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
Gunsmoke (film) Gunsmoke (film) Gunsmoke is a 1953 Western film directed by Nathan Juran and starring Audie Murphy, Susan Cabot, and Paul Kelly. "Gunsmoke" is a Technicolor film for action star and war hero Audie Murphy. The film has no connection to the contemporary radio and later TV series of the same name. The film was based on the 1951 novel "Roughshod" by Norman A. Fox. Murphy stars as Reb Kittridge, a wandering hired gun who is hired to kill a rancher (played by Paul Kelly). The gunman has also fallen in love with the rancher's daughter (Susan Cabot). Reb mends his