10 Neat Facts About James Arness
Matt Dillon is one of my favorite TV characters of all time.
The was a time in TV when heroes really were heroes. Marshall Matt Dillion of Gunsmoke fame was one of those heroes. Gunsmoke pretty much followed a pattern. Ultimately you knew that Matt would get the bad guy, and that was sort of comforting.
While James is most known for his work as Matt Dillion, he also did some notable work as Zeb Macahan in The Macahans, and How the West was Won. In doing research for other pieces, I’ve noticed that those who worked with James Arness universally spoke well of him. So, here are some things you might not have known about James Arness.
1: James wanted to be naval fighter pilot but was afraid his poor eyesight would prevent him from doing so.
Actually, being 6'7' was the bigger issue. It’s okay to be tall in the saddle, but tall in the pilot’s seat, not so much.
2: His height impacted his role in the army during World War II. He was the first man off the Anzio Beachhead on January 22, 1944.
He was the first man off the landing boat because they wanted to check the depth of the water. Outside of the army there…
