Around our city and in the territory on west there's just one way to handle the killers
and the spoilers and that's where the US Marshal and the smell of gun smoke
Gun Smoke starring William Conrad, the story of the violence that moved west with young America, the story of a man who moved with it, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal
I don't know what got into boy Mr. Dillon. When I come for you he was offering to shoot his initials into the mirror behind the bar.
Is he drunk, Chester?
Yes sir, but mostly it seems like he just plain wants to howl.
He can howl all he likes as long as he keeps his gun quiet.
Oh, there he goes. I hope that's the mirror and not some man he's shooting at.
Yeah, so do I. Old Dolphin would hate to lose that boy.
Alright, watch it now.
Look, he's laying on the floor, Mr. Dillon. He's been killed.
Look what he done to my mirror, Marshal.
You'll shoot him, Sam?
No, I hit him with a bung stutter. He ain't dead. But I'm about to have to shoot his friend here.
Go ahead and try it.
Maybe I will.
Easy, Sam.
Alright, what's your name, mister?
My name's Blades. I work for Tom.
You mean you work for his father, don't you?
Well, sure. The old man owns the ranch, but me and Tom, we work together.
Pick up his gun before he comes, too, Chester.
Yes, sir.
Alright, Blades. Tom's going to sleep it off in jail.
You want to be locked up with him or you're going to go home quietly?
I ain't done nothing. Who's that girl over there got him started?
Oh, what girl?
That one sitting at the table in the red dress.
Kitty?
Yeah, that's her name. Wait till old Dolph hears you threw his son in jail.
I'll tell him myself. Now you get out of here.
I'm going. He's at the Dodge house right now, Marshal. I'd like to hear you tell him.
Can you get Tom over to the jail, Chester?
Yes, sir. I sure can.
Alright, lock him up. I'll be back later.
Yes, sir.
Alright, come on now, Tom.
You gonna let Chester put him to bed, man?
Yeah.
Sam knocked all the fight out of him, Kitty.
I know. I saw it.
Blades said that you made him mad.
That's one way of putting it.
Oh, what do you mean?
He made me mad. I don't like fresh kids, Matt.
Tom Vickers must be twenty.
Well, he's been acting like a kid.
You know, Matt, he's changed lately. He used to be a gentleman like his father.
I don't know what's come over him, but if he were mine, I wouldn't allow him off the ranch.
Well, maybe you've just forgotten what it's like to be young, Kitty.
I'm young enough to pour this glass of beer over your head.
You know what I mean.
Sure.
Well, that fellow Blades is older, though. Maybe he's responsible for Tom's jump in the fence.
I don't like him at all. I'm sure he isn't a good influence on Tom.
Yeah, Tom's too easily led.
Yeah, he isn't a man his father is.
He sure isn't.
Anyways, he better leave me alone.
Yeah, I'll tell him to.
Well, I've got to go see Dolph now.
He isn't going to like you throwing his son in jail.
Yeah, maybe not.
But a stranger was shot and killed on his range yesterday.
I don't like that.
Oh, I hadn't heard.
Well, they haven't been talking much about it.
Well, looks like you and Dolph are in for a pleasant little talk.
Yeah. Well, so long, Kitty.
Goodbye, Matt.
Well, you mean Marshall, come in.
How are you, Dolph?
Fine, Marshall. I've been sitting here smoking a cigar before I went to bed. Have one?
No, no, no, thanks.
Dolph, I got some bad news for you.
Tell me.
Tom tried to shoot up the Texas Trail a while ago. Sam laid him out, and right now he's in jail.
Anybody hurt?
The boy's got a bump on his head, that's all.
I don't like the idea of Vickers being in jail.
I'm sorry, Dolph.
How do I get him out?
I'll turn him loose in the morning.
No Vickers is ever in jail before, Marshall.
Well, it's not that important to me, Dolph. If you want him out now, you can come get him.
No, no. He's done wrong. He's got to pay for it.
I thank you for coming to tell me, Marshall.
Sure, Dolph, sure. But there's something else I want to talk to you about.
What's that?
I heard that a man was shot and killed on your range yesterday.
It's true.
Who did it?
He was wrestling cattle, Marshall.
Oh. Well, were you there?
No, but I've been losing a lot of stock lately.
A fellow got caught by my men, put up a fight. So there's one less thief around.
You know who this man was?
Never saw him before. But there's nothing wrong with shooting thieves, is there?
Not if I try to shoot you first.
I'm going to hire me some gunmen, Marshall. I'll show them that you can't.
No, no, no. That'll just cause trouble, Dolph.
Gunmen will shoot anybody that happens along and then claim that they put up a fight.
You know what they're like.
Then everybody better stay away.
Everybody won't know about it, Dolph.
You don't want innocent men killed, do you?
Of course I don't. But I don't want my cattle stole either.
Dolph, you mind if I ride back out to your place with you tomorrow and have a look around?
I've got business in Dodge tomorrow. But I'm going out the day after. Be glad to have you.
Oh, good. Well, I'll meet you here then.
Okay, Marshall.
There's some men, Brandon. Cattle up ahead, Dolph.
