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 U.S. 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. Dillon, I bet this proves out to be the hottest day of the whole year. Yeah, I think you're right, Chester.
I stuffed my hat full of gas, but the sun's still frying my brain.
It won't take long now that Cates Ranch is just over this ridge, isn't it, Hank? Yeah. Sure, I'm sorry to bring you out in this weather, Marshal. Back home, we never bought into the law something like this. Always settled it personal.
That works out better this way, Hank. Well, seeing how Grover Cates feels about me, I mean, I reckon you heard how it was with me and Alma before him and her got married.
You did the right thing coming to me with it, Hank. I just thought it wouldn't happen again. I'd forget about it, Marshal, but it's the third time now. It's all gone and I can't afford that kind of a loss.
There's no reason why you should. There's Cates over there by the bar, Mr. Jones. Don't see the boy around, no worries, no. Sure hates to have to do with it.
You let me handle it.
Hello, Grover.
How are you, Grover? What do you think you're doing here, Jergen? He's with me.
I'm afraid it's not a social call this time, Grover. I got some business with your son. Eddie? Yeah. Is he here?
What kind of business can you have with a 12-year-old boy, Marshal? Didn't you buy Eddie one of those light Winchester rifles a couple of years ago?
What if I did? Yeah, it seems like he's been using that gun pretty freely. He's been shooting some of Hank's prized turkeys.
Who says so? I seen him do it last time. That's a lie. Watch your tongue. And you get off my property right now.
That's enough, both of you. Marshal, there ain't a word of truth in it. My boy knows if he was to go do something like that, I'd whittle the daylights out of him.
I suppose we talk to him about it. There's nothing to talk about. It's because some turkey farmer starts spreading lies around.
I'm a patient man, Grover, but you stop that talk about lying. And get off my property if you don't like it. Easy now.
Grover! What's the matter? Afternoon, Miss Cates.
Marshal. Hank. How are you, Alma?
She misses Cates, Turkey Farmer, and don't you forget it. You go on back to the house, Alma. Please don't concern you.
What do you mean? What is it, Marshal?
It seems young Eddie's been taking pot shots at Hank's turkeys. There ain't no truth in it, Alma. Now you stay out of it.
Grover, let's see what the boy has to say. I ain't gonna have the law pushing my youngin' around.
The law's not going to. I just want to talk to him. Now where is he?
He ain't here. I sent him into town. Grover, he shut up.
I think maybe he came back without you knowing about it. No, he didn't.
In fact, judging by the way that dog's sniffing around at the cracks, I think maybe he's right there inside the barn, listening to us.
No, he ain't. I tell you. Grover, this is a matter of law, not a personal argument.
Now you quit stalling around and you call him out.
You gonna call your boy out, Grover? I said he ain't in there.
All right. Eddie, come on out. I know you're in the barn there.
I said come on out here.
Don't be too hard on him, Marshall. He ain't done nothing and the law's not gonna touch him.
You're the one that told him. You told him you seen me there in the barn.
I didn't, Eddie. You was going to. The only paw stopped you.
You're always doing something to get me in trouble.
I've just tried to be a good mother to you. You ain't my ma and you're never gonna be.
Eddie. Me and Paw, I had it all right here before you come.
Now wait a minute, Eddie. Seems to me you got yourself into trouble.
You were listening in there. Now what about those turkeys?
I don't know nothing about it. You see what I told you?
Eddie, I seen you do it. I was walking back up the draw.
I heard the shots and then I seen you right off on that pony of yours.
And you had your rifle. If I hadn't been a foot, I'd have chased you and caught you right there.
I ain't been near your place. Eddie, why do you think Hank could tell a story like that if it wasn't true?
I don't know nothing about it, Marshall.
Well, I've known Hank now for quite a while and I never know him to lie before.
Now why do you suppose he'd start with you?
I told you I don't know.
All right. I guess I'll have to take you into town with us, Eddie.
You aiming to jail this boy just on somebody's safe note?
I'm not gonna jail him, Grover. He can bunk in with Chester tonight and we'll see what Judge Bent has to say about it in the morning.
You know why Juergen made up this story, don't you?
It's because of Islemy here. Grover, please.
He never could stand it because she picked me instead of him.
Now he's trying to hit back at the boy to get even.
All right, Grover, you've said enough. Come on, Eddie, let's get started.
