JAMES ARNESS 8x10 press photo HOW THE WEST WAS WON *thick stock photo paper*

Description: This is an original 8x10 inch press portrait of James Arness wearing his buckskin suit in How the West Was Won. Not sure how to describe it, but the photo is printed on heavier stock than other press photos of this era. BACKGROUND James Arness (born James King Aurness; May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the series Gunsmoke. He has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) and four more made-for-television Gunsmoke films in the 1990s. In Europe, Arness reached cult status for his role as Zeb Macahan in the Western series How the West Was Won. He was the older brother of actor Peter Graves. Early life James Arness was born in Minneapolis.[1] His parents were businessman Rolf Cirkler Aurness and journalist Ruth Duesler. His father's ancestry was Norwegian; his mother's was German.[2] The family name had been Aursnes, but when Rolf's father, Peter Aursnes, emigrated from Norway in 1887, he changed it to Aurness.[3] James Arness and his family were Methodists.[4] Arness' younger brother was actor Peter Graves. Peter used the stage name "Graves", a maternal family name.[3] Arness attended John Burroughs Grade School, Washburn High School, and West High School in Minneapolis. During that time, Arness worked as a courier for a jewelry wholesaler, loading and unloading railway boxcars at the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad freight yards in Minneapolis and logging in Pierce, Idaho.[3] Despite "being a poor student and skipping many classes," he graduated from high school in June 1942.[3] Arness entered Beloit College that fall, where he joined the campus choir and became a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.[5] Military service in World War II Although Arness wanted to be a naval fighter pilot, he was concerned his poor eyesight would bar him. However, it was his 6-ft, 7-in (2.01 m) frame that ended his chances because the height limit for aviators was set at 6 ft, 2 in (1.88 m). He was drafted into the US Army and reported to Fort Snelling in Hennepin County, Minnesota in March 1943.[3] As a rifleman, he landed on Anzio Beachhead on January 22, 1944, with the 2nd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. Arness–due to his height–was the first man to be ordered off the landing craft to determine the depth of the water; it came up to his waist.[3] He was severely wounded in his right leg during the Battle of Anzio,[6] and medically evacuated from Italy to the US, where he was sent to the 91st General Hospital in Clinton, Iowa. His brother Peter (later known as actor Peter Graves) came to see him when he was beginning his long recuperation, assuring him to not worry about his injuries, that likely he could find work in the field of radio. After undergoing several surgeries, he was honorably discharged from the Army on January 29, 1945.[7] His wounds continued to trouble him, though, throughout the remainder of his life. In his later years, he suffered from chronic leg pain that often became acute, and was sometimes initiated when he was mounted on horses during his performances on Gunsmoke.[8][6] His military decorations included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the American Campaign Medal, the European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze battle stars and arrowhead device, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.[8][9] Acting careerAs Gunsmoke's Matt Dillon in 1956 After his discharge from the service, Arness began his entertainment career as a radio announcer at Minneapolis station WLOL in 1945.[10] Determined to find work in films, Arness hitchhiked to Hollywood,[11] where he made the rounds to agencies and casting calls and soon began acting and appearing in films. He made his movie debut at RKO, which immediately changed his name from "Aurness". His film debut was as Loretta Young's (Katie Holstrom) brother, Peter Holstrom, in The Farmer's Daughter. He was credited in The Farmer's Daughter as Aurness.[8] Though identified as appearing in Westerns, Arness also acted in two science-fiction films, The Thing from Another World (in which he portrayed the titular character) and Them!. He became a close friend of John Wayne and appeared in supporting roles in Big Jim McLain, Hondo, Island in the Sky and The Sea Chase, all starring Wayne. Arness starred in Gun the Man Down, a fast-paced Western, for Wayne's production company. He also starred in a 1988 TV remake of Wayne's 1948 classic Red River, appearing in Wayne's role as Tom Dunson. An urban legend has it that John Wayne turned down the starring role of Matt Dillon in the classic television Western Gunsmoke, instead recommending James Arness for the part. The only true part of this story is that Wayne did indeed recommend Arness for the role; Wayne was never offered the part. Wayne appeared in a prologue to the first episode of Gunsmoke in 1955, in which he introduced Arness as Matt Dillon.[12] The Norwegian-German Arness had to dye his naturally blond hair darker for the role.[13] Arvo Ojala, who taught Arness to shoot, was the first of several actors in the show's opening where Marshal Dillon has a shootout with what is described as "a generic bad guy" representing all those which Dillon must deal with.