Around Dodge City and in the territory on west there's just one way to handle the killers
and the spoilers and that's with a 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.
Barkey.
What'll it be stranger?
Nothing.
What?
I don't drink.
Is that what you come in here for to tell me you don't drink?
I didn't come in here to tell you nothing Barkey.
You won't be the first stranger in Dodge.
I've had a straighten out.
Which one of these men is the Marshal?
Marshal?
The Marshal.
I was told I'd find him here.
He's here.
He's sitting right behind you so don't start nothing.
Is that him sitting right there?
That's him.
Marshal Dillon.
Yeah.
I want to talk to you Marshal.
Well go ahead.
Would you mind if I sit down?
No.
Now my name is Ben Corder Marshal.
Ben Corder.
Is this my first time in Dodge?
I know.
And I want to be friends Marshal.
Why not?
Now I figure we can do each other a lot of good.
A lot of good.
Huh?
Is that so?
That sure is.
That's why I came to talk to you.
See whenever I come to a new town I always get to know the man that's running the place.
That way I figure there won't be no misunderstandings later on.
Something about what?
I'm a gambler Marshal.
Dodge is an open town Mr. Corder.
Sure.
You see I make money gambling.
Sometimes a lot of money.
You must be pretty lucky.
Huh?
I'm lucky all right.
But now you know sometimes a player will go broke and start a fuss over it.
Maybe even run to the law about it.
Yeah.
Yeah I know.
And when he does he's usually been cheated.
Some losers always got to complain about something.
Is that what you came to tell me Mr. Corder?
Oh Marshal you know what I'm talking about.
You take care of the troublemakers and I'll take care of you.
Say a quarter of the profits huh?
Let me explain something to you Mr. Corder.
If a man loses his money gambling I figure that's his look out.
But I still don't allow any crooked games in Dodge because sooner or later they lead
to killing.
So you run your game straight now out you go.
That's not friendly Marshal.
You've made one mistake Mr. Corder trying to bribe me.
You make another and you're through here.
For goodness.
Oh you're one of the hard nosed law men huh?
You'll find out soon enough Mr.
Will I?
Now I've got an idea that I can persuade you yet Marshal.
Too far to come by a coach K-O-C-A-P-E-N-I.
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah what is it Chester?
Did you ever hear of a place called Deming?
Deming?
That's in New Mexico.
Well it's a nice place.
Oh sure why?
Oh this girl I know is going to move there.
Oh is she a nice girl Chester?
She was.
What do you mean she was?
Well I haven't seen her since she was about ten and that was over twenty years ago.
Well what are you writing to the girl for Chester?
Oh I don't write to her.
I write to her brother Welby.
He tells me about everything.
Yeah well I better get out before you explain it to me.
He wants me to marry up with her Mr. Dillon.
Oh he does huh?
Yes sir but once a year or regular I write and tell him I won't do it.
You're getting too dang dole that's what's the matter with her.
Well don't forget to put the lap off before you leave the office tonight Chester.
No sir I won't.
You see anybody?
You want the rifle?
No.
Crawl over and put the lamp out Chester but keep low.
Yes sir.
All right we'll wait here a minute.
He'll get away.
Now he had a rifle Chester and he was in the alley right across the street.
And to his mighty poor shooting.
That's all they wanted to do was scare me.
Oh then it was that gambler you told me about, Cordier huh?
Yeah maybe but I can't prove it.
Well you sure ought to do something about it.
I am.
I'm going to get something to eat.
What?
Well you go out and drop the word here and there about me getting shot at.
But why?
Just do it Chester.
Yes sir.
I'll be around later.
Evening Matt.
Hello Kitty.
You a businesswoman?
Yes.
I'm a
businesswoman.
No.
I heard about you getting shot at tonight.
Well I've been shot before Kitty.
Oh and I suppose I shouldn't worry about it.
Now Kitty don't start that.
It's just luck you weren't killed years ago Matt.
It stopped being luck Kitty when I learned how to handle a gun myself.
Sure and anyway somebody has to enforce the law don't they?
Well that's the way I look at it.
I'm sorry Matt.
Good evening Marshal.
Hello Cordier.
Ah right pretty girl.
How long you been wearing shoes mister?
Ah look here.
Say what you have to say Cordier.
You sure do make it hard to be friends Marshal.
