"(whose ""supposed"" origins figured in the very first episode of the radio series), and he often referred to Wild Bill Hickok as being a close personal friend. In the television version (which ran from 1955 until 1975), and subsequent TV-movies (1987 to 1994), Matt was portrayed by James Arness. Since most of the early television episodes were based on stories and scripts from the radio version, Arness's initial interpretation and portrayal was similar to William Conrad's. However, as the television version continued, Arness's Marshal Matt Dillon evolved in a number of ways. In the television version, Dillon became more resigned"
"1996, ""TV Guide"" ranked him number 20 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list. Arness was nominated for the following Emmy Awards: James Arness James Arness (born James King Aurness, May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the CBS television series ""Gunsmoke"". Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five separate decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in """" (1987) and four more made-for-television ""Gunsmoke"" films in the 1990s. In Europe, Arness reached cult"
"Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke) Matt Dillon is a fictional character featured on both the radio and television versions of ""Gunsmoke"". He serves as 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, who envisioned him as a man ""...whose hair is probably red, if he's got any left. He'd be handsomer than he is if he had better manners but life and his enemies have left him looking a little beat up, and I suppose having seen his mother (back about"
"Dundy in the NBC radio series ""The Adventures of Sam Spade"" (1949–50); boss to government special agent Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in ""The Silent Men"" (NBC 1951); and a New Orleans bartender in the NBC adventure drama ""Jason and the Golden Fleece"" (1952–53). Most prominently, Conrad's deep, resonant voice was heard in the role of Marshal Matt Dillon on CBS Radio's gritty Western series ""Gunsmoke"" (April 26, 1952 – June 18, 1961). The producers originally rejected him for the part because of his ubiquitous presence on so many radio dramas and the familiarity of his voice, but his impressive audition could"
"James Arness James Arness (born James King Aurness, May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the CBS television series ""Gunsmoke"". Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five separate decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in """" (1987) and four more made-for-television ""Gunsmoke"" films in the 1990s. In Europe, Arness reached cult status for his role as Zeb Macahan in the western series ""How the West Was Won"". He was the older brother of actor Peter Graves."
"would have Pickle being less hostile to the brothers. In ""The Simpsons"" episode ""Forgive and Regret"" in the cold opening, Maggie Simpson had a gunfight with ""Marshall Matt Dillon"" which celebrated the show surpassing ""Gunsmoke"" as the longest-running scripted American primetime television series by number of episodes. Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke) Matt Dillon is a fictional character featured on both the radio and television versions of ""Gunsmoke"". He serves as 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, who envisioned"
"Arvo Ojala Arvo Ojala (February 21, 1920 in Seattle, Washington – July 1, 2005 in Gresham, Oregon) was a Hollywood technical advisor on the subject of quick-draw with a revolver. He also worked as an actor; his most famous role was that of the unnamed man shot by Marshal Matt Dillon in the opening sequences of the long-running television series ""Gunsmoke"". As a joke on the producers, James Arness and Arvo actually did the opener once with Dillon falling to the ground. Born to Finnish immigrant parents as a young man, Ojala taught himself marksmanship and how to quick-draw a"
"with death. According to Trimble, Dodge City's federal marshal was shot no less than 56 times, knocked unconscious 29 times, stabbed on three occasions, and poisoned once. During the 9-year run of the radio version of ""Gunsmoke"" and the 20-year run of the television version, surprisingly little was revealed about Matt's family history or about events in his past that may have shaped his views or his attitude toward his work. In both the radio and the television episodes, stories would occasionally center around individuals with whom he had once been close friends. Usually his experiences with these friends involved"
"and with adapting episodes already broadcast on CBS Radio for replay in a visual format. The radio version of the series continued to be popular for several years after the debut of its televised counterpart with James Arness, Dennis Weaver, Milburn Stone, and Amanda Blake in their respective roles as Marshal Dillon, Chester (his surname changed from Proudfoot to Goode), Doc, and Kitty. By 1958, in fact, the two formats of the series were together drawing a weekly audience of 55 million listeners and viewers. Macdonnell by then was already serving too as producer of ""Gunsmoke"" on television, having been"
