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.
Music
Starring William Conrad, the story of the violin 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.
You know, Mr. Dillon, a man can get mighty hungry when he don't eat.
Thirty more miles and we'll be in Dodge, Chester, than you can eat to your heart's content.
Yes, sir. Doesn't that wind come up again and freeze us to death?
Well, that didn't freeze us to death last time.
Well, that was just because we were lucky enough to find that sawbuster shack. I couldn't have stood another two days of wind and cold like that. It aged me something awful.
Aged you? Well, freezing's supposed to keep you the way you are, isn't it?
I'm too wore out to joke.
Well, I'll admit that was about the worst blizzard I ever saw. But it's behind us now. We can forget about it.
Forget about it. I'm still starving, man.
Hey, looky under, Mr. Dillon.
Yeah, looks like a hunter's camp.
On a stoga wagon, a couple horses picketed by them trees. Don't see much sign of life, though.
No.
Well, with them horses there, there's gotta be somebody running.
It's been 20 below for three nights now. They could have frozen to death.
They had a fire built over there.
Yeah.
These ashes weren't made today. Or yesterday, either.
Well, ain't there a solo here, Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, maybe they got caught out on the prairie when the blizzard hit.
Sure does look that way.
I don't know how that team is still alive with nothing but that wagon for protection.
Poor old things don't look none too lively.
You can't blame them.
Get your hands up.
What?
Both of you.
We better do what the old man says.
He must have been hiding in the wagon.
Come over here closer.
Now stop right there.
Is this your camp, mister?
Of course it's my camp. Now you two drop them guns.
We got our hands up. That's enough, isn't it?
You do what I say. I ain't taking no chances.
I ain't gonna get left here again.
What?
You're gonna hitch up that team and you're gonna take me in a dodge.
You ain't running off like Jed Larner.
Well, who's Jed Larner?
He's my skinner.
Why'd he leave you?
Well, he seen this blizzard coming and didn't want to take any chances, so he rode off.
He's probably been in dodge all the time, warm and cozy.
Why didn't you go with him?
Well, I twisted my leg and my foot, so I couldn't ride a horse, that's why.
Larner figured driving a wagon would be too slow.
You mean he left you out here to freeze?
Yeah, I'll kill him when I find him.
And I'll kill you too if you don't drive me into dodge.
He's a U.S. Marshal, mister. He ain't gonna leave you here.
Marshal?
Now why don't you put down that rifle and tell us who you are.
All right.
My name's Ira Puckett, Marshal.
I'm usually up north following the Republican herd, but I come south this year.
I'm getting old and I thought it'd be warmer down here.
You sure made a mistake about that, didn't you?
You'll get me into dodge, won't you?
Yeah, of course we will.
And foot, I twisted. I don't feel nothing in it.
It must be frozen.
Yeah, it could be.
I'll kill Jed Larner for this.
Forget it, Puckett. I'm not taking you back to dodge just so you can hang.
All right, I'll forget it... till I find him.
Oh, hello, man. Come in, come in.
How is he, Doc?
Puckett? Oh, he'll be all right, man. In time.
Oh, then his foot wasn't so bad after all, huh?
Yeah, he didn't have much foot left when I got through him.
Oh.
Yeah, but he'll be able to walk with a cane.
But his buffalo hunting days are over.
Uh-huh. Does he know that?
I told him.
You know, Ira Puckett's a proud man, Matt. He's a little too proud.
What do you mean?
Well, what he hated most about this Jed Larner leaving him on the prairie
wasn't the fact that he might have died, but that he was helpless.
A man like Puckett can't stand being helpless.
Oh, I see.
And now all crippled up, he's a better man, Matt.
Well, he'll get over it. A man can get used to most anything in time.
No, no, no, I got my doubts about Puckett. He won't even admit to how old he is.
Yeah. What would you guess, Doc?
Well, he's past 70 anyway. He's in the back room, that matter, if you want to see.
All right.
I'll come with you.
Hello, Puckett.
Marshall.
How you feeling?
Doc tell you what he done to me?
Yeah?
He ruined my foot. I saved your life, Puckett.
And I ain't sure I'm grateful, Doc.
You're gonna be all right, Puckett. You'll be able to get around.
Yeah, like an old woman. What am I gonna do for a living?
I ain't one of you city people. I live off the country. I always have.
I'm a man, not a dude.
