Tail to the Wind

This is one of my top favorite episodes with some great comic dialogue between Doc and Chester....but a fabulous ending, somewhat similar to "The Guitar" where two other bad guys got theirs. This is an episode I recommend to friends even if they aren't big Gunsmoke fans. Kudos to the writers and director and Harry Townes who plays Pezzie.

I always favored the half hour episodes and this is one of the best. Surprising and often shocking endings tend to be the most memorable and Meston, et. Al, would periodically come up with a gem like this. I'll take some time to look at several lists of top Gunsmoke episodes to see if this one made any.

Sleeper episode that sort of sneaks up on you, much like the deceptively mild-mannered Pezzi. He and wife Cora are homesteading a little spread outside Dodge. The trouble is land-grabber Harry Swoger and his worthless son want to chase him off so the land baron can expand. They shoot up the house and burn down the chicken coup. Most men would be fired up for revenge, but not Pezzi. He refuses to act, saying he has no proof even though the perpetrators are obvious.

Story is by Les Cructhfield and it's a good one, with a fine surprise ending. Two points of note. Matt baits Swoger mercilessly, trying to egg him into a gunfight, which seems most un-lawman like. Also, Alice Backes as Cora really cuts loose on Swoger when Pezzi does nothing. I expect that passage was a contribution from scripter John Meston, again showing his penchant for strong women. One other point-- it's never made clear what Pezzi's near-pacifism is grounded in, whether it's religion or simply a matter of character.

(*Pezzy Neller quote*) - "I warn you, Burke, you can ride clear of my land from now on."

Pezzy and Cora Neller are simple homesteaders who enjoy working their farm which is located just a few miles outside of Dodge.

Big, bloated bully, Burke Reese (and his son, Harlow) make some seriously violent efforts to get the Nellers to move off of their land so that they can take over and build a ranch.

Marshal Dillon offers Pezzy his help, but, it seems that Pezzy has his own plans in mind to get rid of Burke.

For an episode that was lacking for the first twenty minutes, the ending to this show was perhaps the most surprised that I have been in a very long time. In fact this is one of those shows that you want to watch a second time since you missed the clues that was as stealthy as any in a good mystery.

The story centers around the mild and meek Pezzy Nellar and his outspoken wife Cora. They have a small spread outside Dodge and being harassed by this land hungry rancher, Burke Reese, who wants to buy them out. When they refuse to sell, Burke and his son cause havoc around the Nellar's farm. They burn his hen house and shoot up his property. When Marshal Dillon get wind of the problems he visits Pezzy only to find him wimping down to prosecute the Reese's.

It appears that the Burke and his son will eventually run off Pezzy and Cora or someone will get killed. And with Pezzy not wanting to do anything about the trouble, Matt is helpless to intervene.

The story to this point is perhaps not the most exciting plot a viewer can picture. However, the last few minutes of the episode makes up for any lost thrill the viewer may experience during the program. Harry Townes is again great at playing a humble type farmer plus they have teamed him up with a fiery mate in the form of Alice Backes as his wife. An unusual incident makes this ending worth watching. Great show.

This episode again features crisp, funny, realistic, sarcastic dialogue between Doc, Chester and Matt, plus Matt really letting the Swogers know how sleazy they are in no uncertain terms, and clever comments from Pezzi in describing the surprise resolution! To me, the sharp dialogue really makes these black & white Gunsmokes stand out from the western crowd!