The real problem with this episode is Betty Hutton's poor line delivery; her first scenes are embarrassingly bad, and I doubt there was much director O'Herlihy could have done about it. Around this time the network decision was made to hire more prominent guest stars for "Gunsmoke", since ratings had slipped significantly.
So, let's see..there's Betty Davis (in the future), Jean Arthur, Eileen Heckart, and..." Betty Hutton?? Clearly, the episode was written and built around her special talents..few of which are obvious in this show.
STILL...once Betty settles in--starting with her scene with Kitty...it's really NOT ALL THAT BAD and, in fact, there's something oddly appealing and sympathetic about her, in a pathetic sort of way. Ms. Hutton's voice was clearly worn out by this point in her career, and her big "bombshell" numbers fail to inspire. But the male extras in the saloon scenes didn't seem to mind.
O' Herlihy's direction keeps things flowing nicely, with numerous well-framed shots, and the performances of Ken Curtis and Glenn Strange are very good. But there are some pretty lousy plot contrivances (as another commentator mentions): the fact that everyone knew that Dillon didn't kill Mr. Hutton, but nobody (including the stubborn Dillon himself) will tell her. Hutton's last scene with Kitty..where Kitty's attachment to Matt becomes clear, is bizarre: Betty is unexpectedly sympathetic and touching, then immediately reverts to her insanity. Also-- I AGREE...what's with the townsfolk of Dodge?? Matt's relationship to them is often troubling, since they often seem to be a crude, bloodthirsty group that have little regard for the big guy. They apparently find Betty's plan to gun down Matt (with Claude Akin's assistance) pretty entertaining. Weird...but that's the primitive Old West, I guess.
In the end, things worked out nicely. The ridiculous musical cue when Betty and her mob march into town sounded more fitting for one of Barney Fife's "tough guy" scenes and threatened to undercut any drama that had been built up. THAT was a dumb choice by the musical staff, as was the very obvious stunt man seen in Dillon's brief fight with Claude Akins.
But, in the end, I laughed out loud at Matt's final lines, and it was nice to see Claude Akin's nicer side come through. Most importantly, it was a relief to see Betty Hutton leave Dodge. A better actress and a couple of script re-writes would have elevated this episode significantly. As it is, it's not NEARLY as bad as its reputation; I 'd watch this episode any-day-of-the-week before I'd sit through "Help me, Kitty" or "20 Miles from Dodge" again.
Notice that this episode has MANY MORE "reviews" (mostly negative) than most any other Gunsmoke; that's because people love to jump on the bandwagon and talk trash. Try to resist the "let's pile-on Betty" syndrome when you watch it. It's really quite entertaining. LR.
