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 a 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, 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 a man watchful and a little lonely.
It's a surprise there ain't any gets for them, Mom. My jing that bed up there don't get no softer. What's that, Chester? I'll just tell you, Mr. Doby, the bed up in number four don't have no more give to it than an old McClellan saddle.
Well, I don't know. What were you doing up there anyway? I seen that drummer pack his duds out of here so I know he wasn't in there no more so I went on up. You got no right to go in my rooms, no right at all.
Well, now, Mr. Doby, I've been figuring I might take that room some day and I was just kindly looking it over. Oh, for heaven's sake, Chester, you're talking a lot of foolishness. You can't afford to stay in the Dodge house.
Well, now, you don't hurt none for a man to think about better than yourself, sir. What in the world is that? Oh, it's a fight right outside my hotel. Now, now, now, don't upset yourself, Mr. Doby. You just sit there, I'll go on out and stop.
They'll pay any damages, you tell them that. Yeah. All right, old man. Here now. Yeah, old man, I think you better sit down.
Hey, hey, hey, young green heart, come here. You just quit your jabbering. Here now, here. You leave Charlie B. Yeah, you better mind your own business, Chester. I said move along now, leave him be.
Hey, now, you're shoving here with the guy. Go on. Quit him. Okay, Chester, okay, now just simmer down. Don't need to get so hard-nosed.
Well, you ought to be ashamed big fellers like you pushing an old man around. We didn't mean no harm. We were just trying to get him to stop ragging at us, to quit his talking.
Yeah, don't make no difference to me what you were trying to do. Go on, get. Get him so you can't walk down the street without he stops you and talks your ear off.
I said get.
Oh, come on, man.
You hurt Charlie?
No, no, I ain't hurt. It'd take more than them young buzzards to hurt me. What was they pushing you around for?
Oh, I was just trying to tell them something, that's all. Young folks ain't got the gumption to listen when they do them the most good.
Well, now.
Well, they'd have got shot down easy.
Shot? Who's going to shoot them?
Anybody they draw on, the way they is handling them guns. I didn't hear no shooting.
Of course you didn't. There wasn't none. They was talking about a fast draw. They'd have been shot down, sure.
Charlie, was you trying to tell them how to do it?
Young ones, they just don't listen. You tried to tell them, but they just don't listen.
Well, now, you just sat there quiet like that. They won't bother you no more.
Rio Joe would have got both of them before they even slapped the leather the way they was doing it.
Well, sure, Rio Joe would have outdrew anybody, but that goes back the way he's doing it.
Young smart alecks, they won't listen at all.
Hey, they kind of winged you and I, didn't they?
Yes, I guess maybe they did. There was a few elbows flying around.
Well, you better put some beefsteak on it. Man needs his eyesight these days. Seeing is a good partnership.
Yeah, yeah, sure. Well, all right then. You just sat there, Charlie, now, and you let me know if you get bothered some more.
Nobody will listen no more, no matter how much you got to tell them.
Yeah, well, I'll see you sometime. You take care of yourself, Charlie.
Ain't nobody willing to listen at all.
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
Ah, there you are.
Thank you, Kitty.
Oh, thank you, Kitty. Can't you sit down with us?
Maybe, for a few minutes.
Ah, good.
I got to check over the whiskey supply with Sam pretty soon.
Well, now, I wouldn't want to interfere with that. It'd be a terrible tragedy for Dodge if a saloon ran dry.
Yeah, most of these men would rather see the river go dry.
Well, you're both sounding pretty high and mighty for a couple of fellows who aren't exactly tea-toed, but...
Oh, just philosophizing, Kitty. Nothing personal.
How come Matt's buying you two beers, Doc?
Because I won two games of checkers.
That's why.
He's slowing up, Kitty.
Oh, he's slowing up.
Yeah, I've noticed.
Oh?
Doc, yeah? Mind if I see you for a minute?
Well, sure, Nachester. Sit down.
Well, no, thank you. I think we might go on over to your office.
Oh, Chester. Look at me.
Chester.
Hello, Miss Kitty.
What? You've got a black eye.
Let me see that, Chester. You sure have, and it's a beaut.
Yes, sir, I guess it is.
Doc, you've got something put on it. A man ought to protect his eyesight.
