wdavidreynolds's reviews

An Osage council votes to sentence Chief John-Two-Bears to death after finding him guilty of murder. The chief's daughter, Sarah, knows her father is innocent, but women have no standing within the tribe. (It is interesting that Sarah has little regard for the council's authority in this matter regarding her father.) Two-Bears has accepted his fate, although he knows he is not guilty. He considers obeying the council's decision more important than his life.

Sarah travels to Dodge City out of desperation in the hopes of soliciting "white man's justice" in the situation with her father. She visits the Marshal's office where she encounters Thad Greenwood. Thad is minding the office while Matt Dillon and Festus Haggen are away investigating a recent rash of horse thefts. Thad returns to the Osage reservation with Sarah, despite Doc Adams's advice to stay out of the matter.

Thad's arrival on the reservation is seen as an unwelcome intrusion. Thad does not understand the actions of the Osage council, and he does not respect the limited autonomy the Osage are afforded. Elias Franklin, the U. S. government agent assigned to liaison with the Osage, finds Thad's approach frustrating and places Thad under arrest.

Eventually, Matt Dillon's investigation points to Osage involvement in the theft of the horses, which leads him to Franklin and Thad. Thad is released to the Marshal, and Matt and Thad continue to attempt to discover the link between the thefts and the internal situation with Two-Bears and the Osage council.

This story is a bit of a confusing mess, but it is ultimately a conflict between Osage factions. The older members of the tribe want to maintain peace with "the white man," while some of the younger members embrace revolution to restore what they consider the past power and prominence of the Osage. The situation in this story is complicated by the cultural differences that exist between the Osage and "the white man."

To confuse matters even more, the writers chose to introduce a sort-of love story between Sarah and Thad, although this is only minimally explored.

The casting of this episode is odd. Noah Berry Jr. Portrays John-Two-Bears and George Keymas plays one of the Osage known as Thunder Man. I am not sure who thought applying a ton of makeup and having those two veteran character actors fill American Indian roles was a good idea.

Syrian actor Michael Ansara is once again tapped to fill an American Indian role as the character Grey Horse. Fans of television Westerns will certainly recognize Ansara from his stint as the Apache Chiricahua Chief Cochise in the series Broken Arrow, and the Harvard-educated Apache U. S. Marshal Sam Burkhart character in two episodes of The Rifleman and the short-lived series Law of the Plainsman.

Ralph Moody, who was frequently cast in American Indian roles for some reason, plays the elder Osage Chief Joseph-Walks-In-Darkness.

French actress France Nuyen is Sarah. While she plays an American Indian in this story, she would return in Season 12 as an Asian character in the Gunfighter, R. I. P episode.

Another aspect to this episode that works against it is Roger Ewing's prominent role. This is the first episode since Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood's arrival in Dodge where Ewing is included as a central character, and his performance flounders. There is absolutely no chemistry between Nuyen and Ewing. Even Ewing's performance in the scenes with James Arness comes across as stiff and awkward.

"Honor Before Justice" is distinguished as - at least arguably - the worst episode of Season 11. The perplexing script, the curious casting, and the unusually poor performances fell short of what Gunsmoke fans had come to expect.

Husband and wife Lee and Nina Sharkey live on a ranch about five miles outside Dodge City. To describe their marriage as troubled is an understatement. Nina's father is wealthy, and Lee-a lazy, loud mouthed, boor given to drink and verbal and physical abuse-married Nina with the expectation that her father's money would allow him to live an easy life. Nina's virtuous father-who never appears in the story-apparently does not care for Lee or the marriage and refuses to give Lee and Nina any money. Lee resents Nina for it.

Lee concocts a scheme to hire Jim Garza, a drifter he meets in the Long Branch Saloon, to stay on the ranch with Nina while Lee spends a couple of weeks in Wichita. When Lee returns, he will accuse Garza and Nina of having an affair, and Garza will confirm it as truth. Lee will then go to Nina's father and demand payment in return for Lee's silence regarding Nina's indiscretion. Lee reasons that Nina's father will be willing to pay money to protect the family's reputation. Lee agrees to pay Garza $250 for his assistance with the extortion plan.

Lee's scheme doesn't work out exactly as he expects, and a series of events are set in motion that will lead to an outcome that should not be too surprising for regular Gunsmoke viewers given this is a John Meston story.

This is the first of two Gunsmoke appearances for noted method actress Lois Nettleton. She would return for Season 12's "The Returning." Nettleton is outstanding in this role as the beleaguered Nina Sharkey.

William Windom plays the Lee Sharkey character. Windom, one of the more prominent character actors of the 1960s and '70s, excelled at playing this kind of overly dramatic slimeball type.

Actor Ron Foster portrays the Jim Garza character. Foster can be seen in several different television roles during his extensive acting career, but many of the parts were small. He is likely one of the few (if not the ONLY) of the Gunsmoke guests that also appeared in an episode of Sesame Street. This is Foster's second and final Gunsmoke role.

The usually menacing Johnny Seven appears here as a gunfighter named Harry Blucher. Seven's only other Gunsmoke participation was as one of Mace Gore's gang in Season 11's memorable "Seven Hours to Dawn."

This is the first of three episodes in the series directed by Tay Garnett. Garnett directed a number of highly regarded films in the 1930s and 1940s, including the original The Postman Always Rings Twice with John Garfield and Lana Turner and 1949's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court with Bing Crosby. With the increasing popularity of television in the 1950s and '60s, Garnett turned his talents toward that medium.

There are a couple of scenes that feature those endearing little touches often included in Gunsmoke episodes. The opening scene where Chester Goode tears the cloth on the pool table while Doc Adams is watching is one example. The other is later in the story when Matt Dillon and Chester are sitting with Kitty Russell in Delmonico's, and Matt and Chester order breakfast.

There is also a great exchange between Matt Dillon and Harry Blucher shortly after Blucher arrives in Dodge.

Matt (approaching Blucher in front of the Dodge House): "Blucher." Blucher: "Marshal." Matt: "Where you from?" Blucher: "Colorado. Pueblo." Matt (nodding): "Mm hm. Well that's not far. You ought to be back there in a week." Blucher: "What are you saying?" Matt: "I'm saying if you get on that horse and ride, you'll be there in time for church next Sunday." Blucher: "I don't go to church, Marshal." Matt: "Yeah, I bet you don't."

While the outcome of this story should not surprise viewers, the journey to the end contains some clever surprises and plenty of Meston's trademark tragedy. This is another example of an intriguing story with an outstanding cast and excellent performances.

An anxious young woman named Linda Bell is in the town of Pawnee. The woman is boarding the stagecoach bound for Dodge City. Jim Buck introduces himself as the regular driver on the Pawnee to Dodge City run. The woman is shocked when she goes to board the coach and discovers Matt Dillon is already inside. It seems the Marshal has been on the trail for several days and exhausted a horse getting to Pawnee. He is taking the stage back to Dodge.

A menacing looking drunk bloke named Joe Bassett boards the same stagecoach. As they begin the trek to Dodge, Bassett begins to harass the woman. Matt, who is trying to get some sleep, tells the man to leave Linda alone, but the man continues his harassment. The Marshal tells Buck to stop the stage, and he makes Bassett ride alongside the driver.

As they resume the journey, Matt talks with the young woman and learns she is 17 years old and has run away from home. She met a man named Lou Paxon in St. Louis, and she plans to meet him in Dodge where they intend to marry.

When the stage arrives in Dodge, Linda and Paxon are reunited. Marshal Dillon introduces Chester Goode to Linda, and she introduces Matt and Chester to Paxon. Linda tells her fiancé about the incident on the stage with Bassett. Paxon's reaction when he sees Bassett is odd, and the Marshal becomes suspicious the two men are already acquainted.