I only wanted to say that I heard that you got shot at tonight.
So well I'm sorry it happened that's all.
I don't envy a man has to be a Marshal.
It's mighty dangerous.
Besides that it usually don't pay very good.
And what do you think I ought to do about it Cordier?
Quit?
No that ain't necessary Marshal.
Because if you were smart you could stay right here and make good money and be real safe
to boot.
I didn't know for sure it was you Cordier.
But now I know.
What are you talking about?
There's a stage leaving Dodge about sunup.
You're going to be on it.
Oh no I'm opening a new game across the street tomorrow.
I'll take your gun Cordier.
Oh wait a minute Marshal you can't do that.
I think I can.
Well by having you.
Cordier went to bed early that night in jail.
But I got him up next morning and plenty of time to make the stage.
He climbed into it and meek as a bird and then it left.
And I soon forgot about him.
Like so many others I'd run out of Dodge I figured he'd keep going and make his trouble
somewhere else.
But a couple of weeks later I found out I'd figured wrong.
I was walking up Front Street one afternoon with Doc.
I tell you man I'm going to take down my shingle one of these days and let all these people
find themselves a good vet.
Who's been souring your milk Doc?
Oh Miss Humboldt.
That's her she's been coming in every day for a week.
Now you're usually complaining about a shortage of patients Doc.
That woman's not a patient she's a suicide.
Now Doc that might be said of anybody who comes to you.
Oh yeah well the price for cutting bullets out of you just went up Matt.
OK OK tell me about Miss Humboldt.
Oh she wants to be bled all the time and I won't do it.
A lot of people think bleeding is good for them.
Well I do.
Oh oh oh Doc.
He's right inside the alp again here Mr. Dillon I just saw him.
Who did you see Chester?
That gambler.
Quarter.
What?
And he's got somebody else with him some stranger.
Well we'll see you later Doc.
Oh yeah sure.
Come on Chester.
There they are.
At the bar Mr. Dillon.
Well I'll be.
There he is Toke.
That's him.
Him?
I'm back Marshal.
Brought a man with me to sort of look after my interests.
It won't baffle him so easy.
How about Toke?
You really the Marshal here?
Didn't quarter tell you?
He didn't mention no name.
What are you talking about?
Toke Moreland and I are old friends quarter.
We worked in the road a long time together.
In fact we went through quite a lot.
Didn't we Toke?
Too much Matt.
Remember?
Yeah I remember.
You're Marshal now.
And you sold your gun to quarter here.
Is that right?
That's right.
So you're here to kill me?
Yeah.
I'm here to kill you.
We will return for the second act of gun smoke in just a moment but first.
Tomorrow night Herbert Marshall stars as the Honorable Edmund Burke, British statesman
and member of parliament.
Hear his story on CBS radio tomorrow night on the radio Hall of Fame with Lionel Barrymore
as your host.
Now the second act of gun smoke.
It was a bad feeling to meet Toke Moreland again after some 15 years and to have him
standing at the bar of the Alafraganza hired by a crooked gambler to kill me.
And I'd run horses together over in Colorado until the night we rode into La Junta and
got taken by a drunken mob and beaten half to death.
And the next day when they found out we weren't the men they wanted it was too late.
By then something had gone wrong inside Toke.
And as soon as he could climb on a horse he'd ridden off without a word.
I never saw him again until now.
How long you been in Marshall?
Quite a while Toke.
I never figured law men for much.
A lot of people don't.
Like quarter here.
Oh go ahead Toke shoot him I'll back you up.
I handle my own gun fighting.
I want to talk to you Toke.
Come on over to the table.
No you don't Marshall.
Shut up here Toke.
Come on Toke.
Sit down.
Well Toke is this your profession now shooting people?
I gamble a little.
Why do you do it Toke?
I don't like people much.
Not after what happened at La Honda.
You got over that beaten?
We both did.
Anyway that was a long time ago.
Maybe my memory is better than yours.
No, no it isn't.
We both changed after that Toke.
We sure did.
But in different ways.
Now you hate everybody I just hate mobs.
I guess that's one reason I became a lawman.
There was a lawman helping them that night at La Honda.
Sheriff himself.
There are good sheriffs and bad.
Like Marshall?
Like anybody Toke.
It's kind of too bad you're a Marshall Matt.
You mean you're going through with this anyway?
