Around Dodge City and in the territory on West there is just one way to handle the killers
and the spoilers and that's where the US Marshal and the smell of guns smoke. Guns
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 the United States Marshal. The
first man they look for and the last they want to meet. It's a chancey job and it makes the man
watchful and a little lonely. Mr. Dillon would you mind if I stopped at the long bank here for a minute?
It's pretty early in the day isn't it Chester? Oh I don't want no drink. The bar keeps holding
some money for me. I won a little last night and I didn't want to put it back into the game.
But you want to get it now so you can put it back tonight is that it? Yes sir I'm afraid to.
Okay. Sam? Come for your money Chester. Hello there Marshal Dillon. Hiya Sam. Well there you are Chester.
Here you can buy yourself a drink. I sure will. See you tonight Chester. Excuse me. Yeah. Well I
heard the bartender call you Marshal Dillon. Yeah that's right. I got something to tell you
Marshal. Well go ahead. It's important. Okay. You're going to die Marshal. Who are you mister?
Wilbur Hawkins. I'm a whiskey drummer. First time I've been to Dodge though. I worked around St.
Louis till they sent me out here. I liked it better in St. Louis. Lots of important people there. Wait
a minute. What are you talking about? You're going to die Marshal. I heard them saying so. You heard
who saying so? I don't know their names. It was dark and they weren't there very long. I didn't
dare say anything or they'd have known I was listening. Then of course I never heard of you
till just now that is. You ain't a making much sense mister. Oh it makes sense all right. You
see I rode the train out here from St. Louis and one night I was all wrapped up trying to sleep and
these two men came by and stood there in the aisle and one gave the other three hundred dollars. He
said it was to kill Marshal Dillon but he didn't say where. So of course I didn't know till just
now. Is that all you know about it? That's all Marshal. I've done my duty now. I'll be going.
Goodbye. Now forever more. What do you make of that Mr. Dillon? I don't know Chester. He acts
a crazy like. I don't know whether to believe him or not. No but I suppose we'll find out soon enough.
You know the prisoners sound asleep already and it ain't only just got dark out. Well he's got
nothing else to do till Tom Smith gets here. Is that who you're holding him for? Well I thought I
told you that Chester. Well but Tom Smith's sheriff of Tascosa ain't he? Yeah why? Well I thought this
fellow was wanted in Abilene. No Chester they never heard of him in Abilene. That's why I
wired Tom. Well I'm going out back for a minute Chester. I think I left my new bridle on the
kitchen rail out there. I better get this place swept up a little bit. That's a good idea. Mr. Dillon? Stay there Chester. Stay where you are. Mr. Dillon? You've been shot. I was just trying to play possum Chester. I wanted to get
him to come up where I could see him. Oh. Oh he's gone now. You scared him away. Ran down the alley there. Well he'll be lost in the crowd by now. Oh that doesn't matter. Doesn't matter. Probably thinks I'm dead so I'll just go on playing possum. How do you mean? Let's go on up to Doc's office. I'll tell you there.
Now I don't know if you're one of them Civil War buffs or not, but the United States Post Office put out a series of mighty interesting postage stands when the centennial of that big shoot rolled around a few years back. I'll show it to you. Now like this one in my album here, issued May 5th, 1964.
Recalling the fracas they fought near Fredericksburg, Virginia. It's called the debacle of the wilderness. Now that was a real rough one all right, because that's where General U.S. Grant and 115,000 Union troops ran head on into General Robert E. Lee and 75,000 Confederate.
Oh you couldn't hardly see one another for the thick trees and the brush all around, and the cavalry and the artillery wasn't much good to either side. But they kept at it for two days in that wilderness with a lot of good men down before it was over.
But that was the start of Grant's drive on the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, which ended the war about a year later. It was a bitter and bloody war all the way, but it made us one country again, and that is what really counts.
What did you say that whiskey drummer's name is, Matt?
Wilbur Hawkins, Doc, but you never heard of him. This is his first time in Dodge.
You know, Doc, he kindly acts like maybe he got hit by lightning somewheres. Even when he's standing still, he gives you the feeling he's sort of walking sideways, kindly ootches along like a crab, if you know what I mean.
No, I don't, but I'd sure think twice before asking you to explain, Chester.
What is it that you have in mind to do now, Matt?
Nothing.
Nothing?
Yeah, Chester's going to do the work for a while. I'm just going to sit up here in your office and wait.
Wait for what?
Well, when Chester spreads the word around that I'm dead, that Wilbur wants me, that way he's going to make his play. He'll come right out of the open and do whatever he's got planned. Man, I'm going to give him a little surprise.
Well, I don't know.
Why, Gene, was you going after a wonderful idea? Now, why didn't I think of that?
Get going, Chester. I'm kind of anxious to meet this man. Your man is a gunman.
Yes, sir. I'm a gunman. Hey, one thing. Ain't the boys like you to run wild when they hear you ain't around to keep the lid on things?
Yeah, they might. We'll have to take a chance.
All right, sir. I'll get started.
You know, Matt, Chester's right for once. There's a lot of men in Dodge who are just waiting for an excuse like this.
