James Arness: An Autobiography

by James Arness, James E. Wise Jr.

James Arness was born May 26, 1923, in Minneapolis. He entered college just as World War II began and dreamed of being a naval aviator. It seemed as if every night his fraternity was having a party to send off a brother to the service. Young Arness got his interview with a naval flight program officer, but his hopes vanished as he was informed that his six foot seven inch height disqualified him automatically. He wrote his draft board asking that they call him up as soon as possible and so he ended up as a private in the famed Third Infantry Division where he earned a Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Because of his stature, he was chosen to be first off the landing craft (to test the depth of the water) when his division landed at Anzio, Italy. He was subsequently wounded by enemy machine gun fire and spent eighteen months recovering in overseas and stateside hospitals. Later his height would help him strike a commanding figure in the role of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon of Dodge City. After Arness had toiled in Hollywood for a decade, John Wayne recommended him to CBS executives for the Gunsmoke part (after Wayne turned it down). As the principal performer of Gunsmoke for twenty years (1955-1975), the actor and the character took on mythic proportions--a born leader, honest and strong. Rare is the actor who has been cast in a role that so deeply fits his true self. James Arness gives a full account of his early years, his family, his military career, his film work in Hollywood which included appearances in the cult-favorite science fiction movies Them! and The Thing. He had a long run on Gunsmoke, a role in the highly popular television miniseries How The West Was Won, and his post-theatrical period is also covered. This is the long anticipated, never-before-told account of one of the icons of twentieth-century television. There are many personal revelations of interacting with some of the Gunsmoke family ensemble, such as Miss Kitty, Doc and Festus. His own work as a producer is covered. Throughout are rare, previously unpublished photographs from the author's personal collection. Appendices include comments by show biz colleagues and fellow Gunsmoke alumni, and a sampling of letters received from his legions of fans. Actor and fellow Gunsmoke performer Burt Reynolds has written a foreword to the book. This entry refers to the LARGE PRINT edition. For the standard edition please see ISBN .

Genres: Biography, Westerns, Nonfiction, Tv, Memoir, Autobiography

344 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please forgive my use of what some may consider a somewhat vulgar word in the quote below....

When I was young there was a saying many versions of which still survive, it's:

"You don't piss into the wind, you don't start a fight with Superman and you don't draw on Matt Dillon."

(later versions included not "spitting" into the wind, tugging on Superman's cape [Jim Croce], and you don't pull the mask on the Lone Ranger [again Jim Croce] and other versions)

This is another book where I have to confess a personal bias. I suppose many times bios are selected because we already know, know of or about the subject of said bio.

Growing up every Sunday...and then Saturday (and even later Monday) night was Gunsmoke night. I (like many kids of my generation) was a huge fan of westerns. I watched reruns of western movies made throughout the '30s and '40s. There were A LOT of western TV programs in those days. I was a fan of Davy Crockett (I lived in TN and had the requisite coonskin cap, but also the entire leather outfit complete with long rifle), the Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. BUT if there was a HERO I always wanted to emulate that was Matt Dillon.

Matt was big, strong and always stood for what was right. When James Arness died in 2011 it was a sad day for me and I'm sure for many others. Maybe he's not as well known today as he was a few years ago (though Gunsmoke is still on the air) but I'm sure there's still a large audience of his fans out there.

Here we get a shot of his life and career. From leaving home and being wounded in WW2 through his career in show business. I was reminded of many of the movies I'd seen him in over the years. If you've seen the first movie The Thing (from Another World) made in 1951 Jim Arness is "The Thing".

There were a couple of times during the shooting when he left the set in makeup and caused a bit of a stir...

I enjoyed this book greatly. It awakened a lot of nostalgia for me and told things about an actor whose work I enjoy that I hadn't known. This isn't a "Holy Wood Confidential" book. There aren't any scandalous confessions or shocks. There's just an interesting story of a guy who was pretty close to a common guy (as close as a multimillionaire can be) who played parts that appealed (and still appeal) to common guys (and gals).

I can recommend it. Enjoy.

[Clay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good cover that is a painting. Disappointing that there is not much written about the t. v. show Gunsmoke.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Early Years and the WWII account were the most interesting parts of the life of James w Arness. The man certainly lived a charmed life and there is almost no one from my generation that didn't enjoy Gunsmoke

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since Arness grew up in the same Minneapolis neighborhood as myself I really enjoyed reading about his early years. The rest covers his WW2 years where he was wounded at Anzio, his film/tv career. He was making tons of dough on Gunsmoke and its schedule allowed him an enviable, leisurly lifestyle of surfing, sailing, flying, ranching etc. Written in a low-key, innocuous style and is probably mainly of interest to hardcore Gunsmoke fans.

[Dave Glorioso · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Marshall

I was diagnosed with cancer. I am in the midst of tough treatment. Gunsmoke became medicine. It's greatest appeal is Jim Arness. He is as solid of a man as the character he plays on Gunsmoke. Wonderful story. He is so humble but stories from other actors help flesh him out. He lived a rich life and enriched the lives of everyone he met. The USA needs role models like him.

