Around Dodge City and in the territory on west there is just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers and that's with 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 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. Dobie, good afternoon Chester. Mr. Dobie, I ain't got no time for no idle talk. I want to see that drummer.
What drummer is that Chester? The one that sold me that derby hat the other day, the one with the gold tooth in front, that drummer.
Ah Chester, you know I can't let you go around bothering the guests of the Dodge house.
I got a right to bother him. That cussed hard hat he sold me like to kill me.
Oh now Chester.
Well it did. I wore it yesterday for the first time yesterday being Sunday.
I know what day it was.
And that sudden shower come up and well I couldn't get that hat off of my head. It was stuck on there, pressing in on my brain something terrible.
Felt like everything was being ooched over all to one side. Give me an awful headache.
You should have had better sense.
Well Doc said it was a very delicate operation.
Operation?
Yes, operation. He had to cut that hat right off my head. He said if it had been on any tighter he'd have had to chloroform me.
Oh for heaven's sake.
It's the gospel truth. He...
My.
Pardon me gentlemen.
Well sure man.
Oh, something I can do for you Miss Milton.
I don't want to interrupt.
Oh my land don't you worry none about that.
I'll just leave her have her say, Chester.
You speak right up man.
Why I was wondering if either of you gentlemen might know a friend of mine.
Well I expect we know everybody in town all right.
Well I heard he was somewhere in Kansas. His name is Matt Dillon.
Mr. Dillon?
The Marshal?
Well then you know him.
Oh Matt Dillon's the Marshal of Dodge City Miss Milton.
The Marshal? Oh fancy that. Well then he's probably too busy to bother with me.
Oh no ma'am. Oh I know he'd be proud to. Now you just let me tell him you're here.
Well if you know him.
Well I should just say I do.
How very interesting Mr.
Proudfoot ma'am. Chester W. Proudfoot but nobody don't use my last name.
All right then Chester.
I wonder if you'd be so kind as to take a message to Mr. Dillon for me.
Oh you bet your boots ma'am. I mean yes ma'am I sure would.
Would you tell him Miss Dolly Milton is here from Texas staying at the Dodge house
and that she'd be pleased if he'd find time to call on her?
Yes ma'am I'll do that Miss Milton. I sure will do that.
Thank you for your kindness.
Good afternoon gentlemen.
Good afternoon Miss Milton.
Good afternoon ma'am.
She sure is a pretty little thing.
Now Chester about that drummer.
Oh my gracious Mr. Dobie don't bother me about that drummer.
Can't you see I've got something important to tend to?
Here if you will bear with me is a quote from a speech rendered by that old political character
Elijah Cuddlestone.
Now I mean to tell you that this man is a radical. A radical mind you.
Why talk about change. He's used enough platform planks, even planks that is,
in this campaign alone to build you a new courthouse.
I say a new courthouse and still have enough planks left over to construct a warehouse
for all of his past mistakes.
Well Elijah was a bit outspoken and that's how he used the word radical.
Radical comes from radix, the Latin word for root.
Actually today radical isn't much more than a term of abuse.
Before the 18th century radical essentially meant a person who wanted to get to the root of a matter.
Toward the end of the 18th century a group of English politicos became known as radical reformers
because they wanted to revamp the existing political set up.
They became a hated crew because folks didn't like change and radical became a term of low reproach.
Music
Matt, Matt Dillon.
Hello Dolly.
How wonderful to see you again.
It's good to see you too.
Please come in.
Oh thank you.
It's been a long time Matt.
Yes, it has been a long time.
You look as though you've prospered.
Oh I get along.
That's about all.
But you're a U.S. Marshal.
You've done yourself proud.
Just a job.
Well it agrees with you.
I must say you're looking fine Matt.
I can say the same thing for you.
I guess that's as close to a compliment as Matt Dillon ever did come.
Won't you sit down.
Oh thank you.
Well, what are you doing in Dodge?
Oh I don't know Matt.
I'm kind of restless.
I guess I'm looking for another place to settle down.
I thought you'd be married and settled down long before this.
I am married Matt.
Huh?
Well I thought Chester said your name was Milton, same as he used to be.
I won't use that man's name.
What, your husband's?
I don't acknowledge him as such.
He's a cruel man Matt, a brutal man.
I had to run away.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Dolly.
Is there anything I can do?
You can be my friend.
A woman can be might and lonely Matt.
I always have been your friend.
I guess I knew that.
But thanks for saying it Matt.
Yeah.
I still don't quite understand why you came to Dodge though.
Why not Matt?
Well, it isn't much of a town for a woman.
I thought you'd think St. Louis would be much better for you if you're looking for a place to settle.
Maybe I wanted to be near a friend.
Maybe I wanted to know the Marshal.
Sure.
Well.
Matt.
It's going to be wonderful being with you again.
Knowing you're close by.
I just hope I get to see a lot of you.
Well, sure Dolly.
Sure.
Hello Miss Kitty.
Hello Chester.
Mind if I sat down?
No, of course not.