It's a little late for that, Chester. You should have ducked.
Yeah, where'd you pick that up, Chester?
Well, I was just trying to help, that's all.
You just don't pay a body to try and do a good deed anymore.
What were you trying to help?
That old Charlie, what's his name, sits out in front of the Dodge house talking to anybody who listens.
Charlie, don't tell me he gave you that eye.
No, Doc, no, of course not.
A couple of young smart alecks was picking on him, and I mixed in it, and come out with this.
It doesn't look like you accomplished much.
Now, stop teasing him, you two. That was a nice thing you did, Chester.
Thank you.
I run off all right, but the old crook's bound to get into more trouble.
Oh, how's that?
Why, he keeps telling folks what they ought to do, and you know, Mr. Elm,
there ain't too many people who want to listen to an old man like him tell them how to draw a gun.
Draw a gun?
He's always talking about the gunfighters of olden days, and folks get tired listening to that.
Well, you better not listen either, Chester. You only got one more eye.
Now, don't pay any attention to him, Chester. I'll fix that eye up for you.
Yes, and a little raw meat, Kitty. That's about the best thing.
Yeah, and a few less jokes. I never did know what was so funny about a black eye.
Come on, Chester.
Now, you see, boy, you got to be careful about how you work the barrel.
You got to have a good, true barrel on your gun.
You sure can whittle nice, mister.
Oh, well, boy, it don't take much to do some whittling.
All you got to do is have a sharp knife and to remember it's in your hand for what you're making.
Well, you got a remembrance for that gun, mister?
Oh, my. Like I have for the blaze of the Texas sun on my back.
Man, don't forget them things.
It don't look like my Pa's gun. That part there is different.
This here?
Yeah, yeah.
Well, they got newfangled ideas. You don't need no notch in the cylinder to make a good gun.
Well, Pa shoots better, I reckon.
Well, ain't nobody needs nothing better than his gun.
Why, Rio Joe could hit anything he could see.
You know Rio Joe?
Yes, I knew him.
You seen him during shooting?
Oh, stood right with him.
I jingle, mister. You recollect things you could tell me?
Well, sure, boy. I recollect real good.
I recollect the time down in border country when he faced down three men using a gun like this.
Three men? Was they drawn on him?
Well, yes, they drawed. But that was the last thing they ever did.
It don't seem like no man could do that.
Rio could do it. He is good with a gun. Real good.
Go on, mister. Tell me how he done it.
Well, the way it was, Rio was coming along a trail by some cottonwoods and...
He's still spinning them yarns, old man.
He's telling me about Rio Joe.
Rio Joe. He's telling you about Rio Joe.
He's seen him. He stood with him. Ain't that so, mister?
Of course that's true.
Don't listen to him, boy. Is he an old fool to like to hear himself talk?
He's never seen a gunfighter like Rio Joe his whole life.
Well, I did see him, too. I did.
Or if he did, he'd have run so hard and do it and have been stopped yet.
He does talk so much, the whole town's tired of it, boy.
You don't want to get took in by an old blowhard.
Now, you look here.
Oh, Rio Joe.
Mister?
I was telling you straight, boy.
You believe me, don't you?
Well, can you prove it?
I don't know, boy. I don't know.
Hey, slide that bottle down this way, will you?
Sure, Rast.
Thanks.
Hey, you the two fellas give that marshal's helper a black eye.
Chester? Well, he was asking for it.
You're working on his business.
You know, first I thought the old man gave it to him.
Old Charlie? All he does is talk.
Oh, he sure does that, though, don't he?
You'd think nobody else knows how to draw a gun.
Him and Rio Joe.
Well, he don't even wear a gun.
No, no, he don't.
I ain't never seen him draw. He just talks about it.
Yeah.
It don't seem like a fella talks that much ought to back his play.
Oh, Charlie ain't got no play to back.
Might be mighty interesting to put it up to him.
What you mean?
Yeah, mighty interesting.
What are you aiming at?
I just got me a smart idea how to get rid of that old man.
Wait a minute, Rast. He ain't done nothing bad enough to get shot for.
No. Who's talking about shooting?
I ain't.
You said get rid of him.
Oh, I did, and it'll work. All you gotta do is just call his bluff.
How's that?
