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Matt Dillon wasn’t much for romance. The Gunsmoke hero played by James Arness only had one on-screen kiss during the show’s 20-season run. Arness locked lips with Michael Learned of The Waltons in a memorable 1973 episode. And it must have been quite a smooch, because Learned later recalled that Arness asked her out after they filmed the scene. 

Michael Learned gave Matt Dillon his only on-screen kiss in a memorable ‘Gunsmoke’ episode

Black and white side-by-side photos of Michael Learned as Olivia Walton on 'The Waltons' and James Arness as Matt Dillon on 'Gunsmoke'
[L-R] Michael Learned as Olivia Walton on ‘The Waltons’; James Arness as Matt Dillon on ‘Gunsmoke’ | CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Though there was no shortage of romantic tension between U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon and saloon owner Miss Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake) on Gunsmoke, the two never acted on their obvious feelings for each other. The lawman preferred to keep his life free of the complications that would come from a serious relationship. However, that briefly changed in a season 19 episode when he ended up with amnesia. 

In the episode, appropriately titled “Matt’s Love Story,” Matt is rescued by an attractive widow named Mike Yardner, played by Learned. She cares for him until his memory returns. The episode strongly implied that the two were intimate (via the New York Times), which was a bit of a shock for the squeaky-clean series. The exact nature of Matt and Mike’s relationship was confirmed in the 1990 TV movie Gunsmoke: The Last Apache. Learned reprised her role in that movie. Her character reaches out to Matt when her daughter Beth (Amy Stoch) is kidnapped, only to drop a huge bombshell on the marshal: Beth is his daughter. 

Michael Learned made quite the impression on ‘Gunsmoke’ star James Arness 

Though Learned’s time on Gunsmoke was brief, she remembered it fondly. In an interview with the Television Academy Foundation (via YouTube), she spoke about the episode and working with Arness.

“I played a prostitute on Gunsmoke,” she said. “A lady of the night. And it was actually a rather fun scene.” 

“I’m the only woman Matt Dillon ever kissed,” she added. “He called my agent and asked me out on a date so I must have done a decent job.”

Learned didn’t share whether she ever went out with Arness, but she did go on to call him “a lovely guy to work with, very laid-back … very modest.”

‘The Waltons’ cast member ‘relished’ the chance to play a different kind of role 

Michael Learned as Olivia and Mary McDonough as Erin standing on a porch in 'The Waltons'
Michael Learned as Olivia Walton and Mary McDonough as Erin Walton on ‘The Waltons’ | CBS Photo Archive
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The Waltons was Learned’s first major TV role, and it turned her into a star. She was nominated for an Emmy six times for her work on the show and won three awards for outstanding lead actress. (She won another Emmy in 1982 for her work on CBS show Nurse.) But she was also thankful that Gunsmoke gave her the opportunity to play a character who was different from the wholesome, motherly Olivia Walton. 

“It was meaty, and it was a change for me,” she said. “It was fun for me to do something different from The Waltons. I enjoyed that.”

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