who was the star in the tv series gunsmoke
James Arness as Matt Dillon in the television version of Gunsmoke (1956) Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West.
The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television. When aired in the UK, the television series was initially titled Gun Law, later reverting to Gunsmoke. The radio series ran from 1952 to 1961.