Around Dodge City and in the territory on west, there is just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with the U.S. Marshal and the smell of gun smoke.
Music
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.
Music
I never thought a Dodge is a thing of beauty, Mr. Jones, but it's looking kindly pretty to me today.
Yeah, it's been a hot trip.
Sure am glad to be back.
You'd have done as good to stay right here.
We picked you up, didn't we?
Well, it ain't gonna do you no good.
What do you mean by that?
Forget it, Chester.
Take the horses around the stable, will you, Chester?
Ask Master to rub them down.
Yes, sir, but don't you want me to help you lock this fellow up?
I think I can handle it.
Well, it ain't gonna be for long.
You see now, it's done. There he goes, talking like that.
Never mind, Chester, just go along, huh?
Yes, sir.
All right, Quarry, come on.
I just didn't tell you, Marshal.
Oh, tell me what?
That you ain't gonna keep me locked up.
My brother North ain't gonna stand for it.
All right, get in there.
My brother North, you'll come after me for sure.
Uh-huh.
You better listen to me, Marshal.
I'm telling you true, he'll get me out.
You know, I wish I had a dollar for every man I've locked up who said that
and who stayed right here until I let him out.
Well, no, it's different.
Maybe so, but I wouldn't hold my breath until he got you out.
I'll tell you more...
Now why don't you settle down and shut up?
You see?
Yeah, I'll see.
Another beer, Marshal?
No, thanks.
On a day like this, I'm afraid it'll put me to sleep.
Yeah, all right.
I'd like to buy you a beer, Marshal.
Oh?
I don't know you, do I?
Well, no, Marshal, not yet.
I was figuring on changing that.
What's your name?
North Small.
Oh.
You know my brother Cleary, Marshal?
Yeah, he's in my jail.
I was aiming to talk a little about that.
Well, go on, talk.
Marshal, I just figured we could make a deal, a regular business deal, you might say.
I wouldn't offer a bribe if I were you.
I ain't even thinking that way, Marshal.
Well, I'm glad to hear that.
No, sir, no, I'm a gambler, Marshal Dillon.
I'll gamble for anything, money, horses, a woman.
Or your brother.
Well, just let's look at it like this, Marshal.
We sit down to a few hands of poker.
You could win a lot of money that way.
And you'd win Cleary, huh?
Well, an accident could happen, couldn't it?
He could get out.
An accident could happen to anybody, swan.
Well, now listen, Marshal.
You listen to me.
You say you're a gambler.
Well, if I were you, I'd bet on a poker game or a woman,
but I sure wouldn't bet on getting Cleary out of jail.
Every man has his price, Marshal.
Yeah, folks say that.
And don't be too high and mighty with me.
You got your price, too, and I'll find out what it is.
Get out.
You mark my words?
I said get out.
Sure, Marshal.
Next time, maybe it'll be my play.
Don't count on it.
Now, Sam, I guess I'll have that beer after all.
All right, Marshal.
I'll get it for you, Mark.
Oh, well, thanks, Kitty.
There you are.
Ah, giving me pretty quick service.
Of course, I won't be seeing you for a while.
Are you that anxious to get away?
I can't deny a few days away from Dodge won't break my heart.
Yeah.
You want me to pick up your stage ticket for you?
Oh, I got that yesterday, Matt.
I wasn't taking any chances on missing it.
Ah, you sure weren't.
I'll come by and carry your bag down for you.
Thanks, Matt.
Don't be late.
Don't worry.
I won't.
I don't want you to blame me if you miss the stage.
And now here are Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy.
Dargie, I think someone's looking for you.
Oh, Mr. Dargie.
Well, hello, F.E. Plinker.
What's wrong?
My car battery's run down.
I think it's an acid condition.
Oh, I see.
Well, have you seen a serviceman?
Well, I had a blind date with a sailor last night, but he got away.
No, I mean a mechanic.
Seeing you own a General Motors car, you should see your GM dealer for service.
His mechanics are GM trained.
They have specialized tools and factory-approved parts to provide your fine GM car with the GM care it deserves.