I never back off from a fight.
Well suppose I won't fight.
I get paid all the same.
But you'll have to get out of dodge.
You think I'll do that?
No.
But I give you twenty four hours to worry it around.
Alright Toke.
That gives you twenty four hours too.
I don't change.
Talks nothing to me.
But money is.
It adds to the pleasure.
Tell me something Toke.
You ever enjoyed shooting me?
You ain't Matt Dillon no more.
You're a lawman.
Same as the one who helped me half kill me.
You too.
I'm a pretty good gunman.
Sure.
You can let Corder run his game here.
Or you can quit.
Crooked game there'd be fights men would die.
Twenty four hours Marshall Dillon.
Okay.
Twenty four hours.
You sure you don't want to stop Mr. Dillon?
Just because I've been losing.
They could be a bad omen especially today.
That's like it's okay Chester.
I don't depend on luck.
You two still playing cards?
No Doc.
Doc I'm an eight Chester.
Matt you've been hiding out in here all day long while everybody's talking about how you
let that gambler come back to town yesterday after running him out.
I don't like that.
I'm taking three Chester.
It'll all be settled tonight Doc.
Mm hmm.
By they're saying you're afraid of that gunman he's got with him.
That Toke something?
Sure bet Chester.
Uh Doc don't get dropped too early today huh?
We might need you.
No I quit.
I can't even think about that Mr. Dillon.
Okay Chester.
If there's anything I hate it's a paid gunman.
A paid gunman?
Oh so that's what he is.
Ain't there no way at all to stop him Mr. Dillon?
How are you going to stop a man that kills just for money?
Just for money?
Hey wait a minute.
Doc do you know where he is now?
Well he was in the Texas trail a little while ago Matt.
I'll be back later.
Hello Toke.
Well Marshall Dillon.
Sit down Marshall.
You know Miss Kitty here.
Hello Matt.
Kitty.
I've been talking about you, me and Kitty.
You're talking about me too.
Good.
That's what I want to talk about Toke.
Me?
I'll go right ahead.
But don't stay too long.
She's a real pretty girl Matt.
Maybe I better leave.
If you leave I leave with you.
Matt.
It's alright Kitty stay.
Toke how much is quarter paying you to get rid of me?
Three hundred dollars.
Now what if I give you three hundred?
To shoot him.
You don't care who you kill do you?
It don't matter much.
No.
Alright I'll give you three hundred to clear out of here and forget this whole business.
Why?
Well we were good friends once Toke until you got mad and started hating everybody.
You've changed too Matt.
You sure never were a coward in the old days.
Is that what you think I am?
Well so does Kitty.
Don't you Kitty?
Don't tell me what I think Mister.
He's full of vinegar Matt.
Girl like that deserves a real man.
Yeah I think I'll get my money from quarter so I can hang around Dodge and get a little
better acquainted with her.
Now I am leaving.
Well I guess there's nothing more to say Toke.
Nothing I know of.
See you in about an hour Marshal.
Unless you go hide.
I told you Mr. Dillon.
Thanks Chester.
He said he liked the idea of meeting you in the street.
So do I.
There's less chance of anybody else getting hurt out here.
Yes sir.
Uh oh.
There he comes.
Yeah.
Mr. Dillon I wish you could get out of the street Chester.
Yes sir.
I guess you ain't a coward after all.
Then get out of Dodge Toke and take quarter with you.
You sure don't mean nothing to me.
Does anything?
Just killing people.
Especially law men.
Okay Toke.
Go ahead.
Watch me.
I'm a
I hurt Matt bad.
Yeah.
He hit me both times.
I had to.
Funny thing, Matt.
What?
I'm lying here, flooding inside, dying.
I ain't mad no more.
I don't hate nobody.
Tuck, it's too late to do anything about it.
Yeah.
It's too late, Tuck.
Sure.
Here it is.
Chester.
Yes, sir?
Take care of him, will you?
You going after Corda?
Corda isn't the kind of man who'll stay around after this.
No, I'm going for a ride alone.
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 John Dana, Lawrence Dobkin, and Vic Perrin.
Harley Bear as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Kitty.
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.
Every New snaps ahead on CBS Radio, tomorrow night with Our Miss Brooks on most of these
stations, George Walsh speaking.
comedy with My Little Margie, Sunday nights on the CBS Radio Network.