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 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 chance a job and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely.
Dodge City, everybody out, enter the line.
Dodge City.
Mr. Brown Wood is a real nice man.
Yes, Mr. Brown Wood, real nice.
Well, how are you doing there, Mr. Dillon?
Hello, Chester.
Well, I'd say you're meeting somebody on the stage.
As a matter of fact, I am.
Well, I'd be glad to point him out to you.
I got to know everybody really well.
Awful nice bunch of folks.
Well, thanks, Chester, but I see him, all right.
Well, maybe I can introduce you.
Which one is he?
A fellow by the name of Chester Proudfoot.
You got to know him fairly well.
Well, Mr. Dillon, you mean you come down here just to meet me?
Well, any law against it?
Well, no, sir.
Well, say, now that's awful nice of you, Mr. Dillon.
That's awful nice.
Did you have a nice trip, Chester?
Yes, sir, I sure did, Mr. Dillon.
Good.
Just as nice as can be.
Why, they couldn't have treated me no better if I'd have been a friend.
Well, that's good.
You find your family all right.
Well, sure.
They were right there while I was looking for them.
Well, that was kindly a little joke, Mr. Dillon.
It was just a way of speaking kindly.
I didn't really mean...
That's the kind of a joke your family is partial to, Chester.
Well, we did do a lot of joshing, I'll say that.
Uncle Wesley, he's mighty comical when he reminds me and Magnus was home and well, he
was just cutting up all the time.
Must be dangerous around here.
How's that?
Never mind.
Come on, let's get your stuff.
Yes, you did.
Driver, come down right over there.
All right.
No, no, no, now, Mr. Dillon, I can handle him all right.
Oh, well, yeah.
There we go.
Oh, before I forget, Chester, did you have any trouble picking up those papers in Dalhart?
What papers is that?
The papers in Dalhart, Chester.
Oh.
You mean you forgot them?
Chester, you said you'd pick them up for me on your way back through the panhandle.
I know I did.
I swear I must have clean forgot.
I was having such a good time there with my people and all, and it just must have knocked
it right out of my head.
I guess too much cutting up could do that all right.
Oh, now, I just feel terrible about that.
I just don't know how I could have been so stupid.
Well, don't worry about it, Chester.
We'll get them some other way.
Well, if you want me to, I'll turn right around and go back.
No, no, there's no need for that.
You don't trouble me not one bit.
Never mind, Chester.
I'd really kindly enjoy it, Mr. Dillon, taking another long ride.
Come on, Chester.
I better take you to the office before you forget where it is.
You sure it won't be taking you out of your way, Joe?
Why, tell you, Marshal, I'm riding out that way tomorrow.
I can swing back by Dalhart just as easy as that.
I'll pick up your papers for you.
I'd sure appreciate it, Joe.
I don't know how Chester could have forgotten them, but you know how he is.
He knows too.
Well, there's just no telling about Chester.
Oh!
Excuse me, Joe, I didn't see you coming out.
Well, don't hurt to keep your eyes open, Chester.
You ever think of that?
Well, they was open.
It was just that I never came in.
I'll see you later, Marshal.
So long, Joe.
Thanks.
Mr. Dillon?
Will you close the door, Chester?
The wind's blowing these papers.
I'm trying to get signed.
Oh.
Yes, sir?
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah.
Was you and Joe Freeze talking about me just now?
What?
Well, I could have swore I heard you saying my name when I came in.
Joe's going to pick up those papers.
You forgot, Chester.
Joe's going?
He's going clear to Dalhart?
Yeah, he's going clear to Dalhart.
Well, for gracious sake, Mr. Dillon, you hadn't already got somebody else to do that.
I could go just as easy on him.
No, Chester, it's all been arranged.
But now I can do anything Joe Freeze can do.
I can get them papers for you myself.
Don't worry about it, Chester.
Now, Mr. Dillon, why don't I just get on my work?
Look, Chester, I've been trying to get through this paperwork all afternoon.
Why don't you just go on out so I can finish it up, huh?
Well, I will, but I don't think I can.
Go on, Chester.
Yes, sir.
Go on.
I know.
I've got things to tend to, yes.
Hey, what'll you have, Chester?
Beer?
Whiskey?
Well, thank you, Sam, but those papers are not going to be very useful.
Thank you, Sam, but to tell the truth, I don't think I want a thing.
Sure?
Yes, sir, I just think I'll just kindly stand here for a little bit.
It's all the same to you.