Well, get him out in the street and tell him he's got his face up to one of us,
or else keep his mouth shut and leave town.
Yeah, that'd be callin' him more.
He sure ain't gonna draw.
No, not a talker like him.
That'd be nothing for him to do but get.
Come on, let's go fetch him.
Tonight?
Sure, tonight. Right now ain't no reason to sleep on it. Come on.
That's it.
Come on, then. Right down these stairs.
Wait a minute.
Keep your voice down. We got something to show you outside.
But it's the middle of the night.
Well, it ain't gonna make much difference, old man.
I drag him right out in the middle of the street.
You're not man enough to three up together to get away with this.
What you're talking?
You ain't got enough guts to water shotgun with you.
I thought we was gonna shut him up, rascal.
Sure is making a lot of noise for old man standing around his drawers.
Bunch of yellow bellies dragging a man from his bed.
You just give me a chance to get at you.
I'm giving you a chance, old man.
Down in Texas we just strung you up.
Oh, you've been talking mighty big for a man that don't wear no gun.
And you're lucky I don't.
Well, now, would you see about that?
We're gonna give you one.
Eh?
We're gonna see just how much you learn from Rio Joe.
Now, wait a minute. You can't do that in the hair.
Here, let's go.
Right now.
Let me through here. Let me through.
Let him go.
Oh, Marshal, we were just having some fun with him.
Let him go.
He sure needed a lesson.
He doesn't need any lessons from you.
Go on now. Get away from here.
Well, there ain't no call to get rough about it, Marshal.
Somebody had to shut the old man up.
You listen to me. I find you pestering him again.
I'll be roughing away. You're gonna really understand.
Now, you go on and get out of here.
Come on, Charlie. We'll go back to your room.
Eh, you don't need to give me no help, Marshal.
I can take care of myself.
Sure. I know that, Charlie.
I wasn't scared of him. I just stood up to him.
Yeah. Come on upstairs.
Ain't nobody never got by with nothing like that before.
Don't worry about it. It's not gonna happen again.
I know it ain't, Marshal. I know it ain't.
Uh, Charlie, you mind if I come in for a few minutes?
Oh, oh, yes. Suit yourself.
You figuring on staying and dodge, Charlie?
Well, I did kind of have it in my mind.
Man likes a place to settle.
Yeah. You don't need to change your mind because of those ruffs, Charlie.
I'll handle them.
Eh, no need of that, Marshal.
Oh, would you step over this way? I'd like to get in that trunk.
Oh, yeah, sure.
Wow. Looks like you've had those guns a long time, Charlie.
Yes, I have.
Hmm. Good shape.
They're old friends, Marshal. I take good care of them.
They kind of comfort me to have them with me.
Yeah. I, uh, I wouldn't get any idea about starting to wear them again, Charlie.
They're old guns.
Oh. And I'm an old man. Is that what you're saying?
You're old enough to leave your gun flights behind you.
Why do you remember that?
I hope they didn't hurt the old man.
No, they didn't hurt him. Not physically, anyway.
I guess his pride took a beating.
Yeah.
And the terrible thing they did to him.
You think he's going to leave town now?
I don't know, Kitty. I wouldn't blame him if he did.
No? But it'd really be a shame.
He wasn't doing any harm telling those stories.
And the kids seemed to like him.
Yeah. But Rasp didn't.
That Rasp killer. He's always been a bully.
Sound like I hear my name mentioned, Rasp.
You did, Rasp. And I'm glad to repeat what I said. I called you a bully.
Ha ha ha. Well, now that ain't a real lady like Miss Kitty.
Isn't it, Marshal?
Why don't you move along, Rasp?
I keep forgetting you're the big marshal taking care of the ladies and the old men around town.
I have an idea that one particular old man can take care of himself.
You've been listening to too many of his stories.
I'm not so sure they're just stories.
What do you mean?
I saw a pair of horse pistols in his room last night.
They looked like they had a lot of...
Well, that old coot don't wear no gun.
He's wearing one now.
Old Charlie?
I wouldn't get in his way if I were you.
You mean that old geezer might draw on me?
No. You've been took in by his talk.
I'm just telling you to be careful.
He's not going to forget what you did to him last night.
All right, Marshal. I'll play along.