[14] Gunsmoke made Arness and his co-stars, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Dennis Weaver, Ken Curtis, Burt Reynolds, and Buck Taylor world-famous, and ran for two decades, becoming the longest-running primetime drama series in US television history by the end of its run in 1975. The series' season record was tied in 2010 with the final season of Law & Order and tied again in 2018 with season 20 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Unlike the latter show, Gunsmoke featured its lead character in each of its 20 seasons; Gunsmoke also aired 179 more episodes, and was in the top 10 in the ratings for 11 more seasons, for a total of 13, including four consecutive seasons at number one. After Gunsmoke ended, Arness performed in Western-themed movies and television series, including How the West Was Won, and in five made-for-television Gunsmoke movies between 1987 and 1994. An exception was as a big-city police officer in a short-lived 1981–1982 series, McClain's Law, starring with Marshall Colt. His role as mountain man Zeb Macahan in How the West Was Won made him a cult figure in many European countries, where it became even more popular than in the United States, as the series has been rebroadcast many times across Europe. James Arness: An Autobiography was released in September 2001, with a foreword by Reynolds (who had been a cast member of Gunsmoke for several years in the 1960s). Arness realized, "[I]f I was going to write a book about my life, I better do it now ... 'cause I'm not getting any younger."[15] Personal lifeArness with his son, Rolf, in 1959 Arness married Virginia Chapman in 1948, and adopted her son Craig (1946 – December 14, 2004).[1] Arness and Chapman also had a son, Rolf (born February 18, 1952),[16] and a daughter, Jenny Lee Arness (May 23, 1950 – May 12, 1975). Rolf Aurness became World Surfing Champion in 1970.[17] Craig Arness founded the stock photography agency Westlight and also was a photographer for National Geographic.[18] When they divorced in 1963, Arness was granted legal custody of the children. Daughter Jenny died of an apparently deliberate drug overdose in 1975.[19] His former wife Virginia died of an accidental drug overdose in 1977.[20] Four years after his divorce from Virginia Chapman, James Arness met Thordis Brandt,[21][22] who was his girlfriend for six years before they ended their relationship.[23] In 1978, Arness married Janet Surtees. She and his sons survived him.[8] Despite his stoic character, according to Ben Bates, his Gunsmoke stunt double, Arness laughed "from his toes to the top of his head". Shooting on the Gunsmoke set was sometimes suspended because Arness got a case of the uncontrollable giggles.[24] James Arness disdained publicity and banned reporters from the Gunsmoke set. He was said to be a shy and sensitive man who enjoyed poetry, yacht racing, and surfing. TV Guide dubbed him "The Greta Garbo of Dodge City".[25] Buck Taylor (Newly on Gunsmoke) thought so highly of Arness that he named his second son, Matthew, after Arness' character.[26] Death Arness died from natural causes at the age of 88 years at his Brentwood home in Los Angeles on June 3, 2011.[27] Awards1963 Gunsmoke cast: Amanda Blake (Kitty), Arness (Matt Dillon), Milburn Stone (Doc Adams), and Burt Reynolds (Quint Asper) For his contributions to the television industry, Arness has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1751 Vine Street. In 1981, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Arness was inducted into the Santa Clarita Walk of Western Stars in 2006, and gave a related TV interview.[8] How the West Was Won is an American Western television series that starred James Arness, Eva Marie Saint, Fionnula Flanagan, Bruce Boxleitner, and Richard Kiley. Loosely based on the 1962 Cinerama film of the same name, it began with a two-hour television film, The Macahans, in 1976, followed by a mini-series in 1977, and a regular series in 1978 and 1979.[1] The show was a great success in Europe, apparently finding a larger and more lasting audience there than in the United States. It has been rebroadcast many times on various European networks, e.g. in France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Sweden, and has built a cult following.[2] It was released on DVD in Europe in November 2009. A sequence of paintings by Charles Marion Russell is shown during the end credits. EpisodesMain article: List of How the West Was Won episodes SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedFirst airedLast airedMovieJanuary 19, 197613February 6, 1977February 20, 1977214February 12, 1978May 21, 1978311January 15, 1979April 23, 1979 PlotJames Arness as Zeb Macahan Zebulon Macahan is a well-known mountain man and scout working for the U.S. Army in the Indian Territories. The pilot movie shows Zeb not having seen his family for ten years and with the Civil War approaching, deciding to visit them in Manassas, Virginia. As war comes too close to home, Zeb's sister-in-law, Kate, convinces her husband, Zeb's brother Tim, to move their two sons, Seth and Jed (renamed Luke and Josh in the remaining episodes) and two daughters (Jessie and Laura) out west. Eva Marie Saint and James Arness as Kate and Zeb Macahan There the family learns that the first battle of the war is likely to occur at Bull Run, near Zeb and Tim's parents' home. Tim returns to Virginia while the family winters in the Indian Territories. Zeb learns that a friend has been murdered by Dutton, who escaped from an Army Guardhouse he was in for murdering innocent Indians. Knowing that Dutton swore vengeance on him and fearing for his family, Zeb attempts to intercept Dutton before he can reach the Macahan homestead. Luke heads east to look for his father and grandparents but gets home, only to find his grandparents were killed by artillery fire that struck their home during the First Battle of Bull Run. He learns that his father was conscripted into a unit of the Union Army heading for Tennessee to the Battle of Shiloh. Luke is also conscripted at Shiloh