“John Wayne was supposed to star in ‘Gunsmoke’ but turned it down” is one of those Old Hollywood myths that refuse to die. Even in 2025, half a century since the show’s finale, many still believe the Duke was supposed to be the leading man in television’s most iconic Western. However, this simply was never the case.
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According to Norman Macdonnell, the co-creator of the original “Gunsmoke” radio series who later helped adapt it for television, the mere idea of offering Wayne the lead role would have been a wild pipe dream. As he explained for a 1975 TV Guide feature: “Wayne was a big movie star and wouldn’t have considered TV for a minute. It was just a publicity story.” This makes perfect sense considering in those days television was rarely, if ever, given the same respect as film.
Writer and director Charles Marquis Warren, who helped kickstart the series during its first two seasons, also threw cold water on the idea that Wayne was offered the lead role: “I never thought for a moment of offering it to Wayne. But to this day even some of the cast go around repeating that story.”
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Even James Arness seems to have believed John Wayne was meant to lead Gunsmoke
As Warren put it, it wasn’t just fans who bought into the notion that the “Gunsmoke” television adaptation was conceived with John Wayne in mind. In fact, it seems even U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon himself, James Arness, was under that very impression. As he explained in a 2006 interview:
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“When the ‘Gunsmoke’ offer came in, he [Wayne] said, ‘I wouldn’t be able to do it, but I have a young man here under contract who I think would maybe fit the bill.’ So, he very graciously offered to introduce the first episode. And it was great.”
Just goes to show how hectic and strange behind-the-scenes machinations can be in Hollywood when even leading stars are under false impressions. So, yes, John Wayne may have a cameo in the first “Gunsmoke” episode, but that does not mean he was ever officially approached about leading the show’s cast.
While it may not have ever boasted the Duke’s name in the official cast, “Gunsmoke” had an iconic roster of stars during its legendary 20-year run. To read more, check out what Burt Reynolds had to say about his “Gunsmoke” costar James Arness and how Harrison Ford wound up playing two completely different characters on the show.
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