The Bobsy Twins

I am sure that some will find this episode confusing even downright distasteful but if you had ever read the Bobbsey Twin books then this is a spoof of that collection. However it does not mean that the episode was entertaining since most of the episode was more macabre than interesting but with that knowledge it will be more of a semi-comedy than horror story.

The episode centers around two older twin brothers named Harvey and Merle Finney. They are on their way out west to kill Indians after hearing what they have done to white settlers. Along the way they were only taught, by their father, that killing is fine but never on Sunday.

After a brutal killing of two cowboys on the trail and the disregard for a woman in trouble, the two find themselves in Dodge ready to kill Indians. When someone at the Long Branch makes a joke and tells them that the man running the stables is part Cherokee, the two have their first Indian victim.

With characters that was actually more sad than interesting plus the uncomfortable subject matter, this is an episode that will not be on the top of anyone's list. Even when you take it for a spoof on the children's book it was still not an entertaining episode. This is an episode you will watch for a novelty and not for viewing pleasure.

Last night I happened to see an episode of Gunsmoke called "The Bobsy Twins" which was originally broadcast on May 21, 1960. This was the most philosophically ambitious episode of the entire long-running series. It concerns two aging brothers (Merle and Harvey Finney) who come west with the simplistic mission of ridding it of Indians. The viewer is introduced to them immediately as they cluelessly stumble across the prairie in search of Dodge City; hillbilly eastern rubes completely unequipped for navigation and survival in the sparsely populated vastness of the West. They are on foot, have not eaten in two days, and look scruffy enough to be Lil' Abner characters. "The Bobsy Twins" title is gradually explained as the viewer comes to understand that like Bert and Nan, these two brothers are children forever - at least mentally.

One of the most fascinating things about the Bobbseys is that they never aged. After the first books the publisher of the series realized that in real time Bert and Nan were soon going to be too old for their target audience, and he put the brakes on their aging. After that Bert and Nan were forever twelve and Flossie and Freddie forever six.

In the allegorical Gunsmoke episode Merle and Harvey are childlike characters, almost witless. They trace their simplistic but somewhat contradictory value system back to a revered father who among other things felt that it was not proper to murder anyone on Sundays, not because it is wrong to randomly kill but because Sunday should be a day of rest. But these impulsive and bloodthirsty "twins" find it impossible to keep even this basic commandment. Frustrated at encountering no Indians they instead kill a man who refuses to share his Sunday dinner with them and then kill a friendly cowboy in order to keep their involvement in the first murder a secret. Both murders are a little contrived, with the brothers basically looking for an excuse to kill someone.

Once in Dodge a cowboy (Richard Chamberlain) in the Long Branch tells them that the livery store owner is a full-blooded Cherokee and they set out to hang him.

What makes the episode so special is that writer John Meston (who originally wrote the story for radio) is not really going off on the hypocrisy of Christianity or of religion in general. Although after the murders they repent having done these deeds on what should have been for them a day of rest, Meston is using the "day of rest" thing allegorically to represent the many childlike minds that grasp hold of whatever simplistic influence is out there as a way to justify their self-indulgence. And their revered father represents those who would use the fear, hate, and prejudices of simpletons like the Finney's to manipulate them for their own purposes (a certain presidential candidate comes to mind).

While the brothers' nativist banter in this episode is sometimes amusing, it is mostly in the script to humanize them enough so that they cannot simply be dismissed by viewers as creatures of a more barbaric species.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

A couple of nomads wander aimlessly towards Dodge City with no purpose, or none that makes any sense. How they have made it this far is a mystery given the fact neither one of them is all there. A lack of skills or ambition, you think would render the two harmless, but in reality they are quite dangerous. There is a different type of evil that exists here. These are two individuals who kill for the sake of it. That makes the episode all the more unnerving.

They have already killed, and plan to keep on killing. Their killings reveal the dark side of humanity, and how one can justify any type of action, no matter how hideous. The theme of murder for the sake of it will be disturbing for some, which caused mixed reviews from various reviewers. Some will not have a taste for the way these serial killers are portrayed. The plot takes a back seat here, as the show's emphasis is directed at the hideousness of two fellow human beings, as we are left shaking our heads at the things nightmares are made of. One could ask the question, why have they not been previously arrested given their propensity for committing evil in the most reckless manner possible? However, I think in this case, accept the show for what it is, and don't worry about a backstory.

Those murderous twins were two of the most evil characters Meston ever dreamed up. Disguised somewhat by the strange comical type music in the score of this episode, they would make one's skin crawl. Thankfully, they got their just desserts in the end due to their own stupidity. But yikes!

The Bobsy Twins is a snide and sarcastic reference to a sweet and uplifting children's book series called The Bobbsey Twins, that began in 1904, and published 72 books in the series, until 1979. The Bobsy Twins were kids, not killers. Unfortunately, when John Meston wrote them up, they took a deadly turn! John Meston wrote for the "adult" Westerns genre. The philosophy of the "adult" Westerns was that the Old West was harsh, mean, and full of criminals, con-artists, bush-whackers, bandits, road agents, serial killers.

Meston did not romanticize the Old West. He wrote 196 of the early episodes of Gunsmoke, and very few have any happy endings. His last screenplay for Gunsmoke was in 1965. Meston was writing scripts for radio shows and television from 1947 to 1975. Meston was nominated once for an Emmy Award.

This story left a lot untold. Merle and Harvey Finney are brothers who came walking hundreds of miles from Boston. How did they survive such a long journey without any money? It would have been interesting if once they confessed to Marshal Dillon as to their most recent killings, they had added a few more. It would make sense that they had probably been killing people all the way from Boston. This episode feels incomplete without a backstory.

In some ways, this story parallels the murder of the Clutter family by a pair of ex-convicts who traveled four hundred miles to rob them, and kill them. This was headline news in 1959. Later it became the book (and movie) In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote.

Morris Ankrum and Ralph Moody play the psychotic brothers. Morris Ankrum was on hundreds of TV shows and movies (277 credits), many of them Westerns. He was also a Judge on many episodes of Perry Mason. Ralph Moody was another veteran actor. He appeared on Gunsmoke five times, also on many Western TV shows, and five times on Perry Mason.

These two old hands deliver an incredible performance as a couple of maniacs who kill people without batting an eye or missing a step. It is just like warming up coffee for them.

The only upside to this episode is an appearance by Richard Chamberlin, who would go on to be the lead in the Dr. Kildare TV series. Chamberlin also became the first actor to play Jason Bourne (in 1988), and he won Golden Globe Awards for his acting in Dr. Kildare, The Thorn Birds, and Shogun.