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In 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 U.S. Marshal and the smell of Gun Smoke.
Gun Smoke, starring William Conrad, the transcribed 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.
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, what is it, Chester?
Oh, there you are.
I didn't know you was asleep.
I wasn't asleep.
I was just trying to get there.
Yeah, but I didn't see you laying here on the cot.
I was looking for you to be setting up.
How could I sleep setting up, Chester?
I didn't know you were sleeping.
I wasn't sleeping, Chester.
We just went through that.
Gracious, I ain't going to tell you what I come to tell you.
All right, that's fine with me.
By jing, I don't know if it's going to be so fine for you at all.
You know, Chester, any more of this and I'm going to take you out and soak you in brine.
And while you're doing that, Leif Tugwell's probably going to be shooting down some innocent
citizen.
Leif Tugwell?
That's right.
I'd know that long, sad face any worse.
His hair is my gray, but it's him right enough, Mr. Dillon.
And he always did look like an underjigger.
Well, they order.
He's buried enough men.
Yeah, maybe, but at least he never went looking for trouble.
He always managed to find it without looking.
I don't like no part of him, Mr. Dillon.
Now, I'll go have a talk with him.
Where is he?
He went up to Doc's office.
And if I was you, when he comes out, I'd tell him to keep right on going, all the way
back to Texas.
I've known Leif Tugwell a long time, Chester.
I knew him when he helped clean up San Antonio.
And I'm mighty proud of him down there.
He's no cheap gunman to be told to get out of town.
All right, then ask him to leave.
Because if you don't, Mr. Dillon, there'll be trouble ashore as shooting.
Matt, Matt Dillon.
What?
Oh, Matt, you old son of a gunman.
I heard they pinned a badge on you.
Well, I was just on my way up to Doc's to see you.
Oh, it's Chester Proudfoot.
Hi, son.
Don't believe I heard about you.
Well, I've heard an awful lot about you, Mr. Tugwell.
You don't have to call me Mr., son.
And you don't have to call me son.
I'm old enough to have saw you kill a man back in Abilene.
Never mind, Chester.
Why don't you go on over to the Long Branch and have a beer, huh?
I'll just do that, Mr. Dillon.
My golly, I'll just do that.
You're kind of feisty, ain't he?
Well, it's not so much that, Leif.
He just doesn't like trouble, that's all.
And neither do I.
But you think I do, huh?
I know better than that.
But I'd appreciate it if you took particular pains to steer clear of it while you're here
in Dodge.
I won't start anything, Matt.
Good.
Then we won't worry about it.
We?
That'd be quite a show.
You and me could almost charge admission.
Yeah, maybe you could, Leif.
But one of us would be winding up using his cut for a burial.
Come on, I'll buy you a beer.
I don't think so, Matt.
No?
Now who's getting feisty?
Look, I carry a gun, sure.
I'm a little faster than the next.
It's because I've had to be.
But I never killed a man who wasn't trying to kill me first.
Is that against the law in Dodge?
No, it isn't.
But we've got a big population up on Boothill, Leif.
And I'm interested in keeping it from getting any bigger.
So am I.
By exactly one.
See?
I'm
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Hello Kitty. Oh, Matt. I didn't see you come in. That's probably because you weren't looking.
No. After all, what do I care about who comes in here long as I got money to spend? You can be
more friendly than that. Only to my friends. Thank heaven most of our customers aren't.
Oh, I take it you're not feeling very kindly toward people tonight. Not very. Maybe it's just because
I get sick of men stalking one another like wolves, baring their teeth, hating one another. Why can't
they sing and laugh and dance once in a while? Well, they do and you know it. Not tonight they
don't. Are you thinking of somebody in particular? Well, that one doesn't help. Who? That fellow at the
bar. The one with the face like a hound dog. Look at the space on each side of him. You'd think it
was poison. He is, Kitty. That's Leif Tugwell. Oh, he seems quiet enough for a man with his reputation.
And that's his reputation I'm worried about. Every would-be gunman in Kansas would like to be able
to say that he'd taken Leif Tugwell. Mr. Dillon. Oh, hello, Miss Kitty. Hello, Shester. Mr. Dillon,
this young fellow over at the Alphagans are talking pretty big and it's all about Leif
Tugwell. Oh, what does he look like? Small, stocky, got a real mean mouth, honey. Maybe I better go
calm him down. Wait a minute. You won't have to. That's him. Just come in. There. That one looking
around like he's gonna buy the place. He can't be over 18. They're the worst kind, Kitty. The
young ones trying to make a fast name for themselves. The one with gray hair. Stand around,
folks. Stand around. I suppose you all didn't know there was a famous man here tonight. You're gonna
drink with me, Tugwell. Son, I don't think Mr. Tugwell wants to drink with you. You standing up
for him, Marshal? I can handle this, Matt. Calls you by your first name. Must be he's a friend of
yours. Maybe as long as we're bandying names about you'll tell me your name. It's Gore. Trace Gore.
