James Arness isn't just prime time's Iron Man in terms of playing a classic character for the longest time, as Bianculli noted earlier this week. Arness also remains perhaps TV's most enduring man, as proven by the ubiquity of his Marshal DIllon western Gunsmoke-- still airing on not one but two cable channels, nearly 40 years after its original run.
And now comes word of Saturday's 24-hour marathon on Encore Westerns, saluting Arness a week after his death at 88. Not only do we get 16 prime Gunsmoke episodes from the mid-'60s, but we also get three post-series '80s TV movies with the marshal, plus two of Arness' 1950s theatrical films. (Details below.)
If that's not enough, remember that Gunsmoke continues to air weekdays on TV Land at noon and 1 p.m. ET, and also weekdays on Encore Westerns at 7 p.m. ET. Three doses daily -- seems people still hanker to spend time in Dodge City with Matt, Kitty and Doc.
Gunsmoke is also chugging away on DVD. Half-season sets have now been released through the first four seasons, and CBS earlier delivered some truly fine collectors' sets. One is themed around episodes showcasing the show's top-notch directors (Andrew McLaglen, Arthur Hiller, Mark Rydell), while two "50th Anniversary" collections offer shows from throughout the series' 1955-75 run, spotlighting a stunning lineup of guest stars -- Bette Davis, Charles Bronson, Cloris Leachman, Burt Reynolds, Angie Dickinson, Dennis Hopper, Leonard Nimoy and the inevitable William Shatner, among others.
The collections also include wonderful extras, including commentaries (Arness, costar Dennis Weaver, Dickinson, Ed Asner, Bruce Dern, and more), bloopers, on-set home movies, radio shows and even appearances by Gunsmoke stars on other shows (Ed Sullivan, Mike Douglas, the Emmys).
There's plenty of Arness to go around.
Here's Encore Westerns' marathon lineup, all times ET this Saturday-Sunday (June 11-12) --
12:00pm - Gunsmoke - "Wishbone" (1966)
1:00pm - Gunsmoke - "Seven Hours to Dawn" (1965)
2:00pm - Gunsmoke - "The Summons" (1962)
3:00pm - Gunsmoke - "Old York" (1963)
4:00pm - Gunsmoke - "The Hostage" (1965, with Darren McGavin)
5:00pm - Gunsmoke - "Anybody Can Kill A Marshal" (1963)
6:00pm - Gunsmoke - "Blue Heaven" (1964, with Kurt Russell and Diane Ladd)
7:00pm - Gunsmoke - "The Gallows" (1962)
8:00pm - Gunsmoke - "Ash" (1963, with Adam West)
9:00pm - Gunsmoke - "Prime Of Life" (1966)
10:00pm - Gunsmoke - "Extradition, Part 1" (1963)
11:00pm - Gunsmoke - "Extradition, Part 2" (1963)
12:00am - Wyoming Mail (1950, with Stephen McNally)
1:30am - Many Rivers to Cross (1955, with Robert Taylor)
3:10am - Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987)
4:45am - Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990)
6:20am - Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992)
8:00am - Gunsmoke - "The Other Half" (1964
9:00am - Gunsmoke - "Twenty Miles From Dodge" (1965)
10:00am - Gunsmoke - "The Raid, Part 1" (1966)
11:00am - Gunsmoke - "The Raid, Part 2" (1966)