That'll be Tom and Blades. They've got a camp near here. I put Tom in charge of this whole section.
They left Dodge yesterday morning early, Dolph.
I know. I saw them leave.
Oh, you did?
They didn't see me. I was sitting across the street.
Ah.
That's Tom, all right. Coming to meet us.
He shouldn't stop work just because we ride by. We'll wait here.
Who now? Who?
Hello.
Howdy, Tom.
Tom, what calves are those, Tom?
Oh, that's a bunch of men gathered in day four yesterday, sir.
Where are the other men? How come just you and Blades are working them?
Oh, we got all but about 20 of them branded yesterday. I figured me and Blades could finish them alone.
Two men ain't enough with a bunch like that. You'd have saved time if you'd kept more men to help.
Let's ride over there. I want to look at them.
Go on.
Yeah.
Two. Two down.
Go on.
Blades, maybe I'd better stay and help you.
Oh, no, sir. We're doing fine. We'll be all through by evening.
Your herd's getting scattered now.
We'll handle them. Sure, don't you worry none, Mr. Vicker.
I ain't worried none, Blades. Tom, next time you keep at least three more men with you when you got a bunch this size.
No case, sir. I'll do it.
In case you're wondering about the marshal here in Chester, they're going to look things over for a day or so.
The marshal thinks maybe he can cut the trail of them cattle thieves.
I sure hope so. We ain't had much luck, except for that one.
Now, go on back to work. I'll ride out here next week sometime.
All right. Get that iron ready for another one, Blades. It's red hot now.
Come on, marshal. I'm late enough.
Sure is a nice evening, Mr. Dillon, ain't it?
Don't you think so?
What? Oh, I was just wondering what kind of an evening it is in Dodge, Chester.
Oh, if there was any real trouble, somebody would have rode out and told you.
Yeah, I suppose so. It's been two days now.
Oh, we'd better get back tomorrow.
That'll suit me fine. I swear we've rode a thousand miles over this ranch and all for nothing, as far as I can tell.
Yeah, maybe.
Why don't you come set in the porch, you two?
Oh, we're just walking our supper off a little bit, Dolph.
Yeah, I've been in the saddle so much the last two days I need to stand.
Suit yourselves.
Dolph, from what the men tell me, you've lost only about a hundred head of calves altogether.
I had the impression that it was a lot more than that.
I won't put up with one calf being stolen from me, marshal.
I'm an honest man, and I work hard.
And if a neighbor or a stranger needs help, I'll give it to them gladly.
But I'll kill the man that steals.
Well, I wish you'd do one thing for me, Dolph.
What's that?
The next time you lose any stock, send word to me before you turn this outfit into one-armed camp.
Well, marshal, if it was anybody else, I'd tell him to mind his own business.
But, um, I'll do it.
Thank you, Dolph.
Oh, by the way, we're going to be riding back to Dodge tomorrow.
All right.
But I won't give you more in a couple of days next time.
Well, that's better than nothing, though.
Mr. Dillon, we won't never get to Dodge if we stop and cally ever hurt a cow as we come across.
Now, this is a bunch I wanted to see, Chester.
We'll travel as the crow flies from here in.
Come on.
Why was you so interested in that herd?
We must have rode through it ten times.
I was sort of interested in proving something to myself, Chester.
Yes, sir.
I look up ahead there.
Oh, a couple of Dolph men, I reckon.
Yeah, probably.
Or say, it's Tom and that fellow Blades.
Yeah.
Where's my old man, Marshal?
We left him at the ranch, Tom.
We're going back to Dodge.
Empty-handed, huh?
Not quite.
What do you mean, not quite?
Oh, Blades, I'll tell you.
I just looked over that bunch of stock back there.
Sure.
We gathered them yesterday.
Now we're going to do a little branding.
You better.
We'd better?
You ain't bossing us, Marshal.
Just get them branded, Tom.
All of them.
Of course we'll get them branded.
Say that you do.
Come on, Chester.
Yes, sir.
I don't understand what you was driving at, Mr. Dillon.
That's the same herd those two were working the day we rode by here with Dolph, Chester.
Say, now, I didn't notice that.
And you probably didn't notice about 20 calves in there that are still unbranded.
What do you mean?
Tom Vickers and his friend Blades are thieves, Chester.
And probably murderers to boot.
We will return for the second act of gun smoke in just a moment.
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That's Box 40, Midtown Station, New York, 18, New York.
And we will return for the second act of gun smoke.
Oh, Chester, there you are, my boy. Where's Matt?
Oh, he'll be back in a minute, Doc.
No, don't mind him.
Say, he told me about Dolph Vickers' son last night.
The only thing I can't figure, Doc, is why he don't tell a dog.
Oh, he's got his reasons, I expect.
I didn't come here to gossip.
Have you ever had supper yet?
I had early tonight.
But Mr. Dillon will probably go with you.
Evening, Doc.
You look hungry.
You look worried.
Dolph Vickers' boy?
Yeah. Now sooner or later I'm going to have to arrest him, Doc.
I've been trying to figure some way to do it without breaking the old man's heart.
Well, I don't suppose there is any other way, Matt.
If there is, I haven't thought of it.
