The Hunter

Could never get into this episode as we get a dialog filled show that seemed poorly written and poorly performed. There was nothing in this episode that would keep a viewer entertaining for any length of time before we were had another long talk from Matt about how life use to be around Dodge.

The story centers around a buffalo hunter named Murdock. He is one of those people that law does not mean anything to him. With his trusty Indian side-kick Golden Calf, they plan on going into the Indian territory for buffalo skins even though a treaty forbids white men to hunt on the Indian territory.

We learn that Matt is familiar with Murdock from years ago. Murdock was with a group of men that attacked Matt and left him for dead. Time obviously has not healed the wound that Matt still carries for the buffalo hunter. With Murdock set to enter the territory, Matt will try to stop his entry to the Indian lands.

The problem with this episode is that the story was uninteresting and the characters were rather dull. Just when we thought the story might pick-up. the writers let us down by having Matt talk at length about another uninteresting subject. Too much talk and very little action. Not one of the better shows.

The scene outside the Long Branch seems professionally played and the long scene at the campfire is quite good, with just the right atmosphere. Arness's performance certainly doesn't lack conviction, although he seems to have been going to an acting teacher who taught him the "stare off into air while you say it" technique that looks so silly now. I can remember once in my life that I purposely looked in another direction while speaking with someone. It was to my mother when my college grades weren't up to snuff. That's hardly the situation here.

The twist at the end is excellent and I'd have to say that this show is one of the reasons why the program went on to be such a success. A couple years later Peter Whitney, (who looks kind of skinny here), would return as a mountain man who also had an Indian with him- in this case Angie Dickinson- in a much more famous episode of Gunsmoke, but one that isn't any better than this one.

Jase Murdock, or as the American Indian tribes call him, "Longarm," is a tough, arrogant buffalo hunter. He and Matt Dillon have had a past conflict, with the Marshal getting the worst of the encounter. Murdock and his "skinner" partner are in Dodge City to purchase supplies.

Matt is convinced Murdock is intending to ride into American Indian territory where a treaty exists between the United States and the American Indians forbidding buffalo hunting. Murdock has no regard for treaties or laws. He just wants the buffalo hides so he can sell them to Cal Ross, a storekeeper in Dodge.

Matt cannot do anything to stop Murdock until he violates the treaties by riding into the protected territory.

Peter Whitney is perfectly cast in the role of Jase Murdock, although his fake beard looks pretty bad. Whitney's imposing bulky frame and unconventional looks usually meant he portrayed bigger-than-life characters, and, often, villains. This marks the first of six appearances in Gunsmoke episodes. He was no stranger to television dramas from the mid-1950s into the early 1970s when his career was cut short by a fatal heart attack at only 55 years old. He was a frequent guest on The Rifleman, where played a wide range of characters. He also played the recurring character Lafe Crick in The Beverly Hillbillies. His film career included roles in Sam Peckinpah's The Ballad of Cable Hogue and in the Oscar-winning film In the Heat of the Night.

Obscure actor Richard Gilden appears in the first of two Gunsmoke episodes. He portrays Murdock's skinner sidekick who is half American Indiana and goes by the name Golden Calf. Gilden's other Gunsmoke involvement was in Season 11's "Honor Before Justice" where he also played an American Indian.

Lou Vernon makes his second and final appearance in the series as the uncooperative, obstinate Dodge storekeeper Cal Ross.

This is the first television script for Gunsmoke written by John Dunkel, although he also contributed scripts for the radio program. Dunkel would eventually lend his writing talent in some capacity to twenty-five different episodes of the television series. He also contributed numerous scripts for many other series including The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Rawhide, Broken Arrow, and Laramie.

The premise of this episode is not bad, but the execution is poor. Apparently Dunkel did not have enough respect for his audience or his own talent to be able to convey the nuances of the story without having the Matt Dillon character explain everything that happens. It is an interesting tactic to have the Marshal try to bore Murdock into submission by lecturing him. The ending is supposed to be a surprise, but it is telegraphed throughout the episode.

(This story follows the radio script closely, which could explain why actions are so frequently explained verbally. In the radio version, Chester accompanies Matt when he follows Murdock into the American Indian territory, which is not the case in the television show. The fact that Murdock must reload his gun after each shot is highlighted more in the radio version than it is in the television script.)

The viewer does learn a fact about Matt's early days in Dodge City in this episode. He was savagely beaten and left to die by the river by Murdock and some unnamed others. (There is no explanation as to why Murdock was not punished for his actions. Presumably, Matt did not press charges.)

Long time Gunsmoke viewers know criminals and other nefarious types were often intimated and even feared Matt Dillon as the seasons progressed. It is interesting to see a character like Jase Murdock who is completely dismissive of the Marshal.

Though the ending manages a twist, the entry suffers from too many flaws. Note the boardwalk scene early on with Kitty and Matt. It's poorly performed by both. I'm guessing the chemistry between them had yet to gel at this early point in the series. Also, Dillon' s lines at the hunter's camp are not only poorly written but woodenly delivered, a real contrast to the polish and conviction Arness would later bring to the role. (Also, note how on two occasions the script has Dillon instantly and rather miraculously explain why the Indian has done something that's hard to figure out. To me, that's a flaw in the script.) The entry's not helped either by Peter Whitney's apparent mimicking of Richard Widmark's psychotic giggle in Kiss of Death (1947). Here it comes across as little more than an affectation. I wish there were something redeeming in this 30 minutes, but in my book, there isn't. Had the series stayed at this level, it might have lasted another year or two, and then been forgotten, instead of being the classic it is.

Loved the sound of the airplane overhead near the end.