On this episode of Our American Stories, before becoming television’s legendary Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, James Arness was a towering young infantryman fighting through some of the fiercest combat of World War II. Wounded during the brutal fighting at Battle of Anzio, Arness nearly lost his leg and spent almost a year recovering in military hospitals before earning a Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart.

In this installment of our ongoing Hollywood Goes to War series, historian Roger McGrath shares the remarkable story of how the future TV icon went from Army rifleman to Hollywood actor, working alongside John Wayne before becoming the unforgettable face of Gunsmoke. 

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)