Parson Comes to Town

Clarendon,Texas is a true Texas town. It is located approximately 60 miles East of Amarillo,Texas on Highway 287. Shortly after Clarendon was founded it was nicknamed Saints Roost due to the many Churches. When the railroad came through the Texas Panhandle the citizens relocated Clarendon approximately 7 miles to be closer to the railroad. I was excited when at the opening scene of this episode showed a sign being put up with the name Clarendon,Texas painted on it. Why would that excite me & how do I have this knowledge of Clarendon? I was born,raised & have spent the better part of my 64 years in Clarendon. As a matter of fact I am sitting in Clarendon,Texas this very minute writing this. I hope you don't mind me taking up your time. I just felt the need to brag a little on my hometown.

Something I have noticed about Gunsmoke is that episodes which feature unusual characters from well outside of the ordinary Dodge ambit are usually very good. Whether it be a magician, a photographer, a snake oil salesman or a quack doctor, these characters shake things up by fracturing the sameness.

"Parson Comes to Town" is a classic case in point. To wit, a thunderous, bearded, black-clad Old Testament figure appears in Dodge and scares the bejeesus out of the townsfolk with his pronouncements of impending death and his transmundane ways.

The aura of the supernatural surrounds him, which generates viewer interest because it is such a rare thing in Gunsmoke. At any rate, this mysterious parson is played exceptionally well by Sam Wanamaker, whose politics I abominate, but who was also a very talented actor. There's more than a little John Carradine to him. Additionally, Lonny Chapman is extremely effective as the murderous drifter who is the object of the parson's interest.

This is a unique, well written and well acted episode. Too bad its writter didn't pen any more episodes and that Wanamaker never again appeared on Gunsmoke.

This episode involving a mysterious visitor to Dodge City is a rare treat for Season 11, because it mostly takes place in Dodge and heavily involves many of the recurring characters.

The actual mystery unravels quickly, as it does not take long for the audience to learn who the ominous mysterious visitor is, and why he is in Dodge. The drama surrounding the visitor continues to the last minute.

One questionable point in this story is Matt Dillon not arresting someone when he has good reason to think the suspect is guilty. It is legal to arrest someone on suspicion. The Marshal's lack of action results in unnecessary injuries and danger to the Dodge City residents.

In any event, this is one of the better episodes of the season as far as the creation of tension and drama is concerned. It is especially nice to see so many of the recurring residents of Dodge City in this episode. Incidentally, this is the first time Ted Jordan appears as Nathan Burke, a character that would go on to appear in many episodes and play a prominent role in a few episodes. Jordan had been a frequent Gunsmoke guest, mostly playing smaller parts, usually as a heavy. In addition to the Burke character, other recurring characters such as Lathrop, Halligan, Percy Crump, Hank, and Howie all show up during this story.

Lonny Chapman is recognizable to anyone that is a fan of television dramas. He almost always played a bad guy. In this story he is true to form, as he plays the character known only as Sipes. Sam Wanamaker plays the role of Asa Longworth in his only Gunsmoke appearance.

Verne Jay is credited as the writer of this episode, and not only is this the only Gunsmoke story he contributed, but this is also one of the only writing credits he ever received for anything.

Sam Wanamaker, who plays the character Asa Longworth in this episode, was also a director of several television shows during his career. He directed one episode of the series Lancer. In the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, actor Nicholas Hammond portrays Wanamaker who is directing an episode of Lancer which features a guest starring role by the character Rick Dalton as played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Like so often happens, Marshal Dillon allows endless mayhem because he wants to be fair. As soon as Dillon is told who the suspected killer is, he tells Asa (Sam Wanamaker, playing the murder victim's vengeful brother) a whole litany of reasons why the killer cannot be arrested, bothered, or subjected to harassment. Wow. 1960s civil rights back in the 1870s.

The story starts off with Asa riding into town like he is the big cheese. I never understood why anyone in town cared that a parson was riding into town. Dodge City was a TV series where I cannot remember ever seeing any Dodge City church except when an outlaw holds the minister as a hostage in one episode (Sanctuary 1966), and when an elderly missionary wants to build a church for the Native Americans (I Have Promises to Keep 1975).

Dodge was usually depicted as a lawless and godless town. So why would anyone be impressed that some parson rode into town? Asa makes a couple of pronouncements about somebody dying, and the small crowd of drunks acts like it was the Pope giving them communion wafers. It made no sense to me.

Soon after Asa arrives in search of the surviving drifter who killed his brother, Lonny Chapman creeps into the scene, and the mystery was over. Asa is in Dodge to find the killer of his brother, and so he wears the same parson outfit as his brother, and walks as if in his brother's shoes, seeking Justice.

The last ten minutes or so really go off the rails, as Lonny Chapman is not going down easy. The action is quite surprising, and a welcome change from many other episodes. Chapman had a great ability to play a sleazy lowlife criminal very convincingly, and he is in top form in this episode.