gunsmoke

gunsmokeActor James Arness, who personified the tall, rugged lawman of the American frontier as Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, U.S. television's longest-running prime-time drama, died on Friday at age 88.Arness died of natural causes at his home, said his business manager, Ginny Fazer.The actor was in relative


ly good health but had "just been fading" in recent years, Fazer said. "No disease; he just got tired, I guess," she said.Arness was best known for his 20 years on TV playing Matt Dillon, the U.S. marshal in the wild-west town of Dodge City, a role for which he was recommended by his mentor and friend, film star John Wayne.When Gunsmoke left the CBS airwaves in 1975, Arness had set the record for the longestrunning role played by a single actor in prime time. The feat that went unmatched until Kelsey Grammer tied the record in playing psychiatrist Frasier Crane on two NBC comedies, Cheers and Frasier.Gunsmoke, which originated on CBS radio in 1952 with William Conrad as the voice of Matt Dillon, debuted on TV as one of the first in a wave of "adult westerns.



that sought to portray gunslingers and cowboys in a way that appealed to adult viewers. Although not an immediate hit, Gunsmoke climbed the ratings to No. 8 in its second season and went on to become the top-rated show from 1957-61.The cast comprised one of TV's s most memorable ensembles of supporting characters: the good-natured but gullible deputy with a limp, Chester Goode, played by Dennis Weaver; the red-haired, whiskey-voiced saloon keeper Miss Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake) and crusty old Doc Adams (Milburn Stone).

gunsmoke