Matt Dillon Statue

For 20 years the TV show GUNSMOKE captured the American public, and, indeed, the world as we followed the trails and escapades of the mythical denizens of Dodge City, Kansas. The central character was Marshal Matt Dillon portrayed by the late, great actor James Arness. It became the longest running TV western and the longest running TV drama and introduced us to literally hundreds of actors who wo

uld later become Hollywood stars. In spite of that, it has been denied its rightful place in the Television Academy Hall of Fame. It is now time to memorialize the wonderful character that was Matt Dillon for all time so that this tall, strong, honest lawman - hero to all small boys of the day - will never be forgotten. The Dodge City Trail of Fame, Inc will commission New York sculptor Tony Cipriano to sculpt a life sized bronze statue of Matt Dillon to be placed - where else? - in Old Dodge City's National Historic District. Tony is an amazing talent which you can see from the photos of his work on Matt Dillon. He worked for Disney Studios for some years before striking out on his own. Our dear friend Ben Costello, author of "GUNSMOKE: An American Institution", the seminal work on the history of the show is the fellow who introduced us to Tony.