I'll tell you one thing. That old man better not start nothing.
I wear my guns all the time.
So do I, Rasp.
You ain't scared me, non-Marshall.
I'll be around.
So will I, Rasp.
So long, Miss Kitty.
Really think there's going to be trouble, Matt?
I don't know, Kitty. Old Charlie was pretty upset.
Well, you've got to stop it.
Don't let him put on those guns and march around until he gets himself killed.
I can't take him away from him, Kitty.
Why can't you?
Because he hasn't done anything.
Oh, well, I forgot.
You have to sit and wait until something happens.
Until somebody gets killed before you can do anything.
Oh, Kitty.
Why don't you just go stop this thing now?
Before someone gets hurt.
Oh, I don't see what I can do.
Oh, Matt.
Huh? Oh, hello, Doug.
Yeah, where? Where you bound for?
I was going over to the telegraph office.
Oh, well, walk along then.
All right.
I've been waiting for a wire from Washington about the time I came in.
Not taking your badge away, are they?
On days like this, they're welcome to it.
Ah, hello, Ed. You got something for me?
Well, now, that's a funny thing, Marshall.
Something just did come in.
I was going to bring it up as soon as I hit my dinner.
Yeah?
Yeah. Here you are.
Oh, thanks.
Yeah.
Well, see you later, Ed.
Good luck, Mike.
You don't look too happy about what's in that wire, man.
This wire isn't really good news, Doc.
It's something I've been expecting.
Cut your salary, did they?
No, I wish it was that simple.
What's our hurry? Where are we going?
I want to find old Charlie and take his guns off of him.
You mean that wire was about old Charlie?
Yeah. I'd ask a couple of questions.
You better stick with me, Doc. You may be needed.
Yeah, sure.
Mr. Don? Mr. Don?
Yeah, Chester. I'm on my way.
Mr. John?
Mr. Rath. It's an old Charlie.
The wire was too late.
What's that?
Never mind. You look at Charlie over there, Doc.
Sure, man.
I'm pretty sure Rath's dead, Mr. Don.
Yeah. He's dead.
That old man just stood there.
Who knows who it could be?
That Rath draw first.
And he shot him down with one of them old pistols.
I'm not surprised. Let's go see him.
How is he, Doc?
He's not good, man. He's not good at all.
Marshal.
Yeah, Charlie?
I ain't gonna make it.
Don't worry about it.
Oh, I don't... I don't care about that.
It's past time for me to settle.
But, Marshal...
Yeah, I'm right here, Charlie.
I want you to know...
I wasn't making up them stories.
I know you weren't.
I wasn't making no... no brags or no bluffs.
I... I did stand with Rio Joe.
Yeah, I know.
I... I could shoot, too.
I... I could shoot as good as he could.
I could draw as fast as Rio Joe.
Yeah, Charlie, you could.
You... you believe me, Marshal?
Yeah, I believe you.
I figure maybe you kind of know the whole thing.
Yeah, I do.
I guessed it, Rio.
Sure. Sure.
Tell... tell the others for me.
Tell them I... tell them I weren't no...
no fake.
He's gone, man.
Yeah.
Mr. Dunant, just a minute ago, was that you called him?
Rio, Chester.
Old Charlie was Rio?
Hmm.
Oh, that's just terrible.
Dying like that, nobody knowing who you are.
I don't know, Chester. I have a hunch Rio'd like it just this way.
I'd have had to arrest him otherwise.
Rio's been a wanted man for 20 years.
Gunsmoke.
Produced and directed in Hollywood by Norman McDonald,
stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
The story was specially written for Gunsmoke by Marion Clark,
with editorial supervision by John Metzen.
Featured in the cast were Ralph Moody, Lawrence Dobkin, Dick Beal, Sam Edwards, Dick Terran, and Jack Moyle.
Harley Bear is Chester, Howard McChester, and John Metzen.
And Jack Moyle. 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 when CBS Radio presents another story of the Western frontier.
When Matt Dillon, Chester Proudfoot, Doc, and Kitty, together with all the other hard-living citizens of Dodge, will be with you once more.
It's America growing west in the 1870s. It's Gunsmoke.
Latest news follows, then, Mitch Miller with tonight's guest stars on the CBS Radio Network.