Aunt Thede

The man credited as townsman is actually HapGlaudi, then sports director of WWL TV in New Orleans. He probably earned this cameo appearance because WWL is one of the highest rated cbs stations in the country. Another actor making a very brief appearance is Jenny Arness, daughter of James Arness and neice of Peter Graves. Dyan Canon went on to marry Carey Grant just a few short months after this episode aired. Howard Macnear played a storekeeper named Howard. He is most known as Floyd the barber on the Andy Griffith Show. And then there is Frank Cady who played the part of Sam Drucker on Green Acres.

Great visual angles by cinematographer Harry Stradling Jr.

Doc and townsperson just have met Aunt Thede Hagen. The townsperson says: "Who was that?" Doc replies: "She;'s a Hagen, can't you tell? You know they all look alike.".... Too funny.

The above review quite adequately describes the episode. However, I find the humor of the rather broad Western fashion of humor (numerous fights without any lasting damage, faux authentic rustics uttering humorous regional observations) that wears thin quickly.

Festus plays such a character but he remains Matt's foil rather than the primary thematic thrust of an entire episode. It runs a bit thin for an entire episode, however.

For some reason the music was particularly irritating. Perhaps because it complimented the humorous rustic theme.

There remains underneath the humor is the often-used trope of abused women. Gunsmoke was one of the first series to highlight powerless women abused by men whose only source of power was their gender.

James Stacey ( who had a tragic end to his life) plays his usual charming rogue. Dyan Cannon, looking like something out of a Gode print ( highly unlikely in a farmgirl on the 1880's Kansas plain) and Jeanette Nolan as an annoying female version of Festus ( who is annoying enough in his own right) tell a tale not worth telling. The title should have been A Little Bit of Hagen Goes a Long Way.