Strother Martin
Posted on 10/27/2006 3:58:44 AM PDT by 7thson
Did anyone catch BOR last night? He has a new weekly segment highlighting a TV icon. Last night he had James Arness - Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke. Mr. Arness is 83 years old. He is a very humble man, from what I saw of the mini-interview. I also found out that he was in WW II, wounded at Anzio, and spent 18 months in recuperation.
That was one of my favorite westerns growing up. When I was a little kid, it would confuse the hell out of me when Bruce Dern kept on showing up in different episodes. I was always thinking - didn't Matt kill this guy already.
Here are two trivia items concerning him from IMDB -
Very, very often during his career, this huge actor was surrounded by co-stars standing on apple boxes or had to perform standing in a ditch just so he could be in a shot.
His status as a Republican disappointed Lady Bird Johnson, who was a fan of "Gunsmoke" (1955).
Don't forget JW getting munched by a huge octopus in Wake of the Red Witch.
I agree about the Shootist. All the established stars in that film, Hugh O' Brien, Richard Boone, Jimmy Stewart, Lauren Bacall... all knew it was a requiem.
Very good movie.
Caught a glimpse of the Marshall on the repeat of BOR at 11...brought back memories of us kids sitting around on Saturday nites waiting to watch "Palladin" and then "Bonanza" and then the best: Gunsmoke.
Saturday nights huh? You must be older than I am. I remember Bonanza coming on Sunday nights and Gunsmoke on Monday nights.
And I would like to add that Mr Arness is also an Honorary Deputy US Marshal. He was given that honor by the US Marshals Service several years ago. He's truly a giant among men!
My mother has always had a rather unique Southern "language of her own"...she'd often forget the name "Gunsmoke", so she'd tell us that "Big Buttocks" is going to be on tonight.
And the common enemy would be - TAH DAH - Bruce Dern! 8-)
144 posts about James Arness! Great! There are still some folks out there who recogonize a genuine good guy and true American Hero like James Arness. With all the absolute garbage crap that's on TV today TV land still has Gunsmoke on and I still watch it everyday I can. I guess that makes me sort of an old timer with old timer values . I still wish they had new shows like Gunsmoke on instead of the garbage that passes for entertainment today. The communists for the most part dictate what we will watch today but as for me give me Gunsmoke and John Wayne or I'll just have to shoot my damn TV- in self defnse of course!
God bless John Wayne and James Arness and those shinin times when TV was good!
Gunsmoke came on Saturday nights after Bonanza where we lived. I vaguely remember Bonanza broadcast on Sundays at some point.
Strother Martin
the funniest one is the one with mini-me in it - i crack up every time i see it.
"Miss Kitty was no ho sir!! She ran a good saloon that just happened to have some fine women willing to share a drink with a lonely cowboy. It's a damn good thing that Matt never heard you say that! Woulda been picking yoself up off the floor!"
I've watched many Gunsmoke episodes and I've still never figured out the relationship that Dillon and Miss Kitty had. Did they at one time have a fling or was it merely a matter of extreme mutual respect? I think Kitty had a dark side to her because of her love of gambling. At any rate, Kitty is one of television's all-time classiest ladies.
My favorite TV western was "Paladin" in "Have Gun, Will Travel". Those eps are now available on DVD.
A little off topic - as posts on FR often do - but did you ever watch Baretta with Robert Blake. One of the best episodes starred Strother Martin and Gary Bussy, who play rednecks who get the drop on Blake and take him and a young runaway shoplifter he just busted out in the country. The two get the drop on two patrol cops and steal their uniforms and patrol car. Blake comes out the store and waves them down, thinking they're cops. The two take him out to the country and pour whiskey in him. When Blake gets in the car, he tells them to call in a 609 - I think - and that's what Strother Martin calls him the rest of the episode, in that voice of his. An excellent episode because of Strother Martin.
As many times as James Arness and John Wayne have shot Bruce Dern, you would have thought one of the shots would have been fatal. ;-) Doesn't say much for their marksmanship.
Bruce Dern is really good at the bad-guy role.
NO doubt about the decline. TV and the film industry has certainly experienced loss of quality programming and writing...not all but lots...and most of it due to the politically motivated PC garbage they insist on pushing down on our throats.
Up until the last season (awful) I enjoyed "The Sopranos" and i still catch "24" as much as I can...and the classic films as well, That's about it! The rest is drivel on broadcast and cable.
Wonderful TV back then: Ida Lupino stuff, General Electric theater, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Twilight Zone, etc.
Now it's derivative, stale, boring, and perverted all time time.
"Strother Martin"
He played a classic role in Slap Shot. The scene when Paul Newman reminded him of a particular sordid moment from his past was hilarious.
I love what Duke told Ron Howard in "The Shootist":
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to others, and I expect the same from them."
Words to live by.
Didn't Jim Arness actually give an interview one time when he said, "Why, Kitty is a whore!" The producers of Gunsmoke were apoplectic!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.