You'll get used to town life. And you'll find men here, too.
Yeah, what kind of men? Walking around all slickered up, parting their hair in the middle, bowing to the ladies.
Well, there ain't one of them could do half the things I done.
Well, I was living with the matches when most of them were sniveling in their mother's aprons.
Yeah, I know, but you'll find something to do. I'll help you.
You will?
Sure.
Then help me find Jed Larner. Bring him in here so that I can kill him with my bare hands.
What does he look like?
Oh, tall, black hair. He's got a big scar run across one eye and halfway down his right cheek.
Good. I'll try to find him. And if I do, I'll run him out of town before you get to him.
I can't even trust you, can I?
Not when you want to murder a man, Ara. I told you I didn't bring you in so you could be hung.
This is the day.
Chester. Chester, you're gonna ruin that.
Ruin what?
well that's stick a word of course you're gonna wreck it bang in the bottom
of the stove that way
well it's too big it don't fit well why don't you forget about it it's too hot in
here anyway
yes sir
cutting stove
you know
mr. johan
i was thinking
yeah what
with the whole new year starting it
it might be we could maybe get a new stove
you know like
one of them i showed you in the granger catalog last week
uh... just think how fine it'd be to have a stove that don't smoke
have you ever shook that grate down maybe this one wouldn't
shake the grate
well mr. johan i carried the ashes out just this morning
oh mr. puckett
i want to talk to you marshal
sure iraq come on in sit down
sitting down ain't gonna help nothing
it ain't rest that's gonna toughen this foot up
i can talk stand in any way
all right stand
now where's jed lorner
iraq aren't you ever gonna forget about him not likely might as well
he ain't been saw since we brought you in here six weeks ago
well if you're any kind of a man you go find him for me
would you like me to cut his throat for you too don't you make fun of me
now calm down iraq nobody's making fun of you
if i was twenty years younger i'd give him a real tussle
i expect you would
i get well enough i'll do it yet not gonna we're only trying to help you
puckett
yeah well i don't need any help
not unless you're gonna help me find jed lorner i'm not gonna do that
shouldn't have expected from a no
dang lawman
i'll find myself
you wait and see
gracious
he sure did get upset didn't he
he's got a lot of pride chester
that's gonna get him into trouble yet
this is a great way to start the new year man
what do you mean
well
all last year i was hoping maybe i'd be in
san francisco by now
sarcastically
if you never told me
what would you have done about it
well uh...
nothing i guess but uh...
why san francisco
no blizzard
no dust
no cowboy but they got fog
all those sailors and miners aren't any gentler than these cowboys
i know
imagine going to dinner in the carriage
not the tablecloth
dancing on a hardwood floor
you're spoiled, Kitty
now how could i get spoiled
here in dodge city
well i'll tell you what you save your money you'll get to california someday
yeah sure, if i walk
well a lot of people have gone that way
who do you think i am, sack of joya?
now there was a woman
i always have
what's the matter, man?
that man at the bar
just turned around
one with a scar on his cheek
i'll be back, Kitty
evening, marshal
good evening
before you're staring at me, marshal
your name Jed Lerner?
what if it is?
how long you been in town, Lerner?
about an hour
something wrong, marshal?
you uh...
you remember the big blizzard we had?
six or seven weeks back
who don't? we all do, i guess
especially
Ira Puckett
especially what?
he didn't die, Lerner
well that's fine
i went back looking for him
i wondered where he got to
oh yeah, sure you did
well it's true
Puckett's here in dodge, Lerner
and if he finds you, he'll kill you
but he isn't gonna find you because you're leaving right now
and don't show up anywhere around here again
now wait, marshal, i can't arrest you, i can't put you in jail but i'll tell you what i can do
suppose i just let everybody here know that you're the man who ran off and left
Ira Puckett to die
oh no, no
they'd tear you apart, Lerner, they'd set you on fire
i leave, marshal
i'll leave right now
well, you got rid of him in a hurry
yeah, just saved him from being shot and Ira Puckett from hanging for it
that was Jed Lerner
he's the one that ought to hang
ah, he didn't mean to kill the old man, kitty
what's the difference?
well, legally there's some
enough to get Ira his foot back?
kinda hard to argue with, aren't you?
why?
because i think straight
um...
why don't we talk about san francisco?
