James Arness’ ‘Gunsmoke’ Costars Reveal the Pranks He Pulled on Set

James Arness had a sense of humor that Gunsmoke fans didn’t always get to see. He played Marshal Matt Dillon on the CBS Western from 1955 to 1975, and his fellow actors remembered how much he liked to joke around at work.

One prank involved the show’s opening gunfight. Reportedly, they had rehearsed the scene with Dillon winning the duel and the other gunman falling. However, when the cameras rolled, Arness changed it. After the two men fired, he threw himself backward and landed in the dust, pretending he had been killed.