General Parsley Smith

So if you want an actual, really good review, all of the prior ones i read are great! i'm only here bc i felt compelled to share my SHOCK! lol well i guess General Parsley Smith finally turned a certain way or something ... anyway it suddenly occurred to me that the actor was Raymond Bailey! aka "Mr Drysdale" of The Beverly Hillbillies! Once i realized this i couldn't look away! i mean, there was the full beard and everything but WHY didn't I see it sooner?! It's so obviously him! And my answer is: he's was simply THAT GREAT of an actor! Used to him acting and appearing a different way, his character was soo "out of character" that i failed to actually "SEE" him. Who i did see was the crazy character that he was playing. ARGH! Tryna say imho that only PROVES what an EXCELLENT ACTOR HE WAS! lol now i feel REALLY STOOPID for never knowing this sooner!

For the eleventh episode of the first season we get a tale that is interesting and entertaining as nearly any show in the series. It all comes down to someone is not telling the truth. And even with the end of the episode we are still left with a haunting revelation that the truth has not be told.

It begins with a new bank opening in Dodge. The bank is operated by Drew Holt and he produces a charter of record to show that the bank is legitimate. However, a man claiming to be General Parsley Smith, from the third Illinois Cavalry, advises Marshal Dillon that Holt is there to steal people's money.

Now Matt is placed in the middle of which man to believe. Holt has hired a former gunslinger which is suspicious yet General Smith does not seem to be the person he is claiming. Matt must make a decision that he hopes is correct.

A very interesting episode for viewers. We are put in the middle of the conflict between the two parties with each side showing several reason of mistrust and suspicion. This is a show that will have you glued to the screen waiting for the next scene to see what happens. A really nice show.

Drew Holt has opened a new bank in Dodge City, but a man claiming to be a former Union military General begins making claims that Holt is a crook and should not be trusted. Marshal Matt Dillon can find no reason to believe the assertions by the man who says he is General Parsley Smith. Even Mr. Botkin at the established bank in Dodge welcomes Mr. Holt and a second bank in the town.

Once Matt begins to further investigate the matter, he discovers General Smith is a notorious pathological liar and may not even be who he says he is. Doc Adams is consulted, because the General claims he served in the Third Illinois Calvary, which was the same unit in which Doc served.

While the Marshal learns Parsley Smith cannot be trusted to tell the truth, he also discovers Mr. Holt has hired a gunman named Nash as a bank guard. Matt knows Nash's reputation and is suspicious of Holt's association with the gunfighter.

Raymond Bailey makes the first of two appearances in the series as the strange General Parsley Smith character. Bailey was a popular guest star in many televisions shows -- including most of the westerns -- in the 1950s and early 1960s. Of course, a toupee-wearing Bailey would later become famous for playing the role of Milburn Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies during the entire run of that series.

Little-used actor James O'Rear portrays Drew Holt in his only Gunsmoke appearance. John Alderson plays the gunfighter named Nash in one of his three guest roles in the series. Alderson appeared in several television westerns, and was even a regular in the obscure, syndicated series Boots and Saddles.

This is the first appearance in the series for the character Mr. Botkin, who is the president of the Dodge City Bank. In this episode, Wilfred Knapp plays the character. The character would be played by several other actors over the entire run of the series.

This is a quirky story full of surprises and intrigue. Even after the story ends, some of the mystery remains unsolved.

This is the type of episode that makes Gunsmoke very different at times and very watchable. Other episode are better but these types help keep it going. Another off the beaten path episode was the episode "Marry Me"

I never saw an episode in my whole life that had Chester in it except for the very first one that I had purchased as a VHS tape from Ebay 15 years ago.. Gunsmoke started in 1955 when I was 4 years old and came on at 10:30 which was past my bed time so I never saw the early first run episodes. They only showed the later color episodes for the last 40 years ??? I think the pandemic got the older episodes going with people having to stay at home. Now I have 3 different channels showing the older B&W episodes and am in Gunsmoke Heaven.

When General Parsley Smith arrives in Dodge City he certainly goes well out of his way to really stir up the local citizens against businessman, Drew Holt who has recently come to town in order to open up a new bank.

Through his loud, public rantings, opposing Holt, Smith soon finds himself under direct fire from Holt's ornery armed guard, Ed Nash.

And, at this point - Things go from bad to worse when Marshal, Matt Dillon gets involved in the escalating turmoil that Smith's tall tales have obviously generated.