Marshal 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.
Read more about Marshal Matt Dillon: As Portrayed On The Radio Series, As Portrayed On The Television Series, Characteristics Common To Both Portrayals, Relationship With Kitty Russell, Character Name and Casting Decisions, In Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the words matt dillon and/or matt:
“No construction stiff working overtime takes more stress and straining than we did just to stay high.”
—Gus Van Sant, U.S. screenwriter and director, and Dan Yost. Bob Hughes (Matt Dillon)
“I’ve got to go. That’s one of the penalties of being a doctor. I never seem to finish a conversation.”
—Robert M. Fresco, and Jack Arnold. Dr. Matt Hastings (John Agar)