For the three-part Gunsmoke episode “Gold Train,” Matt Dillon receives a bullet wound that Doc decides is beyond his skill level to operate.

This sends the Marshal on a harrowing journey by train to see a specialist.

The whole sprawling episode, it’s bad enough the lawman is on the brink of paralysis, but then the action amps up even more when a gang hijacks the train, led by an outlaw who bears a very deep grudge against Matt.

It’s certainly a gripping episode, and it’s one in which you see how much this seasoned cast of characters truly cares for one another.

During the third part, Festus fills in as the hero, as Doc overcomes his fears of inadequacy to ultimately save Matt from losing feeling in his limbs forever.
By 1971, Gunsmoke had been on the air for 16 years, and you’d think that would give the main cast plenty of time to get to know one another, but famously Gunsmoke star James Arness was, as The Tallahassee Democrat wrote , “one of the most private men in Hollywood.”
His closest onscreen costar Amanda Blake, who played Kitty, said Arness kept everyone at a distance.
“Jim is the mystery man,” Blake said. “Like most men, he’s an overgrown 12-year-old. He’s delightful, charming, one of the funniest men I’ve ever known. I really don’t know much about him, because he’s a private person. But he’s fun to work with.”
She said in the whole time she’d shared the screen with Arness, his cool but charming demeanor never changed, and Festus actor Ken Curtis agreed.
“I’ve been on the show 10 years and Jim hasn’t changed one iota,” Curtis said.
To Curtis, this sealed-off part of Arness’ personality was likely the reason why Gunsmoke went on so long. It was a good thing he kept to himself and never started any drama with anyone over all those years.
“I’ve seen many shows go down the drain because the star becomes impossible and disliked by everyone,” Curtis said. “He’s terrific to work with. When the time comes to buckle down to work, he’s ready.”
In 1973, Arness was named broadcasting’s Man of the Year, an honor won almost entirely on the strength of his enduring character work as Matt Dillon, but also propelled by a fascination the general public had with Arness.
Who was he, really? They must’ve thought: Let’s name him Man of the Year and find out!
At this time in his life, Arness rarely made any public appearances. He’d never be found chatting up fans beyond a cordial autograph signing here and there. Instead, he spent his time sailing or skiing at his Hawaii vacation home or flying his private plane to disappear into Baja California.
Nobody really knew what he was up to, and he liked it that way.
His costars didn’t mind him putting up a privacy fence around his personal life. They were happy to work with such a laid-back star.
“He’s the most unhypocritical man I know,” Millburn Stone, who played Doc, said. “He’s consistent. He is what he is, lives the way he does, and that’s it.”
When Arness accepted his Man of the Year award, it was a big deal. A thousand people packed into the audience as the tall TV cowboy made that rare appearance in the real world.
Hosting the event was comedy legend Carol Burnett. She made a crack about how hard it was to get close to Arness, and also admitted to harboring a big crush on the quiet cowboy!
“I’m thrilled to be giving this wonderful award to this wonderful man,” Burnett told the crowd. “I don’t know this man, but I’ve had the hots for him for years.”
Taking the award from Carol, Arness demurred. Instead of giving a speech and showing a glimpse of who he was inside, he kept his stage face on, saying, “Those are mighty kind words, gal. I’d like to invite you over to the Long Branch to walk up those stairs with you.”
Just a year short of 50, Arness then made a crack at his age, always shrouding any personal candidness with references to his famous show.
“Kitty and I have been walking up those stairs for 18 years and if it goes on much longer, they’ll have to move the room downstairs,” he joked.
As Gunsmoke’s long TV run wound down through the next few years, Arness kept quiet about how he enjoyed his own fame and fortune, and who he was at home.
But he did tell that crowd of 1,000 in 1973 that if it were up to him, he wouldn’t describe himself as “Man of the Year.”
One of TV’s biggest stars of all time used a humbler clump of words to sum himself up.
“I’m a lucky guy,” he said, tipping his hat and ducking back out of the public eye.
 
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The former James Bond actor noted that he would only resort to hitting a woman “if he had tried everything else” at the time.

At the end of last year, on December 30, 2022, noted journalist Barbara Walters died. The 93-year-old interviewer spoke to some iconic faces across her career, including Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand and Fred Astaire – to name but a few. However, one interview with a former James Bond star, Sean Connery, left the journalist speechless.

A shocked Walters put the question to Connery: “You think it’s good to slap a woman?” in a resurfaced 1987 interview.

The famed journalist asked the former 007 this question after he made some comments about attacking women in an interview with Playboy magazine back in 1965.

