Matt Dillon is a fictional character featured on both the radio and television versions of Gunsmoke. He is the U.S. Marshal of Dodge City, Kansas, who works to preserve law and order in the western frontier of the 1870s. The character was created by writer John Meston. The character evolved considerably during nine years on CBS Radio and twenty years on CBS Television.
James Arness as Matt Dillon in 1969
James Arness as Matt Dillon, 1956
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.
Publicity photo from Gunsmoke's radio version (photo from 1954)
William Conrad in 1952, when Matt Dillon was created on radio
The interior of the real Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, photographed between 1870 and 1885
Matt Dillon, 1969