Thank you.
I just kindly had the feeling you might not mind some company.
Well, I mean a few words with an old friend and all like that.
Thank you Chester.
That's very nice of you.
I know how it can be.
I mean, well, it can get kind of lonesome like.
Don't you worry about it Chester.
I'll make out all right.
Sure you will.
But I swear I don't know what's the matter with Mr. Dillon.
Oh yeah, she's got a pretty face and all that.
There's nothing the matter with him except that he's a man.
I guess you're right.
But I sure do wish.
You sure wish you'd watch Chester.
Hello Kitty.
Hey, I'm Mr. Dillon.
Hello Matt.
Well, I better get on back to office.
Oh, what's your hurry?
I got a feeling there's something I forgot to do around there.
Goodbye Miss Kitty.
Goodbye Chester.
You mind if I sit down?
Go ahead.
Well, you look about the same.
Haven't changed much.
Oh, what does that mean?
Since I last saw you.
Not Kitty, it's only been three or four days.
They tell me you've been busy.
Yeah.
She's very pretty.
She's an old friend Kitty.
I'm sure she is.
She's in some kind of trouble.
I haven't been able to figure it out.
It's something to do with a man.
Is that a fact?
No, Kitty.
Well, no.
It's your business Matt.
Of course.
But I'd like to tell you something.
What's that?
I'm a pretty good judge of men.
And I'm an awful good judge of women.
And this woman, this Dolly.
Well Matt, I'll bet the last bottle in this saloon that she's not what she's pretending to be.
Do you know her?
I've seen her.
That's an awful lot of whiskey to bet on somebody you never even talk to, isn't it?
The bet still goes.
But I guess you'll have to find out for yourself.
Yeah Kitty.
I guess I will.
Would you like anything more, Dolly?
Oh no, thank you Matt.
I had a great plenty.
Some more coffee maybe.
Oh, please.
All right.
You know, Domenico's cooking isn't exactly fancy, but it keeps us alive.
Oh, it's fine.
Just fine.
And I can't tell you how much I enjoy being with you.
I'm not very fancy either.
No, but I don't have to be afraid of you, Matt.
I don't scare many women.
Some men do.
Some men scare them and hurt them.
Like your husband?
Yes, like my husband.
Oh Matt, I can't bear to think about it.
I can't bear to think of the terrible things.
You just better forget them.
Old men aren't like that, you know.
Oh, I know.
And you are of great comfort to me.
Matt, you'd know if there were any strangers in town, wouldn't you?
I usually know.
I know for sure if they get into any trouble.
And you'd know about people moving near here too, wouldn't you?
Living out in the country.
You'd know where to find them, wouldn't you?
Are you thinking that maybe your husband might follow you? Is that it?
Well, I can never be sure.
But you'd protect me, wouldn't you, Matt? You'd stand up against him.
I'd have to know who he was first.
I guess I ought to tell you.
Forgive me, Matt. I had to be sure I could trust you.
Oh, hello, Matt.
Oh, Doc.
Miss Melton.
Hello.
Oh, well, I see you're just finishing.
Oh, we are, Doc, but you're welcome to sit down with us if you like.
Please do.
No, no thanks.
I think I'll just have a quick bite and turn in.
Oh, a rough day.
Well, it's been a messy day, Matt.
I had to treat a badly injured woman out at the Meadows place.
Meadows?
Oh, what happened to her?
She fell off a ladder.
She lost her baby, Matt.
She smashed a couple of ribs, broke her arm, bruised from head to toe.
It was a hard thing.
Doctor, do they live near here?
It's a few miles. They're new. They haven't been there long.
They need any help?
No, no, no, I don't think so. The husband says he can handle it by himself.
He's one of these big independent cussers.
He doesn't talk much, though.
Well, I'll just sit down at that clean table over there.
So good night, Miss Melton.
Good night, Doctor.
Good night, Doc.
Matt. Matt, that's him.
His name's Meadows. Red Meadows. He's here.
Oh, Dolly, take it easy. Maybe it's not the same man at all.
This one's got a wife.
It is the same man, Matt.
And that woman, she's not his wife. She couldn't be.
We're pretty far away to be sure.
I am sure, and I'm sure something else.
She didn't get hurt, fallen off any ladder. He did it to her.
Dolly, Dolly, calm down.
Look, I'll take a ride out there tomorrow and look things over.
He should be stopped. He should be killed. He's a terrible man.
Dolly.
Matt, I'm frightened.
Well, just don't worry about it, huh?
Look, I tell you what, you stay right in your room till I get back,
and nothing will happen to you, huh?
All right.
Come on now and I'll see you at your hotel.
Good morning, Mr. Dunn.
Well, forever more, you starting off already? I ain't even boiled a cup yet.
I want to get started, Chester. I got a ride out west of town.
Oh, following Miss Dolly Milton again?
What do you mean?
Well, she headed off west just a few minutes ago, driving her buggies, needy, please.
Huh? Are you sure of that?
Of course I'm sure. Ain't nobody else around here looks like her.
