James Arness (born May 26, 1923 in Minneapolis, Minnesota as James Aurness) is an actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke for 20 years (though the length of time in a role is shared with Kelsey Grammer’s portrayal of Dr. Frasier Crane, Grammer played the same role on three different programs, Cheers, Frasier, and Wings), however, James Arness has played the part of Marshal Matt Dillon in 5 separate decades. 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series. Then in the decade of the 80's (1987) Return to Dodge, and 4 more made for tv Gunsmoke movies in the 90's giving him the distinct honor of playing the same character over 5 decades. Arness's parents were Rolf Cirkler Aurness and Ruth Duesler, descendants of German and Norwegian immigrants. Arness is the older brother of actor Peter Graves. He was the tallest actor ever to play a lead role, standing 6' 7" (2.01 m)^{[citation needed]}. “Libel” redirects here. ... Image File history File links www. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “Minneapolis” redirects here. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “Minneapolis” redirects here. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Marshal Matt Dillon is a fictional character featured on both the radio and television versions of Gunsmoke. ... The cast of radios Gunsmoke: Howard McNear (Doc), William Conrad (Matt), Georgia Ellis (Kitty) and Parley Baer (Chester) Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. ... Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955 in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands) is a six-time Emmy and a two-time Golden Globe-winning American actor who is best known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane, whom he played for nine years on Cheers... Dr. Frasier Winslow Crane (b. ... Cheers is a popular American situation comedy produced by Charles-Burrows-Charles Productions in association with CBS Paramount Television for NBC. Cheers was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles. ... Frasier is a popular American situation comedy television series that starred Kelsey Grammer, reprising the character of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane from parent show Cheers, which had ended months before. ... Wings was an American sitcom that ran on NBC from April 19, 1990 to May 14, 1997. ... Peter Aurness (born March 18, 1926 [1]), better known as Peter Graves, is an American actor. ...

Military service in World War II

James Arness served in the United States Army during World War II, and was severely wounded at the Battle of Anzio, leading to a lifelong slight limp. The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Operation Shingle (January 22, 1944), during the Italian Campaign of World War II, was an Allied amphibious landing against Axis forces in the area of Anzio and Nettuno, Italy. ...

^{[citation needed]}After the war Arness entered Beloit College where he was initiated into Beta Theta Pi, under his original last name. Beloit College is a liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin and a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest. ...

According to his 2001 Autobiography titled James Arness – An Autobiography, Arness landed on Anzio Beach on 21 January, 1944 while serving as a rifleman with 2nd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. Due to his unusual height – he was 6-feet, 7-inches tall – Arness, acting as “a depth finder,” was first ordered off his landing craft to determine the depth of the water (it came up to his waist). The 3rd Infantry Division may refer to infantry divisions in a number of world armies: British 3rd Infantry Division Canadian 3rd Infantry Division German 3rd Infantry Division U.S. 3rd Infantry Division Polish 3rd Carpathian Infantry Division Italian 3rd Infantry Division Ravenna This number-oriented article is a disambiguation page...

On D+3 Arness received his "baptism of fire" when he was almost killed by enemy 20mm flak wagon fire during a night patrol behind enemy lines. A few days later, Arness was involved in a sustained firefight with enemy machine gunners occupying a farmhouse. Ultimately, the enemy brought mortar fire down on Arness and his squad, which were lying low in a shallow drainage ditch filled with water. One mortar round hit within a few feet of Arness killing the infantryman to his left. Heavy artillery then pinned down 2nd Platoon until nightfall. Using darkness to mask their escape the platoon quietly and quickly made their way back to their lines.

Later Arness and his squad engaged an enemy machine gun in a farmhouse. Upon entering the house Arness and two other rifleman crept up the steps, and threw grenades into the room with the machine gun. Once the grenades exploded, Arness and the others rushed the room and sprayed the enemy with rifle fire, killing the three-man gun crew.

On the night of 1 February, 1944, 2nd Platoon (with Arness) was assigned to reconnoiter a sector between the lines. There was no moon. The platoon spread out to minimize casualties and advanced slowly, under direct orders not to speak or make a sound.

Due to his night combat experience and a “sixth sense” Arness was the point man for his squad. Moving silently as possible, approximately 40 to 50 feet ahead of his squad, Arness would later say that it was so dark that he could not see his feet or where he was stepping.

