Gunsmoke (TV Series) Old Fool (1960) User Reviews

At least there is homemade bean-hole beans.

[kfo9494 · 8/10 · 23 September 2013]

I am not sure if this episode was a proper Christmas episode (aired on Dec.24th 1960) but I guess when the episode is over some will feel better for watching.

The story centers around an aging married couple that has been together for thirty years. Hannibal and Della Bass started with nothing and now have a nice farm outside of Dodge. One afternoon Dunc Hedgepeth tries to steal a pig. Instead of calling the law, Della gets Hannibal to take the teenager home and tell his folks.

When Hannibal gets to the house the only other person is a widow woman Elise Hedgepeth, the mother of Dunc. When Dunc tells his mother what a nice farm Hannibal has- she set her claws into taking the man away from Della and making him hers. But Della is not going to stand back and take losing her man to any vamp.

With such a great list of actors this episode is everything expected. Buddy Ebsen, along with Hope Summers, provide us with an older couple living on the prairie and making a home out of nothing. Linda Watkins is nice playing the smooth talking woman set on getting the Bass farm to fulfill her dream of having money. A nice script that was entertaining to watch with a properly titled episode.

Another light and easy Christmas edition of Gunsmoke...

[AlsExGal · 9/10 · 4 September 2022]

... and it says nothing specifically about Christmas, but there is not much in the way of the darkness of the human soul going on here, which goes down easy on Christmas Eve 1960.

The episode starts with Doc and Kitty discussing how somebody named Bass prevented Doc from going fishing. Kitty finds that ironic and that is all that is said about it there.

Then the scene changes to the farm of Hannibal and Della Bass, an older couple that has been together thirty years. They hear a commotion, Hannibal gets his gun and finds a teenager trying to steal one of his pigs. He takes him back to his mother's farm and finds the boy's mother, Elsie, to be a very charming attractive widow and their farm small and in disrepair. Hannibal dresses up and brings Elsie some of his livestock. They spend more and more time together until Hannibal has essentially left Della for Elsie. Della tries getting rid of the other woman the old fashioned way - she points a rifle and fires it - not at her - but near her. Elsie apparently has no shame about the situation. Elsie taunts Della before she takes to gun play and afterward Elsie goes into Dodge and gets a warrant for Della's arrest for attempted murder.

This is how Matt Dillon gets pulled into the situation. When he learns the actual circumstances he decides to get Elsie and Hannibal and bring them to the Bass farm for everybody to talk this out. Meanwhile, Della realizes that Elsie just wants Hannibal so she can have his prosperous farm, that she really doesn't care for Hannibal himself, and she comes up with a drastic but wise way to get Elsie to show her true feelings.

How does this work out? I'd say very humorously. Watch and find out.

Taking Care of Business!

[mitchrmp · 10/10 · 9 February 2012]

How many marriages could have been saved if more wives (or husbands as the case may be) took matters to heart like good ol' Mrs. Bass did? She saw what was happening and she was willing to give up everything to hold on to the one thing she loved. And boy, did she ever teach that woman a lesson!

I thought the actor/actress that played this couple made a great team. It would have been nice to see more of them together!

So this episode didn't need the Marshal at all. It looks like he didn't need to interfere.

There is an unrelated scene at the beginning of this episode with Kitty and Doc. It wasn't necessary, but cute as always.

A Hog Wallow, No Less

[dougdoepke · 1 May 2014]

Good frontier farm episode. Plain-face Della works hard with husband Hannibal on successful prairie farm. Trouble is seductive widow Elsie moves in close by. She and son, however, aren't making a go of it. So Elsie needs a man and guess who she bats her eyes at. Still, Della isn't a sod-buster's wife for nothing.

Fine turn by Hope Summers as dutiful wife, along with Buddy Ebsen who looks grizzled enough for The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971). Some good realistic touches, such as the Bass's farm that even has a hog wallow. Got to admit I haven't seen many of those on TV. And get a load of Linda Watkin's prairie Cleopatra who's about as subtle as a cover from Victoria's Secret. Nonetheless, it's a strong screenplay from ace writer John Meston, who specialized in that neglected part of traditional westerns— the lives of ordinary women.

Was Kitty drunk?

[Knuckles491 · 8/10 · 8 November 2023]

I just caught some of this episode today...I had seen it before. A few years ago I saw an episode where Amanda Blake appeared to be drunk while saying her lines. Every time I watch an episode I wonder if this will be the one. I just saw part of the scene today where Kitty is talking with Doc, and I think this is the scene. I got the distinct feeling that she was kind of drunk, and slurring her words a bit. Anyone else notice this? In many episodes Kitty swigs down beer with Matt, Chester, and Doc. And it looks like real beer. Another thing...how did they keep the beer cold back then? In the cellar?

I didn't see that one comin

[keithdemonde · 22 May 2015]

A wonderful and unique episode in my opinion. Buddy Ebsen and Hope Summers make a great couple portraying a very realistic older married couple of over 30 years. Well established financially topped off with a Hog wallow farm. Here comes the middle aged viper widow in search of financial security and decides to land her scheming ways on gullible Ebsen. The Mrs. instincts are on go ahead as she automatically figures out what's going on. I just assumed this episode would probably end with Buddy discovering the viper's plans to use him in order to live the good life and run the Mrs' off or Ebsen finds the woman in an intimate position with another man. But i didn't see this one coming when Hope Summers literally torches the entire house just to prove her point at the expense of what her and her husband had worked hard for 5 years to achieve. My mouth dropped when she casually walked over to what appeared to be the only piece of furniture she salvaged, a few kitchen table chairs and some pots and pans and offering Matt and Chester some "hole beans". This is an episode you can show a 35-45 year old married couple that are having marital issues and are in need of some enlightening inspiration. Great non shoot em up episode.