Amanda Blake

My parents had a Boston terrier, but we never became friends.

I love poking and looking for things for the house, so I make a great many trips to Mexico.

It's a good feeling to be able to help, when help is needed. That's one reason I also went into politics. But by politics I don't mean the smoke-filled room sense, but simply being active in community affairs.

I don't even know how to explain my house, it's so crazy.

Cancer touches everybody.

Africa is doing little to protect its most valuable assets, the wildlife. Some of the game wardens are poaching on the preserves they're hired to protect.

Gunsmoke' had been a successful radio show for many years before and I was determined to go with it on TV.

I was working live TV, things like the 'My Favorite Husband' series, when I heard about this 'Gunsmoke' casting. I had been a fan of its radio show. I was a real pushy broad. I got myself all gussied up and sat in the producer's office 'til I got tested.

I made a couple of pictures that weren't even Bs. They were Zs.

My first two years, with Metro, were quite unproductive. Then I had a year at Columbia that was a complete disaster.

My movie career wasn't going that well.

I was commuting between Hollywood and Phoenix. It wasn't unusual for me to fly between the two cities two or three times a week.

I love working.

I want to keep on working. The only way they'll get me to quit is to carry me out of the studio feet first.

I've been playing Tarzan and Jane since I was a kid.

It was very unusual for anyone to be her own person in the wild West.

It used to take us six days to film an hour of 'Gunsmoke.' But I didn't mind the fast pace of soap opera work. It was nice being able to shoot scenes in sequence. We couldn't do that on 'Gunsmoke.'

With Red Skelton, you could fall flat on your face and he'd do his sketch around it.

I never had any bad experiences on live TV.

Quality is what kept 'Gunsmoke' on the air so long.