Matt visits the Long Branch Saloon and sees Miss Bell working there as one of the "saloon girls." He questions Kitty Russell, who explains Paxon brought Linda to the saloon and insisted she get a job. Kitty did not want Linda to work at either the Texas Trail or the Lady Gay, where she would presumably be subjected to rougher treatment and would be away from Kitty's watchful eye, so she agreed to allow the young lady to work at the Long Branch.

(Kitty's mention of the other two saloons implies they are the only two saloons in Dodge City at the time other than the Long Branch. This is interesting because a few other saloons had been mentioned in previous episodes and would be named in later episodes. The radio show mentions even more saloons in the town. Of course, it is possible some of the businesses did not last. Viewers of the later seasons of the show will recall the Long Branch and the Bull's Head appear to be the only two saloons in town.)

Matt is faced with the challenges of trying to protect Linda Bell while also getting to the root of the mystery regarding Paxon and Bassett.

The characters Linda Bell, Lou Paxon, and Joe Bassett are played by a trio of Gunsmoke first timers. Myrna Fahey portrays Linda Bell. Although her character is supposed to be 17 years old, Fahey was 25 when this episode aired. Fahey appeared in several different television shows including Superman, Bachelor Father, Thriller, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6, as well as different Westerns during her career that spanned almost twenty years. She was only 40 years old when she died of cancer in 1973.

Ed Kemmer (credited as Edward Kemmer) starred as Commander Buzz Corry in the series Space Patrol in the early-to-middle 1950s. The remainder of his career consisted of guest roles in television dramas and soap operas and a few parts in low-budget sci-fi movies like 1958's The Spider. Kemmer fills the role of Lou Paxon.

Former wrester Aaron Saxon is the Joe Bassett character in this episode, and he certainly fits the role of a heavy with his bald head, bushy mustache, and steely glare. Saxon's acting career was relatively short lived. While Saxon could assuredly play the part of an intimidating brute, he wasn't the best at playing a drunk.

Robert Brubaker reprises his Jim Buck character in this episode. The character was often seen as a stagecoach driver that frequented Dodge City in the early years of Gunsmoke. Brubaker played eight different characters over the twenty year run of the series. In the later years, he played Floyd, the bartender at the Long Branch Saloon.

This highlight of this episode is James Arness's portrayal of Marshal Matt Dillon. He shows great range as he transitions from showing kindness and compassion to the young teenager to using a stern hand with a rude, belligerent drunk, to employing his best sleuthing skills as he seeks to uncover the mysterious relationship between Paxon and Bassett. This episode is a great example of Arness's growth as an actor during his time on Gunsmoke.

Other than fine performances by Arness and Fahey, there isn't that much compelling about this episode. Although the viewer is kept in the dark about the details of the mystery, the revelation is not much of a surprise.

Side note 1: For many seasons, the titles of Gunsmoke episodes were not widely publicized. It was only in later seasons the name of the episode was shown on screen at the beginning. It was not unusual for the writer of these earlier episodes - usually John Meston - to employ some relatively clever wordplay when naming the story. In this case, the name "Innocent Broad," which refers, of course, to the Linda Bell character, is a play on Mark Twain's famous travel book The Innocents Abroad.

Side note 2: This episode does not begin with the usual scene from the thirty-minute episodes where Matt Dillon walks around Boot Hill with voice-over commentary related to his job as U. S. Marshal.

A Dodge City businessman named Herb Sawyer is found hanging from a rafter in his office. The initial assumption everyone makes is that Sawyer committed suicide, but as Matt investigates further, he concludes Sawyer was murdered. Matt wants everyone to assume Sawyer killed himself in the hopes the murderer will not feel threatened and reveal himself.

Subsequently, the Marshal sees Mel Tucker purchasing new clothing as Tucker intends to marry Cora Bell, an older, worn-looking woman that recently began working for Kitty Russell at the Long Branch Saloon. Matt is instantly suspicious because Tucker does not have a job or any known means of support. Tucker is placed under arrest and jailed.

Meanwhile, a stranger named Dan Dresslar meets Cora at the Long Branch, and they discuss her relationship with Tucker. Cora reveals that she is marrying Tucker more out of desperation than anything. (It is difficult to understand what future Cora thinks she will have with a man who does not work and has no prospects.)

When another businessman is found hanging while Tucker is incarcerated, Matt is forced to release Tucker. Dillon returns the $300 that was in Tucker's profession when he was arrested.

The normally insanely jealous Tucker and his bride-to-be Cora begin to pal around with Dresslar. When Kitty Russell reveals that Mel and Cora have delayed their marriage because they are broke, Matt figures out the mystery of the murders.

Actor Luis Van Rooten makes his single Gunsmoke appearance as the Mel Tucker character. Van Rooten, who was a master of dialects, had a fairly prolific career in films in the 1940s and early 1950s. With the growing popularity of television, Van Rooten made the transition to several guest starring roles in television dramas in the 1950s and 1960s.

Zina Provendie plays Cora Bell in this story in her sole Gunsmoke role. Provendie's acting career was short lived with only a few television guest starring appearances and a couple of small film roles.

Robert Osterloh also makes his only Gunsmoke appearance in this episode. He plays Dan Dresslar. Osterloh is one of those vaguely familiar faces seen in numerous television shows of the 1950s and '60s.

The Matt Dillon character's detective skills are on full display in this unique story, and John Meston's script keeps the viewer in suspense until all is revealed at the end of another solid Gunsmoke installment.

As Doc Adams, Matt Dillon, and Chester Goode are engaging in banter on the Dodge City streets, an ornery, grumpy cowboy named Gil Choate approaches on horseback. He is looking for a doctor to accompany him back to a campsite outside the town where some drovers are camped. Choate refuses to reveal the reason a doctor is needed.

After hearing the exchange between Doc and Choate, Marshal Dillon decides he and Chester should accompany the doctor on this adventure. Matt, Chester, and Doc follow the cowboy to the camp.

Upon arrival at the campsite, the trio encounters Kin Talley, the trail boss. Tally tells Matt there is no longer any need for a doctor. Doc confirms this when he examines a man who has died from a gunshot wound to the back. The Marshal questions Talley about the details of the shooting, but the obstinate trail boss refuses to reveal anything he knows about the situation. Marshal Dillon warns Talley that if he and his men continue to refuse to cooperate with the investigation, he will close Front Street in Dodge so Talley and his men will not be able to enjoy themselves in the town.

When word spreads of Dillon's intentions to close Front Street, several businessmen from the town confront the Marshal and implore him not to take such drastic actions. They argue that closing Front Street to the cowboys will not only mean they lose the money those men would spend, but other groups might choose to avoid Dodge. Matt disagrees and refuses to back down.

When a group of the cowboys led by Choate arrive in town, they find everything closed just as Marshal Dillon promised. Later, Talley arrives at the Marshal's office with an obviously beaten, older man named Sam Peeples. Talley claims Peeples is responsible for murdering the dead cowboy. After questioning the poor old man, Matt is convinced Peeples is being used as a scapegoat.

Veteran actor Allan Lane is excellent in the Kin Talley role. This is the first of three Gunsmoke appearances for Lane. The actor began his career as a leading man in films in the 1930s and 1940s. In the mid 1940s, he found success playing heroic characters in Saturday afternoon matinee Westerns. As television became more popular in the 1950s, Lane made the easy transition to that medium.

Clarke Gordon (billed as Clark Gordon) appears in his only Gunsmoke role as the Gil Choate character. This role takes place relatively early in what would be a prolific career for the actor, who was active well into the 1990s.