Well, if it gets too bad, Doc, I'll just have to come to life again.
What time's it getting to be done?
Let me see. It's nearly midnight, Matt.
How long are you going to wait up?
Well, if something happens again, Chester will let me know.
Well, the town seems quiet enough so far. Maybe nothing's going to happen.
They didn't try to kill me just for the fun of it, though.
No, I guess not.
Answer it, Doc, after I get to the back room.
Maybe it's a patient.
I'll be holding a gun on it anyway.
Coming, coming. I'm coming.
Kitty, what are you doing here at this time of night?
I might tell you. You asked me in, Doc.
Of course, come in, come in, Kitty.
Where's the corpse?
What?
The body. I expected to find him all laid out.
Oh, oh, you mean Matt.
You don't seem too upset about that corpse, Kitty.
Oh, I'm not. All that talk didn't fool me, Matt.
Just didn't make sense.
Chester running around telling everybody you'd been killed.
No, why not?
Oh, I know Chester too well. If he were dead, he wouldn't be acting like that.
But most everybody else believes it, Matt.
Oh, that's good.
I don't know what you're up to, but I figured someone's been trying to kill you.
Right. Yeah. Ambush, Kitty.
Well, that's not the way he's telling it.
What? Not the way who's telling it?
I never saw him before, but there's a man standing at the bar at the long branch bragging about outdrawing you.
You mean he's admitting that he killed me?
I kind of thought you'd like to know.
Yeah, that's him, Matt. This is what you've been waiting for.
Is there anybody with him, Kitty?
No. He's alone, as far as I know.
Anyway, you better come to life again, Matt. There's going to be trouble if you don't.
Maybe I better not wait any longer. I'd like to take that gunman's employer along with him, though.
You can find out who it is, Matt. We'll beat it out of him.
You better come with me, Kitty, so you can point a man out and you can take cover in case he wants to fight.
Any man who's called enough to shoot you in the dark isn't going to face you now, Matt.
Maybe not dark, but you never know.
There he is, Matt. It's all fallen in the black hat. He's kind of drunk.
Okay, Kitty, you wait outside. We'll see how he's going to behave.
Yeah, all right, Matt. Good luck.
I'm Marshall Dillon, mister. Who are you?
I'm Joe Rogers. I thought you was dead, Marshall.
I understand you've been bragging about shooting me.
Just talk, Marshall. I didn't mean nothing by it. I was just talking.
Kind of dangerous talk, don't you think?
Everybody said you was dead.
I was waiting for you to come out of your hole, Rogers. I don't like getting ambushed.
Marshall, I've never even seen you before. I didn't ambush you.
All right, face the bar, Rogers, while I take your gun. Turn around.
Sure. I ain't going to try nothing. You've got the wrong man, Marshall.
All right, you can turn around again. You can't arrest a man just for talking.
The jail's right across the street, Rogers. You lead the way.
It was just talk, I tell you. I can't prove nothing.
Get going.
I swear I didn't try to kill you, Marshall.
Just straight ahead, Rogers, and when we get there, you're going to do some more talking.
I want to know who hired you.
Nobody hired me. I ain't even got a job.
Mr. Dillon, what are you doing out here? Who's this fella?
His name's Rogers, Chester. He's been bragging about shooting me.
I was just having a little fun. I ain't no gunman.
It doesn't take much of a gunman to try to ambush a man, Rogers.
But I didn't do it, Marshall. I heard them talking about it, and I don't know why I started saying I'd done it.
Mr. Dillon?
What?
Mr. Dillon, I was on the way up to the doctor. I was coming to tell you something.
Well, I've been over to Lady Gay. I swear I just don't understand.
Well, just say it out, Chester.
Well, there's a fellow over there, and he's making his brags about shooting you, too.
What?
That's right. He's saying he out-broad you and killed you. Of course, he's a little drunk.
Yeah. Yeah, of course he is. So was Rogers here, till I scared him sober.
Sure I've been drinking, Marshall. I wouldn't have talked like that if I'd been plum sober.
Here, here's your gun, Rogers.
You're turning me loose?
Like you say, you're just a big talker.
Yeah, but what about the fellow over to Lady Gay?
I don't even want to see him, Chester. You shut up fast enough when he hears I'm still around.
All right, Rogers, you go on back to the bar, unless the men in there laugh you right out of town.
Yes, sir.
I'm sure, sorry, I done it, Marshall.
All right, get going.
Sure, I'm going.
I don't know what's the matter with me, Chester, not figuring this.
I might have known there'd be at least a couple of drunks wanting the reputation of having killed me.
Yes, sir. And now we're right back where we started from.
Yeah.
Hey, maybe that whiskey drummer would lie in, too.
Now, you're forgetting I got shot at, Chester.
And there's a man somewhere in Dodge still waiting to kill me.
Hometowns in America have a lot in common, and yet they're each one of a kind.
Take, for example, Des Moines, Iowa.
All through the state capitol, it's progress that's happening here in the home of Better Homes and Gardens and Look magazine.
Never mind that the Seventh Street Bridge is usually in repair.
The new expressways and the airport on Fleur Drive place Des Moines only minutes or a few hours from All America.
