James Arness Quotations

What made us different from other westerns was the fact that 'Gunsmoke' wasn't just action and a lot of shooting; they were character-study shows.

It is a very sad time and a big loss for me personally. He provided comic relief but was also a real person doing things that were very important to the show.

It is a very sad time and a big loss for me personally.

Matt Dillon was the kind of guy who's low-key but stands for what is right. And he goes about seeing that things turn out that way -- with, of course, a lot of people suffering along the way.

We went right up to the top and stayed there for the first six years when Dennis was on. Those were our highest-rated years. Dennis and I became over the years fast friends and stayed friends through the last 50 years.

As any policeman today will tell you, it's not the idea of getting the first shot off, it's hitting your target. Often the first guy that shoots misses.

They sort of made a point of that, which I thought was right,

It was ridiculous that they even went to Wayne. He was the biggest Western movie star of all time, and they must have known he couldn't take it.

I feel I was the luckiest guy in the world to be part of this show,

I had the pleasure of knowing Ronald Reagan before he became Governor of California. He was a truly great human being and we usually spent our time together reminiscing about mutual friends.

We had a great childhood and boyhood. It was a wonderful time through those years. A lot of it was through the Depression years, when things were tough, but my dad always had a job. But I had a great time. I was kind of restless, and I had a hard time staying in school all day, so me and a few pals would duck out and go out on these various adventures.

An intellectual carrot - the mind boggles.

Chiropractic care is the only real, long-lasting relief that I have found for my neck pain due to an old injury.