Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke) 1840) trying to take a bath in a wooden washtub without fully undressing left his soul a little warped. Anyway, there'd have to be something wrong with him or he wouldn't have hired on as a United States Marshal in the heyday of Dodge City, Kansas." Notwithstanding Meston's original vision, the character evolved considerably during "Gunsmoke"s nine-year run on CBS Radio and its 20-year run on CBS Television (Columbia Broadcasting System). On the radio series which ran from 1952 until 1961, Matt was portrayed by William Conrad, whose deep and resonant voice helped to project a larger than life presence.
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