Gun Law (1955–1975)
"Gunsmoke" (original title)

Marshal Matt Dillon keeps the peace in the rough and tumble Dodge City.

Stars:

James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 13 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
James Arness	...	Matt Dillon (635 episodes, 1955-1975)
Milburn Stone	...	Doc (604 episodes, 1955-1975)
Amanda Blake	...	Kitty (568 episodes, 1955-1974)
Ken Curtis	...	Festus (304 episodes, 1959-1975)
Dennis Weaver	...	Chester (290 episodes, 1955-1964)

Storyline

Marshal Matt Dillon is in charge of Dodge City, a town in the wild west where people often have no respect for the law. He deals on a daily basis with the problems associated with frontier life: cattle rustling, gunfights, brawls, standover tactics, and land fraud. Such situations call for sound judgement and brave actions: of which Marshal Dillon has plenty.

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Plot Keywords:

marshal | warrior | hero | colt .45 | tough guy | 

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Marshal Dillon

Filming Locations:

Bell Ranch, Santa Susana, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arness Production Company, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Filmaster Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 30 min 60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White (1955-1966) Color (1966-1975)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Denver Pyle and Raymond Burr were both considered for the role of Matt Dillon.

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Quotes

[the teaser of the very first episode, "Matt Gets It."]
John Wayne: Good evening. My name's Wayne. Some of you may have seen me before. I hope so. I've been kicking around Hollywood a long time. I've made a lot of pictures out here. All kinds. Some of them have been westerns and that's what I'm here to tell you about tonight. A western. A new television show called "Gunsmoke". When I first heard about the show "Gunsmoke", I knew there was only one man to play in it. James Arness. He's a young fellow, and ...

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Connections

Referenced in All in the Family: Flashback - Mike and Gloria's Wedding: Part 2 (1972)

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Soundtracks

"The Old Trail"
by Rex Koury and Glenn Spencer
Aspen Fair Music, Incorporated (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Matt Dillon was a hero in the truest since of the word.

Having Tivo (a system that records programs automatically) has re-introduced Gunsmoke to me. I was a young boy when it began in the 1950's. I loved the early shows. The 1962 shows are being aired on TV Land right now and I have about a dozen recorded for future viewing. I wanted to make an observation about James Arness's character, Matt Dillon. He was my hero growing up and watching the show. After seeing the shows again, 40 years later, I know why. Matt was justice. He meted out retribution to those who were evil. Here he was, standing 6 feet seven inches with a voice like God.

Watching Matt save the day in episode after episode made me realize how great it would to have a Matt around today: someone who would stand up to the bully, step in a wield his gun at the villains taking advantage of anyone in sight. I guess we all had heroes, but who could ever match James Arness. He was fair, gentle, understanding, but had the strength and skill to ward off any foe.

I miss Matt Dillon. We won't see his like again. Even Clint Eastwood, with his Dirty Harry justice, did not have the depth of Matt with his combination of gunplay and compassion.