Matt Dillon rides into Dodge City early one morning with a mean, ornery prisoner named Job Snelling. The Marshal has not slept in 36 hours, and Snelling fights Matt at every opportunity. Matt finally gets Snelling secured in the jail and lies down for some rest, but constant interruptions and frustrations ensue.
Snelling continues to cause trouble and even manages to stab Marshal Dillon in the arm with a fork. A mischievous boy wreaks havoc all over town. Kitty Russell is furious at Matt for missing a picnic she had planned while he was chasing Snelling. Two old prospectors begin fighting and causing damage in the Long Branch Saloon. Every time Matt tries to get some rest, another crisis erupts.
As if all of this is not frustrating enough, everyone keeps telling Matt how bad he looks and how he needs to get some rest.
This episode features another stellar cast of characters and character actors. Margaret Hamilton, best known as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, plays a cantankerous woman named Edsel Pry. This is her only Gunsmoke appearance, and it is wonderfully annoying.
Frequent television villain Leo Gordon portrays the nasty Job Snelling. Shug Fisher and Douglas Fowley play the two old prospectors who find themselves the victims of a mail-order bride fraud. Fisher plays the same character he always played. This is one of his twenty-seven Gunsmoke roles. Fowley appeared in everything from the film Singin' in the Rain to Gomer Pyle, U. S. M. C. He had a recurring role as Doc Holliday in the series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp alongside Hugh O'Brien.
Child actor Willie Aames plays the rambunctious Andy Ballou. John Fielder and Helen Page Camp play his parents, Odem and Seva Ballou. Familiar actor J. Pat O'Malley has a brief scene as a Drummer.
The episode features a healthy dose of recurring Gunsmoke characters, too. Herb Vigran returns for another portrayal of Judge Brooker. Woodrow Chambliss shows up briefly as Lathrop. Ted Jordan appears again as Nathan Burke.
James Arness is especially good in this story. He looks and acts exhausted. The Matt Dillon character's frustration shines through the performance. On the other hand, Ken Curtis has never been more annoying as Festus Haggen. Of course, he is SUPPOSED to be annoying. That is the point to his character in this story.
This is one of the more unique and memorable episodes of Season 18. It is an unexpected departure from the heaviness of many of the installments in the series. This story can be described as the ultimate "one of those days."