"The series followed the adventures of fictional U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon portrayed first by William Conrad and then by James Arness, as he dealt with gunfighters, cattle rustlers, gamblers and other criminals while enforcing the law in the frontier town. The radio series starring William Conrad lasted from 1952 to 1961 while the television series ran from 1955 to 1975, on the CBS television network (Columbia Broadcasting System), the longest-running prime-time TV drama in American history. The show proved to be culturally influential and promoted the legend of Dodge City's Old West era. It also served as the source of"
"Hill Cemetery in Dodge City, Kansas. Boot Hill is the name of the cemetery in Dodge City in the ""Gunsmoke"" radio series. In many episodes, the marshal (Matt Dillon) would allude to ""putting you in Boot Hill"", or ""another man headed to Boot Hill"". In the first season of the ""Gunsmoke"" television series, the introduction to each episode showed Matt Dillon walking around Boot Hill reflecting on the deaths of men buried there. Boothill Graveyard is referenced in many films such as ""Tombstone"" (1993), ""Wyatt Earp"" (1994), and ""Gunfight at the O.K. Corral"" (1957), during which it was repeatedly sung"
"Dub Taylor also guest-starred numerous times on the series. Before Taylor was cast as handsome young gunsmith ""Newly"", he had actually appeared in an earlier segment of the series as an outlaw. As Newly, however, he was clearly one of the ""good guys"" in the same tradition as James Arness as Matt Dillon. The Newly character superseded that of Clayton Thaddeus ""Thad"" Greenwood, played by Roger Ewing (born 1942). Taylor got along so well with the ""Gunsmoke"" cast that he named his second and third sons Matthew Taylor and Cooper Glenn Taylor for James Arness' (1923–2011) Marshal Matt Dillon character"
"as half owner of the Long Branch Saloon. Sometime in 1959, Ellis was billed as Georgia Hawkins instead of Georgia Ellis. ""Gunsmoke"" was often a somber program, particularly in its early years. Dunning writes that Dillon ""played his hand and often lost. He arrived too late to prevent a lynching. He amputated a dying man's leg and lost the patient anyway. He saved a girl from brutal rapists then found himself unable to offer her what she needed to stop her from moving into ... life as a prostitute."" Some listeners, such as Dunning, argue the radio version was more"
"and ""Point Blank"", both opposite Lee Marvin, and ""The Chase"" with Marlon Brando and Robert Redford. James Arness was later recommended by ""Gun the Man Down"" uncredited producer John Wayne for the role of Marshal Matt Dillon in the television version of ""Gunsmoke"", a part Arness played for the next twenty years. Wayne introduced the series in a film clip shown immediately before the initial episode while dressed in cowboy garb and speaking directly to the camera. Arness had earlier portrayed the Frankenstein-like ""carrot monster"" glimpsed in the conclusion of Howard Hawks' 1951 version of ""The Thing"". Arness' brother was"
"Gunsmoke: To the Last Man Gunsmoke: To the Last Man is a 1992 American made-for-television western film starring James Arness as retired Marshal Matt Dillon and featuring Pat Hingle. Hapless rustlers make the fatal mistake of stealing Matt Dillon's cattle and Dillon blunders into the gory Pleasant Valley War during the process of hunting them down and killing two of them. The film, set in the 1880s, was directed by Jerry Jameson and based upon the long-running American television series ""Gunsmoke"" (1955 to 1975). The supporting cast features Matt Mulhern as Will McCall, Joseph Bottoms as villainous Tommy Graham, and"
"supporting roles, including Parley Baer as Marshal Dillon's trusty assistant Chester Proudfoot, Howard McNear as Dr. Charles ""Doc"" Adams, and Georgia Ellis, whose initial role in the series would quickly evolve into the saloon ""hostess"" Kitty Russell. ""Gunsmoke"" was broadcast for the first time from radio station KNX in Hollywood on Saturday, April 26, 1952. The premiere episode, ""Billy the Kid"", was well received by both critics and the general public; and in the weeks that followed the ratings for ""Gunsmoke"" steadily grew. The critic for the influential trade paper ""Variety"" praised the first episode’s story and acting, and he"
"not be dismissed, and he became the obvious choice for the role. Conrad voiced Dillon for the show's nine-year run, and he wrote the June 1953 episode ""Sundown."" When ""Gunsmoke"" was adapted for television in 1955, executives at CBS did not cast Conrad or his radio costars despite a campaign to get them to change their minds. His other credits include ""Suspense"", ""Lux Radio Theater"", and ""Fibber McGee and Molly"". In ""The Wax Works"", a 1956 episode of ""Suspense"", Conrad performed every part. Because of his CBS Radio contract, he sometimes appeared on shows on other networks under the pseudonym"
