars.
In what Acadamy Award nominated
John Wayne movie did James Arness appear?