After walking approximately 20 minutes there was no contact and except for the night sounds the air was quiet. Arness moved through a small vineyard. Suddenly he heard voices just 50 feet ahead. Seconds later Arness heard a “guttural scream” and an enemy machine gun fired, hitting Arness in the right leg with a machine gun bullet (or bullets).

Despite the excruciating pain (he later said the bones in his lower right leg “had been shot all to hell”) he was able to leap over a row of vines, and out of the line of fire. Now intense enemy fire was directed at him from both sides. Then an enemy “potato masher” concussion grenade went off near him, the explosion literally lifting Arness off the ground. Arness hugged the earth as enemy machine gunfire racked around him, just 18-inches above the ground.

After an intense firefight, the enemy was eventually beaten back or eliminated by the rest of 2nd Platoon. While lying in the vineyard Arness felt he was going into shock. In a semi-conscience state he heard voices, realizing it was soldiers from his own platoon checking on the wounded and dead. The point man next to Arness had been killed, as well as several others. Finally a medic found Arness and asked if he had been hit.

Arness responded, “In the leg” and realized he could not move. The medic said the leg bones had been severely splintered. Treating the wound with sulfa powder, the medic administered a shot of morphine directly into Arness’ stomach. The medic then declared the wound a “ZI” or “Zone of Interior” wound, (aka Million Dollar Wound), which meant an eventual ticket stateside.

On 29 January, 1945, having received numerous surgeries, Arness received an honorable discharge. Still, his wounds would affect him for the rest of his life. In later years Arness has suffered from acute leg pain (which prevented him from mounting a horse) and has undergone a series of operations to remove bullet fragments that had infused into the bone.

Reflecting on his military service Arness would write in his Autobiography, “Upon my return home, my mother packed away my uniforms and medals, and I forged ahead seeking a new life. But I’ve always cherished my army time, and I’ve often thought about the war. Anzio was the most searing experience of my life.” Adding further, "Certainly my survival of World War II was a near-miracle, since my outfit got so badly battered at Anzio. To this day I feel that had I not been wounded and evacuated, I wouldn't have survived those days of fierce fighting."

His military awards and medals are as follows: Bronze Star; Purple Heart; Good Conduct; American Campaign; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign with three bronze star devices; Amphibious arrowhead; World War II Victory Medal; and Combat Infantryman's Badge (CIB).

Acting career

Though primarily identified with Westerns, he also is remembered for appearing in two science fiction films, The Thing from Another World and Them!. He was a close personal friend of John Wayne's and co-starred with him in Big Jim McLain, and Island in the Sky. Wayne said that when he imagined Marshal Dillon, he saw Arness. Wayne even did a television spot introducing Arness in the role. Broncho Billy Anderson, from The Great Train Robbery The Western movie is one of the classic American film genres. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... The Thing from Another World is a 1951 science fiction film which tells the story of an Air Force crew and scientists at a remote Arctic research outpost who fight a malevolent alien being. ... Them! is a 1954 science fiction film about humanitys battle with a nest of giant mutant ants. ... John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979) was an iconic, Academy Award-winning, American film actor. ... Big Jim McLain was a 1952 John Wayne film starring Wayne and James Arness as HUAC investigators hunting down communists in post-war Hawaii. ... Island in the Sky is a Donald Duck story written by Carl Barks in March 1960. ...

After Gunsmoke ended, Arness performed primarily in western-themed movies and television series, including How the West Was Won, and five made-for-television Gunsmoke reunion movies between 1987 and 1994. A notable exception was a brief turn as a big city police officer in the short-lived 1981 series, McClain's Law. How the West Was Won was a western television series that starred James Arness, Fionnula Flanagan, and Bruce Boxleitner. ... McClains Law was an American crime drama television series that aired on NBC for one season during 1981-1982. ...

