Who Plays Dooley On Gunsmoke & What Other Legendary Westerns Did He Film?
"Gunsmoke" on CBS had something of a legendary run, routinely popping out new episodes for nearly 20 years. Suffice to say, the complete series features an eye-popping amount of storylines and notable guest stars, and it can be difficult to pick out any one entry in the series as a relative highlight. Nonetheless, Season 3, Episode 26, titled "Dooley Surrenders" stands out, if for no other reason than the actor who portrays its titular character.
"Dooley Surrenders" focuses on the story of the naive yet good-natured hide skinner Emmett Dooley. Dooley becomes convinced that he's guilty of murder and turns himself in, leading James Arness' Matt Dillon to work to clear the man's good name. It's not a particularly extraordinary "Gunsmoke" story, but it's noteworthy for featuring none other than Western film and TV legend Strother Martin as Dooley. Not only did Martin appear numerous other times on "Gunsmoke" as different guest characters, but he also has an impressive filmography filled with other notable Western credits.
Strother Martin has appeared in a bunch of Westerns
Naming every Western film or TV show that Strother Martin has been a part of would take quite a bit of time. Over the course of his career, the actor appeared in roughly 60 individual Western productions of varying scales. However, going over his most iconic Western roles is another matter entirely.
1969 is the banner year for Martin's biggest roles, as he appeared in what would come to be known as three of the best Western movies of all time. First up is Henry Hathaway's "True Grit," in which Martin portrays Colonel G. Stonehill opposite John Wayne's Reuben "Rooster" J. Cogburn. Less than a week later, Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" made its debut, featuring Martin as a bounty hunter named Coffer. Finally, the year would also see him play a part in none other than "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" as the titular duo's straight-laced boss Percy Garris.
As fans may be able to discern from his filmography, Martin was a major fan of Westerns and portraying the morally ambiguous cowboys they often followed. "I've made a good living playing prairie scum," he said in an interview with the Thousand Oaks News Chronicle (preserved by Newspapers.com). "I love playing dirty old men, especially a sure-fire role of the inept guy who gets one chance in life, makes a heroic effort, and then blows it."