Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke) (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
Boot Hill 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