Drago

Here is an excellent heartwarming tale of an older man making his life meaningful again when he becomes the only family member to a young boy.

Drago (Buddy Ebsen) has been staying with a young woman and a small boy for a few weeks. When Drago and his dog go off to fish, four bandits come up to the house shoot and kill the woman and badly injure the small boy. Drago is able to see the men riding off as he tends to the small boy.

Later Matt and Doctor Chapman arrive with Matt setting up a posse to track the bandits down. With Drago being an old army scout, Matt deputizes him so he can ride as part of the posse headed up by Newly. Dr Chapman tends to the injured boy but things look bleak. Chapman advises the boy has no will to live since his mother and all he knows is dead. Drago goes in and tells the boy that he is part of his family now and needs to live.

But there is going to be a problem with Drago as part of the posse. It seems that Drago is more out for revenge than bringing the men to trial. This will set a conflict between Drago and Newly that will only end when Drago is willing.

A good script with some excellent acting by Mr Ebsen. The story was interesting and the plot entertaining. This is a nice story for any 'Gunsmoke' viewer. And one that is highly recommended.

"Drago" has all the things that make for a great "Gunsmoke" episode -- irredeemably vicious bad guys, an innocent woman shot down in cold blood, a crabby/crusty old man out for revenge, a chase, great guest stars, and terrific on-location photography.

So why am I giving it only 7, rather than the 9 it "ought" to have? Because it's icky. The plump, round-faced little kid (Mitchell Silberman) seems to have been cast to evoke the maximum sentimental response, rather than for acting ability.

At the end, we are "treated" to a scene of Buddy Ebsen hugging the little bugger, calling him "son", and promising to help him grow up. The kid apparently has little appeal for animals (even though he has the name of something edible (Ruben)), because when Ebsen instructs Hound to "make nice" with the boy, it's obvious the dog is paying most of its attention to its handler. The boy might just as well be a rock.

This disgusting sentimentality is unfortunate, because the story plays out much like a clever inversion of the shopworn "someone wants to kill Matt Dillon" plot. Indeed, it strongly resembles the classic "Matt Dillon Must Die!" episode of two seasons later.

If you wish Kevin Corcoran had never grown up, you might enjoy this episode. Otherwise, it's recommendable only for the presence of Buddy Ebsen and Ben Johnson.

Mr Skyklutz... As for Buck Taylor's glutei maximi, they are certainly fine. But they can't hold a candle to those of the late Matt Mattox, who played Caleb in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". (Pay attention to the scene where they ride off to town in the wagon.) Buck Taylor had the good fortune to become better-looking with age, and is now a rat-handsome geezer.

* Do I have to explain that? I hope not.

What's better than a classic TV episode with Buddy Ebsen, an adorable little boy, a dog, Ben Johnson, horses, and the cutest butt ever seen in cowboy pants--Buck Taylor's??

Seriously, this is a great Gunsmoke episode, despite the fact that, as another poster has pointed out, rottweilers didn't show up in the US until the 20th century. Buddy Ebsen plays Drago, an old tracker--with a loyal and unusually intelligent companion named Hound--who's been given a place to sleep by a woman whose husband has abandoned her (or was he killed?). Her young son gets a substitute pa and grandpa all rolled into one gruff package in Drago. Then evil rides in and Deputy Marshall Newly O'Brien has to track down the killers before Drago can exact his revenge.

It's ridiculous that TVLand has quit running Gunsmoke but plays 4--count em' 4--episodes a day of idiotic Bonanza...

Apart from a superb performance by Buddy Ebsen and excellent support from cowboy veteran Ben Johnson, what makes this episode stand out is the magnificent location photography. The IMDd information is wrong. This was not shot in the studio but in southern Utah, around Kanab. The final scenes were filmed in the abandoned town set in Johnson Canyon. There's been no attempt to preserve the place and it's gradually collapsing into the desert. How do I know? I've been there and seen it myself.

There's a touch of sentimentality in the way the script treats the small boy and it's slightly at odds with the revenge aspects of the story. Even so, Drago is a standout. Even the almost total absence of Matt Dillon himself doesn't matter. This is as good as anything'70s TV westerns had to offer and, as a previous poster points out, makes Bonanza look pale in comparison.

This is probably one of the best written and casted episodes. If you have a western with veterans like Ben Johnson, Buddy Ebsen and tough as nails Rotwiler, you have an ace high royal flush. Tevo this one because it is an episode that you will want to share with family and friends.