Around Dodge City and in the territory on west, there's just one way to handle the killers
and the spoilers and that's where the US Marshal and the smell of gun smoke.
Gun Smoke starring William Conrad, the story of the violence that moved west with young
America and the story of a man who moved with it.
I'm that man, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal, the first man they look for and the last they
want to meet.
It's a chancey job and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely.
Hey, Doc.
Hey, Doc, you up?
Hey, Doc.
You're going to sleep your life away, Doc.
What time is it?
730.
Now put your pants on, let's go up the street and get some breakfast.
Come on.
Come on, roll out.
It's daylight in the swamps.
Come on.
Oh, I'm going to get some out as well.
Now that you got me wide awake.
Wide awake.
I'm getting there.
You sure don't see the sense starting the days all fired earlier.
You're putting them on backwards, Doc.
I am not putting them on.
I'm just about to turn them around.
Oh, sure you are.
I've been putting my pants on for a long time without being told how by the village policeman.
Now, do you care which foot I put in which leg first?
No, I think you can decide that for yourself.
Say, where's Chester anyway?
Why aren't you hounding him instead of me?
Chester ran into an old friend of his last night.
Who's that?
I've forgotten his name, but Chester went off to visit him for a couple of days.
Well, out where?
Out at Fort Dodge.
Fort Dodge?
Uh-huh.
You mean he's in the Army?
Yeah, he's got a pretty interesting job, too.
Oh?
He's a mess sergeant.
Mess sergeant?
Yeah.
Oh, ho, ho.
Well, a couple of days of that, you'll have to go after Chester with a wagon.
Well, he seemed pretty excited about the whole thing.
Yeah, I can imagine.
Well, the quartermaster's gonna be excited, too, when he starts checking his groceries.
Yeah.
Oh, come on, Doc.
You take more time than a woman.
Come on.
Well, I want to look my best.
It isn't often somebody buys my breakfast.
Buys it?
Now, wait a minute, Doc.
I'm ready.
Let's go.
Well, no wonder you're so rich.
Oh, sure.
I'm rich, all right.
And I owe you.
At least you got something to dream about.
Oh, well.
Say, it's a nice day.
Yeah.
It'll get hot, though.
Who's that woman driving the wagon?
It looks like Hank Rutgers' wife, doesn't it?
Yeah, it is.
Rutgers, you mean?
Was he that runny little sodbuster out in my cottonwood spring?
Yeah, that's the one.
I wonder what she's doing in time this early in the morning.
Marshall.
Oh, well, she's beckoning to you.
Well, let's go see what she wants.
Morning, Miss Rutgers.
Morning, Marshall.
Doc.
Good morning, Anne.
You're up early.
Yeah.
Been quite some time since I've seen you in town.
Always work to do when you're homesteading.
You break your heart and you break your back and you end up with nothing.
Even worse than nothing.
The years are gone finally and you can't get them back.
How's Hank?
Hank.
Yes, ma'am.
Your husband, Hank.
Eight years slaving for him, working my fingers to the bone, and you end up with nothing.
Miss Rutgers, is there something wrong?
Miss Rutgers, I said, is there something wrong?
I heard you.
Hank's in the back of the wagon there under that tarp.
What?
Here, Doc, I'll pull the canvas back.
All right.
Well, he's dead, Matt.
Yeah.
Shot in the back.
How did it happen, Miss Rutgers?
I don't know about things like this.
What you're supposed to do, I mean.
So I loaded him into the wagon and come into town.
I figured you'd be the one to see.
You figured right, but what happened?
It wasn't me, Marshal. I didn't shoot him.
Who did?
I don't know.
You don't know?
I mean, I don't know his name or nothing.
He was a stranger.
Stopped by the place yesterday evening just before sundown.
Wanted to water his horse.
Hank wasn't there.
This fella kept looking at me, talking kind of funny.
Then he saw Hank coming and he rode on.
Maybe then he's the one that doubled.
Late last night, Hank woke up, heard something outside.
Thought it was an animal bothering the stock.
Went out, and pretty soon there was a shock.
How do you know it was the same man?
Because they come by the house after.
But I run him off.
Ah. What does this fella look like?
I don't know. Like any other man, I reckon.
Nothing special.
Except for his shoulders.
What do you mean?
He has the biggest shoulders I've ever seen on a man.
Mighty powerful.
Look, Miss Rucker.
Why don't you go across the street there to the Dodge house
and take a room and get some rest, huh?
You'll leave the wagon here,
Doc and I will take care of things for you, huh?
I'm all right, Marcia.
You go on, now.
Feels strange being alone.
Hank wasn't much, I guess.
Didn't treat me good, but at least he was always there.
A woman needs a man.
All right, I'll go now.
Thank you, Marshal, for taking care of things.
I'll stop by later, Miss Rucker.
All right, Marshal.
Well, what do you think, man?
I don't know, Doc.
That woman's got something in mind she isn't telling us about.
