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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 French squad story of the violence that moved West
with young America and the story of a man who moved with it.
I'm that man, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal, the first man they look for and the last they
want to meet. It's a chancey job and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely.
Chester, will you take this stuff down to the depot and see that it gets in the mail for
me?
Yes, sir. There's something wrong about that fellow, Mr. Dillon.
Oh, what fellow?
Him. Across the street there.
All I can see out of that window is sky, Chester.
Oh, I forgot you were sitting back there. I've been watching him so long, I just naturally
thought you had too.
Well?
Well, what?
The man, Chester. What's wrong about him?
Oh, well, he drove up to the long branch in a wagon and got down and went inside and then
he come back out. And then do you know what he did?
And he drove off?
No, sir. He's still there.
What did he do, Chester?
Well, he got a big old rifle out of his wagon and he loaded it. Then he put it under his
arm and he's been walking up and down ever since. It's like he's waiting to shoot somebody.
There. See him, Mr. Dillon? That tall, rangy fellow there.
Yeah.
See how he keeps looking up and down the street?
Come on.
Do you think he is out to shoot somebody?
Well, I don't know, but it's worth asking him.
He sure picked a fine spot right across from the jail.
Yeah, well, I'm glad he did.
Anyway, he ain't going to run very far with nothing but a team and wagon.
You ever seen him before?
No, sir. He's a stranger to me. He looks real country though, don't he?
Yeah, but he's not poor. That's a good wagon he's got.
Looks brand new to me.
Yeah. All right. Stand aside now.
Yes, sir.
Hello.
I don't recall you, mister.
My name is Dillon.
Oh?
I'm the marshal here.
Oh. Why, sure. I knew I'd heard that name, Dillon. Pleased to meet you.
This is just a proud foot.
Hello, Chester.
How you doing?
I'm Willie Calhoun, marshal. I don't get to dodge, but sell them, not to lead me.
Oh, you live around here?
Got me a little place out at Spring Point.
Ah.
It's doing fine.
I noticed you got a new wagon.
Well, that's for Pearl. I wanted her to be proud.
Hey, your wife?
No, Pearl Bender, marshal. She's gonna be my wife. That's what I come to town for. I
made up my mind.
Pearl Bender works in the long branch here, doesn't she?
I'm waiting for her to come along now. I made up my mind, marshal.
Is that what the rifle's for?
What do you mean?
Well, you've made up your mind, but maybe she hasn't.
Oh, oh, oh, no. No, it ain't like that at all. I wouldn't force Pearl into nothing.
Then what is the rifle for?
Man's got a right to carry a rifle.
Yeah, but the way you do it, it's like a man walking around with a six gun in his hand,
ready to shoot.
Now, come on, tell me the truth, Calhoun.
Ain't nobody gonna stop me and Pearl, marshal.
Well, why should they?
They might try.
Who might?
I fight my own fights, marshal.
Now, not here you don't, not with a gun.
I'll kill him. I made up my mind to kill him if he gets in my way.
Now, look, Calhoun, why don't you give me the rifle?
Here, now.
Stay back. Here, Chester, hold it on him.
Got him covered, Mr. Dillon.
You've got no right to do that.
I'll do anything to stop her killing.
Now, you're gonna tell me who you're looking for?
You're interfering. I ain't gonna tell you nothing.
All right. Chester, take him over to the office and keep him there.
Yes, sir.
You can't lock me up. I'm gonna get married.
We're not locking you up, but you're gonna stay in my office till I find out about this.
Okay, Chester.
All right, get moving, Calhoun.
And don't try to run or I'll bang you right on the head.
Oh, we'd better hurry.
I'm gonna
have to look.
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Who is it? It's Matt, Kitty. Well, come in. Thank you. What's your trouble, Matt? First,
Kitty, I want to find Pearl Bender. Does she have a room here? Right down our hall, but
she won't be back by half hour. Oh. Is she in trouble? Kitty, do you ever hear of Willie
Calhoun? That long fellow with the sandy hair? Yeah, yeah, that's him. Well, he's been in
a long branch a couple of times. Act like he's real sweet on Pearl. Well, he says that they're
going to get married. What? Today, according to him. Well, that'll be quite a surprise,
the Webb Thorn. Ah, so that's who it is. Webb Thorn. Look, Matt, I don't know anything about
all this. Pearl never talks much. But I've heard Webb say he'd shoot anybody who tried
to run off with her. And Willie Calhoun says he'll shoot anybody who tries to stop him.
How could Pearl be in love with this Calhoun? She's only seen him a few times, and she and
Webb have been thick ever since he started dealing fair over there, six months ago.
Well, maybe Webb doesn't know about it. Well, he'll find out soon enough, won't he? Yeah.
