CoastalCruiser

John Ford, the director who filmed all those John Wayne westerns in Monument Valley, tended to work with the same actors over and over. The collection of actors formed up the 'John Ford Theater Company'. Both Ken Curtis, as well as Harry Carey, Jr. Played cowboys in many of those westerns. All those movies are worth a view.

And both those actors found their way to Gunsmoke. In an early appearance as Phil Jacks in the 'Jay hawkers' (season 4), Ken Curtis has a wonderful verbal joust with Chester. It's a must see encounter.

Harry Carey Jr. Made many appearances in Gunsmoke. In fact, just two episodes back from this one (the highly renowned 'The Quest for Asa Janin', season 8) Carey plays a town Sheriff, a part he would later reprise as the Sheriff of Tombstone in the movie by the same name (1993, Kurt Russell).

Another member of the company that found his way to Gunsmoke was Ben Johnson. Ben was an excellent horseman who consented to ride in John Ford's movies, but begged Ford to not have to speak any lines. Johnson finally overcame that phobia and some of his best work to prove that was in Director Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show, with Cybil Shepard.

Oh. The Festus Hagen accent... While on a John Ford movie set, Curtis was faking a goofy accent off camera one while cutting up with Harry Carey Jr. Ford looked over and said "That's the way I want your character to talk in the movie!"

Did anyone notice Sam Jackson describe his sip of Stallone's liquor as "tasty". The choice of words immediately took me back to the "This is a tasty burger" line from Pulp Fiction. Coincidence?

In this episode Jackson also explains why two killers were sent to dispose of him because he is a "Bad MF". Again with the Pulp Fiction.

Did Sam ask for those lines? He throws out a few other Sam Jacksonisms in this and the subsequent episode. I suspect he just ad-lib'd the dialog rather than ask. Although he did take the time to ask George Lucas for a purple light saber in his star Wars appearance. So who knows?

An outstanding episode with a plot twist at the end. Yet another look at life on the frontier, with this installment having Marshall Dillon playing marriage counselor.

Several fine reviews already in place, all I have to add is that when you see Buddy Ebsen playing farmer Hannibal Bass you will swear the producers of The Beverly Hillbillies saw this episode and cast Ebsen as backwoods hillbilly Jed Clampett.

But you'd be wrong. In fact the show runners saw Ebsen play the estranged Texas husband of Audrey Hepburn in the heartwarming film Breakfast at Tiffany's. I guess Buddy Ebsen was just great at playing such country bumpkin roles. :>