The Squaw

... in that you have cohabitation outside of marriage, incestual lust, attempted sexual assault, patricide, and self mutilation all in a one hour episode. Today, we wouldn't think of the discussion of racism being anything extraordinary on television, but it was a controversial topic in 1961 and actually a central theme of this episode.

Prosperous middle-aged widower and ranch owner Hardy Tate has apparently been making a habit of coming into Dodge City and whooping it up with wine, women, and song. His son, Cully, comes into Dodge to retrieve his father, an argument breaks out, and Matt Dillon has to come by to break it up.

So apparently, for all of his bluster, Hardy Tate really does listen to his son, but not in the way that Cully would like. For Hardy takes some of his cattle to a local Arapaho tribe and trades the cattle for a young Arapaho woman whom he marries in an Arapaho ceremony. Cully is furious at this development - having an Indian woman as his new stepmom, and one that is his own age at that.

When Cully goes into town with his stepmom he gets into fights with some of the local ruffians who make remarks about his "squaw". Cully is angry to the point that he is ready to shoot it out in a gunfight with one of the bullies who would for sure outshoot him and kill him. And in spite of that there is the constant badmouthing by Cully of his dad's situation, calling it "disgusting". I think the young man doth protest too much. This often happens when a man finds himself attracted to a woman and is horrified of where his hormones are taking him. Is that the case here? Watch and find out.

Cully at first had my sympathy with his dad being chronically drunk and disorderly and then with his dad hastily marrying in a way that causes him to be bullied by the townsfolk. But by the end of the episode Cully reveals himself to be a whiny little brat and nothing more.

At a time when the networks demanded their shows be squeaky clean to the point of being dull, I'm not sure how the controversial contents of this episode managed to make it to air. I have a feeling it had something to do with the fact that it was a Western. If questioned the producers could say - "We're not discussing modern controversial topics here. This is a western!"

Season 7, Episode 7 continues its familiar theme of stories with women as essential story elements. In this case, the woman is an Arapaho, Natacea, wonderfully portrayed by Vitina Marcus. I remember Marcus mostly from her appearance as Athena, "the woman from the green dimension" from Lost In Space.

The story involves Hardy Tate - played by John Dehner, who appeared in nearly every television program that aired in the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s - and his son, Cully. Following the death of his wife, Hardy spends a lot of time at The Long Branch drinking and acting in a manner that greatly embarrasses the dour Cully, played by another frequent Gunsmoke guest and familiar character actor of the time, Paul Carr. When Hardy suddenly returns from a trip with Natacea, his new bride, in tow, Cully is none too pleased.

It doesn't help matters when other men in Dodge City see Cully with his new stepmother, and begin to tease and bully him. Bill Craig, played by another character actor veteran, Bob Hastings, repeatedly tries to goad Cully into a gunfight by calling him "squaw man."

This tragic story unfolds as the petulant, stubborn, angry Cully refuses to accept his father's marriage to Natacea. It is obvious Cully's problems go far beyond his disapproval of his father's choice of mate. Cully is a disturbed, frustrated individual, and his father is so focused on his own needs and so out of touch with Cully, he fails to see just how disturbed Cully is and the developing problems that will arise from Cully's actions until it is too late.

There are some great performances all around, but Carr really stands out.

One of the ugliest plots of the entire series, but presented in a truly outstanding way. Featuring the stunningly beautiful Vitina Marcus, this episode deals headlong with racism, and how people filled with it can become capable of some of the ugliest acts in humanity.

What should have been among the more joyful moments of a father's life was turned into a human tragedy by a young son incapable of maturing into true manhood.

Too weak to either defend his honor with integrity, nor to look past his own selfish and immature desires, the son ruins the lives of many. Among the multiple morality plays that the Gunsmoke series delivered, this one, which premiered back in 1961, was jarring in its unflinching narrative. Perhaps no other TV series of that era had the guts to present such a raw narrative, or to so forcefully teach an essential lesson. And one suspects few, in any, would have the courage to tell it straight and honest today.

In doing so, Gunsmoke immortalized itself, and remains relevant to setting an example of what people of true courage and morality should always stand for.

This episode is not to be confused with the 1975 episode with the same name but with different plot and characters.

In this 1961 episode we get a story that involves a father named Hardy Tate and his son Cully Tate. The wife has been dead for over a year and Hardy is sowing his wild side as he longs for companionship since her death. Cully despises the fact that his father is out carousing in saloons and wants his father to settle down with someone.

On a trip to the Indian Nation, Hardy returns with a Indian wife named Natacea. Cully is horrified to learn that his new mother is an Indian squaw. It not only causes barriers between him and his father but also citizens in Dodge.

As Hardy and Natacea are preparing for a church wedding in Dodge, Cully advises that he is going to stop the wedding at any cost. We as the viewer will find that the price of stopping the wedding is high- so high that lives will never be the same.

A very good script that is well done by the actors. An interesting tale that has appeal for viewers.