So if you own a Chevrolet car or truck, a Pontiac, an Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac, or a GMC truck, you should make a date with a General Motors serviceman.
Oh, that sounds exciting.
Will you have blue eyes?
Oh, hey, hey, that road don't seem to get no smoother, I'll say that for it.
It certainly doesn't.
You know, I heard a doctor once, he said it was good for your innards getting thrown around like this.
That may be, but it's hard on the rest of you.
That's a fact.
Well, we'll be in Dodge for a long time.
I won't be sorry about that.
I don't think I will either this time.
Get out of here.
Climb up.
Here.
Find your own road.
It helps.
You ain't walking very steady, ma'am.
You all right?
Stage, I'll bank.
It's the marshals.
Stage, come on, it helps.
Here now, here, here.
Sit right down there and I'll seat it, I'll take care of you, ma'am.
Yes, ma'am.
I'll take care of you real good.
Marshall, I ain't had no food since this morning.
The way you're gone, you're not likely to hurry it up any.
Now, you listen here, Marshall, the man has a right to his dinner.
You haven't starved yet.
Well, it ain't your fault.
The stuff that Chester feeds me.
You eat it or you don't, it doesn't make much difference to me one way or the other.
I got a lot to get even with you when I get out.
Yeah, when you get out.
You better be ready, Marshall.
Mr. Dillon? Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, back here, Chester.
Mr. Dillon, it's just awful.
Oh, what's awful?
Ain't nobody left alive bodies and dead horses.
That's all they could find.
Who are you talking about?
Mr. Dillon, there's been a wreck, a terrible bad stage wreck.
Where?
A few miles north.
Stage pitch down off a bank there and turned over.
Coming from the north?
Yes, sir.
Mr. Dillon?
Have you told Doc?
No, sir, not yet.
All right, go get him.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Dillon?
Go on, Chester, I'll meet you at the livery stable.
But Mr. Dillon!
What is it now?
Ain't that the stage Miss Kitty was coming back on?
Yeah, Chester, it is.
All right, go on, now get Doc and let's get going.
Yes, sir, right away.
There it is, Mr. Dillon, right down there.
Yeah.
That driver must have really been whipping them horses around that curve.
Or else they were spooked.
Hello, Marshall.
Hello, Joe.
This is the worst mess I ever seen.
Yeah.
Milton and me, we laid them out over here.
Done the best we could.
Now Doc's on his way.
I don't think there's nothing for him to do, Marshall.
You can see for yourself.
We didn't see no signs of life.
Uh-huh.
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, Chester.
She ain't there.
Miss Kitty ain't there.
Joe.
Yeah, Marshall.
Is this all you found?
There isn't.
Nobody was thrown out anyplace else, huh?
Not that we could see when we come on her, Marshall.
And me and Milton looked around pretty good.
We wanted to be sure.
Yeah.
Thanks, Joe.
You did a good job.
Sure, Marshall.
Come on, Chester.
Let's look around.
Yes, sir.
I sure am glad about Miss Kitty.
Yeah.
Joe.
Did you shoot these horses?
No, Marshall.
They were shot when we found them.
Thanks.
Somebody must have been here before, Mr. Dillon.
Yeah.
Somebody sure shot the horses.
It's a good thing they was put out of their misery.
Whoever did it, his trail has been trampled down by everybody who's been here since.
Well, he done a nice thing, whoever it was.
I wonder what it made Miss Kitty change her mind about coming home on this stage, I mean.
I'm wondering about that, too, Chester.
Well, there's probably a message at the telegraph office.
Yeah.
Maybe there is.
I sure am surprised, Mr. Dillon, I was sure there'd be a message.
It just ain't like Miss Kitty not letting us know and all.
Yeah.
Of course, it could be that she maybe wanted to surprise us.
That could be.
I say that could be, couldn't it, Mr. Dillon?
What? What's that?
I was just saying, it could be that Miss Kitty maybe was wanting to surprise us.
Oh, yeah, yeah, maybe so.
Marshall, Marsha Dillon?
Yeah, boy?
I'm supposed to give you this.
Well, Mr. Dillon.
