Did John Wayne really show the leadership role in Gunsmoke? Here is the truth

“John Wayne was supposed to play the championship in” Gunsmoke “but he rejected him,” She is one of the ancient Hollywood legends that reject death. Even in 2025, half a century after the conclusion of the show, many still believe that the Duke was supposed to be the leading man in the West most famous on TV. However, this was not simply the case.

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According to Nourmann McDunil, co -author of the original radio series “Gunsmoke”, which later helped to adapt to TV, just the idea of ​​presenting the role of Wayne the leader would have been a wild dream. He also explained for the year 1975 TV guide The feature: “Wayne was a big movie star and he will not think about TV for a minute. It was just a propaganda story.” This is quite logical in those days, it was rarely the TV, if any, given the same respect for the movie.

Writer and director Charles Marquise Warren, who helped start the series during its first two seasons, also gave cold water the idea that Wayne was offered to the leadership role:

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As Warren said, the fans who bought just the idea that the TV adaptation “Gunsmoke” was not into account with the position of John Wayne in mind. In fact, even Mars Delon himself, James Arnes, appears under this very impression. As he explained in an interview in 2006:

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(Wayne) said: “When the” Gunsmoke “show came, I will not be able to do this, but I have a young man here under a contract I think it may fit the bill.” Therefore, gently offer to present the first episode.

It only goes to show how feverish and strange machines can be behind the scenes in Hollywood when the leading stars are subject to wrong impressions. So, yes, John Wayne may have a veil in the first “Gunsmoke” episodeBut this does not mean that it was officially contacted regarding the leadership of the show team.

Although he might have not boasted in the name of the Duke in the official actors’ team, “Gunsmoke” had a preliminary list of stars during its legendary operation period for 20 years. To read more, check what Bert Reynolds had to say about “Gunsmoke” Costar James Arnes And how Harrison Ford finished playing two completely different characters In the show.

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