George Fenneman series, and then with John Stephenson when Dragnet returned to TV in 1967. It was Fenneman's voice which announced, "The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent." while Stephenson would be heard at the end of the episode describing the court trials and verdicts. He was the principal commercial announcer for the radio version of "Gunsmoke", and frequently introduced "Matt Dillon" (William Conrad) after the episode to extoll the virtues of L&M or Chesterfield cigarettes. He appeared on screen in the 1951 film "The Thing from Another World" and the
Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke) he and Matt were making rounds, one on each side of the street. When Matt was attacked in a saloon, Zel heard the commotion and came to his aid. Not expecting his friend, Matt turned, saw a figure with a gun, and shot him. As he died, Zel told Dillon that it wasn't his fault and he couldn't know Zel had crossed the street. Dillon soon after went into a rage, throwing drovers out of saloons and closing down the town. Because of Arness's large (6 foot, 7 inches) physical presence, most of Matt's adversaries seemed overmatched unless there were