Now I'm from Texas. Tugwell knows all about Texas. That's where he's running from. I never ran away
from anything in my life, Gore. So that makes you a liar. All right, give me that gun, Gore. I came a
long way to kill him. I said give it to me. All right, now you get out of here. I sure never thought
I'd see the day when any lawman's badge would be big enough for Leif Tugwell to hide behind. Chester.
Yes, sir. Get him out of here. Here's his gun. You can give it back to him outside. Come on, boy.
Let's go. You shouldn't have done that, Matt. You'll just go screw up his courage another notch. What
do you want here in Dodge, Leif? You getting ready to tell me to leave? I don't want to. In a way,
you and I are sort of brothers under the skin. We're what? You were a marshal in San Antonio,
Leif. Now why don't you make my job easier for me? I'll tell you something, Matt. A man gets tired
of running from a lot of would-be gunmen that ain't dry behind the ears. This ain't the first time
Gore's tried it on with me. You have any follager here? All the way from Sweetwater. I pinned his
ears back with a bottle down there. This time it'll have to be with a 45. Aren't you forgetting
something, Leif? Yeah, what? About staring clear at the trouble while you're here.
Doc? Hey, Doc. In the back room, Matt. I saw your light, Doc. Oh, I'm glad you came up. I've been
alone here watching these test tubes last six hours. Oh, that looks like blood. It is. Probably
the easiest blood ever drawn in Dodge. He was willing. Who was it? And that I don't ask you who
got picked up for being drunk on Front Street. Okay, Doc, I'm sorry. What I really came to see you
about was Leif Tugwell. What about him? Now you've known him a long time, Doc. I want you to help me
talk him into leaving Dodge. He'll be leaving tomorrow, Matt. Well, I want him out before he has to kill a man,
and tomorrow may be too late. I promised Leif a while ago I wouldn't discuss this, but under the
circumstances, I better tell you. That's his blood in those tubes. He can't hold a gun, much less pull
the trigger. What? There's no cure for the disease Leif has. Nobody even knows what causes it. The
nervous system goes to pieces, and so does the muscle control. Oh, I didn't need to tell me. Well,
put yourself in Leif's party. He was a big man once. Weakness doesn't come easy to that kind. Yeah,
I guess you're right, Doc. I probably would have done the same thing. Well, anyway, you got no cause to
worry about Leif Tugwell killing anybody. No, Doc. What about his getting killed?
Chester? Hey, Chester. Look, Chester, there's no sense in both of us keeping a night watch. Why
don't you go get some sleep? I tried too, Mr. Dole. But I keep thinking of the way I treated Leif Tugwell.
You know what I'm gonna do? What? I'm going over to his hotel first thing in the morning and apologize.
He was mighty patient with Gore. He was patient because he had to be, Chester. Had to be?
Wherever more, Mr. Dole, Leif could have ate that young fool for supper. Could have, maybe,
but not now. He's a sick man, Chester. He can't even use a gun anymore. He tell you that? No,
but Doc did. That's why Leif came to Dodge. He figured maybe Doc could help him. Why the same
hill didn't he say something? All he's got left is his pride, Chester. When a man becomes a legend,
he wants to keep it that way, I guess. Free yourself of old-fashioned ideas.
Why don't you live modern? Live modern. Live, live, live modern.
Free up. Freshen up your taste. Smoking L&M.
Why are more people changing to L&M than to any other cigarette? Because only L&M lets you
enjoy full, exciting flavor through the pure white miracle tip. L&M draws easy.
Tastes richer. Smokes cleaner. So free up. Freshen up your taste. Get full, exciting flavor. Live
modern. Smoke L&M. Make today your big red letter day and start to live the modern way.
Live, live, live modern. Smoking L&M. It's America's fastest growing cigarette.
Marshall Dillon. Marshall.
Yeah, what is it, Gork? That hotel across the street. That's where
Leif Tugwell stands. Oh, is it? Now you know it is, Marshall. And I know he's
got to come out sometime. Did you hear what he'd done to me? He said something about it.
He shamed me. Picked me with a bottle right in front of the whole town of Sweetwater.
