Night Incident

First let me bow to the other reviewers on this page when they said that this episode was odd. I thought that it could never be as strange as reported but I was proved wrong. This is an episode, after watching, the viewer is left scratching their head not knowing or believing exactly what transpired in the show.

The story involved a little boy named Timmy that was telling everyone that he saw a man fall from the sky and kill people with help from a witch type women. His mother asks Matt to have a talk with her son about telling untrue stories. Timmy will take the Marshal to the place as long as Matt agrees not to do anything while watching. The story is nice up till this point but is about to slip into a world of disbelief and troublesome fiction. I will leave it unexplained so that the viewer can decide what they make of this unusual episode.

I never really understood the story. I know they were wanting to go to Oregon but the excuse given is super thin and hard to comprehend. From a Indian girl named White Fawn to a large man jumping out of trees, this episode just freaked me out in more ways than one.

As Dillon says early on, if these things are happening, why haven't I heard anything? Repeated robberies around Dodge and no one went to Dillon?

The shopkeeper speaks of Hinton's honesty in returning (in a storm) a small amount of money. Yet Hinton robs people instead of working.

Matt Dillon and Chester Goode are in the Marshal's office discussing Matt's beverage choice. Dodge City is experiencing unusually hot weather, but Matt is drinking hot tea. Chester is puzzled. Matt explains he is drinking hot tea because he heard it somehow makes the hot weather more bearable.

Mrs. Wyatt enters the office and asks Marshal Dillon to talk with her son, Timmy. Timmy has been telling people about a girl he has met named White Fawn and her parents that jump from the sky and rob and murder people. Everyone thinks Timmy is lying.

When Matt talks with Timmy, he is also convinced Timmy is telling tall tales, but he agrees to meet Timmy at night at White Fawn's house.

Matt and Timmy hide in the loft of the house. When the Hinton's -- Edward and Lennie -- arrive, they discuss the money they have accumulated and how they plan to add to their wealth. Matt realizes Timmy is telling the truth, and the situation warrants further investigation.

Child actor Peter J. Votrian fills the role of Timmy Wyatt in this episode. He would return for one more episode in Season 2's "Indian White." Votrian was involved in many films and television shows from the time he was eight well into his late teens. One of his most memorable roles was as young Jimmy Piersall in the 1957 film Fear Strikes Out with Karl Malden and Anthony Perkins as the older version of the famous baseball player.

Actor Robert Foulk portrays Edward Hinton in this story. Foulk was a hard-working actor with a career that lasted more than thirty years. Foulk seemingly had a part in every television comedy and drama for about a ten-year period that stretched from 1955 to 1965. Many of those roles were minor "stock" roles.

Like Foulk, actress Amzie Strickland pops up in numerous television roles throughout her lengthy acting career. She portrays Lennie Hinton in this episode. She would later appear in another three episodes in the series.

Jeanne Bates appears in this episode as Mrs. Wyatt, Timmy's mother. In an odd bit of casting, Bates also appears as a different character in the next episode "Smoking Out the Nolans." Bates is another actress with extensive acting experience over many years. She joins actress Charlotte Stewart as two Gunsmoke alumni that appeared together in the David Lynch cult film Eraserhead. Bates plays Stewart's mother in the film. (Stewart made her Gunsmoke debut much later in Season 14.)

Anne and Lance Warren were sisters that both appear in this episode. Anne plays the White Fawn character, and Lance plays Timmy's sister, Maggie Wyatt. They were the daughters of Charles Marquis Warren, who wrote, directed, and produced this episode.

Actor Lou Vernon appears in one scene as the storekeeper Cal Ross. For some reason, Mr. Ross is uncooperative when Matt begins asking questions about Edward Hinton after encountering Hinton in the store. The Cal Ross character would make another appearance later in Season 1. Cal Ross is the first in a lengthy line of characters who ran or worked at the Dodge City General Store. Mr. Jonas, as portrayed by Dabbs Greer and Mr. Lathrop, as played by Woodrow Chambliss, would both play store owners in Dodge City in later episodes.

The original broadcast date for this episode was October 29, 1955. Clearly, this story was designed to invoke a mysterious, ominous response by the viewer in a nod toward Halloween. It is ambitious in its intent. Unfortunately, it never achieves its goal. The story is disjointed and confusing, and the Hintons' explanation for their actions invites some head scratching.

It is worth noting James Arness sings in this episode! There is a snippet of a song that is normally sung by Chester in other Gunsmoke episodes. The lyrics are:

My daddy came west to Kansas, To make his home in Kansas, But all he made was his own grave, When he crossed the path of Killer Dave.

An odd-ball episode that unfortunately doesn't live up to initial promise. Little Peter Votrian says he's seen two weird-looking people in a blockhouse somewhere outside of town. He's even seen the man drop out of the sky and kill people. Nobody believes such a fanciful tale, while kids at school are making fun of him. So his worried mother enlists Matt to help. The plot thickens when Peter promises to take Matt to the blockhouse if Matt promises not to tell anyone else. Curious, Matt goes along.

One of the strangest opening shots of the early series with its shadows and expressionist lighting. Something of a mystery builds as we find out more facts, but frankly I was disappointed by the conclusion, especially by the tritely facile dialog. Good thing Charles Warren later turned the screenplay phase over to writers more skilled than he. Interesting premise that eventually goes awry.

So many times I have read complaints of how dark and sad many of the episodes are in Gunsmoke. And admittedly, I found reasons to agree with this premise myself. Yet finally, we get an episode with a happy ending and all the reviewers on this page can do is complain about it! Go Figure....Get a life.