This means more leisure time for golf at Wakanda, horseback riding along the Woodseek River trails on the south side,
or boating and beaching at Grays Lake near the New Holiday Inn.
If you're culture conscious, the Des Moines Art Center in Greenwood Park has works by Goya and Rodin,
and soon the new zoo will be open at Old Fort Des Moines.
The college crowd from Drake University digs the Italian food at Bates downtown.
Others, without the pizza palette, prefer Johnny and Kate or Rocky.
But if your hometown is Des Moines, you already know this.
We only wanted to remind you, it's still there.
Music
Why'd you come in the back way, Chester?
My, I almost forgot to give you this telegraph, Mr. Elmets and Sheriff Tom Smith.
Oh, what does it say?
Well, I couldn't read it that close, but he's coming for his prisoner.
He'll be here on the stage today the way I...
Today? Let me see that.
Yeah.
Ah, must have got delayed somewhere along the line, yeah? Tom's view today, that's right and that...
Telegraphs. You just can't count on these newfangled contrasts anymore.
What time is it, Chester?
Well, no one's wrecking.
That stage ought to be here right now. Let's go see.
All right.
Music
There it is. Must have pulled in just a minute ago.
Look, passing through the milling around like a bunch of steers.
Yeah.
Hey, look down there. Ain't that Tom Smith?
Yeah, that's him.
Who's that other fella? He looks kind of familiar to me.
That's Wilbur Hawkins, Chester, the little whiskey drummer.
Yes, well, I've been wondering where he's been.
Matt. Matt Dillon.
Hello, Tom.
Well...
How are you, Matt?
Hello, Chester. Fine, fine.
Well, I'm sure glad that trip's over. Next time I'll come horseback.
The stage is easier when you're taking a prisoner back, though.
I hope you still got him. I'd hate to make this trip for nothing.
He's here any time you want it.
Say, where's Wilbur Hawkins going?
Look at there. Ain't he even gonna say hello?
You know that little fella?
Yeah, we know him.
He told me he was staying at the Dodge house.
Strangest talking man I ever run into.
Oh, he means well, Tom.
Maybe. But he tells some mighty crazy stories.
Oh, what do you mean?
Well, he said he heard a couple of men in a bar talking about me.
He didn't know what they meant until I introduced myself on the stage
and he recognized my name, and then he...
Well, what are you looking like that for?
Now, go ahead, Tom. Go ahead. Well, what if Hawkins's here?
No, he said this one fella was gonna give the other fella $300 to shoot me.
Ain't that the darndest thing?
It sure is.
I don't know, Matt. There's a lot of men who'd like to kill me,
but I don't believe they'd be standing around talking about it that way.
I kind of think he made it all up.
No, he didn't make it up, Tom. Not quite.
You know something about this? You mean someone is out to shoot me?
Yeah.
Who?
I'll tell you about it on the way over to the Dodge house.
All right, you wait here, Chester, just in case he gets past us, huh?
Okay, sir.
He ain't gonna get past us.
But what I can't figure, man, is why Hawkins would want to kill you and me.
Doesn't make much sense, Tom.
Oh, here it is.
Who is it?
It's Tom Smith and Matt Dillon, Hawkins.
What are you doing here?
We want to talk to you.
Come on, open up, Hawkins.
Get out of the way, Tom.
You tried to kill us.
Look, I can kick the door open with one foot. You cover me, huh?
Right.
I'll kill you.
You kill him, Matt?
I tried not to.
Hawkins?
I'm hit. I'm going to die.
I had to shoot Hawkins.
Now why did you want to kill us, Smith and me?
A lot of people want to. I hear them saying...
Nobody said anything. You made all that up, Hawkins.
You took a shot at me last week, didn't you? Didn't you?
I'm dying. I can't kill anybody now.
Why did you want to, Hawkins? Tell me.
I killed other men.
I told them about it first, and then I killed them.
Why, Hawkins?
I don't know. I had to.
I had to do it.
He's dead.
No, what was he talking about?
I don't know, Tom, but it doesn't matter much.
I don't understand it. I never saw him before yesterday.
Hawkins was a murderer, Tom, the kind that doesn't need any particular reason.
Nobody will ever know why he did what he did.
He was crazy, if you like.
He sure was crazy. Do you think he's done a lot of killing, Matt?
Probably. The most dangerous kind of man there is, Tom.
A murderer with no reason at all.
Innocent looking little whiskey-drummer.
Regardless of what some people may have said about the political character of Elijah Cuddlestone,
none could dispute his honest concern for his people.
Here's how he put it.
I say since politics became my life, my platform, I mean the base for my platform, has been,
and I say this in all truthfulness, the base underlying my platform has always been what is good for my people.
Well, he was, of course, not referring to his party's platform, but rather to his own platform, his personal set of principles.
In French, plat means flat. So a platform is really a platform.
Platform in our political vocabulary means a statement of principles and policies adopted generally
by a party convention as a basis for the party's support.
The term has been used since the 1800s.
Political planks, of course, are used to build a political platform
and refer to the party stand on various public questions.
Gun Smoke, produced and directed by Norman McDonald, 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 Waltz 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.
Thank you.