I don't want to go to jail.
Well, if you didn't do it, Eddie, you got nothing to worry about.
He just made it up like Pa said.
Oh? Why would he do that?
I don't know. Unless it's cause I seen him come here when Pa was away.
Eddie.
Sure, he come lots of times and he must know that I seen him.
That's not true.
It is too. That's why he's trying to get me out of the way cause he knows I seen him.
That's not true, Grover. I haven't seen Hank since before we got married.
Grover, that's a fact and I'll swear to it on a Bible.
Eddie, was that true what you said about him coming here?
Of course it was true, Pa.
All right then.
Jergen, you better start wearing your gun.
Oh, hello, Mark. Good to see you.
Hello Kitty.
Hello, Mark.
Sit down. Have a beer.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Thank you.
Well, hello, Mark. Sit down. Have a beer with it.
Well, thank you.
Sam, bring Matt a glass of beer, will you?
Sure, Miss Kitty.
I heard you threw the Cates boy in jail this afternoon.
Oh, you heard wrong, Doc. I got Chester keeping an eye on him and so...
I did hear wrong.
You know, I've been talking to Eddie most of the afternoon and evening and either he's telling the truth or he's the best doggone liar I ever saw.
Youngsters are sometimes.
Doc, I wonder if you'd come over in the morning and try to talk to him.
Me?
Well, I don't know anything about kids.
Well, you ought to, Doc. You delivered plenty of them.
But not when they're twelve years old.
A doctor ought to know something about human nature.
So should a lawman.
All right, then I'll talk to him. I won't guarantee anything.
Here's your beer, Marsha.
Oh, thanks.
Matt, Chester told me the boy says his stepmother's been seeing Hank Juergen at home while Grover's away.
That's what's kicked up all the trouble.
What do you think, Kitty? Alma worked here. You knew her.
I don't know, Matt. She and Hank were real close.
And then she quit work suddenly and married Grover.
Since then, I haven't heard anything.
Well, I can see Hank lying to protect Alma.
And yet, Eddie swears that every word of his story is true, that he didn't kill those turkeys,
and that he's seen Hank at the ranch. I don't know what to believe.
Wait a minute, Matt.
How are you, Kitty?
Hello, Alma.
Doc.
Marsha.
You know this kid?
Ha. It's the first time I've been in the Long Branch since I quit and got married.
Well, it hasn't changed much, Alma.
Lots of other things to have, though.
Don't you want to sit down?
No, thanks. I don't have much time.
Marshal, how's Eddie?
And he's still telling the same story, Miss Gates.
He ain't never liked me. Always talks about how much better everything was before his ma died.
I've tried. I've tried every way I know how to.
Well.
Marshal, I was wondering, could I go over to the jail with him and try talking to him myself?
He don't know what he's done, Marshal.
I left Grover out there at the place just sitting and drinking and staring at the wall.
He won't say a word to me.
Won't even look at me.
Will you walk down with me?
Sure, all right.
Come on, Miss Gates. Let's go talk to him.
I'm sorry, Mr. Doane, but he still won't come out.
I could have dragged him, but I didn't figure you'd want that.
You did right, Chester. I'll go back and try to talk to him.
Sure, he's a stubborn kid when he has to mind his own business.
Aren't you hungry, Eddie?
No.
Do you want to come up in the office with Chester and me?
Is she still there?
No, no, no. Your ma left. Crying.
She ain't my ma.
She's your step-ma, though. Same thing. Why wouldn't you talk to her?
I don't ever want to see her again.
You know, Eddie, you said a pretty bad thing about her.
It's true.
Well, maybe so, but now when a fellow says something like that about a woman, I think you ought to give her a chance to explain.
I don't want to see her.
Now, I can understand when a fellow's had a fine ma and then he's lost her.
It's kind of hard for him to get used to another woman trying to take her place, but he ought to try and not go around carrying a chip on his shoulder.
She hates me. She wants to turn Pog in me.
The thing is, though, that a story like that hurts more than just one person hurts your paw and Hank Juergen.
And you know something, in the end, it'll hurt you more than anybody else.
I told you I've seen him lots of times.
I can understand to tell him a lie to get out of trouble. I did that myself a few times when I was a boy.
You know why I quit doing that?
Why?
