Gunsmoke opening scene

[Fox Mike]

Time after time people say that "the guy that draws on Marshall Dillon." is Arvo Ojala. It is true that IS the man standing in the street, in the early episodes, but you NEVER see him actually draw. Next time it is on look carefully. You see them both then it switches to Matthew. You hear a shot followed very closely by Matthew firing. Ojala did teach Arness the fast draw.

 

[whichwatch]

I laid awake all night last night thinking about that.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

A few openers . . .

http://comp.uark.edu/~tsnyder/gunsmoke/tidbits/gun-openings.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swpKti8xfKk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqpa8i7R4uM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui-mzTCmZPE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncgs7JfW_7k

http://americanprofile.com/articles/fast-draw-arvo-ojala/

 

[Conservative]

There was a guy in my Army Basic Training class -Fort Ord / 1967 (whose name I could look up, but I'm too lazy too at the moment) who claimed he was the guy that drew on Matt Dillon in the opening scene of "Gunsmoke".

None of us believed it until one day after training, our Drill Sergeant told us we were going to have a fast draw/trick gun handling demonstration for our platoon right there in our WW11 wooden barracks.

Out from the back, came our guy wearing two super fancy .45 caliber revolvers in a double revolver hand tooled leather holster that he could draw from in a blinding quick pull and spin and swirl and do all sorts of fancy maneuvers with. It was an amazing demonstration. He said not only was he the guy in the opening scene of "Gunsmoke" but that he taught all the western movie Hollywood actors how to do some of what he could do.

We believed him after that.

I have book, kinda like a yearbook full of photos and names of my time in Basic and AIT. I'd just have to find it to look up his name.

 

[Busterswoodshop]

Arvo Ojala was in the opening seen of Gunsmoke for the first 8 years.
They quit showing him after that so they wouldn't have to pay him.
He taught many actors how to draw.
One of his secrets for a fast draw was having a metal lined holster that allowed him to cock the gun while in the holster with less friction than in a conventional leather holster.
Besides making metal lined holsters he was also known as the saddle maker to the stars.

 

[daveg.inkc]

I always thought the gun fighter, lawman, outlaw, looked better wearing one Colt than the singing cowboys, Roy Rogers included, who wore 2 revolvers. I do believe the men who lived and died by the six gun carried several on their person. How would you like to carry a pair of Walker Colts?

 

[Ale-8(1)]

First episode/opening, with intro by John Wayne . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T646gNcRiMs

 

[SAJohn]

As I recall, the U.S. movie code of that day did not allow continuous camera shots which showed the good guy drawing, firing, and hitting the bad guy. Sergio Leone was the first director to violate this rule in the first Clint Eastwood "dollar" movie. Sergio did not know the rule and Clint didn't tell him.

 

[Bull Barrel]

It is said the fastest draw in Hollywood was Sammy Davis, Jr.

 

[caryc]

It is said the fastest draw in Hollywood was Sammy Davis, Jr.

Was that drawing and hitting a target? Lots of people can draw and fire fast. But it's no good if you can't hit anything.

 

[Armybrat]

I always thought the gun fighter, lawman, outlaw, looked better wearing one Colt than the singing cowboys, Roy Rogers included, who wore 2 revolvers. I do believe the men who lived and died by the six gun carried several on their person. How would you like to carry a pair of Walker Colts?

Josey Wales says hello..... :mrgreen:

 

[daveg.inkc]

My favorite movie.

 

[57springer]

My favorite movie.

:wink:

 

[Bull Barrel]

It is said the fastest draw in Hollywood was Sammy Davis, Jr.

Was that drawing and hitting a target? Lots of people can draw and fire fast. But it's no good if you can't hit anything.

I dunno but this is what is said...

Davis was an enthusiastic shooter and gun owner. He participated in fast-draw competitions. Johnny Cash recalled that Davis was said to be capable of drawing and firing a Colt Single Action Army revolver in less than a quarter of a second.[27] Davis was skilled at fast and fancy gunspinning and appeared on television variety shows showing off this skill. He also demonstrated gunspinning to Mark on The Rifleman in "Two Ounces of Tin." He appeared in Western films and as a guest star on several television Westerns.

On further research he was known for it. Do a web search. Lots of stuff.

 

[caryc]

It is said the fastest draw in Hollywood was Sammy Davis, Jr.

Was that drawing and hitting a target? Lots of people can draw and fire fast. But it's no good if you can't hit anything.

I dunno but this is what is said...

Davis was an enthusiastic shooter and gun owner. He participated in fast-draw competitions. Johnny Cash recalled that Davis was said to be capable of drawing and firing a Colt Single Action Army revolver in less than a quarter of a second.[27] Davis was skilled at fast and fancy gunspinning and appeared on television variety shows showing off this skill. He also demonstrated gunspinning to Mark on The Rifleman in "Two Ounces of Tin." He appeared in Western films and as a guest star on several television Westerns.

On further research he was known for it. Do a web search. Lots of stuff.

I know that back in those days before fast draw really became a popular competition sport, the way they timed it was different. The holster had a sensor in it so when you pulled the gun out it started the timer. The timer ran until the gun was fired and stopped. You just pulled the gun whenever you wanted too. There was no reaction time measured in the draw.

It works differently now. There is a light over your target. When this light first blinks on, you know to get ready to draw. The light comes on a second time completely random from one second to five seconds later. So you can't really anticipate anything. When that light comes on the second time the timer starts and you draw and fire. The sound of the gun firing stops the timer. Oh yeah, and you have to hit your target.

What they fire in the WFDA, (world fast draw association) is either blanks or wax bullets. The targets are balloons. When firing blanks, the case is filled with single F black powder. When the blank is fired, the balloon is broken by the still burning or unburnt particles of the black powder. If you think this is like firing a shotgun at the balloon, you're wrong. You really have to have that gun on target to break that balloon. It's very similar to firing wax bullets. Either way you have to have that gun on target.

 

[Bull Barrel]

He did it under the rules in place at the time.

 

[sheepdawg]

It is said the fastest draw in Hollywood was Sammy Davis, Jr.

A well known exhibition shooter of that time, Bill Munden, thought Davis was second to Jerry Lewis. Also mentioned were Glenn Ford and Audie Murphy.