James Arness
Small parts followed for Arness in Battleground (1949) and Wagon Master (1950). A year later, he played the glowing title character in what would become a cult classic: The Thing from Another World. But his career faltered until mentor John Wayne gave Arness roles in three pictures and recommended him for the lead in the TV series "Gunsmoke," which ran 20 years (1955-75), made Arness a star and turned his small-screen persona into an icon.
After "Gunsmoke" was canceled, Arness was back in the saddle in "How the West Was Won," a 1977 miniseries that briefly became a weekly show. Before retiring in 1994, he reprised the part of Matt Dillon in five made-for-TV movies. Arness died June 3, 2011.
Them!
The inhabitants of a small Southwestern town feel the fallout when radiation from bomb tests creates giant, mutant ants that descend on their community. Facing human extermination, a team of scientists scrambles to figure out how to stop "them."
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Hondo
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Wagon Master
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Island in the Sky
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The Sea Chase
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Gun the Man Down
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Battleground
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The Thing from Another World
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Big Jim McLain
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Gunsmoke
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Gunsmoke: 50th Anniversary Edition: Vol. 1
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How the West Was Won
