Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge

Twelve years after gunslinger Will Mannon is sent to prison, he is parolled. He has sworn to revenge himself by killing Matt Dillon and the judge who sent him there. Fellow prisoner, and old friend of Dillon's, Jake Flagg, tries to convince the warden to temporarily release him so he can warn Dillon, but is refused. Flagg breaks out and is being hunted for the murder of the warden. Dillon, hearing of this, sets off to track his old friend down. In the meantime, Mannon shows up in Dodge and begins terrorizing Miss Kitty. This is the first of five TV-movies recalling the later escapades of Matt Dillon after retiring as the marshal of Dodge City, Kansas. Earl Holliman is excellent (as usual) as Jake Flagg, as is Steve Forrest in reprising his role from the original 1975 episode. This is a very good story and there are several flashbacks from the original episode interspersed throughout. Thanks to director Vincent McEveety, the film retains the same cinematic "feel" of the original episode. It's a "must see" for any die-hard "Gunsmoke" fans.

I agree with others who have said the Earl Holliman character just didn't fit with the rest of the movie. As for Matt's mountain man look, I think there are many episodes in the series that suggest that if he hadn't become a U.S. marshal, he would have become a mountain man / trapper. But for any Gunsmoke fan, I think it was very special seeing Matt and Kitty back together one last time. Since Kitty wasn't in the last season of the regular TV series, this episode provided some closure to one of the longest screen romances of all time. I think the final scene with Matt and Kitty stayed true to the tone set by the TV series.

While it's a joy to see Matt and Kitty back together, this movie sorely lacked any hint of the Gunsmoke magic. In a nutshell, Matt Dillon is now a mountain man, Kitty has left Dodge and Newly O'Brian the former gunsmith and deputy is now marshal.

Will Mannon, the evil gunslinger who appeared in a self-titled episode of Gunsmoke, is released from prison to kill Matt and the judge who put Mannon in prison. Another prisoner, Jake Flagg, who is an old friend of Matt's, breaks out of prison by using the warden as hostage. Flagg needs to warn Matt about Mannon. The gunslinger shoots the warden and Flagg is now wanted by a young, overzealous deputy and some bounty hunters. Several of the unscrupulous bounty hunters actually stab Dillon who is found and taken back to Dodge where he awakens to find Miss Kitty. Matt tries to help protect Flagg meanwhile Mannon returns to Dodge where he torments Miss Kitty as he did in the original episode. Back then he had raped Kitty and beat her, something Matt did not know.

Okay, inconsistencies. First, but this is my opinion, Matt would not have become a Mountain Man. It's just not him(maybe they got him confused with his Zeb Macahan character from How the West Was Won). Second, Kitty explains why she left Dodge. It's a flashback from the episode "The Badge" where Matt is shot and Kitty just can't handle seeing him hurt anymore. Any fan of the show would know that this episode(don't know when it aired but certainly not in the last year of the show) ends with Matt meeting Kitty and sort of convincing her to come back, which she does. The movie made it sound like she never came back. Amanda Blake left the show in 1974. There are reports she claims she was sick and tired of the character and the commute(she was living in AZ at the time). Others question that producer John Mantley fired her for money reasons. They allegedly did not get along at all. Third, in the episode Mannon, he is apparently shot dead from how the episode ends but I guess it could have been interpreted as him possibly surviving.

Those are disappointments show-wise. Other ones that made fans cringe are James Arnesses' hair and make-up, absolutely scary. Kitty looked her age and did not look bad at all. Amanda Blake had contracted AIDS and she later died from the disease 2 years after this film. Ken Curtis did not return, he reportedly wanted more money than Blake. Finally, Matt and Kitty never kiss at the end, they never even get together. She see's him through a window and sheds a tear as he goes back to his lonely life. Reportedly, the original script had Matt walk into the hotel where Kitty was(and you could use your imagination). There were too many Flashbacks which took away from developing the plot to this movie. They actually show one Flashback twice.

John Mantley produced the movie and I was surprised someone with such a grasp on GS let this be the end product.

Also, the cover art for the movie on this website only show's James Arness. There is another version which has a small picture of Kitty on it.

Otherwise, it's fun to see M&K back together.

This last Gunsmoke movie returns to Dodge City where Matt Dillon has to face once again someone from his past when he was marshal there. Steve Forrest who is one sick puppy of a villain has been released from prison and is looking for Dillon whom he shot before, but who was caught anyway.

This film with flashback scenes from a Gunsmoke episode from 1969 gives us the background of the story. Obviously someone was inspired by the Star Trek film The Wrath Of Khan.

For good measure the blame is thrown on another old time convict Earl Holliman when Forrest shoots the warden after his release. James Arness is trailing him for most of the film with the non-help of shavetail army lieutenant Ken Olandt who has his orders to bring Holliman in. Olandt is quite good in his role, brave and loyal, but a bit of a jerk.

James Arness looking craggy which befits his role as the retired marshal. The flashback sequences give a real time feel to this film because it is real time.

The confrontation scene is well staged and unforgettable. In fact both of them, the one with Holliman and Arness standing off some bounty hunters and the one with Forrest. The one with Holliman is borrowed straight out of Ride The High Country.

One very fitting coda to the life and career of Matt Dillon.

As only a casual fan of the original series I may not be able to compare and contrast this movie as well as some others but the producers of this tv film seem to have covered all their bases.

First of all the story was very well done. By basing the movie on one of the original tv shows the viewers were given a sense of continuity that some movies that are based on previous tv shows don't have. Also, the story itself, while not all that original, was well written and suspenseful. Out of the 5 GUNSMOKE movies that were made I felt that this one was the best.

Secondly, this movie did a fine job of bringing back the original cast members. Amanda Blake as "Kitty" and Buck Taylor as "Newly O'brien" helped to give this movie an authentic feel. Having said that it would have been nice if Dennis Weaver as "Chester" and or Ken Curtis as "Festus", both served as deputy under Marshall Dillon, had made an appearance in the movie.

Lastly, while the movie overall was a good one it seemed to me that James Arness portrayed Matt Dillon less like the character in the original series and more like the mountain man character of "Zeb Macahon" in his other western series HOW THE WEST WAS WON. Still this movie is a good view and those who like James Arness or GUNSMOKE will appreciate it.