Say, that's an idea, Kitty. Hmm? The sooner the better. And I'm going to be there when
he does. How are you going to manage that? When Pearl comes back, send her over to my
office, will you? Oh, okay, Matt. But this is going to make her awful mad. It's going
to make all of them awful mad, Kitty. Marshall, if you've got any charges against me, I'd
like to know what they are. I'm not arresting you, Webb. I told you that. And why are you
taking me to jail? I'm not taking you to jail. Well, this is the jail, isn't it? It's also
my office. Go on in. Okay. Pearl. Hello, Webb. What are you doing here, Calhoun? Go on in,
Webb. I didn't let him talk none, Mr. Dillon, just like you told me. Oh, good, Jesse. You're
making trouble, Marshall. I don't like it. The trouble's already made, Calhoun. What
trouble? Webb, I hear you've said that you'd kill any man that tried to run off with Pearl.
Is that right? I sure would. Well, Calhoun here says that he'll kill you if you try to
stop him. Try to stop him? What's he been up to? He came to town today to get married.
Married? Mm-hmm. He and Pearl. And he brought a rifle with him. I don't believe it. That's
my rifle Chester's holding. I don't mean that. I mean about you and Pearl. I made up my mind.
I'm gonna do it. You ain't gonna stop me. I'll stop you. Webb, if they want to get married,
they're going to, and there isn't gonna be any trouble over it. Now or later. Who told
you they want to get married? Him. That's right, he did. But it's Pearl that's gonna
settle this. Either you or him. She can say right now which one of you she wants, and
the other's gonna get out and stay out. Is that clear? Why, sure, Marshall. That's fine
with me. Pearl knows her own mind, don't you, Pearl? Go on. Tell him. Go ahead, Pearl.
Marshall, I never told Willie I'd marry him. What? I can't marry him. Yes, you can, Pearl.
I've made up my mind. He's made up his mind. Sure I have. And I don't care what I gotta
do to get her away from you. Tell him again, Pearl. Willie, I can't marry you. I never
said I would. Well, you can speak out, Pearl. You can. I'm telling you the truth. Please.
Not Pearl. Okay, Calhoun, you heard her. Leave her alone. Leave us both alone. Once I make
up my mind, I never change it. I'd rather see her dead than with him. Look, Calhoun,
Webb didn't stop you, I did. So you go gunning for anybody and it's me. Well, I got nothing
against you, Marshall. All right, then go back to your place at Spring Point and stay
out of Dodge till you get over this. I'll send your rifle out by somebody later on.
You think I'm crazy, don't you? You'll forget all about this soon enough. So long, Pearl.
Goodbye. You know, he is crazy. After this, you stay away from men like that, Pearl. Understand?
Yeah, sure, Webb. Sure, I understand. Come on. I've got to get to work. All right. You
handle this fine, Marshall. There'd have been a killing, sure, otherwise. Yeah. So long,
Pearl. Goodbye, Marshall. Chester. Goodbye, Pearl. Now, Mr. Dillon, I feel kindly sorry
for that poor Willie Calhoun. He sure had everything all wrong, didn't he? Something's
still wrong, Chester, and I don't know if it's because of him or because of him. And
I hope I never find out. Two weeks later, I heard that Pearl and Webb Thorn got married
and they moved into a house that Webb owned, and Pearl quit working at the Long Branch.
I figured that would settle things for good, so the first time I found a man riding out
his way, I sent Calhoun's rifle back to him. Then I forgot about it until one morning just
before daylight when Chester came running in and woke me up. I got dressed and we went
out onto the plaza. It was that boy who worked out at Webb's house that come for Doc, Mr.
Dillon, and then Doc woke me up and said, come get you. What's all the trouble about,
Chester? He didn't say, except that there's been a shooting. Yeah, I know, but who did
it? All the boy told Doc was that it happened in the sleeping room. He didn't say who did
it or even who got shot. He's a real smart boy, isn't he? Well, it ain't his fault, Mr.
Dillon. See, he heard a shot and then Pearl hollered through the door for him to go fetch
Doc. Sounds like maybe she shot Webb, don't it? I mean, since it was her that called the
boy. We'll find out in a minute. Hey, look, they let the front door open. Yeah. Well,
if it was Pearl, she can't run far. Doc should have brought you with him and sent the boy
after me. I told him that, but the boy had already left. Doc. Doc. Wait there, Matt.
That's Pearl, Matt. She's been shot. Pearl. Where's Webb? He's out of town and went over
to Abilene for a few days. Who told you, the boy? Pearl did. She's still alive, Matt. Ah.
But she won't be for long. If you want to talk to her, you'd better hurry. Who did it,
Doc? She'll tell you. Go ahead. I'll wait here with Chester. There's nothing more I can do
for her. OK. Pearl. Hello, Marsha. Do, uh, do you mind talking? I can talk. A little.
Who did it, Pearl? I was asleep, Marsha. The window was open. I heard a man outside that
yelled something. I, I don't know what it was, but I recognized his voice and I sat up and
he shot me. Who? Who was he? Willie. Willie Calhoun? Why would he shoot me? He knows why
I couldn't marry him. What? Webb said he'd kill me if I ever left him. I know he would.