Some way out back.
No, stay where you are, Chester. I'll see who it is.
I'll be right with you, Doc.
Sure, sure, Matt.
You're going to starve to death waiting for somebody to eat with around here, Doc.
Oh, why, fasting's good for Manchester.
And a little of it wouldn't hurt you.
Oh.
Seems to me I spent my entire youth fasting, Doc.
I won't never make up for it.
Uh-oh.
What's that?
I don't know, but I better go see.
Mr. Dillon?
Get out, Chester.
Somebody shooting at you?
Quiet.
It's okay, Chester.
They've gone.
Somebody was shooting at you.
After they knocked on the door, they ran up behind that far shed there.
Bloody poor shooting.
Well, ain't we going after them?
They had horses hidden there. I heard them ride off.
Well, I'll go buy a couple from the rail.
No, no, let them go, Chester.
Mr. Dillon, they tried to ambush you.
I know, but I'd prefer not to shoot them.
Especially Tom Vickers.
Tom?
We'll ride out to the ranch tomorrow, Chester.
Maybe we can bring them in without a fight.
Anyway, it's worth a try.
For Dolph's sake.
I'll go.
Dolph?
Anybody home?
Here comes somebody.
There.
Hello, Marshal.
How about that, Chester?
Hello, Dolph.
Morning.
Thank you.
Where are you going, Tom?
Ain't you going to say hello?
I got work to do.
What kind of manners is that?
There's no use running away, Tom.
You wouldn't get far.
What?
Now come on back and sit down, huh?
You do a lot of ordering around, don't you, Marshal?
Sometimes I do.
What's the matter between you and him?
It'd be better if you told him, Tom.
I don't know what you're talking about.
All right.
You brand those calves the other day.
What calves?
Wait a minute, Dolph.
Did you, Tom?
Of course we did.
You willing to ride out there with us and prove it?
I ain't riding nowhere.
I've had enough of this.
You tell me what you're talking about.
Tom?
Maybe you better tell me, Marshal.
Well, Dolph, you remember the herd Tom and Blades were working the day we rode out here,
would you?
Of course I do.
Well, I saw that same herd on the way back to Dodge, there are still about 20 unbranded calves in it.
Say it out, Marshal.
I ran into Tom and Blades just beyond, and I told them to be sure and brand those calves.
Go on.
So they knew I was on to them.
On to what?
Dolph, I'm willing to bet everything I got that if we find that herd, those calves are either still unbranded or missing.
What makes you so sure?
Tom refuses to ride out there with us.
What you're saying is mighty serious, Marshal.
I hope you won't regret it.
Come on, Tom, we'll go see them calves.
No.
We're going out there, I said.
I ain't going.
You'll do what I tell you.
Not this time.
We're going if I have to knock you down and tie you on to your horse.
And you know I'll do it.
Yeah, you would.
Them calves ain't there.
Then where are they?
Twenty calves ain't hard to track, Tom.
Blades got them.
Got them where?
Up by Little Spring.
You don't have to say it, I know Little Spring ain't on this ranch.
Go on.
There are three other men up there, you don't know them.
They're holding over a hundred head by now.
Come on.
You're going to charge your own son for stealing from you, are you?
Tom, you and Blades killed that stranger to help you cover up all this, didn't you?
It's too bad we didn't kill you, Marshal.
What, Sutton?
They tried to ambush me in Dodge last night, Dolph.
My own son, a murderer and a thief.
Tom, come into the other room with me.
Excuse us, gentlemen.
He's going to help him get away, Mr. Dillon.
Not if I know Dolph he isn't.
I expect he just wants to talk to him alone before we take him to jail.
Yes, sir.
You know, I feel a whole lot sorrier for Dolph than I do for the boy.
I guess you should.
Mr. Dillon.
It's all right, Marshal.
Where's Tom?
I killed him.
Here's my gun, Marshal.
I'm sorry you did it, Dolph.
I had to.
Marshal, I'd like to bury him now.
We'll help you.
No.
I'll bury my own dead.
Then I'll ride him to jail with you.
All right.
You'll get my calves back.
I'll pick up a posse when we get to Dodge.
The boy was my responsibility, Marshal.
You understand that.
What you did was wrong, Dolph.
You can wait here in the cool of the house.
I'll be back.
We'll wait.
Gunsmoke, under the direction of Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
Tonight's story was specially written for Gunsmoke by John Meston, with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey.
Featured in the cast were Sam Edwards, Paul Dubov, Charles A. Baston, and John Dana.
Parley Bear is Chester, Howard McNear is Doc, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty.
Gunsmoke has been selected by the Armed Forces Radio Service to be heard by our troops overseas.
Join us again next week as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal, fights to bring law and order out of the wild violence of the West in Gunsmoke.
Tomorrow, don't miss The High Mountain, a hard-hitting documentary report on the progress and problems of 15 million Negro Americans.
Tomorrow in the daytime on most of these same stations.
Stay tuned now for Gangbusters, which follows in a few minutes over most of these same stations.
George Welsh speaking. Saturday nights Herb Schreiner shells out on Two for the Money over the CBS Radio Network.
Music