All right.
Wouldn't you think now that anybody taking up room at the bar ought to at least buy a
drink?
Never mind, Lunt, it's all right.
Everybody else comes into a saloon to buy a drink.
Not that Chester, though.
He just comes in to lean on the bar and look like a two-fisted drinker.
Ain't that right, Chester?
Well, yeah, I guess that's what it looks like.
All right.
Wouldn't you think now that the marshal would get himself a real man for the help of somebody
that could do a decent job for him?
Well, now, Lunt, I'd do a lot of things for Mr. Jones.
Well, I'd like to hear about that.
Come on, boys.
Chester's about to tell us how he runs the marshal's office.
Now, I ain't saying I run the office.
I ain't saying that at all.
Well, go on, then.
Tell us what you do do.
Well, there's a lot of things that I do.
I go for the mail, and I see that the horses get took good care of, and I go along with
Mr. Jones on a good many of his trips.
Go on, Chester.
Tell us what else you do for the marshal.
Well, my, I help every way I know how.
I make a pretty good cup of coffee, and I keep the lamps clean and filled up with coal
oil.
Yeah?
That's what a U.S. marshal needs, all right, somebody to keep his lamps filled far.
Now, I don't see what's all far and funny about that.
Oh, and something I forgot to mention.
Sometimes when Mr. Jones is too busy, well, he sends me out to do things for him to save
him the trip or the trouble, you might say.
Like bringing them papers from Dalhart?
How'd you come to know about that?
Well, it's all over town, ain't it, boys?
How Chester come all the way back without them papers?
Yeah, it don't seem like Mr. Jones is going around talking like that.
Oh, no, he didn't, Chester.
Joe Freese was in here for a drink a few minutes ago.
He told me about it.
And I guess it was some big ears listening.
Now, come on now, Chester, have a drink.
Make you feel better.
No, no thanks, Sam.
I guess I better be getting along.
Don't worry too much, Chester.
Everybody needs someone to laugh at.
You sure do a job for the marshal that way.
He sure does.
Come in, come in.
Oh, it's you, Chester.
Now, come on in and shut the door.
Oh, Doc.
Don't just stand there.
Can't you see that I'm busy?
You're in my way.
Is this a professional call?
You look kind of seedy.
Oh, I know, Doc.
I ain't sick.
I just thought maybe I'd pay a little visit and see how you're getting along.
Well, that's nice of you, Chester.
I'd be glad to tell you.
I'm getting along real bad.
Well, I sure am sorry to hear that.
It's a cold, miserable day.
The supplies I said for didn't get here.
I've got calls to make at different ends of the county.
You want to hear any more?
I don't know, Doc.
That sure does sound troublesome.
It is.
Will you settle down from your trip yet?
Oh, of course, Doc.
Once I get my boots off, I'm home.
And I suppose matters managing to get used to having you around again?
What do you mean?
Oh, I don't know, Chester.
It's just that you take some getting used to.
Oh, good Lord, it's three o'clock.
I've got to get going.
Hand me that bottle, will you?
Oh, sure, Doc.
No, no, no, not that one.
The other one.
Yes.
Here, Doc.
Thank you.
Doc?
No, no, I haven't time to talk any more, Chester.
You can come back some other day.
Would you just let me ask you one question?
All right, then.
What is it?
Well, Doc, I just wondered if you've got any idea at all
just what Mr. Dunn really thinks about me,
I mean, having me around for help or an all?
What do you think?
Oh, for heaven's sakes, of all the foolish time wasted...
Could you please tell me, Doc?
Yes, Sir Chester, I can tell you.
He thinks you're the most adolpated, no account,
civ-headed excuse for a helper than anybody ever had.
Now, go on, go on, get out of my way.
Oh, sure, Doc.
I wouldn't want to be in your way.
Why, hello there, Chester.
I didn't expect to see you so soon.
Oh, now, I don't want to waste no time getting back on the job,
Mr. Jonas.
What do you mean?
Well, if I don't do nothing else around here,
I can at least see Mr. Dunn don't run out of stores.
I come in for some coal, some coffee,
and a couple new wicks for the land.
That's what I was telling you.
What?
You're too late.
Marshall was in here, oh, I expect, about a half hour ago.
He was?
Was he looking for me?
I just been up to Doc's office there.
It wasn't you he was looking for, Chester.
It was some supplies.
Oil, a new lamp chimney, coffee.
Well, for ever more I could have got them for him.
The Marshall was looking at it that way, too.
