If you’re at all familiar with television Westerns, then you’d undoubtedly have heard of Gunsmoke. The long-running horse opera premiered on CBS in 1955 and ran through 1975, spanning for 20 years on network television. But to kick off the Western series, the program was introduced by none other than John Wayne himself. That’s right, the Duke was the first word-of-mouth promoter of the adventures of Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness), and his appearance in the very first episode launched the series into the public eye. But how did Gunsmoke land that famous appearance by Wayne? Well, that’s quite the story.
John Wayne Deemed ‘Gunsmoke’ A Must-See TV Western
Gunsmoke began in 1955 (on television anyway, it was a radio program first) with the episode “Matt Gets It,” but before the story actually kicked off, viewers were no doubt surprised and thrilled to see John Wayne pop up on their television screens. The Duke rarely appeared on television in an acting capacity — with one Wagon Train episode as an exception — but for Gunsmoke he showed up as himself, complete in his full cowboy getup. Wayne introduced the series as a memorable evening of television that fans would surely love. “When I first heard about the show Gunsmoke, I knew there was only one man to play in it,” Wayne told viewers in the Gunsmoke intro, “James Arness. He’s a young fellow, and may be new to some of you. But I’ve worked with him and I predict he’ll be a big star.” He was right, of course.
Wayne’s word-of-mouth praise for Gunsmoke thrust the series (and Arness) into the spotlight. For twenty years, the program entertained adult and family audiences with compelling Western dramas that we still flock back to. But how did Gunsmoke get Wayne to be a part of the series, anyhow? Well, according to a 2006 interview with Gunsmoke star James Arness, the network originally wanted Wayne for the part of Marshal Matt Dillon. “I was under contract to Duke’s company for two years before Gunsmoke came along,” Arness explained, having appeared in four different films with Wayne previously (including Hondo, which later became a TV show itself). “When the Gunsmoke offer came in, he said, ‘I wouldn’t be able to do it, but I have a young man here under contract who I think would maybe fit the bill.'” Thus, Wayne suggested Arness for the leading role.
The Duke Had to Convince James Arness to Play Marshal Matt Dillon
The only thing was, James Arness wasn’t terribly interested in playing Marshal Dillon on television, at least not at first. In his autobiography, My Life, Burt Reynolds (who would play Quint Asper on Gunsmoke for several years) noted that John Wayne didn’t want to do television. The Duke was a movie star, and, hoping to follow in his footsteps, James Arness had no interest in TV either. Both men had their sights on the big screen, but only Wayne had the career (and charisma) to stand on that dream alone. By 1955, he was already a massive Western star — The Searchers would hit theaters the following year — while Arness was still a young up-and-comer. But Wayne was convinced that Gunsmoke was the right place for the 6-foot-7-inch actor, who often played monsters or villains on the big screen. In fact, Reynolds notes that the Duke reportedly got Arness drunk in order to get the contract signed. However, Arness himself recounts their conversation a little differently.
“So, he very graciously offered to introduce the first episode,” Arness later said of Wayne. “He was a one-of-a-kind guy. There just was never anybody else like him.” With Wayne’s help, Gunsmoke soared, and eventually the program got so popular that many forgot Wayne was ever involved at all. It’s hard to imagine anyone else but James Arness playing Marshal Matt Dillon, and we can thank the Duke for that. In Reynolds’ biography, the former Gunsmoke star recalled a conversation he once had with Arness, asking him if he ever regretted taking the Marshal Dillon role. Arness replied, “I own the company that does the show (…) and I’ve made more money than Duke has in his entire motion picture career.” How did he figure? Because he sold the company to the network, bought it back, and then repeated the process a few times in only the first seven years that Gunsmoke was on the air. Considering that it continued for thirteen more seasons (and 600+ episodes total), it’s impossible to say how much Arness made playing the famed Dodge City marshal.
‘Gunsmoke’ Became One of the Most Successful Television Programs of All-Time
While it’s hard to attribute Gunsmoke’s entire success to John Wayne’s appearance in the first episode, it’s likewise impossible to state how important his recommendation was to the show’s early years. Eventually, the show would evolve, transitioning from a half-hour black-and-white format to an hour-long black-and-white series before eventually switching to an hour-long color program. Along the way, Gunsmoke pivoted to a more anthology-based style (as a result, the final episode hardly felt like a series finale at all), and many of the lead characters took secondary roles in the show’s later years. Gunsmoke even spawned a short-lived spin-off based on one of those standalone hours. But despite the program’s enduring popularity, Gunsmoke couldn’t last forever. Having gone from an underdog series to the number one show on television, the show was eventually canceled following the infamous “rural purge.” Still, Marshal Matt Dillon remains one of the most memorable lawmen in the entire genre, one of the few brought to us exclusively by John Wayne.