|
List Price: $39.95Amazon.com's Price: $31.96 You Save: $7.99 (20%)as of 11/24/2009 09:25 EST details
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Now!
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: Library Binding
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.45028092
EAN: 9780786412211
ISBN: 0786412216
Label: McFarland & Company
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 248
Publication Date: 2001-09
Publisher: McFarland & Company
Studio: McFarland & Company
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
James Arness was born May 26, 1923, in Minneapolis. He entered college just as World War II began and dreamed of being a naval aviator. It seemed as if every night his fraternity was having a party to send off a brother to the service. Young Arness got his interview with a naval flight program officer, but his hopes vanished as he was informed that his six foot seven inch height disqualified him automatically. He wrote his draft board asking that they call him up as soon as possible and so he ended up as a private in the famed Third Infantry Division where he earned a Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Because of his stature, he was chosen to be first off the landing craft (to test the depth of the water) when his division landed at Anzio, Italy. He was subsequently wounded by enemy machine gun fire and spent eighteen months recovering in overseas and stateside hospitals. Later his height would help him strike a commanding figure in the role of U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon of Dodge City. After Arness had toiled in Hollywood for a decade, John Wayne recommended him to CBS executives for the Gunsmoke part (after Wayne turned it down). As the principal performer of Gunsmoke for twenty years (19551975), the actor and the character took on mythic proportionsa born leader, honest and strong. Rare is the actor who has been cast in a role that so deeply fits his true self. James Arness gives a full account of his early years, his family, his military career, his film work in Hollywood which included appearances in the cult-favorite science fiction movies Them! and The Thing. He had a long run on Gunsmoke, a role in the highly popular television miniseries How The West Was Won, and his post-theatrical period is also covered. This is the long anticipated, never-before-told account of one of the icons of twentieth-century television. There are many personal revelations of interacting with some of the Gunsmoke family ensemble, such as Miss Kitty, Doc and Festus. His own work as a producer is covered. Throughout are rare, previously unpublished photographs from the author's personal collection. Appendices include comments by show biz colleagues and fellow Gunsmoke alumni, and a sampling of letters received from his legions of fans. As befits the man, this large-size book is a beautifully printed work in accord with the highest library standardsa luxurious and extra-strong cloth binding, acid-free paper, carefully designed photographic and textual layouts and sophisticated typography. Actor and fellow Gunsmoke performer Burt Reynolds has written a foreword to the book.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
What great reading, this autobiography of James Arness is a must for any of his fans out there. Great reading and very informative.
Rating: -
James Arness, Matt Dillon? The names are almost interchangeable. James Arness, however, was a much greater man than his television persona and he's still very much an iconic almost mythical being not only in Hollywood, but in the minds of almost every young boy who grew up watching his western "Gunsmoke" or any young girl who wanted to marry just that kind of man when she grew up.
James Arness, the ultra private actor, has surprised many by writing his autobiography with the talented ... Read More
Rating:  -
This was not the most detailed autobiography I've ever read, but that in itself seems to be very telling about the man. The book, like Matt Dillon and ultimately like James Arness, was short on words and didn't say anything unkind about anyone. We could use more Hollywood role models like this one!
Rating: -
I was given this book as a gift and like it. However, on 2/8/07 I discovered the "Museum Of The American West" (at Autry National Center, Los Angeles CA) has a website where you can Special Order this identical book --personally dedicated to you and signed by 'Matt Dillon' himself!-- for the same price ($39.95). Just go to their web page and type JAMES ARNESS in the search box. It'll lead you to the right page (listing is under 'Feature Items', not 'Books'), where you can enter your personalization ... Read More
Rating: -
What an interesting life James Arness has had. His account of his experience landing at Anzio in 1944 was the best account I've seen or heard because he was a private and first out expecting not to survive. His experiences during training and up to when he was wounded were so interesting. and his care afterword also. Being a lifelong Gunsmoke fan I found this book full of exciting, interesting facts and had to re-read it immediately as the first time I was up all night reading it and was tired ... Read More
Television Show
Collectibles
Movie Searches
|
|
|
Search for posters,
art prints, photos, collectables, merchandise, toys, t-shirts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TV Guide
Program listings, celebrity profiles, industry
gossip, movie reviews, puzzle.
More
Entertainment
& TV Magazines
This site is
Hosted
by Bluehost
Read
my Bluehost Review
Most Popular TV collectibles
|
|
Home
Articles
Images
Forum
Search
Shopping
TV Trivia
Watch TV
Wallpaper
