Matt Dillon is a fictional character featured on both the radio and
television versions of Gunsmoke. He serves as the U.S. Marshal of
Dodge City, Kansas, who works to preserve law and order in the western
frontier of the 1870s. The character was created by writer John
Meston, who envisioned him as a man "...whose hair is probably red, if
he's got any left. He'd be handsomer than he is if he had better
manners but life and his enemies have left him looking a little beat
up, and I suppose having seen his mother (back about 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, William
Conrad, whose deep and resonant voice helped to project a larger than
life presence. In the opening of most radio episodes, the announcer
would describe the show as "...the story of the violence that moved
west with young America, and the story of a man who moved with it."
William Conrad's Matt would take over, saying, "I'm that man, Matt
Dillon, United States Marshal â€" the first man they look for and the
last they want to meet. It's a chancy job, and it makes a man watchful
... and a little lonely." Conrad's Matt provided bits of narration for
many of the radio episodes, usually to help set the scene for the
listener or to provide observations that assisted with character
development. Inasmuch as the radio episodes were a bit darker and more
violent in nature than the television episodes (especially in the
radio series' early years), Conrad's Marshal Dillon could sometimes be
quick to anger and unhesitating with respect to taking violent courses
of action. Paradoxically, however, Conrad's Dillon often struggled
internally with the need to utilize violence in order to fulfill his
duties. He also struggled internally with the frequent needless
tragedies that his job caused him to witness. These factors were the
primary reasons that Conrad's Matt could occasionally become snappish
and impatient with others (including his friends and allies). At all
times, however, he managed to remain sufficiently in control of his
emotions to perform his difficult job capably and impartially.
Conrad's Matt would speak frequently of the still-fragile acceptance
of law and order on the frontier and he would sometimes determine his
course of action based upon what he honestly felt was necessary to
preserve its long-term acceptance. In the radio version, Marshal
Dillon spoke of actual persons who were well known in the history of
the American West, including later Dodge City personage Wyatt Earp and
Billy the Kid (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.
television versions of Gunsmoke. He serves as the U.S. Marshal of
Dodge City, Kansas, who works to preserve law and order in the western
frontier of the 1870s. The character was created by writer John
Meston, who envisioned him as a man "...whose hair is probably red, if
he's got any left. He'd be handsomer than he is if he had better
manners but life and his enemies have left him looking a little beat
up, and I suppose having seen his mother (back about 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, William
Conrad, whose deep and resonant voice helped to project a larger than
life presence. In the opening of most radio episodes, the announcer
would describe the show as "...the story of the violence that moved
west with young America, and the story of a man who moved with it."
William Conrad's Matt would take over, saying, "I'm that man, Matt
Dillon, United States Marshal â€" the first man they look for and the
last they want to meet. It's a chancy job, and it makes a man watchful
... and a little lonely." Conrad's Matt provided bits of narration for
many of the radio episodes, usually to help set the scene for the
listener or to provide observations that assisted with character
development. Inasmuch as the radio episodes were a bit darker and more
violent in nature than the television episodes (especially in the
radio series' early years), Conrad's Marshal Dillon could sometimes be
quick to anger and unhesitating with respect to taking violent courses
of action. Paradoxically, however, Conrad's Dillon often struggled
internally with the need to utilize violence in order to fulfill his
duties. He also struggled internally with the frequent needless
tragedies that his job caused him to witness. These factors were the
primary reasons that Conrad's Matt could occasionally become snappish
and impatient with others (including his friends and allies). At all
times, however, he managed to remain sufficiently in control of his
emotions to perform his difficult job capably and impartially.
Conrad's Matt would speak frequently of the still-fragile acceptance
of law and order on the frontier and he would sometimes determine his
course of action based upon what he honestly felt was necessary to
preserve its long-term acceptance. In the radio version, Marshal
Dillon spoke of actual persons who were well known in the history of
the American West, including later Dodge City personage Wyatt Earp and
Billy the Kid (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.
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