For his contribution to the television industry, James Arness has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1751 Vine Street. In 1981, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A band plays on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. ... The Hall of Great Western Performers is a Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. ... Bronze Wrangler The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum and art gallery, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, housing one of the largest collections of: Western, American cowboy, American rodeo, and American Indian; art, artifacts, and archival materials, in the world. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Filmography

• The Farmer's Daughter (1947)
• Roses Are Red (1947)
• Battleground (1949)
• Wagon Master (1950)
• Stars in My Crown (1950)
• Sierra (1950)
• Wyoming Mail (1950)
• Two Lost Worlds (1951)
• Belle Le Grand (1951)
• The Thing from Another World (1951)
• Cavalry Scout (1951)
• Iron Man (1951)
• The People Against O'Hara (1951)
• The Girl in White (1952)
• Carbine Williams (1952)
• Big Jim McLain (1952)
• Hellgate (1952)
• Horizons West (1952)
• Lone Hand (1953)
• Island in the Sky (1953)
• The Veils of Bagdad (1953)
• Hondo (1953)
• Them! (1954)
• Her Twelve Men (1954)
• Many Rivers to Cross (1955)
• The Sea Chase (1955)
• Flame of the Islands (1956)
• The First Traveling Saleslady (1956)
• Gun the Man Down (1956)
• Alias Jesse James (1959) (Cameo)
• Comanche Stallion (2006)

The Farmers Daughter is a 1947 movie which tells the story of a Minnesota farmgirl who ends up working as a maid for a Congressman and his politically-connected mother. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Movie poster reprint of Battleground Battleground is a 1949 war film which tells the story of a squad of the 101st Airborne Division trying to cope during the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne, Belgium. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: 1950 films | Science fiction films ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Thing from Another World is a 1951 science fiction film which tells the story of an Air Force crew and scientists at a remote Arctic research outpost who fight a malevolent alien being. ... Cavalry Scout (or MOS 19-D) is a job title in the United States Army and originated with the United States Cavalry. ... The People Against OHara is a 1951 film noir based on Eleazar Lipskys novel. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Carbine Williams is a 1952 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring James Stewart. ... Big Jim McLain was a 1952 John Wayne film starring Wayne and James Arness as HUAC investigators hunting down communists in post-war Hawaii. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Island in the Sky is a Donald Duck story written by Carl Barks in March 1960. ... Hondo is a western film starring John Wayne. ... Them! is a 1954 science fiction film about humanitys battle with a nest of giant mutant ants. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The First Traveling Saleslady was a commercially unsuccessful 1956 movie starring Carol Channing, Ginger Rogers and a young Clint Eastwood (as Channings beau, no less, whose height she equals when wearing heels) which Channing admitted had helped close RKO Pictures. ... Alias Jesse James (1959) was a Bob Hope western comedy movie that featured a number of screen cowboys (Roy Rogers, Gary Cooper, Hugh OBrien, Fess Parker, James Garner, etc. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Television Work

• Gunsmoke (1955-1975)
• The Macahans (1976)
• How the West Was Won (1977) (miniseries)
• How the West Was Won (1978) (miniseries)
• How the West Was Won (1979) (canceled after 20 episodes)
• McClain's Law (1981-1982)
• The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (1987)
• Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987)
• Red River (1988)
• Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990)
• Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992)
• Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (1993)
• Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994)

The cast of radios Gunsmoke: Howard McNear (Doc), William Conrad (Matt), Georgia Ellis (Kitty) and Parley Baer (Chester) Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... How the West Was Won was a western television series that starred James Arness, Fionnula Flanagan, and Bruce Boxleitner. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... How the West Was Won was a western television series that starred James Arness, Fionnula Flanagan, and Bruce Boxleitner. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... How the West Was Won was a western television series that starred James Arness, Fionnula Flanagan, and Bruce Boxleitner. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... McClains Law was an American crime drama television series that aired on NBC for one season during 1981-1982. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... The cast of radios Gunsmoke: Howard McNear (Doc), William Conrad (Matt), Georgia Ellis (Kitty) and Parley Baer (Chester) Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... The cast of radios Gunsmoke: Howard McNear (Doc), William Conrad (Matt), Georgia Ellis (Kitty) and Parley Baer (Chester) Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... The cast of radios Gunsmoke: Howard McNear (Doc), William Conrad (Matt), Georgia Ellis (Kitty) and Parley Baer (Chester) Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... The cast of radios Gunsmoke: Howard McNear (Doc), William Conrad (Matt), Georgia Ellis (Kitty) and Parley Baer (Chester) Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The cast of radios Gunsmoke: Howard McNear (Doc), William Conrad (Matt), Georgia Ellis (Kitty) and Parley Baer (Chester) Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ...

External links

• James Arness at the Internet Movie Database
• official James Arness-website
• James Arness at TV.com
• Comanche Stallion Website
• List of Hollywood Republicans