This is the fourth appearance in the series by Ned Glass, who plays Sam Peeples in this episode. Glass would return for another five episodes in the series.

Watch for a couple of small, notable roles in this episode. John Mitchum plays a character named Bob who in involved in a scene in the Long Branch Saloon. Mitchum was the younger brother of Robert Mitchum. This is the third of seven Gunsmoke appearances for the actor.

Stanford Repp appears as Mr. Hightower, the leader of the group of Dodge City businessmen. Repp played in many different television shows during his career. He was perhaps best known for playing Gotham City Police Chief O'Hara in the Batman series. Incidentally, both Mitchum and Repp appeared in Batman. Repp appeared in a total of five different Gunsmoke episodes.

This episode contains plot elements from a couple of earlier Gunsmoke entries. Season One's "How to Die for Nothing" includes a Texas trail boss who refuses to cooperate with Marshal Dillon and holds anything in Kansas with great disdain. In that episode, trail boss Jacklin goes to far as to threaten to terrorize Dodge City unless Matt releases one of his men. Season Two's "The Round Up" features a situation where Matt closes Front Street, and a group of local businessmen plot to kill the Marshal.

This story highlights the problems so-called cattle towns in the Old West faced when drovers would arrive with their herds. Trail bosses and the trail hands that worked for them pretty much operated as autonomous entities with their own rules and enforcement of those rules. When the trail bosses clashed with local law enforcement, such as is the case in this story, the situation could easily get out of hand.

Earle Stafford runs a "laughing gas show" in Dodge City. For twenty-five cents, people can watch Stafford administer nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, to people and the audience watches the results. When Cloud Marsh, one of the ornery Marsh brothers, attends the show, the audience is anxious for see what effect the gas has on Marsh. The citizens of Dodge are accustomed to the Marsh brothers bullying everyone they can.

Laughing gas exhibitions were quite popular in the first half of the 19th Century. In the early 1800s, an enterprising man named Samuel Colt made enough money from his traveling nitrous oxide shows that he was able to fund the development of the "Colt Revolving Gun" from the profits. The popularity of the shows waned after the mid-1800s, but there are accounts of such shows continuing well into the days of Vaudeville.

Cloud Marsh is furious when the audience at the show are amused by the effects of the laughing gas on him. Cloud is so incensed he and his brothers ambush Stafford later, beat him mercilessly, and leave him unconscious and near death.

Doc Adams treats Stafford, but he does not know if Stafford will survive the beating or not. When Matt Dillon begins to investigate, he discovers Stafford is actually a gunfighter whose name was once Ernie Stubblefield. When the Marshal tries to convince Mrs. Stafford to identify the Marsh brothers as the perpetrators of her husband's beating, she refuses. She wants to leave Dodge as soon as her husband is able. Her husband changed his name in the hopes of putting his old gunfighter life behind him, and she wants to avoid any opportunity for him to pick up his old guns again.

Prolific actress June Dayton has the most screen time of all the guest stars in this episode. She portrays Mrs. Stafford. This is Dayton's first Gunsmoke role, but she would appear in three more episodes in Seasons Nine, Ten, and Sixteen. The Season Nine appearance is in the episode "Bentley," which is notable because it is the last appearance of the Chester Goode character in the series.

The character Earl Stafford is played by Dean Harens. Like Dayton, Harens had an extensive acting career, mostly in television dramas. Harens and Dayton were husband and wife in real life, too. This performance is the only Gunsmoke role Harens played.

Little known actor Val Benedict portrays Cloud Marsh. This is Benedict's only Gunsmoke appearance. His acting career consisted primarily of one-time appearances in television Westerns between 1956 and 1962. Benedict is a weak element in this story, as he simply is not a very convincing actor.

This episode features several small roles and uncredited extras. Cyril Delevanti appears with his distinctive wrinkled, smiling face and English accent in one short scene where he is credited as "Old Man."

Jess Kirkpatrick makes another appearance as the Dodge City barber Mr. Teeters. Here Mr. Teeters is one of the participants in Stafford's show.

Watch closely for James Nusser in an uncredited role as a mustachioed character Marshal Dillon addresses as Ranson. Ranson, like the Louie Pheeters character Nusser would later play, is obviously given to over consumption of alcohol.

"Laughing Gas" is a rare episode in the early seasons of Gunsmoke where John Meston was not involved. This is the one writing credit in the series for James Fonda. Other than this one episode of Gunsmoke, Fonda's other writing credits included only the comedies Dennis the Menace and Hazel, both shows Fonda produced.

The Marsh brothers characters highlight the absence of John Meston's influence. Meston's villains are often brutally cruel with no redeeming qualities. The Marsh brothers never reach that level of nastiness. Perhaps this is due to Benedict's inexperience.

This is an intriguing story based on the familiar premise of a notorious gunfighter who wants to escape his reputation, but Fonda includes enough twists in the story to keep things interesting. Dayton is excellent as the devoted wife who wants to protect her husband. Doc's reveal in the Marshal's office at the end of the show is unexpected, and the look on James Arness's face as the episode ends is a nice touch.

Season Three of Gunsmoke continues its distinctive trait of stories with darker themes with this fine episode.

Faro dealer Dan Clell and his wife Flora arrive in Dodge City. Faro was a popular gambling card game in the Old West. Faro dealers would usually pay saloon proprietors rent for the space to run their games. It was not unusual for law enforcement officials to run Faro games as a method of making additional income. Supposedly, John "Doc" Holliday ran a Faro game in Tombstone, Arizona during his time there. Faro fell out of favor, possibly due to the fact the game lended itself to cheating by both the dealers and the players. Over time, poker became the more popular game.

(Upon meeting Clell, Kitty Russell tells him she will only allow an honest game in the Long Branch Saloon. Clell is mildly insulted and tells Kitty he only deals an honest game. This exchange is a clear reference to the tendency for Faro dealers to cheat.)

When the normally mild mannered town drunk named Tom Cassidy sees Clell, Cassidy attempts to hit Clell with a whiskey bottle. In his drunken state, Cassidy ends up on the worst end of the exchange. Clell warns Cassidy he will be killed the next time he tries to attack Clell.

Clell wants to be the Faro dealer at the Long Branch. After Kitty Russell witnesses Clell's behavior toward Flora and Cassidy, she has reservations, but the Long Branch needs a Faro dealer. Kitty reluctantly agrees to allow Clell to work at the saloon.

Flora, who is much younger than her husband, is clearly in an undesirable situation with Clell. She tells Kitty and Matt Dillon she has known Clell for most of her life, and they married about a year earlier. Whenever Clell addresses his wife, he is rude, menacing, and possessive. Kitty and Matt learn she is unhappy and wants to get away from the man.

As the story progresses, two converging threads emerge. One part of the story concerns Kitty's and Matt's efforts to see that Flora gains her freedom from Clell's domination. The other portion concerns the mystery of Tom Cassidy's stubborn pursuit of Clell.

This episode once again features an extremely strong cast. John Dehner, who last appeared in the Season Three debut episode, plays the pitiable Tom Cassidy character in this installment. This appearance marks the fifth of twelve total appearances Dehner made in the series. Dehner is one of the greatest character actors of all time, and his range is on full display here. He could play pathetic drunks, as he does here, but he could also play menacing gunfighters, comedy roles, and scheming businessmen equally convincingly.

Ross Martin makes the first of two Gunsmoke appearances with his portrayal of Dan Clell in this story. Martin often played scheming, villainous characters in his extensive acting career, but he is best known for his role as the clever Artemus Gordon on The Wild Wild West series in the mid and late 1960s.

