Amanda Blake

“I'm a loner, so independent it's awful. It's one of the main reasons for the failures of my marriages.”

“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.'”

“I'll bet I've got more footage of just plain cows than anybody else.”

“More than anything, I wanted the role of Kitty Russell, even though some people couldn't see me as that character.”

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

“Once I reported for a dramatic lesson. The coach looked at me and said, 'Amanda, can't you part your hair some other way? It makes you look too much like someone else on the lot.' I rushed home and parted my hair in the middle and have ever since. I even wore it tied up in a big bun in back.”

“Western women have been a pretty tame lot - dressed in gingham dresses and consigned to hand-wringing back at the ranch, while the hero is fighting for her honor.”

“My friends all love animals. If they don't, they are not my friends.”

“Well, it's like this - I hate Los Angeles and I love Phoenix.”

“Contrary to what so many think, life for the stars of Hollywood TV or movies is really quite tame. You get up at 4 A.M., arrive at the studio by and shooting starts at 8. Then you keep on working until 7:30 or 8 P.M. or even 11 at night. By the time you get back home, you're too exhausted for anything but sleep.”

“I hate Hollywood. I hate the business.”

“I never had any bad experiences on live TV.”

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

“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 refuse to grow old. You can think yourself into any age. There are days when I feel 195.”

“I don't want to be a reasonable facsimile of anyone.”

“I don't go in for that big fashion routine. It's a waste of money.”

“When my doctor told me I had cancer of the mouth, I didn't believe it. I had never even heard of cancer of the mouth, yet I had it.”

“Jewelry doesn't give me a sense of security or anything like that I just think it's beautiful.”