John Wayne Revealed Why He Didn’t Like TV Westerns
Actor John Wayne appeared in a wide array of Westerns, including the legendary ones he made with filmmaker John Ford. However, he avoided involving himself in the television industry, focusing on feature films instead. Aside from the division between the two distribution platforms, Wayne had other reasons for why he didn’t like television Westerns.
John Wayne wasn’t offered to play Matt Dillon in ‘Gunsmoke’
A long-standing Wayne rumor involving the television Westerns involved Gunsmoke. The radio show-turned-television series earned some of the highest ratings of all time. The alleged story was that Wayne was tapped to star as Gunsmoke‘s leading man U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon. However, that’s not what happened. Rather, the movie star recommended and convinced James Arness to take the part.
Arness accidentally fell into acting after attending a theatre rehearsal with a friend. Other male actors wouldn’t work with him on account of his tall stature, but he ultimately became CBS’ biggest star on their most prominent show. Matt became a fan-favorite character that audiences simply couldn’t get enough of.
John Wayne thought TV Westerns lacked nuance
Wayne spoke about the state of Westerns in an interview with The Saturday Evening Post. In particular, the outlet referred to television and politics as triggering “a flare-up” in the movie star. He thought that it missed the mark in ways that Western feature films were able to capture.
“Television has a tendency to reach a little,” Wayne said. “In their Westerns, they’re getting away from the simplicity and the fact that those men were fighting the elements and the rawness of nature, and didn’t have time for this couch work. For me, the stayer is basic art and simplicity. Love. Hate. Everything right out there without much nuance.”
Wayne didn’t specify which of the Westerns on television that he was referring to, but it appeared to be more of a blanket statement covering the industry’s genre as a whole.
He introduced the first ‘Gunsmoke’ episode
However, the actor did introduce the very first episode of Gunsmoke to draw audiences in. Wayne spoke about his stature in Hollywood and the Westerns that he made, but made it clear that he doesn’t star in the show that audiences are about to watch. Nevertheless, he recommended it to audiences, calling it “adult” and “realistic.”
“My name’s Wayne,” the movie star said. “Some of you may have seen me before. I hope so. I’ve been kicking around Hollywood a long time. I’ve made a lot of pictures out here. All kinds. Some of them have been Westerns, and that’s what I’m here to tell you about tonight; a Western. A new television show called Gunsmoke. No, I’m not in it. I wish I were, though, because I think it’s the best thing of its kind that’s come along and I hope you’ll agree with me. It’s honest, it’s adult, it’s realistic.”
Wayne continued: “When I first heard about the show Gunsmoke, I knew there was only one man to play in it: James Arness. He’s a young fella and may be new to some of you, but I worked with him and I predict he’ll be a big star, so you might as well get used to him. Like you’ve had to get used to me. And now, I’m proud to present my friend Jim Arness in Gunsmoke.”
