Actor James Arness became the face of Gunsmoke and the Western genre on television. The show ran for an incredible 20 seasons, cementing the show in the medium’s history forever as one of the longest-running series out there. Arness carried a commanding presence on the screen, and it wasn’t only because of his height. In one specific episode, the production made him look smaller in order to make a villain appear bigger.
‘Gunsmoke’ actor James Arness was 6’7″ tall
Gunsmoke featured Arness in the leading role of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon. His real-life height certainly made him stand out from the pack, as he stood at 6’7″ tall. Arness started out in theater before moving over into feature films and television, but he had some difficulty making it work in Hollywood. No leading men wanted to work alongside him because his height made them look especially tiny, in comparison.
Arness towered over his co-stars on the Western drama series, but that also extended to all else surrounding him on the set. He even had difficulty working with the horses, as fan letters frequently came in noting how awkward he looked in the same frame as the animals. His stature looked even bigger when riding on a small horse.
‘Gunsmoke’ Season 1 Episode 30 made James Arness look small for Chuck Connors
Arness was still coming into his own within the first season of Gunsmoke, as he faced off against his first round of rivals throughout the season. However, most actors don’t come even close to his real-life height. As a result, some Hollywood tricks are needed to ensure that the height difference isn’t too significant. Otherwise, these bad guys would seem much less imposing to the marshal.
Gunsmoke Season 1 Episode 30 had such an instance in the title “The Preacher,” which aired on June 16, 1956. The plot follows a stagecoach after it makes its arrival in Dodge City with Sam Keeler (Chuck Connors) and Seth Tandy (Royal Dano) riding along. Sam is a loud, over-confident man who believes that he can beat any man. Meanwhile, Seth is a pacifist, yet Sam still tries to get into a fight with him that forces Matt o intervene.
According to IMDb, Gunsmoke used a visual trick to make Arness look smaller than Connors. However, the guest-starring actor was also a tall fellow, standing at a little over 6’5.” Even so, the production had to make Arness look a bit smaller, so they did exactly that. Television Western audiences should recognize Connors’ name, as he would later go on to star in 168 episodes of The Rifleman as Lucas McCain.
‘Gunsmoke’ frequently brought on guest stars to play bad guys
Gunsmoke generally kept its focus on Arness and the rest of the main cast members, which initially included Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty Russell, Milburn Stone as Doc Adams, and Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode. This list would change later, as Weaver left after season 9, and Blake quit after season 19. Burt Reynolds and Ken Curtis were a couple of the fresh faces to join the cast.
Nevertheless, Gunsmoke saw an opportunity to expand its storytelling in a new way. It still revolved around Matt and his loyal friends, but the production increasingly brought on guest stars to expand on the cast and keep it interesting. This also aided CBS in the ratings, as it kept audiences intrigued to see who would star on the show next.
Stone hated having guest stars on the set, but Blake got especially starstruck when she had the opportunity to star alongside Bette Davis. She was so terrified to act in front of her that she thought that she would need to be “carried out on a gurney.”