Peggy McCay plays Flora in this story. This is her first Gunsmoke role. She would not make another appearance in the series until Season Sixteen. Although the Flora character is supposed to be quite young in this episode, McCay was 31 at the time, only seven years younger than Ross Martin. According to the story, Clell was an adult when Flora was born.

Another familiar face in this episode is Barney Phillips, who appears for the second time in the series, but this is his first portrayal of Bill Pence, the co-owner of the Long Branch Saloon with Kitty. Phillips appeared in eight different Gunsmoke episodes, but only four where he played Pence.

Roxane Berard, an actress who was frequently compared to Audrey Hepburn, makes a brief appearance as Dorey, a woman who seems to have some romantic interest in Chester Goode. This is Berard's only Gunsmoke role. She was quite busy in television in the 1960s, but she pretty much quit acting after several television appearances in the mid 1960s with only an appearance in the series Get Smart in 1967 and a guest part in the series Bracken's World in 1970 after 1965.

The opening scene is where Chester and Dorey flirt with one another. Chester plays the guitar and sings a song at Miss Kitty's request.

"Bottleman" is another solid, dark John Meston story. (IMDB identifies Sam Peckinpah as the uncredited writer of the screenplay.) The Flora character is vintage Meston, as he often portrayed the Old West as a brutal, hostile environment for women.

An interesting tidbit in this story includes Matt's failure to capture an outlaw he was pursuing. He admits he even killed his horse in the process. He is forced to return to Dodge City on a stagecoach. Kitty makes a remark about him returning empty handed, to which Matt replies, "It's not the first time."

It is not surprising the highlight of this installment is Dehner's performance. It stands out even among the other outstanding performances in the episode. Dehner's Gunsmoke resume was extensive. He appeared as various characters in a large percentage of the radio broadcasts, as well as the twelve appearances in the television series.

Three ranchers - Jake Kaiser, Jim Duval, and Tom Benson - hang one of their neighbors - Frank Tilman - for horse stealing. They caught Tilman with some stolen horses, but Tilman insists he found the horses roaming on the prairie. Kaiser, who acts as the leader of the three men, does not believe Tilman.

After the hanging is complete, they see Bill Jennings approaching. Jennings tells the three ranchers he saw Tilman rounding up the horses on the prairie, thereby proving Tilman was telling the truth.

Kaiser rides to the Tilman farm and informs Tilman's wife and son he and his rancher friends mistakenly killed their husband and father. (The title of the episode comes from a statement Kaiser makes after telling Mrs. Tilman and Clabe, the son, what transpired.) Kaiser's matter of fact, dismissive demeanor lends a decidedly chilling air to the scene. He even hands Frank's pistol over to Clabe and then walks away.

A cowboy found Tilman hanging from the tree, rode into Dodge City, and told Matt Dillon about finding the body. (It was customary when horse thieves were lynched to leave the body hanging as a warning to others of the perils of theft. However, even after Kaiser, Duval, and Benson discover Tilman did not steal the horses, they callously and cruelly left the body hanging!) The Marshal rides to the Tilman ranch, but Clabe and Mrs. Tilman live by some sort of code where they refuse to tell Matt who was involved in the lynching.

Michael Hinn makes his third Gunsmoke appearance in this episode as Frank Tilman. Hinn had previously played larger roles in his two earlier appearances in Season 2. Hinn can be seen in numerous other Westerns and television dramas.

Virginia Gregg appears for the first time in a Gunsmoke episode as Mrs. Tilman. She would eventually appear in six additional installments of the series. Any fan of classic television will recognize Gregg from her prolific television career.

Like Gregg, Bartlett Robinson is another recognizable face from classic television, and, also like Gregg, he appeared in seven different Gunsmoke episodes, including this one. All his guest-starring roles took place during Season 2 - 5 of the series.

Kevin Hagen is another classic television veteran that appears in this story as the Bill Jennings character. Hagen is only seen briefly here, but he would play more significant roles in some of his additional six appearances in the series. Hagen is perhaps best known for playing Dr. Hiram Baker in the Little House on the Prairie series and some of the Little House movies.

In keeping with the theme of seven Gunsmoke appearances, actor Herbert Lytton returns to Gunsmoke for the fifth time. He plays the Tom Benson character in this episode. He would return for two more episodes in later seasons. Craig Duncan plays Jim Duval in his first appearance in the series. He, too, would return twice more as a guest.

Folk singer Weston Gavin plays the part of Clabe Tilman in his only Gunsmoke role. (The part is credited to James Kevin, a name Gavin often used early in his acting career.) Although Gavin appeared in several different acting roles, he is better known for his music.

Season 3 contains its share of darker stories, "Potato Road" and "The Cabin" are two of the more extreme examples, but this story certainly casts a somber pall over the proceedings and is a quite memorable episode with a strong cast. Robinson's portrayal of Kaiser is particularly noteworthy as he acts as though hanging someone by mistake is no worse than accidentally stepping on someone's foot. ("I said I was sorry!")

The bigger theme of independent residents in the area refusing to inform on others is addressed in other episodes of the series.

Newlyweds Tom and Tilda Cook arrive in Dodge City with plans to settle there. Tom has a job in the stock pens. Tom is, by his own admission, "hot-headed," especially when it comes to Tilda. Tilda is quite attractive, and Tom does not appreciate it when other men focus their attention on her.

When a former gunfighter named Ed Ivers recognizes Tilda from her days working The Memphis Queen riverboat (usually similar to being a "saloon girl," which implies she was either a prostitute, or a card sharp, or both, although Tilda tells Kitty she only did some singing and hustled drinks during her time on The Memphis Queen), he begins harassing her. When Tom later encounters Ivers in the Long Branch Saloon, Ivers is brutally explicit about knowing Tilda when she worked the riverboat. Tom is understandably incensed. Tom and Ivers exchange heated words and agree to meet the next day in a gunfight.

When Tilda tells Tom that Ivers is correct about her working on The Memphis Queen in the past, Tom is heartbroken.

The cast for this episode is a treasure trove of familiar faces from television during this period. James Drury makes his fourth and final appearance in a Gunsmoke episode. Drury often appeared in television Westerns before beginning his iconic role as The Virginian on the series of that name.

The role of Tilda is played by Jan Shepard in her second Gunsmoke part. Her series debut was only a few episodes earlier in Season 6's "Tall Trapper." She returned to the series twice more.

Familiar tough guy George Keymas marks his Gunsmoke debut as gunfighter Ivers. His sidekick, Varden, is played by Ron Hayes in a smaller role. This was the third of eight roles Hayes played in Gunsmoke episodes. A couple of his more memorable parts on the show was the lead character named Jud in Season 8's "I Call Him Wonder" and as a train passenger on the two-part "Snow Train" episode in Season 16.

Robert Brubaker shows up in an early scene as the recurring character Jim Buck, who drives a stagecoach that frequents Dodge City. Brubaker can be seen in 29 different Gunsmoke episodes. In the earlier seasons, he often played this Jim Buck character. In later seasons, he played Floyd, the bartender at the Long Branch that took Sam Noonan's place after the death of Glenn Strange.

Speaking of Glenn Strange, he makes a very brief appearance in this episode presumably as Sam Noonan. Late in the episode, he is standing at the bar in the Long Branch when Ivers and Varden enter and it appears trouble may begin with Tom Cook, Kitty Russell addresses Sam by name and tells him to go get Marshal Dillon.

In the scene where Tom and Chester Goode are drinking beers in the Long Branch and engage in a confrontation with Ivers and Varden, regular Gunsmoke extra Cactus Mack (his real name was Taylor McPeters) can be seen in the background drinking at the bar. Mack appeared in a whopping 61 episodes of Gunsmoke in Seasons 3 through 7. Most of those appearances were uncredited. His last appearance in the series was in Season 7's one-hour "Marry Me" episode where he plays a major, memorable role as the patriarch of the Cathcart family. Don Dubbins and Warren Oates play his sons. Unfortunately, the actor passed away shortly after he played that role.

