Before “Gunsmoke,” James Arness Fought and Bled in World War II
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 4 June 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, before becoming television’s legendary Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, James Arness was a towering young infantryman fighting through some of the fiercest combat of World War II. Wounded during the brutal fighting at Battle of Anzio, Arness nearly lost his leg and spent almost a year recovering in military hospitals before earning a Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart.
In this installment of our ongoing Hollywood Goes to War series, historian Roger McGrath shares the remarkable story of how the future TV icon went from Army rifleman to Hollywood actor, working alongside John Wayne before becoming the unforgettable face of Gunsmoke.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.6 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:14.0 | And we continue with our American stories. |
| 0:18.3 | James Arnest is recognized as one of America's most beloved actors. Generations have grown |
| 0:24.0 | up with him as Marshall Matt Dillon on TV's longest running series, Gunsmoke. Here to tell |
| 0:31.1 | another Hollywood Goes to War story is Roger McGrath. Grath is the author of Gunfighters, |
| 0:36.9 | highwayman, and vigilantes, violence on author of Gunfighters, Highwayman, and Vigilantees, |
| 0:38.6 | Violence on the Frontier, |
| 0:40.6 | the U.S. Marine and former history professor at UCLA, |
| 0:44.0 | McGrath has appeared on numerous History Channel documentaries, |
| 0:46.9 | and he's a regular contributor here at Our American Stories. |
| 0:52.9 | Take it away, McGrath. |
| 0:55.5 | The Johnny Carson Show, starring Johnny Carson. |
| 1:05.1 | And he's the star of that new CBS show that's coming up soon. |
| 1:09.8 | Gunsmoke, and here he is Mr. Jim Arness. |
| 1:12.3 | Jim. |
| 1:14.1 | Everyone thinks of James Arness is Matt Dillon, the brave and incorruptible town marshal of a Dodge City |
| 1:20.7 | in the television series Gunsmoke. I think him as the father of one of my childhood friends. |
| 1:28.3 | When you're a young kid, all adults look big to you. |
| 1:31.3 | James Arnest looked like a giant. |
| 1:34.3 | He stood 6'7 and weighed 235 pounds. |
| 1:39.3 | He had a big bone frame and was lean at that weight. |
... |
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