Well, here's our expectant father, the memory expert.
And how do you feel, sir?
Lousy.
Oh, why?
You ever take care of eight kids while your wife is in the hospital
having number nine?
No.
Take my advice.
Don't.
I haven't had a good night's sleep in days.
I think my kids are part-spun.
Oh, really? Why?
Well, they drink enough water to your gated desert
and mostly in the middle of the night.
Well, at least you don't have to worry about your wife.
She and the baby are getting good treatment at the hospital.
And thanks to Medicare, there won't be any expensive bills for you to pay.
That's what bugs me, man.
Why?
It's such a bargain.
You know no woman can resist a bargain.
If your wife is bargain-minded,
better get the pamphlet on Dependent's Medical Care Program fast.
Like another beer, Doc?
No, just not, Kitty.
People criticize me enough.
Oh, there's Matt.
Over here, Matt.
Oh, well, maybe I will have a beer after all, Kitty.
On him.
Hello, Kitty. How are you?
Good afternoon, Matt.
You look tired.
Yeah, I am tired.
If it gets any hotter, they're going to have this country.
Any luck, Matt?
No, Doc. I checked every room and house in Dodge,
every liver stable, even talked to some of the homesteaders out south of town.
And nobody's seen a stranger who matches Mrs. Rutger's description.
If you can call her the description.
Did she remember anything new?
No, not much. I talked to her late this afternoon.
She thinks that he had reddish-brown hair, but she's not sure.
Oh, just those shoulders, then.
Yeah, that's all she's sure of.
I guess she'd remember that, all right.
Well, Matt, maybe you won't have to look any farther.
What do you mean?
That man over there at the end of the bar.
What?
We've been keeping an eye on him till you showed up.
Oh. Who is he, Kitty?
I don't know. Tonight's the first time he's been in here.
Been staying to himself pretty much, just drinking and not talking.
But he's got the shoulders on, huh?
Yeah.
I think I'll go have a word with him.
Good night.
Evening, stranger.
Evening.
You're new in town, aren't you? I don't remember seeing you around before.
You feel like Gavin. You better find somebody else, mister.
I would if it was a matter of pleasure.
My name's Dylan. I'm a U.S. Marshal here.
That supposed to bother me?
It bothers some, others not.
And I'm one of the others.
What's your name?
Logan.
And is that all? Just Logan?
Bull, they call me. Bull Logan.
When did you hit town?
Today?
Just going through.
Oh, from where?
Out West, different places. Why? What difference does it make?
None, maybe.
You mind taking a little walk with me?
Where?
Across the street.
Where are you going?
What's the idea?
You arresting me for something, Marshal?
No, I'm just asking you to walk across the street.
What's over there?
A woman.
You trying to get me into some kind of trouble?
Logan, if this woman recognizes you, you're in plenty of trouble.
Now, come on, let's go.
All right, you stand right there, Logan.
I don't know what you're trying to pull, Marshal, but you're all wrong.
That's possible.
Oh, Marshal, I couldn't.
Is this the man, Miss Rucker?
What are you talking about? I never seen her before in my life.
I thought you better take a look at him, ma'am.
I don't know this woman. Now, what is this?
What are you trying to set up here?
Shut up, Logan.
The man that shot Hank was real big.
I reckon it stuck in my mind because Hank was such a little man.
There's such a difference between them.
All right, I'm big. What about it?
You claiming you seen me before?
Stay where you are, Logan.
He's not going to hurt you, Miss Rucker, now take a good look at him.
Is this the man who stopped by your place yesterday afternoon,
who came back later and shot your husband?
Well?
No, Marshal, it ain't him.
It's his shoulders, that's all.
But other than that, he don't look nothing like that fella.
I never seen this man before in my life.
Look, if you're scared of him, don't be.
I ain't scared of him. Why should I be?
He ain't the same one.
Eh, you satisfied, Marshal?
All right, Miss Rucker.
Thanks anyway, I'm sorry to have bothered you.
I'm going back out to the place in the morning, Marshal.
There's things to do.
And I think that fella's got clean out of the country by now.
All right, ma'am.
I'll get my gun back now.
Yeah, here you are, Logan.
Thanks.
Be seeing you. Pleased to have met you, ma'am.
Good night.
I'll tell you something, Matt.
The mark of any civilization is its food.
Is that right, Doc?
I think it's right.
Take France, for instance.
Paris.
Paris, France, you know.
Their food is cooked just right.
It's seasoned right and it's served right.
And by golly, they are civilized.
It goes together.
Doc, you've been eating this same grub ever since you came to Dodge.
Now, what's wrong with it all of a sudden?
Look at the stuff.
Watch what?
A plate full of greasy spuds and a few chunks of boiled leather.
I tell you, Matt, it's enough to turn a man's stomach.
It's no worse than usual.
Go on, finish it, Subber.
I wouldn't touch another bite of that with a ten-foot pole.
No, sir, I'm telling you, Matt, this town will never be civilized
until it starts eating decent food.