"also directed more than 30 episodes, especially during the second half of the series, and sang the closing theme ""Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs."" ""Frasier"" was nominated for and won many awards during its 11-year run, concluding in May 2004. In 2001, he negotiated a US $700,000-per-episode salary for ""Frasier"". His 20-year run playing Dr. Frasier Crane ties a length set by James Arness in playing Marshal Matt Dillon on ""Gunsmoke"" from 1955 to 1975 but was surpassed by Richard Belzer in playing Det. John Munch on """" and """" since 1993. Frasier Crane also had a crossover appearance in"
"previous primetime live-action record of twenty consecutive seasons held by James Arness (who portrayed Marshal Matt Dillon on ""Gunsmoke"" from 1955 to 1975) and Kelsey Grammer (as Dr. Frasier Crane on ""Cheers"" and ""Frasier"" from 1984 to 2004). Belzer appeared in several of Comedy Central's televised broadcasts of Friars Club roasts. On June 9, 2001, Belzer himself was honored by the New York Friars Club and the Toyota Comedy Festival as the honoree of the first-ever roast open to the public. Comedians and friends on the dais included Roastmaster Paul Shaffer; Christopher Walken; Danny Aiello; Barry Levinson; Robert Klein; Bill"
"later star as Marshal Matt Dillon on ""Gunsmoke""; and Howard McNear, who would be cast as ""Doc"" in that radio drama. It was at this time, at the turn of the 1950s, when Meston also began adapting stories, writing original scripts, and serving as an editorial supervisor for episodes of ""Romance"", another popular CBS radio drama that had been on the air since 1943. He contributed scripts as well to installments of ""Suspense"" and ""Lux Radio Theater"", yet two more of CBS Radio's lineup of notable programs during 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s. In 1949 executives and programmers at CBS"
"with him in ""Big Jim McLain"", ""Hondo"", ""Island in the Sky"", and ""The Sea Chase"", and starred in ""Gun the Man Down"" for Wayne's company. He also starred in a 1988 TV remake of Wayne's 1948 classic ""Red River"" An urban legend has it that John Wayne was offered the leading role of Matt Dillon in the longtime favorite television show ""Gunsmoke"", but he turned it down, instead recommending James Arness for the role. The only part of this story that is true is that Wayne did indeed recommend Arness for the part. Wayne introduced Arness in a prologue to"
"until June 1961; and it remained popular even after the 1955 debut of the television version of ""Gunsmoke"" with James Arness, Dennis Weaver, Milburn Stone, and Amanda Blake in their respective roles as Marshal Dillon, Chester (his surname changed from Proudfoot to Goode), Doc, and Kitty. By 1958 the two formats of the series were together drawing a weekly audience of 55 million listeners and viewers. That total is especially impressive when considering that federal census officials in 1958 estimated the entire population of the United States that year, including all armed forces overseas, to be just over 173 million"
"as well as action heroes John Wayne and Rambo. In Toby Keith's 1993 number one hit, ""Should've Been a Cowboy"", the entire first verse concerns the relationship between Dillon and Miss Kitty. In the song Miss Kitty would have said yes to Matt ""in a New York Minute,"" but Dillon's heart wasn't in it. ""He stole a kiss as he rode away..."" In some episodes of ""Gilligan's Island"", Gilligan would dream that he was ""Matt Dillon"" in Dodge City, and the CBS ""Gunsmoke"" set was used, including the jail and sheriff's office. ""Gilligan's Island"" was later abruptly canceled to make"
"events through the use of dialog. Arness's Matt thus naturally evolved into a ""strong, silent"" type of character who tended to act rather than talk at length about possible courses of action. Perhaps the best measure of Matt Dillon's endurance and physical prowess is how he survived the dozens of gunshot wounds and other assaults on his person during the 20-year run of the television series. In 2013, Marshall Trimble, the board president of the Arizona Historical Society and vice president of the Wild West History Association, documented all of Dillon's wounds from gunfire as well as his other brushes"
"Matt Loughlin Matt Loughlin is an American sportscaster, and is the current radio play-by-play voice of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League on WFAN, where he is partnered with former goaltender and former Devils TV color commentator Chico Resch. A 1979 graduate of Seton Hall University, Loughlin worked as a sideline reporter and pre- and post-game show host for Devils' telecasts on Fox Sports Net New York from 1997 to 2006. He also hosted intermission reports, where he was often paired with Stan Fischler for a question-and-answer feature called ""Matt and the Maven"". Loughlin substituted for play-by-play"