He was saying he sure didn't know why you'd let everything run out at once.
I sort of got the impression that he didn't think you were doing your job, Chester.
He couldn't have been funny about it, could he?
Didn't sound like it to me, Chester.
Sounded as though he was real provoked.
Guess he ain't even laughing at me no more.
How's that?
Never mind, Mr. Jonas.
Guess there ain't no call for me to buy nothing after all.
I'll have another whiskey, fam.
All right, Lud.
Well, now, look who's just come in.
The Marshall Dillon's right-hand man.
Only he's got two left hands.
Why don't you leave him be, Lud?
He's not smart enough to know the difference.
Hello there, Chester.
You been out on some big job for the Marshall?
I ain't got no time to talk to you, Lud Holt.
Is Miss Kitty around?
Yes, she is, Chester.
Sitting at the back table over there.
Thank you.
I want to see her for a minute.
Oh, no, Matt.
I can't believe it.
That sounds like too much, even for Chester.
No, it's true, Kitty.
Believe me, you're right.
Nobody in the world but Chester would do a thing like that.
Oh, hello, Chester.
Come on over and sit down.
No, thank you, Miss Kitty.
I got dot things to 10, too.
What's the matter, Chester?
You trying to make me think you're working?
No, sir, Mr. Dillon.
I think I'd better be moving along.
I guess you think you're too important for her.
You know, I...
What's the matter, Chester?
Didn't you find her?
I found her, Sam.
I found her all right.
Hey, Chester.
Hello, Jim.
Is Matt in the long branch there?
Yeah, he's in there all right.
I got a telegraph message for him.
That's so.
Well, he's in there, Jim, at the back table with Miss Kitty.
Oh.
I thought you'd want to take it to him.
I got things to 10, too.
You take it in.
All right, then.
It's from Julie.
Oh, I see.
I'll take it.
I'll take it, Jim.
I'll take it.
All right, then.
It's from Joe Freese.
Joe Freese?
Yeah, he's heading for Arizona.
He ain't coming back from Dalhart after all.
I don't know why the Marshal doesn't care about that.
He ain't coming back.
Well, that's what he said.
Give it to me, Jim.
I'll take it.
But you just said...
Ain't nobody got a right to change his mind.
You belong back in that office, Jim, watching that telegraph key every minute.
Give that message to me.
Say, Brunner, some pie, Matt.
It's elderberry.
That's a good thing Chester isn't here.
He'd eaten up the whole thing by now.
Yeah, it's a wonder to me how Chester's stomach keeps on working at all.
The way he loads it down.
He must be doing something mighty important for Mr. Meal.
Where'd you send him, Matt?
I didn't send him anywhere, Kitty.
I haven't even seen him all day.
Yeah, well, it's funny.
I haven't seen him either.
Well, that's kind of strange, isn't it?
You suppose he's sick?
Well, he was in to see me yesterday, but he didn't say anything about being sick.
He acted kind of funny, though.
Oh, how's that got?
Well, he was pressuring me with darn full questions.
He wanted to know what you really thought of him, Matt, as I said.
He was a good boy.
He wanted to know what you really thought of him, Matt, as a helper.
Huh?
What you telling?
I told him you thought he was an adlpated, civ-headed no-count, of course.
How else would you answer a fool question like that?
Yeah.
I wonder what got into him.
I'm not sure it was such a fool question.
What?
What do you mean, Kitty?
Well, I'm just remembering.
Sam told me the boys at the bar were giving Chester a bad time yesterday.
Oh, what about?
Oh, Lud Holtz was writing them hard about his job with you, about how nobody could figure
how you'd put up with a man like Chester.
Oh, Chester can usually take a joke.
I don't think Lud was making a joke of it, Matt.
He was making Chester look pretty silly.
He said you only kept him on to laugh at him, and before he was finished, the whole saloon
was laughing at Chester.
Oh, well then, that explains it, huh?
Wish I had been a little more patient with him.
The way he was feeling, what I said couldn't have sounded very funny.
He ought to have better sense, Doc.
Chester's sensitive, Matt, you know that.
Yeah, but he should know that if I got any complaints, I'll make them myself.
You were complaining to him quite a bit yesterday, weren't you?
Well, sure, but he was still miles away on his trip.
I had to bring him down to Earth a couple of times, and so...
Well, I guess everybody was bringing him down to Earth at the same time.
Poor Chester.
I even laughed at him when he came into the long branch.
Well, I'll say this.