but is wounded and taken to a field aid station, where he finds his mortally-wounded father dying. Luke tells his superiors that he will no longer serve and is about to be shot as a deserter when shelling nearly kills his entire platoon. Escaping on foot, he reaches Missouri, finding the abandoned horse of a dead soldier and rides the horse until a local sheriff, Martin Stillman, and his men find Luke, accusing him of horse thievery. Luke tries to explain that he is a former Union soldier who found the horse but Stillman and his men, being Confederate sympathizers, try to lynch him. Luke escapes, severely wounding Stillman's arm in the process. Meanwhile, Zeb tracks down and kills Dutton. Luke arrives at the family homestead near the Platte River in western Nebraska and tells his mother Kate not only about Tim's death, but also that he is now an Army deserter as well as an outlaw in Missouri and must leave and be on the run. The pilot episode ends with Luke riding off. The series continues when after a period of relative quiet, a bounty hunter named Captain Grey, an Army Provost Marshal pursuing Union soldiers accused of desertion, arrives at the homestead to arrest Luke. Zeb slashes Grey's arm with a knife and Grey swears he will return. Grey continues to pursue Luke but the war ends and the government grants amnesty to all alleged deserters. Grey resigns his Army commission but keeps tracking Luke due to the reward on him in Missouri over the incident with the sheriff. Grey breaks into the Macahan house and mother Kate fatally shoots him. The first season ends with the family leaving the homestead to travel west to Oregon, which was their original intention. The second season starts with Kate having died in a barn fire. Her sister, a wealthy widow named Molly Culhane, arrives from Chicago to reunite with her only remaining family. Stillman, the former Missouri sheriff, is now a wealthy businessman with a crippled arm and is obsessed with revenge against Luke, but is killed by Zeb in a gunfight. By this time, Luke has gained a reputation as a skilled gunfighter and is continually fleeing pursuit, having not been cleared of the Missouri charges, even at the series finale. The remainder of the series involves Zeb and the family building their ranch in the Grand Tetons area of Wyoming. CastJames Arness as Zebulon "Zeb" MacahanBruce Boxleitner as Luke "Seth" MacahanWilliam Kirby Cullen as Josh "Jed" MacahanFionnula Flanagan as Molly CulhaneKathryn Holcomb as Laura MacahanRichard Kiley as Timothy "Tim" MacahanJared Martin as Frank GraysonEva Marie Saint as Katherine "Kate" MacahanVicki Schreck as Jessica "Jessie" MacahanHarris Yulin as Deek PeasleyWilliam Conrad as the Narrator In first season, Tim's sons have different names than in the rest of the series. Bruce Boxleitner's character was renamed "Luke", and William Kirby Cullen's character renamed "Josh". Guest stars included Ricardo Montalbán as Satangkai, a chief of the Sioux Nation, Ron Hayes as Sheriff Pinter, Med Flory (three episodes as a sheriff), Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., Harry Lauter as Sheriff Charlie Benton, Gregg Palmer as Loman, Tom Simcox as Marshal Logan, Read Morgan as Morton in "The Slavers", and John M. Pickard as Colonel Caine, James Stephens as C. L. Bradley (the pilot and two episodes), and Jim Turner (three episodes). Other guest stars include Richard Basehart, Brian Keith, Cameron Mitchell, Morgan Woodward, Ken Curtis, Michael Conrad, Christopher Lee, Britt Lind (Luke's first season girlfriend), Elyssa Davalos (Luke's second season girlfriend), Tim Matheson, John Crawford, Wright King, John Dehner, Lloyd Bridges (Elyssa Davalos's sheriff father), Don Murray (Kate's first season love interest), Royal Dano (Britt Lind's father), Parley Baer, Anthony Zerbe (bounty hunter, primary first season villain), Woody Strode (Indian chief), David Huddleston with Gene Evans and Jack Elam (both mountain men). Home media How the West was Won has been released in Scandinavia as Familjen Macahan(Sweden) and Familien Macahan(Norway)(Macahan Family) in 5 boxes: Box 1 - November 25, 2009 (4 episodes including Pilot)Box 2 - February 24, 2010 (5 episodes)Box 3 - May 12, 2010 (5 episodes)Box 4 - September 8, 2010 (5 episodes)Box 5 - December 1, 2010 (6 episodes). The series was remastered and released in 2012, also in 5 boxes (Box 1 – August 31; Boxes 2-5 - September 25), as well as a complete box November 21, 2012. Warner Home Video has released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1; season 1 was released on July 9, 2013,[3] followed by season 2 on July 15, 2014.[4] The third and final season was released by Warner Archive as an MOD DVD on April 19, 2016.[5] A more accurate list of the 14 episodes from season 2 can be found inside the Season 2 DVD case released in July 2014. This new DVD episode list fixes errors found in most web sites. NovelizationIn January 1978, a nearly 400-page "epic length" paperback novelization of a number of early episodes, written by Lou Cameron, was published by Ballantine Books. A prolific and versatile paperback scribe whose credits include winning a Western Writers of America Spur Award for his novel The Spirit Horses, Cameron's novelization adapted teleplays and screen stories by Calvin Clements, Colley Cibber, Howard Fast, William Kelley, John Mantley, Katharyn Michaelian, Jack Miller and Earl W. Wallace. The novel, sharing the title of the series, is not to be confused with the identically titled 1962 feature film which was itself adapted into a novel by Louis L'Amour.

Price: 14 USD

Location: Newbury Park, California

End Time: 2024-11-10T20:08:01.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD