Jim Downey, who was a friend and mentor to Matt Dillon in his formative years of law enforcement, visits Dodge City where he is shot and killed in an act of cold-blooded murder by Tony Serpa. Serpa had talked with another cowboy in the Long Branch Saloon about his desire to kill a law man. When Downey is murdered, the cowboy confronts Serpa at Moss Grimmick's stable. When the two begin to fight, Marshal Dillon steps in and learns that Serpa killed his friend.
Serpa is tried and sentenced to hang, which means the Marshal has to take him to Hays City. Serpa was part of a gang led by a man named Joe Costa. Costa and his gang -- Bud Evans and Dick Corwin -- intercept Dillon and Serpa on the trip. The entire gang shares Serpa's disdain for law enforcement officials. Rather than just kill Dillon, the gang attempts to frame the Marshal for murder.
A U. S. Calvary Sergeant named Wilks who holds a grudge against Matt for a previous encounter is leading a scouting team. They find the Marshal at the murder scene and Wilks places Matt under military arrest.
Although Matt manages to escape from the soldiers, he is still in a bit of a jam with no money, no weapon, and no proof that he is a U. S. Marshal.
This is certainly not one of those slow episodes that seems to be full of scenes to kill time. If anything, there is too much going on in this story.
The supporting cast in this episode is a veritable who's who of character actors. Harold J. Stone, who played various roles in countless films and television shows, appears here as Matt's doomed friend, Jim Downey. Scott Marlowe, who previously played a very similar character in the Gunsmoke episode "Legends Don't Sleep," is Tony Serpa. Robert Culp of I Spy and Trackdown fame is Joe Costa, the scheming gang leader. Michael Conrad, who won Emmys for his role as Phil Esterhaus on Hill Street Blues is Dick Corwin, one of Costa's gang. George Lindsey, who everyone remembers for his character Goober on The Andy Griffith Show, is Bud Evans, the other member of Costa's gang. Elisha Cook, Jr. Is a helpful, friendly character that helps Matt when he needs it most. Cook was another very familiar face in television as well as movies. Finally, multiple award-winning actor Ed Asner is the bitter, grumpy Sergeant Wilks.
This is definitely a highly entertaining, fast-paced episode, but it doesn't warrant too much thought. The plot is somewhat convoluted, and the motivation for many of the actions are suspect.
For example, at one point one of Costa's gang mentions that Serpa had only been away in Dodge for three days. Clearly, one of those days was the day he killed Downey. Assuming that was the first day, Serpa was arrested the second day. He was subsequently tried and sentenced. The Marshal and Serpa had already camped one night on the way to Hays. This would seem to indicate Serpa killed Downey, was tried, convicted, and sentenced; Matt had traveled far enough away from Dodge with him that they needed to stop for a night; and all of this happened over a three-day period!
When Wilks and his men find Dillon unconscious with Serpa hanging from a tree, they do not believe the Marshal's story about Costa, Corwin, and Evans. However, there would have been ample evidence that other horse riders had been there just a few minutes earlier. (Granted, Wilks was looking for an excuse to blame Matt.)
Matt rides into Crest bareback on his horse, but no one notices except the town drunk, George. Coincidentally, all the time, Costa, Corwin, and Evans are sitting a few feet away in the saloon.
How did Wilks and his men track Marshal Dillon to Crest? Costa, Corwin, and Evans had gone there, too. There must have been all sorts of horse tracks on the way. It would have been impossible to single out Matt's horse.
When Matt asks George if anyone in town might be willing to help, George tells him it isn't likely. Yet, when Matt later asks George if there might be a couple of men that could be trusted, George replies he might know a couple and immediately gets them to accompany him to the saloon.
It is worth noting this is the first episode in the series produced by Philip Leacock, a noted television director and producer who would go on to produced a total of 82 episodes of Gunsmoke over the coming years. Norman MacDonnell, who along with John Meston had created Gunsmoke for radio and had produced the television show since its second season, was abruptly fired by CBS during Season 10. Leacock took over the producer role after MacDonnell's departure.
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