During the 20-year span of the CBS series “Gunsmoke,” Marshal Matt Dillon had quite a few encounters with outlaws. Let’s break down the numbers:
- Shots Fired at Marshal Dillon:
- Marshal Dillon was shot 56 timesduring the show. This includes:
- Eight shots in the left arm.
- Six shots in the left shoulder.
- Four shots in the left side.
- One shot in the left leg.
- Five shots in the right arm.
- Five shots in the right shoulder.
- Six shots in the right side.
- Three shots in the right chest.
- Four shots in the right leg.
- Three forehead grazes.
- Five shots in the back.
- Several creases.
- Additionally, he was knocked unconscious 29 times, stabbed three times, and poisoned once. That’s a lot of blood loss!
1.
- Marshal Dillon was shot 56 timesduring the show. This includes:
- Bad Guys Taken Down:
- The total number of people Marshal Dillon killed (including both men and women) during the TV series ranged from 138 to 303.
- If we also consider the made-for-TV movies, the grand total of people Matt Dillon dispatched amounts to 40723.
- Evolution Over Time:
- In the early seasons, it was estimated that Marshal Matt Dillon would kill approximately three criminals per episode.
- As the characters and moral dilemmas developed further over time, the fatalities gradually reduced significantly, resulting in the estimated total of 200 to 300 throughout the show’s run of episodes4.