"to work odd jobs to support his family. It was while delivering flowers that he heard he had landed the role of Chester Goode, the limping, loyal assistant of Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) on the new television series ""Gunsmoke."" It was his big break; the show would go on to become the highest-rated and longest-running live action series in United States television history (1955 to 1975). He received an Emmy Award in 1959 for Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series. According to the Archive of American Television interview with Weaver, the producer had him in mind"
"television successes. Conrad, in particular, would continue to portray Matt on the radio series until it ended in 1961. He would also go on to direct a number of television programs (including two episodes of ""Gunsmoke""), to become ""The Narrator"" for the original television series of ""The Fugitive"" (1963–1967) and star in three television series: ""Cannon"" (1971–1976), ""Jake and the Fat Man"" (1987–1992), and the short-lived 1981 series ""Nero Wolfe"". In the 1988 action classic, ""Die Hard"", Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), asks John McClane (Bruce Willis) whom he is trying to imitate with his heroics, and he mentions Marshal Dillon"
"Morgan Woodward as Sheriff Abel Rose. Gunsmoke: To the Last Man Gunsmoke: To the Last Man is a 1992 American made-for-television western film starring James Arness as retired Marshal Matt Dillon and featuring Pat Hingle. Hapless rustlers make the fatal mistake of stealing Matt Dillon's cattle and Dillon blunders into the gory Pleasant Valley War during the process of hunting them down and killing two of them. The film, set in the 1880s, was directed by Jerry Jameson and based upon the long-running American television series ""Gunsmoke"" (1955 to 1975). The supporting cast features Matt Mulhern as Will McCall, Joseph"
"Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge is the first made-for-television western film based on the 20-year (1955–1975) television version of ""Gunsmoke"" starring James Arness. Although it is supposed to be set in the wilds of Kansas, it was filmed in Alberta, Canada. Retired US Marshal Matt Dillon, now a fur trapper, is knifed by thieves, brought back to Dodge, and nursed by Kitty Russell, played by Amanda Blake. He is hunted by vengeful past nemesis; Will Mannon, who has sworn to kill Matt, and holds Kitty hostage in exchange for a final showdown. Ken Curtis (Festus Haggen) turned"
"""Gunsmoke"", ""Bonanza"", ""Trackdown"", ""Rawhide"", ""The Virginian"", ""The Loner"", and ""The Guns of Will Sonnett."" Richards also performed four times as a guest star on ""Gunsmoke"". In 1955, in that long-running CBS series' very first episode, “Matt Gets It,” he portrays a gunfighter who outdraws and nearly kills Marshal Matt Dillon. The next year, in the episode “Mr. and Mrs. Amber”, he delivered another memorable performance playing a poor, desperate homesteader beleaguered by his rich, self-righteous brother-in-law. His other two appearances on ""Gunsmoke"" are in 1958 and 1968 episodes. Richards guest-starred three times in 1956 on the NBC western anthology series"
"empty barroom. Matt's sincerity is obvious inasmuch as he himself sometimes finds that the respectable citizens of Dodge City regard him with trepidation (and even suspicion) because his job involves being ""...paid to handle a bad element."" It is apparent that the incident at the dance has considerably strengthened the bond and the trust between Matt and Kitty. In a 1949 audition show (or pilot) for the radio series, the character was named ""Mark Dillon"", but by 1952, when the regular series aired, the name had been changed to Matt Dillon. When the program came to television in 1955, the"
"Matthew Lillard Matthew Lyn Lillard (born January 24, 1970) is an American actor, voice actor, director, and producer. He is known for portraying Chip in ""Serial Mom"" (1994), Emmanuel ""Cereal Killer"" Goldstein in ""Hackers"" (1995), Stu Macher in ""Scream"" (1996), Stevo in ""SLC Punk!"" (1998), Billy Brubaker in ""Summer Catch"" (2001), Jerry Conlaine in ""Without a Paddle"" (2004), Dez Howard in ""The Groomsmen"" (2006), Joey in ""Home Run Showdown"" (2012), Jack Rusoe in ""Return to Nim's Island"" (2013) and Shaggy Rogers in both ""Scooby-Doo"" (2002) and """" (2004). In animation, he has been the current voice of Shaggy since veteran"
"although Matt Dillon's performance was given good reviews. Screenwriter Spencer Eastman was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in October 1987, and he died six months later. Kansas (film) Kansas is a 1988 American crime drama film starring Matt Dillon and Andrew McCarthy. It tells the story of a young man returning home to attend a wedding who hooks up with a drifter who turns out to be a violent bank robber. A young man named Wade Corey (McCarthy) is going to a wedding. On the way he meets a hobo (Dillon), who forces him into a bank robbery. While hiding"