Why James Arness Had Doubts About His Acting Skills During Gunsmoke

Television westerns are few and far between now, but there was a time where they ruled supreme on all the big networks, with "Gunsmoke" having one of the biggest impacts on CBS. It was notable for being one of the first series westerns for an adult audience, in addition to lasting a then-unprecedented 20 season run across two decades. The craziest part is that the show maintained consistent ratings to the point that its cancellation came as a surprise to everyone involved. As is the case with any long-lasting show, however, it's not at all uncommon for some of the main cast to jump ship in the manner that Dennis Weaver and Amanda Blake did.

But let no one accuse series lead James Arness of never giving 100% to "Gunsmoke" as he played Marshal Matt Dillon, Dodge City's purveyor of justice, through and though for all 635 episodes of the series' run.

Prior to getting the gig of a lifetime, Arness had a modestly successful acting career with parts in sci-fi creature features like "THEM!" and "The Thing From Another World", but never really emerged as a huge star. A lot of his other big screen excursions came about due to his friendship with one of the most popular cowboys of the silver screen, John Wayne. Arness would star alongside him in films like "Hondo," "Island in the Sky," and "The Sea Chase." But "Gunsmoke" was undoubtedly Arness' big break.

History shows the western drama would go on to become a television sensation and radically transform the influx of adult westerns on television, but behind the scenes, Arness didn't know if he could pull it off.

When the cameras started rolling for that first season of "Gunsmoke," Arness could tell there was going to be a lot of weight thrust upon him in the lead role. "As we started into the series, I realized that we were scheduled to do a number of shows in quick succession, yet I had more to do on the first one than ever in all my previous shows and movies," said Arness (via MeTV).

Although Arness would fall into the groove of such a schedule, he initially had a difficult time with his own self-worth as an actor when working alongside his more experienced co-stars (via MeTV):

"In the early days, as I began to act with these people, I got the feeling that my inexperience showed. They knew how to play a scene with all the nuances of a pro, while I had all I could do just to keep up with them; I carried this feeling of insecurity throughout the first season."

No one could have predicted how monumental "Gunsmoke" would have become for CBS, so it's understandable that Arness would have some reservations about being the face of the whole thing. "I had no concept, at first, of how much work was involved in getting a solid grasp on the character I played," says Arness.

There was already a collective audience that had their own doubts on account of being fans of William Conrad's Marshall Dillon in the "Gunsmoke" radio show, which was still being broadcast at the time. Arness had the stature to make an impression at 6'7", but didn't exactly have the flexible charisma to back it up. In order to quell concerns, in addition to paying tribute to his friend, the premiere episode opened with an introduction from Wayne, where he gave Arness a ringing endorsement.

Every episode of "Gunsmoke" is currently streaming on Pluto TV.