The Kitty Russell character makes an interesting comment during a conversation with Tilda. She tells Tilda she would gladly give up her nice room and stake in the Long Branch if she could find a husband..."I mean a good one."

There are a couple of stories in play in this installment. The primary story is essentially the love story between Tom and Tilda. The secondary story is the conflict that arises between Tom and Ivers. Neither plot element is particularly unique, compelling, or profound. This is one of those episodes where the acting outshines the material the actors were given.

Husband and wife Jeff and Kate Kinsman live near Dodge City. Kate is unhappy, neglected, and bored. Jeff is overbearing and dismissive. Kate manufactures strife between her husband and another local resident, bachelor and "ladies man" Ed Dolliver (credited as "Delliver"), by telling her husband the neighbor was flirting with her at the general store where Dolliver was purchasing a Sharps rifle. Kinsman and Dolliver engage in a bit of verbal sparring, and Kinsman threatens Dolliver with a knife before Matt Dillon can intervene and prevent any bloodshed.

When Jeff is shot and killed with a Sharps rifle on the prairie the next day, Dolliver immediately becomes the prime suspect. However, Marshal Dillon is not so sure the case is as open-and-shut as the circumstantial evidence would indicate.

John Anderson appears for the third time in a Gunsmoke episode as the Ed Dolliver character. This is his only appearance in Season Five. He would return to the series an additional nine times, with his last participation in Season Eighteen's "Kimbro."

Florence MacMichael makes her only Gunsmoke appearance as Kate Kinsman. Fans of The Andy Griffith Show may remember MacMichael as Barney Fife's romantic interest in the first season of that series. She portrayed Winnie Kirkwood in the series Mr. Ed for several episodes over a couple of seasons.

Veteran character actor George Mitchell makes the first of two Gunsmoke appearances as the Jeff Kinsman character.

Annie Oakley was a famous sharpshooter who was a major attraction in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The title of this episode is "Annie Oakley," which essentially eliminates any mystery regarding the story. It should be noted, however, the episode names were not displayed on screen during the early seasons of the show. It is possible a viewer of this episode would not be aware of the title.

MacMichael, Anderson, and Mitchell all turn in first-rate performances. While there is some mystery at play, it is not especially difficult for the viewer to solve. There are a couple of hints provided in the early altercation between Kinsman and Dolliver, and the episode title is a significant spoiler.

One of the things I enjoy most about the Gunsmoke series is the way the writers would weave in subtle humor and highlight character traits. The scenes where Old West "foodie" Chester Goode is complaining about Dolliver's coffee and fantasizing about food are classic.

This story explores a familiar John Meston theme about the brutality of life on the prairie, especially for women, in the Old West. It also highlights a common Meston device where a woman is the primary influence for all of the events in the story. Clara and Bart Felder live on the prairie outside Dodge City. Their marriage is hardly ideal, as the couple clearly despise one another.

Clara is so fed up with her life, she begins to think of ways to rid herself of her husband. She is cheating on Bart with a man named Murph Moody, who Bart happens to consider his best friend. (Bart and Murph's friendship recalls the old adage, "With friends like that, who needs enemies?") She shares her idea with Murph about killing Bart, presumably so she and Murph can be together, although it is not entirely clear whether she truly wants to be with Murph, or she is simply looking for someone to kill Bart. Murph even poses this question at one point.

This story becomes quite complex with the introduction of a peddler, a murder witnessed by Louie Pheeters, a scheme to murder Louie, and a friendship betrayal. Matt Dillon is challenged with solving the complex mystery when it looks like Louie may have committed murder.

There is a curious aspect to this story when Marshal Dillon offers Louie a job working around the Marshal's office cleaning and helping with prisoners with the understanding he stops drinking. Since this is the exact job Chester Goode normally performs -- and since Chester is absent in this story -- it makes it seem as though Chester is no longer working for the Marshal.

Although this is speculation on my part, I have a theory about Dennis Weaver's absence and the reason Matt offers Louie the job. While this episode airs as the 17th episode of Season 8, it was actually the second episode shot for the season. The Chester Goode character is absent from each of the first nine episodes shot in Season 8: (in production order) "False Front," "Louie Pheeters," "Panacea Sykes," "Collie's Free," "Us Haggens," "Call Me Dodie," "Jenny," "The Search," and "The Trappers." Dennis Weaver returns for the 10th episode shot, which is "Root Down." It is well known that Weaver explored leaving the show before his final departure in Season 9. I suspect the episodes shot early in Season 8 included one of those times where Weaver was away, and the producers were not assured of his return.

This episode marks the 15th appearance by James Nusser in the Gunsmoke series. It is the eighth episode where he portrays the Louie Pheeters character, but it is the first where the character is featured as such a integral part of the script.

John Larkin, who portrayed Perry Mason in the radio version of that show, plays the Murph Moody character in his only Gunsmoke role. Familiar character actor Woodrow Parfrey also makes his only appearance in the series as the peddler. Larry Ward portrays Bart Felder in the first of four appearances in the series.

Ted Jordan makes his sixth appearance in the series in a small part. Jordan would later join the cast as the character Nathan Burke.

Gloria McGehee fills the role of Clara Felder in her third and final Gunsmoke appearance. McGehee left Hollywood shortly after this episode was filmed and returned to her home in Mississippi where her father had been a U. S. Representative and her family owned a large ranch. She died suddenly of a heart attack soon afterward.

This Gunsmoke installment provides some interesting twists and turns. Although the viewer knows what is going on, it is interesting to watch Matt Dillon piece together the puzzle. While this is not Nusser's first appearance as Louie Pheeters, it solidly establishes the character as part of the beloved ensemble that helped make Gunsmoke so fascinating.

The primary theme of Louie Pheeters being charged with a crime he did not commit when he was too drunk to remember what happened is similar to the premise of the Season 7 episode "The Gallows," although that story involves a different character and has a very different story arc. The same situation with Louie would be explored again in Season 15's "A Matter of Honor."

Three filthy, rag-tag buffalo hunters and their cook are camping on the prairie. They are drinking from a jug, and one of the men, the buffalo skinner named Emmett Dooley, is drunk and rowdy. At some point he "falls asleep." When he wakes, Colpitt, the leader of the group, and the cook are preparing to break camp. Colpitt accuses Dooley of killing Faber -- the other hunter -- the previous night. Colpitt leaves Dooley alone on the prairie.

Dooley does not remember shooting Faber, but he accepts Colpitt's account of the events. The despondent buffalo hunter walks to Dodge City and turns himself into Matt Dillon. Marshal Dillon is understandably skeptical of Dooley's account of the events.

Matt, Chester Goode, and Doc Adams ride to where the buffalo hunters were camped. They find Faber's body buried there, but he was stabbed to death instead of being shot as Dooley thinks.

Matt becomes convinced Colpitt killed Faber. After returning to Dodge, he releases Dooley from jail. He tells Dooley not to leave town in the hopes that Colpitt will be lured there. Poor old Dooley remains convinced he killed Faber and should be in jail.

Strother Martin returns for his fourth Gunsmoke appearance. He is the central character in this story as the slow-witted Emmett Dooley character.

Familiar actor Ken Lynch makes the third of twelve Gunsmoke appearances as he plays the devious Colpitt character in this story.