Because I found out that it felt worse to go around knowing that I'd lied than I did to admit the truth and take my punishment.
I didn't lie.
Just killing a neighbor's turkey's a bad thing, all right, and your paw might strap you for it, maybe give you extra chores to help pay for them, but that's not as bad as knowing every minute of the day that you've hurt three people without any cause.
And you hurt yourself, too.
I said I wasn't lying.
Yeah.
Well, in that case, you got nothing on your mind, so there's nothing to worry about, right?
Yeah.
You're still not hungry, huh?
No.
All right, then you better go to bed and get some sleep.
Marshall?
Yeah?
Yeah, what is it, Eddie?
I shot them turkeys.
And I didn't see Mr. Jerkin over at our place not once.
I'm sorry.
I knew Paul would be awful.
I'm sorry, Marshall.
It's all right, Eddie.
I'm just glad you told the truth.
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, where's the Chester?
Somebody just seen Grover Cates in town, he's drunk and he's looking for Hank.
What?
He says he's going to kill him.
I think we can't find neither one of them, Mr. Dillon.
Hank Jerkin may not even be in town, Chester.
Grover told somebody he'd stopped by Hank's place and he wasn't home.
I hope he's not.
Wait a minute.
Over there in Delmonico's, there's Hank.
Come on.
He might have heard Grover looking for him.
Wouldn't he be sitting in there eating for a peaceful life?
Yeah, I guess not.
Come on.
Well, Marshall, will you have yourself some supper?
Hank, we've been looking for you.
What for?
Because Cates is in town and he's looking for you, too.
Well, I figured he would.
Sooner or later.
I started wearing my gun.
I guess it won't come to that now.
The boy admitted that he was lying.
I'm glad, for Alma's sake.
If I'd known it was going to lead to what it did, Marshall, I'd have buried them dank
turkeys and forgot about it.
Well, I'll talk to Grover, see if he's willing to make good for the world.
Get away from me, Hank.
Hey, Cates, he's out there in the street.
Stay back, Chester.
Quiet down, Jerkin.
He ain't a big dude.
Hank, give me your gun.
Oh, no, it's my fight, Marshall.
I'm going outside.
Hey, what are you doing?
Here, Chester, take his gun and keep him covered and don't let him move.
Yes, sir.
Now, if you went out there, Hank, you wouldn't get a chance to talk to him.
Now, you stay put.
Grover, hold your fire.
It's Matt Dillon.
What's the matter with Jerkin?
You too scared?
You stay out of this, Marshall.
Between me and him, he's in there.
I've seen him.
Why won't he come out?
Because Chester's holding a gun on him.
I'm going to take yours now.
Stay back, Marshall.
My fight ain't worth you.
You haven't got a fight.
Your boy just admitted his whole story was a lie from the start to finish.
You're making that up.
I'm not going to argue with you.
Now, give me that gun.
Now, you better start coming to your senses, Grover.
You...
You're saying the boy made it all up about Hank and Alma?
Yeah.
You go on over to the jail and talk to him.
You better figure out I'm paying for Joe's window there along with them turkeys.
I...
I should have known the youngin' was lying to get out of trouble.
Marshall.
Oh.
I heard the shot, Marshall.
Either of them...
Oh.
Grover.
Oh, there was no harm done in this case.
I came back to the jail and saw Eddie.
He told me.
I reckon we better go get him, Alma, and head on out to the place.
You go, Grover.
I'm staying in town a while till I decide what I'm going to do.
What are you going to do?
Well, you're coming home.
That's what you're going to do.
No, Grover.
You believed what he said about me.
Just somebody's word against me and you believed it.
Alma.
I'm not going with you now.
Maybe not ever.
I'll have to study it out.
Now, wait a minute.
Good night, gentlemen.
Alma.
Alma, you come back here.
She can't do this to me, Marshall.
She's my wife.
She...
She belongs at home.
Marshall, you gotta help me.
I'm sorry, Grover.
This is something the law's got nothing to do with.
You're on your own.
Gun smoke.
Produced and directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
The script was specially written for Gun Smoke by Les Brutchfield, with editorial supervision by John Meston.
The music was composed and conducted by Rex Corey.
Sound patterns were by Ray Kemper and Bill James.
Featured in the cast were Parley Bayer as Chester, Howard McKeer 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.
The United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.