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James Arness / continued finally decided to go separate ways."
It took another tall man, John
Wayne, to realize that Arness's height
wood for a whole year and a half." was a credit. Wayne saw Arness in a
The husky, blue-eyed cowboy hero little-theater play-his second stage
recalled that he was doing all sorts of production-and the Nation's top film
odd jobs-from working on a con- star immediately signed the boy from
struction gang to selling classified ads Minnesota to a personal contract.
for a Los Angeles newspaper- when The association between Wayne and
he finally managed to snare a role in Arness lasted three years. Arness was
the M-G-M picture, "Battleground." given featured roles in "Big Jim Mc-
This turned the tide. Lain," "Hondo," "Island in the Sky"
Arness, however, never intended to and "The Sea Chase." On loan, he
be an actor. He simply wandered into was the thing in "The Thing." ("I
a small Hollywood theater one night didn't have any speaking lines but it
during his sun-soaking vacation to sure brought me a lot of publicity.")
watch a friend-who wanted to be an Arness thinks - though he's not
actor- rehearse. The director invited positive-that Wayne was primarily
Arness to join the group. responsible for his obtaining the Mar-
"I didn't have anythi~g better to do shal · Dillon role in Gunsmoke. "I
and it looked like fun, so I said yes." have a hunch CBS first offered the
part to Mr. Wayne, but that he turned
Ten days later the play opened and it down and recommended me. He's
he was spotted by an energetic Holly- the kind of guy who would do a
wood agent named Leon Lance. Lance generous thing like that and never
cornered Arness after the show and let anyone know."
asked the newcomer to meet him at
RKO Studios the following morning. Now in his early 30's, ..t\.rness has
"I showed up all right, but I didn't no plans or notions of producing his
expect anything to happen," said Ar-· own TV series or movies.
ness. "But, believe it or not, within "I don't want any part of those
five minutes this Lance guy had headaches," he stated flatly. "I have
talked them into hiring me. At first a wife, three growing kids-plus a
they wanted to give me a couple full-time job; that's enough for me."
hundred dollars a week for two weeks The adult approach of Gunsmoke
work, but Lance wouldil'°t accept. Well, is not his doing, the star admitted. "I
they upped the salary to $400. Of just do what they tell me to do. That's
course, when that two weeks stretched · what they pay me for. I don't pretend
into 17 I didn't complain none." to be a director or writer."
M-G-M put Arness under contract However, not long ago, one event
after "Battleground," but his excessive served to fracture Arness's calm, easy-
height proved a deterrent to his ca- going manner. After a long day's work
reer. "None of the leading men at which had been filled with gunshots,
the studio wanted to be in the same Arness was letting himself into the
picture with me--or, rather, they front door of his Pacific Palisades
didn't want me to be in the same pic- home when a number of voices sud-
ture with them," explained Arness. denly shouted, "Hands up!" For an
"I was put in some films, like 'Hell- instant, Arness thought this was it.
gate' and 'The People Against O'Hara,' Then he realized it was just the
but even though the roles were good :r:ieighborhood kids, who had been ly-
it didn't look like I'd ever amount to ing in wait for hours to get the drop
much there. The studio and me, w·e on Marshal Matt Dillon.
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