Ben Wright makes his first Gunsmoke appearance as Mr. Ross, a store owner in Dodge. Wright would play the same character once more in a Season 9 episode. Wright appeared in eleven different Gunsmoke episodes, but he only played the store owner in two of those stories. The Cal Ross character first appeared back in Season 1, but was originally played by actor Lou Vernon. It was never made clear if Ross's store and Mr. Jonas's stores were in competition, or if it was the same store that was operated by different people. Over the course of the series, there were several different store owners in Dodge City.

James Nusser, who would eventually begin playing the character Louie Pheeters in the series, makes an appearance as the cook, Nelson. Viewers must watch very closely to see him. He is easy to miss.

Martin's performance as Dooley is the focus of this episode. Dooley is a unique character -- insane when drunk, friendly when sober, of questionable intelligence, with a tendency toward brutal honesty. His conviction that he is a killer that belongs in jail is both pitiful and mildly amusing, as is his repeatedly asking Matt if it would be okay for him to stop by and visit the Marshal.

It is easy to understand some viewers being overwhelmed by Martin's performance. The character is supposed to be a person that exhibits personality extremes, and Martin plays the part to the hilt.

This series entry is another tragedy featuring several trademark John Meston elements. Dooley is a character that elicits the viewer's sympathy, while Colpitt is more of a traditional Meston amoral creation. As far as Colpitt is concerned, other humans are disposable once they have provided whatever service he needs. The Dooley character provides the sacrificial balance of justice to Colpitt's evil.

A highlight of the episode is the scene inside Ross's store where Kitty Russell and Matt discuss her hat. This scene is further evidence of the unspoken romantic relationship that exists between Matt and Kitty. They sound more like a married couple than a friendly man and woman.

Matt Dillon is traveling from Hays City to Dodge City when he is caught in a blizzard. He finds a cabin where he can take shelter, but the cabin is already inhabited by Hack and Alvy, two murdering, bank-robbing, sadistic psychopaths, and Belle, a woman who lived in the cabin with her father until Hack and Alvy killed him.

Belle tries to help Matt obscure his status as a U. S. Marshal. When Hack finds out Matt's position, he promises to punish Belle by banishing her outside in the blizzard. He devises a plan to kill Marshal Dillon by hitting him in the head and then dumping his body somewhere on the plains, so it appears he was thrown by his horse and froze to death.

This episode features a small, stellar cast. Claude Akins guest stars for the third time in a Gunsmoke episode. He portrays the "leader" of the duo, Hack. It should be no surprise that Akins is appropriately mean and menacing in the role. He fits the role well. Akins appeared in ten Gunsmoke episodes.

Harry Dean Stanton (credited as Dean Stanton, as he often was earlier in his career) makes the first of his eight Gunsmoke appearances with his performance in this episode as the slow-witted Alvy.

Patricia Barry also makes her series debut in this story as Belle. She would return for another two episodes after the series expanded to one-hour episodes.

Occasionally, Gunsmoke ventured into what could be considered the horror genre, and this episode is one example. A familiar premise in horror films is someone or some group seeks help or shelter somewhere not knowing the people there are deranged psychopaths. Hack and Alvy are monsters with no redeemable qualities.

Hack abuses Belle physically and verbally. It is clear the abuse extends well beyond the events depicted in the episode. Note when Belle warns Hack the food she is preparing will be ruined by being overcooked, he tells her to shut up. Later, when she serves the food, he complains about the lousy quality.

Meston adds a touch of sick, almost Tarantino-esque humor when Alvy is talking about his past. (Incidentally, Tarantino's film The Hateful Eight, while thematically quite different, shares some plot elements with this Gunsmoke episode.) He mentions he is the only member of his family "that turned out any good." Hack replies, "You done fine, Alvy. Just fine." It is worth noting that Harry Dean Stanton would later work with the unconventional director David Lynch. It is easy to imagine Stanton's Alvy character in an episode of Twin Peaks or in one of Lynch's films.

(The radio version of this story is far more graphic than the television episode. Alvy is described as more of a freakish character, and the monstrous duo is even more cruel, if possible. Matt says of Alvy, "Too much of him was missing." Since the action cannot be seen, it is described in some graphic details.)

Gunsmoke does not get darker, more disturbing, and surreal than this story, which means the episode may not be suitable for everyone. The first twenty minutes of the episode inside that cabin are the stuff of nightmares.

With that caveat, this episode is a highlight of the entire series. Season 3 of Gunsmoke features some of the most dark stories of the full twenty year run of the series. They do not get any darker than this.

Matt Dillon's horse has been injured by a thorn in a hoof. While he is tending to the horse, Yorky, a boy who is also on foot after his horse was injured, approaches. Yorky tells Marshal Dillon he is trying to find his father, who was abducted by two men the previous night. Matt sends Yorky to Dodge City to ask Chester Goode to return with some fresh horses.

Meanwhile, Webb Cutter and his partner Rourke have taken Kelly out on the prairie with the intention of leaving him stranded to die of thirst and starvation. Cutter claims he has been having an affair with Kelly's wife, and they intend to sell Kelly's ranch and split the proceeds three ways between Cutter, Rourke, and Kelly's wife.

Matt subsequently finds the cabin Yorky shares with his father and stepmother. Yorky had already warned Matt that Hattie, his stepmother, should not be trusted. Hattie is one of those Women of Gunsmoke with a dubious past as a saloon girl in Abilene (a nice, 1958 television way of saying she was formerly a prostitute). She married the older Kelly to escape her saloon girl life. She tells Marshal Dillon her husband had willingly accompanied the two men. Of course, Matt will soon discover she is lying and is part of the nefarious plan to eliminate her husband.

With the story taking place out on the prairie, the cast is limited. Phillip Bourneuf portrays Kelly in this story. Bourneuf's only other series appearance was as the George Bassett character in the creepy Season 2 episode "Legal Revenge."

Phyllis Coates portrayed Lois Lane for one season in The Adventures of Superman. In this story, she fills the role of the treacherous Hattie Kelly -- quite a departure from Lois Lane.

Familiar character actor Murray Hamilton appears in this story as Webb Cutter. This marks the second of three roles he played in consecutive seasons 2, 3, and 4.

Like Hamilton, actor/director Robert Gist makes the second of three Gunsmoke appearances in this story as the character named Rourke. Gist was once married to actress Agnes Moorehead. They divorced around the time this episode first aired. Gist had some measure of success directing episodes of noirish television shows like Peter Gunn, Naked City, Route 66, and The Untouchables. He later directed episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, Mission: Impossible, and Hawaii Five-O.

Child actor Paul Engle portrays Yorky Kelly in this story. Engle can be seen in many television shows of the late 1950s and early 1960s. This is the first of two Gunsmoke roles he filled. He was also a guest on Dragnet, The Lone Ranger, Trackdown, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Leave It to Beaver, My Three Sons, and many other shows of the time.

This is an engaging story of criminal opportunity and another John Meston interpretation of the harsh, often-lonely, isolated prairie life, especially for women. The Hattie character is clearly conniving, despicable, and willing to do whatever it takes and use whoever she needs to get what she wants. However, the reality portrayed in the story for the area and the time lends itself to a survival-of-the-fittest environment.

If not for the coincidence of Matt encountering Yorky on the prairie and the bumbling idiocy of the trio of Cutter, Rourke, and Hattie, Kelly would have died, and the criminals would have succeeded in stealing the ranch. It makes one wonder how often such incidents occurred in sparsely populated frontier areas where law enforcement was spread too thin.

Samuel Sprig and Clifton Bunker are two over-dressed -- at least for Dodge City -- writers from New York. The pair are looking for a sensational story about events in or around the town. They are disappointed to find little in the way of story material. Bunker even resorts to trying to pay an ill-tempered patron of the Long Branch Saloon to start trouble, but the cowboy tells the writer to mind his own business.

