James Arness Horrified ‘Gunsmoke’ Director When He Snapped at Him for Doubting His Matt Dillon

Gunsmoke actor James Arness established a very clear understanding of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon. Over time, he came to know when scripts didn’t fit how the character would behave. As a result, the actor became increasingly protective over the role and the portrayal that he had perfected over the years. Arness once snapped at a new Gunsmoke director who asked him to do “better” as Matt.

‘Gunsmoke’ actor James Arness evolved U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon

William Conrad originally voiced Matt for the Gunsmoke radio show before Arness landed the role for television. Many longtime fans weren’t happy to see the replacement, but they ultimately grew to love the actor’s irresistible charm. The two iterations shared many similarities in the early seasons of the television show. However, Arness found a way to put his own stamp on Gunsmoke that would last for quite some time.

The television adaptation of Matt became more accepting of the violence that came with the job. As a result, the emotional impact of it didn’t hit as hard. Additionally, Arness’ Matt was a bit more inquisitive when it came to sniffing out criminals entering Dodge City.

James Arness snapped at a new ‘Gunsmoke’ director for acting him to do ‘better’

Gunsmoke line producer John Stephens wrote in James Arness: An Autobiography about his experience working on the show. They worked together on the final season of the television show and on How the West Was Won for three years.

Stephens said one of the “funniest things” he remembered from his time working on Gunsmoke with Arness was when a new director was hired for an episode. He didn’t mention the name of the director, but he remembered the scene that they were working on that involved Ken Curtis’ Festus Haggen sitting in a jail cell. The scene was only five pages.

Nevertheless, the Gunsmoke director rubbed Arness the wrong way. “Cut,” the director said. “I’d like to do another one. I think we can do it a little better, Jim.”

“Better? That’s the best I can do,” the actor responded. “You want better, get Laurence Olivier.”

The director was horrified and asked Stephens what he should do. He told him to call “Cut, Print,” which was exactly what he did. The pair got along fine moving forward.

The line producer said that young, new Gunsmoke directors didn’t realize that Arness knew Matt better than anybody else. He played the part for 19 years at that point and knew exactly what he was doing, without the need for direction.

He played the character for 20 seasons and 5 TV movies

Arness played Matt on Gunsmoke for 20 seasons, setting longevity records for many years. CBS allegedly sabotaged the show to cancel it, but that didn’t spell out the story’s death. Arness returned to star in five Gunsmoke movies over the course of his career.

The made-for-TV movies were initially quite successful. However, they finally lost steam and started to underperform. As a result, CBS decided not to move forward with any further films. Arness continued to protect the role of Matt throughout his Gunsmoke career, always wanting to do what was best for the character and his legacy.