[Michael Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the TV show. This book covers Mr. Arness' early life growing up in Minnesota, his military service in WWII as an infantryman at Anzio, drifting into acting, and of course reminiscences about his twin decades TV run on 'Gunsmoke.' Refreshingly, not a tell-all book. He lived an adventurous, successful life -- coupled with personal tragedy, which he recounts matter-of-factly.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Saturday night when I was growing up the family would gather in front of the TV to watch Gunsmoke. James Arness aka Matt Dillon was a hero to us all. His life story if fascinating.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about James Arness as I grew watching all the Gunsmoke episodes, black and white to color. I am still watching re-runs almost daily even now.

[Mediaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very short book that reveals little about the actor's career work and spends way too much time on his World War II years as well as his boating. There are some things I learned about his Minnesota upbringing, but he avoids talking about his famous brother Peter Graves and barely mentions his personal life. He summarizes his marriages in a couple of sentences and only alludes to the sad death of his daughter.

Some of this focuses on Gunsmoke, but if you're looking for a lot of great stories you won't find them. He loved working with everyone, has no complaints other than the network often trying to cancel the popular show, and says he was out promoting the show at local fairs and rodeos for years. Then at the end of the very short memoir other voices are included from Jim's past that sometimes contradict what Arness wrote. One co-worker on the show barely talked to the star over the years because of how "private" Arness was. And that comes through in this book--it's just a bare outline of his movies and television shows, with no sense of what his home life was like.

There are a few errors in it and chronology issues, as well as some big chunks of years missing. The co-author should have done much more research to detail the productions Arness was involved in as well as interactions with major famous people. This autobiography will leave you with a lot of unanswered questions and doesn't tie things up neatly the way they did it on an episode of Gunsmoke.

[Lawrence Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Arness made his life an adventure, and he loved ranching, sailing, surfing, and flying. He tells of his war experiences with modesty, and how his combat injuries, requiring frequent surgeries as he aged, helped him appreciate life. He frequently alludes to his young comrades who were killed, and you can well infer that the tears fells as he wrote of them.

This is not a tell-all, and so reflects the honor and dignity of Mr. Arness. He has nothing bad to say about anyone, and his wry humor is a joy. When a tv film with Raquel Welch had a larger audience than one of his Gunsmoke sequels he asks, “What has she got that we haven’t!” Great fun.

Mr. Arness writes as much, maybe more, about others than he does about himself, and these mini-biographies are a joy. Further, the lengthy list of Gunsmoke’s guest stars is a catalogue of Hollywood at its best.

I enjoy Gunsmoke, and very much appreciate the quality of acting, writing, and cinematography. I don’t suppose there is a bad episode, but for me the best are the half-hour episodes of the first few years. Working with a small budge and limited time, each is a brilliant, compact story, and the characterizations, polt elements, and photographic composition and lighting indicate that the producers learned their craft well from John Ford and other great filmmakers.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, nicely written biography of a TV Western icon. It provides interesting background on Arness's upbringing and military service in WWII. Arness then describes his entry into show business, with a focus on his long-running role as Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke.
The book avoids being a blow-by-blow of the well-known series' episodes, instead focusing on Arness's relationship with the other major characters on the show, as well as his personal life during the show (family, hobbies, etc.).

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this autobiography by James Arness. I'm a younger fan of Gunsmoke and Matt Dillon's character is superbly captured by this actor. It seems that Mr. Arness and Matt Dillon are one and the same person: what you get on screen is what you get in real life. It was entertaining learning about his shenanigans as a youth and his antics with other Hollywood actors while also sobering as I read his story about his time in the service and the things that he saw. Overall, an organized and engaging account of Mr. Arness's life both on and off screen.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I wish I had been as enamored with Gunsmoke as a kid as I am now. Maybe it's the age thing, nostalgia trip for me. Either way I liked learning he was a prankster and a quiet private man.

[Louise Tortora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Dillon for President

Yuge Matt Dillon, Gunsmoke fans!!! Love the character and the man who played him. Arness is a gentle giant with a propensity for adventure. Not surprised at all that he and Matt became one. Recommended for all the Gunsmoke followers.

[Mike Capanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for Marshall Matt Dillon fans . Tells the story of James Arness life from the beginning to late in his life . He was a great man on and off the silver screen

[Julie Mabry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always entertaining to read an autobiography because you assume a famous person always has an easy life, but reading about their successes and failures makes them more human and relatable.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm discovering James Arness later in life but he was alive when I was younger. I wish I was interested back then and had been able to meet him. Life is funny that way. This is a well-done autobiography covering most of his life, not just the Gunsmoke years. I enjoyed learning about the man, the time period and the life of a popular TV icon. He's mostly humble, about as much as one could be and still talk about life successes. It seems like Mr. Arness really enjoyed the people he worked with and his fans. There are some good life lessons in there, too, about not giving up early and not taking life too seriously. And of course, for Gunsmoke fans there are some great back stories and memories. I grew to really appreciate the notes from friends in the back, too. They were able to say things about Mr. Arness and share stories he couldn't and it provides a more complete picture.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autobiographies aren't usually my cup of tea but a friend loaned this to me (Kindle and all) so I read it. A chronological progression from childhood to retirement, the book is fairly dry and moves along quickly. Arness' early years were more interesting to me than the television years. The description of his WWII experiences and the period immediately following his return to the States gives us a good picture of this young athlete turned actor. What was most telling was that he cared enough to get acting training when he realized he needed it. He may not have been a good student in the traditional sense but he recognized that education and training in any given field are absolutely necessary for success.