Kitty Russell introduces Matt Dillon to the writers, but Marshal Dillon is not impressed. He can see the two men are out of their element and that presents a possible source of trouble.

Matt and Chester Goode have to go to Hays City for about a week. On their way back, they encounter a group of soldiers. The Captain tells Matt they are looking for Chief Little Hawk and some Pawnee that jumped the reservation about four days earlier and are on the warpath.

Now Marshal Dillon must contend with a Pawnee uprising in addition to the ignorant reporters.

Werner Klemperer appears in his only Gunsmoke episode as Clifton Bunker. Of course, Klemperer would later become famous for playing Colonel Wilhelm Klink on the comedy series Hogan's Heroes. The Bunker character is clearly the more intelligent and scheming of the pair.

Jack Weston makes the first of two appearances in the series. In this instance, he portrays the constantly sweating, less intelligent Samuel Sprig. Sprig simply follows Bunker's lead in the pursuit of their sensational story.

Eddie Little Sky (credited as Eddie Little) appears as Chief Little Hawk in this story. The Lakota native appeared in a total of eleven Gunsmoke episodes. He often played American Indians in westerns and played various native characters in comedy roles.

The theme of a stranger (usually from "back east") causing trouble mostly out of ignorance and misplaced ambition is commonly used in television dramas and comedies. This story shares elements with Season 2's "The Photographer," although neither Bunker nor Sprig are quite as despicable as Professor Jacoby. This story is not as satisfying as "The Photographer" because the perpetrators face few consequences for their actions.

In addition to the formulaic approach to the story, the story is contrived and the details questionable. The Pawnee going on the warpath because someone desecrated their burial place sounds good on the surface, but it does not stand up to scrutiny. It would have made more sense for Bunker and Sprig to be found dead from some kind of Pawnee execution because they were caught defiling the burial grounds. Otherwise, how did Chief Little Hawk learn about the desecration? Did someone regularly check the burial place to make sure it had not been disturbed? And how did Bunker and Sprig find the burial place? Assuming it was on the Pawnee reservation, the viewer is supposed to believe these two bungling reporters with no knowledge of the culture somehow happened upon a sacred burial place without the Pawnee knowing about it.

The moral to this story is cultural misappropriation is wrong, even when it happens out of ignorance. Bunker and Sprig (especially Bunker) do not care what kind of damage their actions inflict on others -- and that damage happens to be significant. They are only interested in getting an exciting story. They do not see the people in the area they are visiting as fellow humans but objects to be used for their own desired ends.

Ben and Andy Tennis, two brothers that live on a ranch with their mother near Crooked Creek, are playing cards at the Long Branch Saloon during a visit to Dodge City. Hot tempered Andy has been losing badly and is increasingly annoyed because the dealer repeatedly refers to his youthful appearance by addressing him as "kid" and "young fella." Andy shoots and kills the unarmed dealer.

Matt arrests Andy. The next day, a shotgun-wielding woman walks into Marshal Dillon's office. She orders Marshal Dillon to release her son, or she will shoot. Matt tells Chester to release Andy, and Andy and Ma Tennis leave town.

After about a week, Matt and Chester Goode ride to the Tennis ranch where they find Ma Tennis putting the finishing touches on a grave. She tells Matt she was burying Andy. She says Ben had convinced Andy to surrender and face prosecution. Since she could not tolerate the thought of her son hanging, she shot and killed Andy. When Matt tells her she will face prosecution for murdering her son, she agrees to come into Dodge the next day.

Matt is convinced Ma Tennis did not kill her son, but he is unsure what is going on. Further investigation will reveal some surprises.

Nina Varela shines in the role of the Tennis matriarch. The opera-trained Varela spent most of her acting career on the stage and did not work extensively in films or television. She appeared twice in Gunsmoke episodes -- this installment and the Season 5 entry "Hinka Do" -- and she had parts in a handful of other television shows.

Ron Hagerthy makes his second and final appearance in the series in this story where he plays Andy Tennis. Hagerthy's career consisted primarily of guest roles on television shows. He played the character Clipper King in the series Sky King early in his career. By the late 1960s, his acting career was over.

Corey Allen, who had garnered attention when he portrayed Buzz Gunderson in the film Rebel Without a Cause, makes his only Gunsmoke appearance as Ben Tennis. Allen would become better known for his work as a director of television shows and made-for-television movies.

Once again, John Meston delivers an intriguing look at life on the prairie. At least in Meston's world, the prairie was littered with oddball, individualistic characters that lived by their own moral code and were often hardened by their experiences. Ma Tennis is one of those characters.

I would have liked to have known more about the Tennis family and how Ma Tennis gets into this mess with her sons. The thirty-minute format did not allow for that type of character development.

An eccentric loner named Olie Ridgers lives on the prairie near Turkey Bend with his pigs and mule. Ridgers feels confined when he is inside a building and prefers to live outdoors. A cowboy named Jim Branch is a close friend who lives near Ridgers, and he convinces his friend to go with him to Dodge City for a night on the town. Ridgers is reluctant, but he told Branch he would go, so he goes.

(There is a bit of a coordination issue with this story and the time and distances involved. Chester states the camp where Ridgers lives is forty miles from Dodge. Yet, Ridgers and Branch intend to ride to Dodge, spend the night, and return the next day so Ridgers can care for his hogs. A horse will typically average around four miles per hour, which would mean ten hours to Dodge and ten hours back. An overnight round trip would certainly be possible, but it would be extremely difficult on both the horse and the rider.)

In Dodge, Ridgers is nervous and tentative as he shares a meal with Branch, Chester, and Matt. He later begins to relax and enjoy himself at the Long Branch Saloon. A cowboy passing through recognizes Ridgers and tells him he noticed when he passed by his place that someone had killed his pigs and mule. Ridgers is distraught and convinced a couple of men that have repeatedly harassed him and want his land are responsible.

Matt Dillon already suspects two antagonistic men, Giles and Dever, he and Chester encountered on the trail away from Dodge City. Marshal Dillon thinks they may be responsible for the murder of a man named Bob Riley he and Chester found shot to death inside his cabin.

Ridgers goes after the men and kills one in cold blood. He understands there will be consequences for his actions, but he doesn't care. The subsequent events do not transpire quite as Ridgers expected however, and Matt Dillon finds himself amid another contentious situation.

Vaughn Taylor is outstanding as the Olie Ridgers character in this story. Taylor does not overplay the odd character -- another unique John Meston creation. The viewer can empathize with his quiet rage at the injustice done to him. The darkness of his resolve to accomplish his mission with full knowledge he will face punishment is palpable. This appearance is the first of three guest roles Taylor would play in the series.

Joe Maross was another familiar character actor in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He portrays Jim Branch in this episode, which -- like Taylor -- is the first of three appearances in the series.

Viewers are treated to another brutal, sad Meston tale of harsh life on the prairie with this entry in the Gunsmoke catalog. The unpredictability of the characters helps keep the audience guessing. Marshal Dillon fulfils his duty despite the realization that people he likes and respects will suffer as a result. The late scene in the Long Branch Saloon with Doc Adams is key to showing the inner turmoil Matt frequently faces.

Jed Gunther and his intellectually impaired younger brother Billy have made their way to Dodge City with the intention of robbing the bank. (Of all the towns scattered throughout the Midwest, why criminals would choose to rob a bank in the town where Matt Dillon is present is puzzling.)

As luck would have it, Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell had stopped at the bank on their way to Delmonico's for breakfast just before the Gunthers entered.

