John Meston and refined the main characters who would populate his and Macdonnell's radio portrayal of Dodge. Jeff Spain soon became United States Marshal Matt Dillon, and veteran voice actor William Conrad was chosen by Meston, Macdonnell, and two other network audition judges to be the lawman and the series' central figure. Other seasoned actors filled the needed regular supporting roles, including Parley Baer as Marshal Dillon's trusty assistant Chester Proudfoot, Howard McNear as Dr. Charles "Doc" Adams, and Georgia Ellis, whose role in the series' early episodes would quickly evolve into the saloon "hostess" Kitty Russell. "Gunsmoke" was broadcast for the
Paul Richards (actor) "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