Jess, Jay's twin, is shot and killed by an unknown assailant while working late at the family business. When a stranger to Dodge is suspected, Matt does his best to track him down and bring ... Read allJess, Jay's twin, is shot and killed by an unknown assailant while working late at the family business. When a stranger to Dodge is suspected, Matt does his best to track him down and bring him to justice.Jess, Jay's twin, is shot and killed by an unknown assailant while working late at the family business. When a stranger to Dodge is suspected, Matt does his best to track him down and bring him to justice.
Photos
Larry J. Blake
- Mr. Hoover
- (as Larry Blake)
David S. Cass Sr.
- Minister
- (as Dave Cass)
Bob Gravage
- Barney
- (as Robert Gravage)
John Breen
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
Loren Brown
- Barfly
- (uncredited)
George Ford
- Sally's Father
- (uncredited)
Fred McDougall
- Bartender
- (uncredited)
Jimmy Noel
- Hearse Driver
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- John Dunkel
- Norman MacDonnell(uncredited)
- John Meston(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode aired four days after James Arness' 41st birthday (born 05-26-1923).
- GoofsIn the first scene, when one of the "twins" is supposed to be outside loading a wagon, and the other is supposed to be inside the building, the man briefly seen inside the building is clearly not the actor playing the twins.
- SoundtracksShall We Gather at the River
(uncredited)
Written by Robert Lowry
Performed by Ken Curtis
Sung at funeral
Featured review
Lee Kinsolving's Last Performance
Lee Kinsolving plays two different characters in this tale that contains hints of the Cain and Abel story from the Bible. Jess and Jay Bartell are twin brothers and the sons of Sam Bartell. The Bartells own and operate the "Bartell Feed & Fuel" store in Dodge City. Sam is in poor health, and Jess manages the store.
Jess is in love with a woman named Nancy. He has been making plans to buy a farm, marry Nancy, and begin a life together with her.
Unfortunately, Jess is murdered one night while he is working alone at the store. Nancy had seen a man smoking a pipe talking to Jess in the store the night he was shot. The stranger quickly becomes the prime suspect in the shooting.
After Jess is buried, Jay assumes the role of managing the business. Jay is not the congenial manager Jess was, and he does not have the knack for business Jess did. Jay is impetuous and quick-tempered.
Nancy is heartbroken by the loss of Jess, of course, but Jay is in love with Nancy, too, and wants to take the place of Jess in her life. While Nancy definitely was in love with Jess, she isn't so quick to simply let Jay replace him -- with good reason. While the two young men were twins, they had very different personalities.
As the story progresses, the truth is revealed, but it isn't a big surprise.
Kinsolving's work here is notable, and his biography is noteworthy. He was a student of method acting, and was considered an up-and-coming heartthrob type in Hollywood similar to James Dean. He often played volatile characters with a tendency toward emotional outbursts, or "dark and troubled souls." He was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his performance in the William Inge film The Dark at the Top of the Stairs in 1960. He followed that performance by appearing with William Shatner in a somewhat provocative film titled The Explosive Generation in 1961.
After those parts, Kinsolving moved to television roles. His work was impressive in pretty much everything he did, but his role in this episode of Gunsmoke would be his last. He was unhappy with the roles he was offered, and decided to retire from acting in 1966.
There have been several rumors about Kinsolving and the motivations behind his career decisions. He was romantically linked to Tuesday Weld and Candace Bergen. He was married briefly to a model. After he left acting, he owned a bar and restaurant, operated art galleries, and spent a lot of time sailing. He developed a mysterious respiratory illness and died suddenly at the young age of 36 in 1974.
Paul Fix plays the part of Sam Bartell. Fix was a common face in both television and films, but was perhaps best known for playing Sheriff Micah Torrance in The Rifleman. Incidently, Lee Kinsolving made a memorable appearance in an episode of The Rifleman as another troubled young man.
Other than Kinsolving's performance, there isn't much about this episode to warrant a recommendation. Matt Dillon is naturally involved since a murder has taken place in Dodge. Festus Haggen is involved in the story, but his part here seems oddly out of place and doesn't serve much purpose.
Jess is in love with a woman named Nancy. He has been making plans to buy a farm, marry Nancy, and begin a life together with her.
Unfortunately, Jess is murdered one night while he is working alone at the store. Nancy had seen a man smoking a pipe talking to Jess in the store the night he was shot. The stranger quickly becomes the prime suspect in the shooting.
After Jess is buried, Jay assumes the role of managing the business. Jay is not the congenial manager Jess was, and he does not have the knack for business Jess did. Jay is impetuous and quick-tempered.
Nancy is heartbroken by the loss of Jess, of course, but Jay is in love with Nancy, too, and wants to take the place of Jess in her life. While Nancy definitely was in love with Jess, she isn't so quick to simply let Jay replace him -- with good reason. While the two young men were twins, they had very different personalities.
As the story progresses, the truth is revealed, but it isn't a big surprise.
Kinsolving's work here is notable, and his biography is noteworthy. He was a student of method acting, and was considered an up-and-coming heartthrob type in Hollywood similar to James Dean. He often played volatile characters with a tendency toward emotional outbursts, or "dark and troubled souls." He was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his performance in the William Inge film The Dark at the Top of the Stairs in 1960. He followed that performance by appearing with William Shatner in a somewhat provocative film titled The Explosive Generation in 1961.
After those parts, Kinsolving moved to television roles. His work was impressive in pretty much everything he did, but his role in this episode of Gunsmoke would be his last. He was unhappy with the roles he was offered, and decided to retire from acting in 1966.
There have been several rumors about Kinsolving and the motivations behind his career decisions. He was romantically linked to Tuesday Weld and Candace Bergen. He was married briefly to a model. After he left acting, he owned a bar and restaurant, operated art galleries, and spent a lot of time sailing. He developed a mysterious respiratory illness and died suddenly at the young age of 36 in 1974.
Paul Fix plays the part of Sam Bartell. Fix was a common face in both television and films, but was perhaps best known for playing Sheriff Micah Torrance in The Rifleman. Incidently, Lee Kinsolving made a memorable appearance in an episode of The Rifleman as another troubled young man.
Other than Kinsolving's performance, there isn't much about this episode to warrant a recommendation. Matt Dillon is naturally involved since a murder has taken place in Dodge. Festus Haggen is involved in the story, but his part here seems oddly out of place and doesn't serve much purpose.
helpful•96
- wdavidreynolds
- Dec 9, 2020
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- Stage 3, CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA(Dodge City Western Street)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 4:3
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