January/February, 2012

Hello,
I wanted to apologize for the Write to Janet section of the website which was offline for a few days. We have resolved the problem and it should not be an issue in the future. If you tried to write and it didn’t go through please write to me now. I really enjoy all your emails.

We know that Gunsmoke is not on TV Land anymore but it is showing on the Encore Western Channel and We TV. Encore is showing the 1⁄2 hour black and white episodes right now which is great! We haven’t seen those in years and I remember Jim saying that the first year of Gunsmoke he felt a little stiff because they brought in actors from New York. You can see by the second year he is more relaxed.

I know that Jim told me when he was offered Gunsmoke John Wayne sat down and talked with him about the part. Wayne at that time was the biggest actor in movies. He talked Jim into to taking the part. Some people say that the only reason he did it was because Wayne was going to do the introduction but that is not true. Jim did it because he and Wayne discussed it and thought it would be good for Jim’s career. The night Gunsmoke premiered Jim and the cast were totally surprised that John Wayne did the introduction. Jim, like so many other people, felt that his introduction gave Gunsmoke a great start.

I am going to miss the beautiful cards and flowers Jim would always give me on Valentine’s Day but the memories are always with me. I hope you have a wonderful day and give the person you love a beautiful memory.

Thank you for your Gunsmoke, Matt Dillon memories. I enjoy reading them.

Janet Arness