Where'd you get this?
I was fishing on Cripple Creek.
Where?
Near the Big Bend.
Yeah, go on.
A man could buy and give me some money to bring this to you.
What, did you know him?
Never seen him before.
You sure?
Honest, Marshall, I ain't done nothing.
All right, all right, you can go along, son.
I was supposed to tell you there's a note in it.
Yeah, thanks.
Mr. Dillon, ain't that Miss Kitty's purse?
Yeah.
Is she all right?
I don't know, Chester.
The note says to bring duck.
All right, go on, get the horses.
Oh, where are they?
Hello, Matt.
Chester.
Well, I came as soon as I got the message.
Oh, thanks.
What are you doing out here?
Nobody's lived on this place since old man Craig left five years ago.
I'm not sure, Doc, but I'm hoping we'll find Kitty.
Kitty?
Yeah, here, read this note.
It was brought to me in Kitty's purse.
Yeah, let me see.
Come to old Craig place.
Bring duck.
Well, what does it mean?
I don't know, Doc.
Somebody must have Kitty.
That's all I know.
Well, did you look around here?
Of course I looked around.
All right, all right.
I was just wondering.
What are you doing?
Look younger.
Now, that's Nort Small.
Hello there, Marshall.
I see you got my message.
Where did you take Kitty, Nort?
Why, I rescued her from an awful wreck, Marshall Dillon.
Where is she?
Now, take it easy.
She better be all right.
Well, now, I'm going to a lot of trouble about that, Marshall.
I told you to bring Doc, didn't I?
He can't do anything unless he sees her.
Oh, I aim for him to see her.
That's why I rode all this way.
All right, let's go then.
Oh, not you, Marshall, just the Doc.
And on one condition.
What's that?
That you stay here, nice and quiet, until Doc comes back.
Agreed?
Well, now, the little lady's life depends on it.
All right, go on, Doc.
Yeah, sure, man.
That's being smart, Marshall Dillon.
Real smart.
You better stay that way.
Music
They've been gone an awful long time, Mr. Dillon.
Yeah.
Couldn't we... Mr. Dillon, couldn't we have followed them?
Yeah, we could have followed them.
Sure do.
Hey, just sitting around here while Miss Kay's laying there hurting.
That's why we're sitting here.
How's that?
To keep her from getting hurt worse.
Well, I guess you're right.
I better be right.
Here they come.
Oh, oh, there.
Did you see her, Doc?
I saw her, Matt.
She's badly hurt.
She didn't know me.
Yeah, the Doc says she's in a bad way.
Needs a lot of taking care of.
I want to take her back to town, Matt.
She needs nursing.
Why didn't you bring her with you?
Why, you know why, Marshall.
You tell me.
Well, it's simple.
I figure the Doc can go right back to her.
Back where?
You're a smart man, but you ain't that smart.
You ain't going to find out where.
All right, Doc goes back.
It's all right with me.
It's all right with me, too, Marshall.
Just as soon as you get back here from Dodge.
Oh, I see.
Sure you see.
You bring Clary here, and Doc brings Kitty.
It's a simple exchange, Marshall.
You better do it, Matt.
Yeah, I'll do it.
Sure you will, Marshall.
I told you.
You have your price just like anybody else.
Yeah.
Just be sure it isn't too high.
All right, come on, Chester.
We're riding back to town.
Get the really light refreshment.
Get the really light refreshment.
I feel really sociable.
This is where I talk, eh?
Get the really light refreshment.
That's Pepsi-Cola, of course.
I just wanted to say be sociable, Charles.
Of course, Kay. Be sociable. Have a Pepsi on the road or at home. It always refreshes without filling.
Charlie.
Pick up extra cartons now. Pepsi is so delicious it goes fast. That's why you should keep plenty of Pepsi on hand.
Maybe I better sing.
Be sure to say, keep Pepsi handy.
Yes, Charlie. But the song says it sociably.
Be sociable. Look smart. Keep up to date with Pepsi. Drink light, refreshing Pepsi. Stay young and fair.
Get a beer. Be sociable. Have a Pepsi.