Why in the world would she be heading out of town all by herself at this hour of the morning?
That just don't make sense.
I'm afraid it does, Chester. Come on.
You mean you want me to come along, too?
Yeah.
Well, but I thought you and Miss Milton...
I said I wanted you to come, Chester, and I put down the coffee pot and go get the horses.
Yes, sir.
Hometowns in America have a lot in common, and yet they're each one of a kind.
Take, for example, Condon, Oregon, and thereabouts.
Each summer, the famous Pendleton Roundup lassoes folks from Condon, Arlington, Fossil, and Heppner,
and draws them closer together at rodeo time than they ever get to be the rest of the year.
By the time the Condon Globe Times has announced the event, the harvesting is done,
the elevators have received the grain, and a quick shopping trip has been planned to the dolls.
It's summer in Condon. The county seat of Gilliam County,
and the scent of wild lilac bushes and yellow roses is in the air, and there's going to be a rodeo.
Some will take the family car, others will catch the train or Greyhound in Arlington,
and everyone who wants to be where the dust is thick and the Broncos fight you all the way will be there,
because no one misses the Pendleton Roundup.
Even the Columbia River rapids run quicker, but if your hometown is Condon or thereabouts,
you already know this. We only wanted to remind you, it's still there.
I swear I don't understand, Mr. Dillon. If she's so afraid of this rad middler, why'd she come out here all by herself?
That's what I hope to find out, Chester.
Looks like she got here all right. There's her buggy out by the barn.
Yeah, well, it's right over there.
Man, I warned you a long time ago, no man walks out on me.
Sit on the horses, Chester.
Yes, sir.
I believe that you got to know, but I can do this.
Dolly, Dolly, put that gun down.
I hope he's dead.
Here, give me that gun. Give it to me.
Chester.
Yes, sir.
Here. Here's her gun. Keep an eye on her while I see about Meadows.
Meadows, can you hear me?
Did you? Did you come with Dolly?
I'm the U.S. Marshal from Dodge.
Do me a favor, Marshal. Get Dolly out of here.
Chester.
Yes, sir.
Take her out to the buggy.
Come on, Dolly.
I'm not going to stop trying, Rad. Not as long as you live with any woman but me here. Next time I'll kill you.
Come on, get moving, Dolly.
I got to get into the house. Got to tell my wife I'm all right.
Meadows.
Huh? You never were married to Dolly, were you?
No. No, Marshal. She liked to chase me all over Texas, but I never felt that way about her. And she never forgave me.
Yeah, I see she didn't. She claims that you treated her pretty bad, that you beat her and all that.
To tell you the truth, Marshal, I never even touched her. I think that's what she couldn't stand.
Yeah, maybe.
I don't ask you to believe me, Marshal. There are ways of checking. Folks down Texas's way will tell you she's pretty well known down there.
I think I do believe you, Meadows. Well, come on, I'll help you into the house.
Yeah.
I'll get Doc Adams to come take a look at you.
Yeah.
Make you feel real proud, Matt? Locking a woman up?
Nothing about this makes me proud, Dolly.
You were mighty silent on the way in.
I was just thinking.
Thinking about how you were taken in by an old friend?
Yeah, maybe.
Well, you're lucky, Matt. When I first heard that Rad was up this way, I had in mind you might do my shooting for me.
Well, I might not have been quite that obliging, Dolly.
Once I found out just where he was, I wanted to do my own shooting.
What are you going to do with me?
I'm not going to do anything with you. I'm just going to hold you until Meadows gets well enough to decide whether he wants to sign a complaint.
And that'll be up to the jury.
Are you really going to leave me here?
Yeah, Dolly. I really am.
I'm sorry, Mr. Dillon. I know this must go kindly hard for you.
No, it's all right, Chester.
Such a pretty little thing to go gunning for a man.
Yeah, she's pretty all right.
Well, good night, Chester.
You going out someplace?
Yeah. I lost a bet, Chester. It's a kitty.
Looks like I'm going to be supplying the whiskey for her saloon for quite a spell.
May I have a moment of your time to quote from a speech by an old political character, Elijah Cuddlestone?
Thank you.
And so I say that my opponent is, I say he's a mugwump. A mugwump, that is.
In 1936, 1936, I say, Albert J. Engel said, he said, and I quote,
a mugwump has his mug on one side of the political fence and his wump on the other. Engel said that. Yes.
Well, that's a pretty good definition of what mugwump implies, but do you know where the expression originated?
Mugwump was an Algonquin Indian word meaning great man or chief.
The word first found political use in 1884 when there was a split in the Republican Party,
and a great many members refused to support James G. Blaine for president.
Party regulars accused him of assuming a superior attitude and hurled such epithets as Pharisees and mugwumps at him.
And that's how another political term was added to our language.
Gun Smoke, produced and directed by Norman MacDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
Featured in the cast were Parley Bear as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Kitty.
George Walsh speaking. Join us again next week for another specially transcribed story on Gun Smoke.
This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.