Note: In earlier episodes, the signage on the bank labeled it as "Botkin's Bank." In this episode, the signs read, "Dodge City Bank," and "Bank of Dodge City." However, Matt refers to it as "Botkin's Bank' early in the episode.

Second note: Kitty makes an obscure reference to eggs that have not been "water glassed." She is saying the eggs are fresh. Water glassing eggs is an old technique used to preserve eggs for an extended period by covering them in water mixed with either sodium silicate (hence, the term "water glassed") or lime. People would not have refrigerated eggs in the late 1800s, and water glassing allowed eggs to be stored for longer periods. Delmonico's must have acquired some fresh eggs, and Kitty wants to enjoy them.

The Gunthers take Kitty hostage, and Jed takes Matt's gun. He assures Matt if he attempts to follow them, he will shoot Kitty with Matt's gun. Matt faces the challenge of capturing the brothers while preventing harm to Kitty.

Bruce Gordon, who usually played a heavy of some type, makes the first of three appearances in the Gunsmoke series in this story. He portrays Jed Gunther, another of those depraved types John Meston often includes in his stories. This episode was filmed shortly before Gordon would begin playing gangster Frank Nitti on The Untouchables.

Pat Conway makes his first Gunsmoke appearance since he played a character in the early Season 1 entry "Obie Tater." Conway plays Bill Gunther in this story. Conway was starring in the series Tombstone Territory during the time this episode was produced.

William Keene takes a turn at playing Mr. Botkin in his only Gunsmoke appearance. Fans of The Andy Griffith Show will recognize Keene as the pastor of the church in Mayberry over several episodes of that series.

This story marks the first of a few different abductions for the Kitty Russell character over the course of the series. Amanda Blake does what she can with the material provided.

Unfortunately, this story is too formulaic, and it never manages to generate much in the way of suspense or intrigue. The characters are caricatures. They lack any humanity or nuance. There is never much doubt about the outcome, and even that is handled in an abrupt manner. If not for the choice Matt makes in resolving the situation, this could have been a script better suited to a series like The Lone Ranger than Gunsmoke.

Carey Post is an outlaw, and he is drunk. When he sees Matt Dillon on the Dodge City streets, he shoots and wounds the marshal before riding away. Doc Adams patches up Matt, and when he has healed, Matt and Chester Goode ride to Elkader where Matt knows Post lives.

In Elkader, Matt, who has removed his badge to prevent the people from knowing he is a U. S. Marshal, and Chester meet Cicero Grimes, the town drunk. Grimes tells them a U. S. Marshal named Joe Phy arrived in Elkader about a month earlier, and Phy has put a stop to any gunplay. Cicero warns Matt - since he looks like he might be a gunfighter - that Phy will run him out of town.

Sure enough, when Joe Phy sees Matt and Chester, he warns them against any attempts at gun fighting. He tells them he will kill them both if they try to do anything to disrupt the peace in the town. Of course, Matt knows Phy is not a U. S. Marshal, but he does not know why the motivation behind the man's act.

Matt's biggest problem is he wants to arrest Carey Post, but he knows Post will not ride into Elkader if he knows Phy is there. Marshal Dillon needs Post to think it is safe to come into town. That will entail the ending of Phy's authoritarian reign over the town.

Paul Richards returns for another Gunsmoke guest role. Richards has the distinction of being the first character to shoot Matt Dillon in the series premiere "Matt Gets It." This is the third of four appearances Richards makes in the series. He is excellent as the mysterious Joe Phy character and showing the range of characteristics -- the tough façade hiding the more vulnerable man underneath.

Morey Amsterdam makes his only Gunsmoke guest appearance as the character Cicero Grimes. Amsterdam appeared in a few different westerns prior to gaining fame playing the wise-cracking Buddy Sorrell on The Dick Van Dyke Show in the early 1960s. It is notable that Amsterdam appeared in the episode immediately following the episode where his Van Dyke co-star Rose Marie guested. Amsterdam is surprisingly good in this role. Without the Buddy Sorrell trademark vest and loosened tie, it may take the viewer a bit to recognize the actor.

William Kendis plays the Carey Post character in his only Gunsmoke appearance.

This entertaining story features a unique premise. It is not so much about Marshal Dillon apprehending Post as it is a clever mystery surrounding Joe Phy. However, the story does introduce some questionable elements:

• Since Phy is not really a U. S. Marshal, how does he earn a living? He might be able to get by for a brief time without being paid, but it would not be sustainable for a man who had been a farmer in Ohio before arriving in Elkader.

• How does Phy expect to maintain his charade over the long term? It is only a matter of time before some gunfighter decides to challenge him, especially with the tough guy image he uses to bluff others.

• Why is Marshal Dillon's trickery required? Couldn't Matt simply talk with Phy privately? Needlessly involving Cicero Grimes in the scheme to expose Phy seems not only dangerous, but unethical.

• Why is Matt content to wait in Elkader for Post to show up? He is leaving Dodge with no law enforcement for an extended period. (Chester says they were "pounding around on the prairie for nigh on up to a week" when they arrived in Elkader, and later, he states they have been in Elkader for a week. That is at least two weeks away from Dodge. Assuming Elkader is a week's ride away from Dodge, it will be another week before Matt returns.)

Doc Adams rides into Dodge City with a body covered by a blanket. He tells Matt Dillon that he found the dying man out on the prairie. The man had been badly cut in a manner to cause intense suffering.

Matt and Chester Goode leave Dodge to investigate. The pair come upon a wagon camped in Pawnee territory. They find a frightened woman named Abby hiding in the wagon. She warns them to leave her alone and tells them "He" will beat her if she is seen talking with them. Earl Ticks walks into the camp, and while Matt and Chester are talking with him, Ben Siple sneaks in behind them and captures them.

Ticks ties Matt and Chester to the wagon. They try to convince Abby to cut them loose, but she is too afraid of Siple's wrath. When Siple sees them talking, he kicks Matt in the head.

Later, when the people in the encampment hear Pawnee signals in the night, Siple and Ticks flee and leave Matt, Chester, and Abby behind to face whatever fate might await them.

The talented character actor John Anderson makes the first of twelve Gunsmoke appearances in this story. He plays the Ben Siple character with his usual level of excellence. Siple is another of those totally depraved unredeemable characters that often appeared in John Meston's stories. He is convinced he can do whatever he wants, and no one will stop him. He has surrounded himself with people who share that same belief. The character might be viewed as the anti-Matt Dillon.

Gifted actor Jack Klugman portrays Earl Ticks in his only Gunsmoke guest role. If Ben Siple is the anti-Matt Dillon, Earl Ticks is Chester's counterpart. He does not seem to share Siple's misanthropy, but he is complicit in Siple's depravity at least by his tolerance of it. The Ticks character lacks the ability to imagine any sort of life other than what partnering with Siple offers.

Actress Patricia Smith makes the first of two appearances in this story where she portrays Abby, a woman who has only known abuse from the men in her life. Smith returned in Season 6 as a woman who sets her sights on Chester.

Strong performances by everyone in the cast, taught direction and editing (especially in the famous fight scene), and a first-rate John Meston tale make this episode a must-see even for casual fans. Beware, however, the theme of abuse victims who cannot imagine an existence where they do not face abuse and the portrayal of the abuse -- both graphic and implied -- could make this episode difficult for some to stomach.

Meston also does a fantastic job of incorporating the disdain many American Indian groups had for white men hunting buffalo into extinction as part of the story.

This installment does include a curious element that occasionally appears in these early Gunsmoke episodes. Actions that appear to be absolutely criminal are allowed to occur with no legal repercussions. One would think holding people captive, attacking a U. S. Marshal, and mercilessly abusing a woman repeatedly would all be grounds for prosecution.