What Kay means is, get plenty of Pepsi next time you shop.
Well, yes.
What's the matter, Marshall?
Might as well sit down and take it easy.
Of course, I guess you can't blame them none for being nervous, clearly.
Them big men all get nervous when they've got their guns.
Sure is a lot of smart talk going on around here, ain't they, Mr. Dillon?
Don't worry about it, Shustler.
Oh, why ain't worried?
He ain't worried, he says. Well, he ought to be worried. Ain't that so, Norton?
Well, now, clearly, I don't know about that. If he behaves himself until the doc gets back with the woman, he might come off all right.
Well, what are we waiting for? Why don't we just go now?
No, no, we can't. We sort of made a bargain about it, clearly. I figure we ought to show the Marshall when the small boys make a deal, they keep their word.
Well, that surprises me, son.
I've got a notion to fix you.
No, no, no. Chester there is too old for you to pick on.
He ain't neither, too old. By Jim, I'll show you right this minute.
Chester.
Well, he's just plain asking for it, Mr. Dillon. I don't rightly feel like setting down.
I said, sit down.
All right. That Marshall sure is a big man ordering folks around, ain't he, Cleary?
I'd like to order him around.
Yeah, yeah, I bet you would. All right, then, Cleary, you take a crack at it. Order him around a little bit.
Why, sure I will, Norton. Sure I will. Let's see now, there.
Chester, before we get out of here, I want you to fill our canteen.
That's it. That's it, Marshall. You fill our canteen.
I'll go do it, Mr. Dillon.
No, never mind, Chester. I'll do it.
You bet your life you'll do with my gun on him.
Bring him here, Marshall.
Time him.
All right, now. Go fill him.
Nice and cold, now.
Some folks are saying you've got to be a smart aleck.
You shut up there, or I'll crack your head with this gun.
Leave him be, Cleary. We ain't never had to pick on puny fellas like him.
Sure not. Just a big one.
Well, I'm plenty big for the likes of you.
I ain't gonna hear much more talk.
Ain't gonna be no more talk, wouldn't you?
Never mind, Chester.
But, Mr. Dillon...
I said never mind.
That's right smart of you, Marshall.
Now go put them canteens back on our saddle.
Mr. Dillon, here they come.
Yeah, I see them.
You see, Marshall, when I make a deal, I stick to it.
How is she, Doc?
She's better, Matt. She'll make it.
Matt?
You're kidding.
My purse. Doc says you have my purse.
Yeah, it's back at the office.
Don't lose anything out of it.
You see, Matt, when a woman starts worrying about things like that, she's gonna be all right.
Good. Now that's fine, Doc.
All right, take her on in.
All right.
I guess we'll be on our way too, Marshall.
We got a long ride.
Well, it'll seem long.
Maybe you'll remember, Marshall, about a man and his price.
Yeah, I think maybe we'll both remember.
Mr. Dillon?
Uh-huh?
I swear, you'd just stick in my craw.
Oh, how's that?
Well, you having to be so meek and nice and let them two fellows off scot-free?
Don't worry about it.
I ain't exactly worrying about it.
I'd do anything to make sure Miss Kelly was all right.
Uh-huh.
But seeing them ride off bold as brass and seeing you even have to fill their canteens for them while they just don't set right, Mr. Dillon.
It's not gonna set right with them either, Chester.
How's that?
You know why old man Craig left this place?
Oh, sure I don't.
Because that pond is full of bad water and Stark kept dying off on it.
Mr. Dillon, you mean?
Yeah, it's a hot day, Chester.
Swollen that water all day, they'll either be dead or sick enough to come along feasible.
We'll wait a day and then ride out and pick them up.
Okay.
Okay, Mr. Dillon.
Gunsmoke.
Produced and directed in Hollywood by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
The story was specially written for Gunsmoke by Marion Clark.
The editorial supervision by John Meskin.
Featured in the cast were Vic Caron, Barney Phillips, James Nutter, and Richard Beale.
Harley Bair as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Kitty.
This is George Walsh inviting you to join us again next week when CBS Radio presents another story on Gunsmoke.