He only did it to keep from killing your son. You got it wrong, Marshall. It's me he's going to kill him.
Why don't you go back to Texas, Gork? Oh, I will, Marshall. I will. I know you're kind, Gork. You
listen to too many lies around a campfire. You got no hair on your face, but you'll blow yourself
up to the size of a man. You got no call talking to me this way. You shut up and listen.
Now being cock of the walk isn't all you've got it figured to be.
You talk a lot about killing, but there's being killed too, and you're dead a long time.
Is that all, Marshall? Yeah, that's all.
Yeah, that's all. I think I'll go get me a drink. Johnny? No thanks, I'm superstitious.
Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon? Yeah, what is it, Chester? You better come quick. They're out in front of
the long branch. Leif and that young fella Gork. They're picking half a showdown. Leif knows he
can't pull a gun. Well, he don't act like it. How are you going to stop him? That's Gork I'm going
to stop. Leif doesn't need stopping. You wait here, Chester. Yes, sir. Leif! Stay out of this, Matt.
It'll be self-defense on both sides. No law against that, is it, Marshall? No, there isn't, son.
You know, Leif, this kind of reminds me of the time you killed those three men in Abilene.
That's the fastest draw I ever saw. I told you to stay out of this, Matt.
You're too far away, Gork. You'll never hit a man from there. You're going to fight, come a little
closer. I'll call my own hand, Leif. Trouble with these youngsters as they get nervous, Leif.
Worst thing that can happen in a gunfight, son. I ain't nervous, Marshall. Why, you don't have to
be ashamed of it. There aren't many amateurs like you could face a man like Leif Tuggle without
their hands sweating. Give the boy his chance, Matt. That's what I'd like to see him have, Leif.
Look at him. The boy's hands are starting to twitch right now. He's getting scared.
Leif. I ain't scared. Come on, son. Let's get this over with.
Son, sometimes they die slow and hard. A bullet makes a big hole in a man's insides. They can
churn him up bad. You stay out of this, Marshall. Now why don't you stay out of it, son? Why don't
you clear out? Why don't you get on your horse and go on back to Texas, huh?
You've got a lot of living ahead of you that way.
Here, you haven't got any and you're smart enough to know it.
You can be lying dead there in five seconds.
Well, son, you coming at me?
No. No, I ain't.
Change my mind. When you do like the Marshall says, you go on home.
All right, folks, the show's over. Now why don't you all go about your business, huh?
Go on. I guess I'll be moving along, man. Back to Texas? No, not this time. Maybe I'll go out to
California, get myself a small spread and sit under a tree. Use your words. I'll have a lot of living
ahead of me that way. Yeah, I'll be there.
Use your words. I'll have a lot of living ahead of me that way. Yeah, I think you would have.
Goodbye, Mr. Tugwell. You don't have to call me Mr. Son. Goodbye, Matt. Goodbye, Lee.
Goodbye. A man like that's got a right to be called Mr. Yeah, he has that, Chester. He sure has that.
In a moment, our star, William Conrad. What makes a nation great? People, of course.
Not money or scenery or history, but a strong-minded, intelligent, well-intentioned
population. And that's why action came into being. Communities help to shape personalities.
Clean, healthful, well-ordered communities make for wholesome citizens, while slums breed juvenile
delinquency, maladjustment, and crime. Action is the American council to improve our neighborhoods.
Take a look up the street where you live. Is it well-lighted? Are sidewalks in good repair?
Is garbage disposal efficient? Note the appearance of the buildings. Are they well-kept, painted when
necessary? And how about the local school, the shopping center nearby, the playgrounds?
If an unbiased inspection reveals the signs of blight setting in around your home,
CBS Radio suggests you write Action! Box 20, Radio City Station, New York City, for information how
you and your neighbors can work together to improve your homes and the whole community.
That's Action! Box 20, Radio City Station, New York City. And now, William Conrad.
You know, scattered along the frontier, there were Plains Indians of many tribes, Pawnee,
Kiowa, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Sioux. But next week, a citizen of Dodge nearly dies because
of a Great Lakes Indian, a Delaware. And that was the West.
Gun smoke, produced and directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Doe,
U.S. Marshal. The script was specially written for Gun Smoke by William Lester with editorial
supervision by John Meston. The music was composed and conducted by Rex Corey. Sound patterns by Tom
Hanley and Bill James. Featured in the cast were Vic Perrin and Sam Edwards. Parley Bear is Chester,
Howard McNair is Doc, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty. Join us again next week for another
specially transcribed story on Gun Smoke.