If he was going to choose a day to hold up and not make an appearance, this is a good one.
That wind's bitter cold.
There isn't any sense to it, but I guess I better look him up and straighten him out.
Maybe some of this cry will help his treatment.
I'll see you later, Kitty.
Doc.
Bye, Matt.
Oh, Mark, you're there.
Huh?
Oh, hello, Jim.
Business must be bad at the telegraph office.
Oh, I've trained my boy to spell me.
I just wondered if you got that wire all right, Marshal.
Which wire was that?
Why, the one I gave Chester yesterday.
The one from Joe Freese.
Joe Freese?
Yeah, you know, saying he wasn't coming back from Dalhart.
Oh, oh, oh, yeah.
Yeah, sure, Jim.
Thanks.
Thanks a lot.
That's the way it was, Marshal.
He'd come in for his horse early this morning and rode out.
Did he say where he was heading, Marshal?
That's the funny thing, him just getting back and all.
He said he was heading for Texas.
Saddle up my horse, will you?
I want to go pick up a few things.
Sure, Marshal, but I'll tell you like I told Chester.
This is a poor time to be on the plains
without no other coming, um...
Yeah, I'll be back for the horse in a few minutes, Marshal.
Afternoon, Marshal.
I'd like to talk to you.
Not now, mister.
Just take a minute.
My name's Lad Holt.
Oh, I've heard of you.
I'll walk along to your office, will you?
Listen, Holt, if you have anything to say to me,
you say it fast, huh?
Sure.
Takes a little talking over, though.
I was thinking maybe you could use a good man.
I mean, a good one.
A real man who can handle a gun.
I got him, Assistant.
Oh, I know, Marshal.
You got Chester, but everybody knows he ain't...
I'll say one thing for you, Holt.
You got plenty of nerve.
Sure I have, Marshal.
I can do a lot of good.
You fill Chester up with ideas that he's no good,
and then you come around to me asking for his job.
Well, you know, Marshal, everybody knows
Chester's only good for laughing at.
Well, there's gonna be one less person laughing at him.
And that's you.
Come on, give up.
From now on, Holt, you stay out of my way.
Holt, Holt.
Morning, Chester.
Morning, Mr. Dillon.
I seen you coming back there.
That's why I pulled up.
Ah, we're the only two people I know who are darn fools
enough to be out on a day like this.
Well, if he isn't my chilly, I'll say that.
Yeah, what are we, didn't both praise to death in the night?
Uh, Mr. Dillon, ain't none of my business,
but just why are you riding out this way?
I'm trailing the man.
Oh?
Would you like me to help you?
No, I won't need any help, Chester.
Oh.
I won't have any trouble finding him.
He doesn't have any more sense than you do
getting out into a storm.
Oh, Don, and I'm getting sick and tired of everybody saying
how much sense I ain't got.
That's so.
Yes, sir, that's so.
I'd just like to know how you're going to get them papers
back from Dalhart if somebody don't go get them.
Why didn't you bring me that wire from Joe Freeze?
Because I know you'd give me some chilly shally
about not making the trip, and, Mr. Dillon,
I just got to make it.
I'd like to do something right.
After all, I forgot them papers once, and they're important.
Chester.
Yes.
A man's life is important, too.
Yes, sir, I expect it is.
Even if he is an adulpated, no-account,
civ-headed so-and-so...
Mr. Dillon.
...who lets the lamps run dry and runs out of coffee...
Mr. Dillon, you...
...can't sing a note and even whistles off key.
And everybody laughs at him?
No.
No, not quite everybody, Chester.
Now, come on.
Let's get back to dodge.
Yes, Mr. Dillon.
Gun Smoke, produced and directed by Norman McDonald,
stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
The story was specially written for Gun Smoke by Marion Clark,
with editorial supervision by John Meston.
Featured in the cast were Ken Lynch, Harry Bartel,
Joseph Kearns, Frank Hady, and James Nusser.
Harley Bear is Chester, Howard McNeer,
and the
This is George Walsh, the director of Gun Smoke,
and the director of Gun Smoke,
who will be the director of Gun Smoke.
The cast of Gun Smoke is
John Meston,
Ken Lynch, Harry Bartel,
Joseph Kearns, Frank Hady,
and James Nusser.
Harley Bear is Chester, Howard McNeer is Doc,
and Georgia Ellis is Kitty.
This is George Walsh, inviting you to join us again next week
for another story on Gun Smoke
over the CBS Radio Network.