You told Calhoun that? I told him enough. He knew. I guess I couldn't stand my being married
to Webb. You didn't have much chance either way, did you, Pearl? I didn't know Willie
could do this. I wish you'd told me about Webb. It doesn't matter now. Can I see Doc,
Marsha? Yeah, I'll go get him. Bye, Marsha. Goodbye, Pearl. She wants you, Doc. All right.
Just tell me, are you sure that she won't make it? She can't possibly live more than
another half-harmer. Okay, you stay with her. I got a man to run down.
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Outside the house, we found Calhoun's tracks and saw that after the shooting, he jumped
on his horse and ridden north. A few minutes later, we were mounted and headed in the same
direction. It was nearly dark when we reached Spring Point and found his cabin. And as there
was no sign of life outside, we dismounted and went up to the door. I kicked it open
and jumped inside, but the place was empty. There was no choice but to wait. So we hid
our horses in a shed out back and then made ourselves at home inside the cabin.
I sure do wish we could light a lamp, Mr. Dillon.
Well, we can if Calhoun ever shows up.
Hope he ain't too long. I'm getting hungry.
He might not come at all, Chester.
Yeah, say that's right. Why would he come here? He must know we're after him.
An ordinary man had run, but I'm gambling that Calhoun's too tied to this place to
leave it for long, even though escape being caught.
He's kindly crazy, ain't he?
Yeah, it's not gonna keep him from hanging.
You think he'll put up a fight, Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, he'll fight.
Oh my, that poor pearl.
Ah, no water. I'm going out of the well and fill this up, Chester. I'll be right back.
All right, Chester.
Hey, Marshall. Right there. One move and I'll kill you.
You turn around. Drop the bucket.
Is that the rifle you used this morning, Calhoun?
I'm gonna use it again. I gotta kill you and Chester now.
I'll get a bullet in you.
You're gonna drop your gun belt, Marshall. Real slow. Now go ahead.
No.
Go on. Do it.
It's like I say, Calhoun, you can kill me, but I'll get one bullet in you.
You're awful willing to die, Marshall.
It'll be worth it to take a woman killer with me.
What?
Any man that'll ambush a woman.
What are you saying, Marshall? What woman?
What woman? Pearl.
Pearl. Pearl.
That's right.
Not Pearl. I didn't shoot Pearl.
She heard your voice. She recognized it.
Marshall, that wasn't Pearl.
Of course it was.
Now you're lying to me. Why are you lying to me?
I got no reason to lie to you. Why should I?
But it couldn't have been Pearl.
Now you're saying it was just to drive me crazy.
No. No, I know why you're doing it, to keep me from shooting you.
Well, it ain't gonna work, Marshall.
You shot Pearl and she's dead. Doc said she couldn't live more than a half hour after I saw her.
I don't believe it. That don't make no sense.
Wait a minute. You thought it was Webb Thorne, is that it?
Of course it was. That's his house. That's his bedroom.
Webb's over in Abilene.
No.
He's been gone two or three days.
I...well, I still don't believe it. What would Pearl be doing in his house?
Why shouldn't she have been there? They were married.
They...they was married?
You didn't know they were married?
How would I know that? When they get married?
A couple of weeks ago.
I wanted Webb Thorne. I...I wanted him so he'd let Pearl go.
He said he'd kill her. It's...it's him I wanted.
Well, you didn't get him, Kelton.
No. No.
Now give me the rifle.
You take it. I don't care no more.
I don't care what happens to me.
The law cares. You're going to jail, Kelton.
I just wish you'd shot me. I wish I'd made you shoot me.
Go on into the cabin.
Marshal?
What?
Can I sit out here a while? Alone?
I won't run.
No, you won't run.
Okay, Calhoun. You sit here.
And now our star, William Conrad.
Thank you, George.
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Gunsmoke, produced and directed by Norman MacDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
Our story was specially written for Gunsmoke by John Meston, with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey.
Sound patterns by Tom Hanley and Ray Kemper.
Featured in the cast were Vic Perrin, Harry Bartel, and Virginia Christine.
Harley Bear is Chester, Howard McNear is Doc, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty.
Stop!
Put a smile in your smoking by Chesterfield. So smooth, so satisfying. Chesterfield.
You'll also enjoy Chesterfield's great radio shows.
Harry Como sings all the top tunes on CBS Radio every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Jack Webb stars in Dragnet on Tuesday nights.
Check your local listings.
Remember, listen again next week for another transcribed story of the Western Frontier,
when Marshal Matt Dillon, Chester Proudfoot, Doc, and Kitty, together with all the other hard-living citizens of Dodge,
will be with you once more.
It's America growing west in the 1870s.
It's drama.
It's Gunsmoke.
Brought to you by L&M Filters.