At the time, the actor – who played James Bond from 1962 to 1971 with Eon, before playing the hero again in 1983 – said: “I don’t think there is anything particularly wrong about hitting a woman, although I don’t recommend doing it in the same way that you’d hit a man.” He noted that an “openhanded slap” would be “justified” if “all other alternatives fail and there has been plenty of warning”.
He added: “If a woman is a b***h, or hysterical, or b****y-minded continually, then I’d do it.”
Walters quizzed Connery on these comments, and he responded: “I don’t think it’s good. I don’t think it’s bad. But it depends entirely on the circumstances and if it merits it.”
Walters continued to drill the 007 star, asking him what kind of circumstances would “merit” slapping a woman. “Well, if you have tried everything else,” he replied. “And women are pretty good at this, they can’t leave it alone. They want to have the last word, and you give them the last word, but they’re not happy with the last word. They want to say it again, and get into a really provocative situation. Then – I think it’s absolutely right.”
He went on to reiterate: “Seriously, it’s the last resort. He’s not gonna do it because he wants to do it.”
Walters smirked: “Wait until people see this interview. You’re gonna get mail.”
Six years later, in 1993, Connery spoke with Vanity Fair where he defended his interview with Walters. He claimed his words had been taken out of context.
“They taped two hours of me and only showed 20 minutes,” he said. “Barbara Walters was trying to get me to say it was okay to hit women. But I was really saying that to slap a woman was not the crudest thing you can do to her.” He added: “I said that in my book – it’s much more cruel to psychologically damage somebody. That’s what they’re looking for, the ultimate confrontation – they want a smack.” (sic)
Walters’ official cause of death has not been announced, but she had previously dealt with some heart issues. She was 93-years-old.
CEO of Disney and owner of ABC, Bob Igor, confirmed the death in a statement. He said: “I have sad news to share today as Barbara Walters passed away this evening at her home in New York. Barbara was a true legend, a pioneer, not just for women in journalism, but for journalism itself.”
He added: “She was a one of a kind reporter who landed many of the most important interviews of our time; from heads of state to the biggest celebrities and sports icons. I had the pleasure of calling Barbara a colleague for more than three decades. More importantly, I was able to call her a dear friend. She will be missed by all of us at the Walt Disney company and we send our deepest condolences to her daughter.” (sic)
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Clint Eastwood is a legendary name in Hollywood. He remains one of the biggest western movie stars of all time. However, the world also knows him for his particularly conservative values and beliefs. Some audiences applaud him for his social and political stance, while others criticize him for it. Eastwood once explained what the “p**** generation” is and how it impacts him.

Eastwood’s first acting role was an uncredited part in 1955’s Revenge of the Creature. However, he truly hit the big time by playing the Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy. The franchise consists of 1964’s A Fistful of Dollars, 1965’s For a Few Dollars More, and 1966’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. His legacy continues to live on through its impact on modern cinema.

Eastwood stepped behind the camera for the first time with 1971’s Play Misty for Me. He didn’t stop acting, but his passion certainly pushed him to continue making movies. At the time of writing, Eastwood earned four Academy Awards for films including Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby.

Esquire interviewed Eastwood and his son, Scott to discuss their experiences in Hollywood and their personal beliefs and ideals. The social and political climate entered the conversation, resulting in his discussion of Donald Trump and people’s level of sensitivity to specific topics.

“But he’s [Trump] onto something, because secretly everybody’s getting tired of political correctness, kissing up,” Eastwood said. “That’s the kiss-ass generation we’re in right now. We’re really in a p**** generation. Everybody’s walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff.”
Eastwood continued: “When I grew up, those things weren’t called racist. And then when I did Gran Torino, even my associate said, ‘This is a really good script, but it’s politically incorrect.’ And I said, ‘Good. Let me read it tonight.’ The next morning, I came in and I threw it on his desk and I said, ‘We’re starting this immediately.’”
He described the “p**** generation” by saying, “All these people that say, ‘Oh, you can’t do that, and you can’t do this, and you can’t say that.’ I guess it’s just the times.”
Eastwood further described the generation as one where, “Nobody wants to work.”
Eastwood’s conversation comments previously offended some audiences. However, his films also speak for themselves. Gran Torino star Bee Vang spoke out about the film, accusing it of “mainstreaming anti-Asian racism.” The film includes slurs against Asian people and turns them into a joke for mainstream audiences to laugh at. Vang and other critics raise the problems that arise with such casual racism.
Eastwood most recently made Cry Macho. He also starred in the lead role. He currently doesn’t have any films set for the new year, although he doesn’t show any sign of slowing down and retiring. Stay tuned for more information on Eastwood’s next project.
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