Well, the way I heard it, the mark of a civilization is how it treats its womenfolk.
Oh, how it treats...
You think Dodge should be rates any higher on that score?
No, I guess not.
No, they're fancy women they plague till they drink themselves to death.
And their farm wives, they work to death.
Why, a woman hasn't got a chance out here.
Yeah, so I've been told.
By a woman, of course.
She was right.
Whether it's the food or the womenfolk, this town is no god dang good.
Marshall, gentlemen.
Ah, hello, Jeb.
Well, how things at the telegraph office, Jeb?
Fine, Doc.
I brought this telegram right over, Marshall.
It's your answer to that circular you sent out on Bull Logan.
Oh, yeah, thanks, Jeb.
I brought this Bull Logan, man.
Well, I thought he might be mixed up in the rugger killing, Doc.
Well, I thought you'd given up on him.
No, I sent out a bullet and dressed on a hunch.
I don't know.
Yeah.
What is it, man?
Wow.
Huh?
Like he's wanted in California, two counts of assault and suspicion of murder.
The victim was shot in the back.
I should never have let him leave town.
Well, he didn't go far, Marshall.
What do you mean, Jeb?
I ran into Ed Perkins on the way over here.
He seen Logan just this afternoon.
Where?
Out by Cottonwood Crossing.
He said Bull Logan's gone to work for Mrs. Rutger.
Another visit with Joe and Daphne Forsythe.
Oh, Joe, what are you doing?
Oh, hi, Daphne.
Just eating a midnight snack.
What is that mess?
That mess is a liverwurst, salami, lettuce, and peanut butter delight.
Nightmare is more like it.
What woke you up?
My stomach was growling.
What woke you up?
You.
And I was dreaming such a pleasant dream.
Oh, what?
I dreamed all of our savings bonds had matured and we were cashing them in.
That's kind of a dream I can appreciate.
We were planning a trip around the world, and you bought me a fur coat,
and I bought you that fishing tackle you want.
Oh, it was gorgeous.
Well, it doesn't have to be just a dream.
Some of our savings bonds are ready to mature now.
Joe, maybe we shouldn't cash them in.
They can go on earning interest, you know, and it adds up fast.
I know.
That's why we started buying savings bonds, remember?
With a bond a month on the payroll savings plan, our money is saved automatically.
Stop waiting that sandwich under my nose.
You're making me hungry.
Well, fix yourself a sandwich, ma'am.
I got all the makings right over here.
All right.
Move over, you bond-buying midnight maverick.
I'm going to fix myself a humdinger.
Who is it? Who's there?
It's Marshall Dillon, Miss Rucker.
I, uh, I'm sorry if I scared you.
No, no, you didn't.
I just couldn't figure who it was.
Nobody comes here at night.
I must be kind of lonesome since Hank was killed, huh?
Well, yeah. Yeah, it is.
You managing all right by yourself?
Well, I've had some help this week.
Oh, some of the neighbors, huh?
No.
I, I took on a hired hand to help out.
Oh, you're lucky to find one.
The boys can usually make more work in cattle this time of year.
Well, I offered shares on the crop.
A woman can't run a place like this by herself.
No, ma'am, I guess not.
Your local man, is he? Somebody from town?
No, just a stranger riding through.
That's kind of risky, isn't it?
Taking on a stranger?
Well...
What's his name, Miss Rucker?
I reckon you already know, Marshall.
Yes, ma'am, I already know.
Did he tell you that he's wanted in California, maybe other places too?
No.
Two counts of assault, suspicion of murder.
Your husband wasn't the first man he shot in the back.
What do you mean?
It is the same man, isn't it, Miss Rucker?
No.
When you said you'd never seen him before, you lied, didn't you?
Didn't you, Miss Rucker?
Yes, I lied.
All right, now where is he?
He's out in the barn.
You stay here, and don't you try to warn him.
Is that you, Martha?
I say it is it.
Well, Marshall, you're a long ways from town.
You're under arrest for murder, Logan.
She told you about me after all.
Not yet, but she will.
I just got word back from California.
It seems you want it out there.
Now don't try it, Logan.
You're not taking me now.
Is he dead, Marshall?
Yeah, he's dead.
I don't know why I said it wasn't him.
I reckon I must have been crazy or something.
Just seemed such a shame, though.
A shame?
What was done was done.
There was nothing going to bring Hank back.
I was left by myself.
The bull here was big and strong.
It seemed such a waste.
Him dead, too.
I see.
I got ground that needs plowing, Marshall.
Seed to be planted.
Life ain't easy for a woman alone.
I don't know, man.
Seems pretty easy the way you go at it.
You go on back to the house now,
and I'll take care of things here.
Gun smoke.
Produced and directed by Norman MacDonald,
stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
Featured in the cast were Parley Bear as Chester,
Howard McNear as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Kitty.
George Walsh speaking.
Join us again next week for another specially transcribed story on gun smoke.
This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.
Thank you.