no, i changed my mind
i think i'll go to new york
i gotta talk to you
he looks awful mad
good thing he has an arm
he can always find a gun
you done it, marshal
it was you, wasn't it?
you saw Jed Lerner, huh?
yes, he jumped on his horse and rode out of town before i could stop him
and i had to stand there and watch
i didn't even have a rock to sew at him
why'd you do it, marshal? what'd you run him off for?
to save you from hanging?
i'd rather hang and live this way
i wasn't born to become a helpless old man
the least you could have done was let me fight my own battle like i always did on the plains
you took my manhood away from me, marshal
oh, iro, you're living in town now among people, why don't you get used to it?
all right
all right, i will
i'll start living like you town people
are you gonna get a job?
you bet i'm going to
i sure am
and it's gonna pay me a lot of money, too
what do you mean?
you will find out, marshal
when it's too late
good morning, ain't it, mr. dillon?
yeah, thanks to that wind we had last night
well, it kept me awake
all night?
no, sir, i wouldn't say that, not all night
look over there by the bank
ain't that a wire pocket?
yeah, that's the first time he's had his team and wagon out
where do you suppose he's going?
right now he's going into the bank
what's he carrying that shotgun for?
he can't go hunting in the bank, can he?
yes he can, chester
come on
my man, you don't mean to say old pocket's gonna hold out that bank, mr. dillon?
he said last night he's gonna start living like town people
get a job, make a lot of money
this could be his idea of how to do it
he sure couldn't have no other, he can carry that shotgun in there
you going in after?
yeah
mr. dillon, he's got a shotgun
i know, look, chester
take his team and wagon off somewhere, lead them around back of the bank, out of sight
maybe we can handle this without a shooting
okay, sir
come on
hurry it up, chester, he's coming out
yes, sir, i'm long gone, mr. dillon
yeah, cry
oh, oh, marshall
come on out, puckett
i'm not stopping you
you better not try it
i can shoot with one hand, marshall
sure
don't you try to follow me neither
hey, wait, wait a minute
hey, wait, where's my wagon?
where's my team? you're in a bad fix, puckett
somebody stole them, i can't get away without any team
no, you can't
so you might as well give up
you done it
you're behind this, marshall
are you gonna shoot me? no, i shouldn't, i
because you're in enough trouble already
and shooting me won't help a bit
you're trapped, puckett
there isn't a thing you can do about it
so why don't you use your head
all right, here
there's your money
now you bring my outfit back
i ain't going to jail, marshall
like i said, puckett, shooting me isn't gonna help you
and i'm not gonna do a thing about your outfit
you think you've outsmarted me, don't you?
why don't you give it up, puckett?
you're licked
you think i'm...
i just can't shoot you, marshall
here, take the gun
good
i'm just a helpless old fool
can't even rob a bank proper
i'm not sure you really wanted to, puckett
all you wanted was to prove something about that manhood you think has been
taken away from you
but you sure picked a foolish way to do it
i reckon i did
believe me, i thought he would never give up
he didn't have much choice, chester
i went in the back door and told the people in the bank to keep out the way
you want me to
take him over to jail now?
oh no, no, no, i can't stand jail
please, marshall
lock him up, chester, i'll return this money and have a talk with mr. bach
i'll be over later
i thought i told you to lock him up, chester
well, i started to, mr. doane, but
i just couldn't stand the look on his face after i put him in cell
you know ire
seems to me everybody treats you pretty well
yeah, everybody would get learned, that's true
but chester and i bring you in, doc saves your life
i keep you from hanging and if i hadn't outsmarted you at the bank you'd probably be
lying dead somewhere now
it seems to me that everybody's gone to a lot of trouble
for an old man full of a lot of foolish pride
now what do you think?
i've been thinking, marshall
sitting here thinking
you know what?
you're right
but i'm afraid it's too late now, no it's not
what? i explained everything to mr. botkin at the bank and he's willing to drop any
charges against you, but on one condition
to be honest with you, it was my idea but mr. botkin agreed
you get a job here
and you quit being such a dog gone onry
otherwise you're gonna go to jail
oh, but what can i do with this crippled foot? old senior's so handy with a
shotgun i think jim buck might hire you to write messenger on the stage
you think so? well, he told me he would
you went and saw him? and it doesn't take any walking, ire, now how about it?
fine, i never had a job like that
well there it is, mr. dillon, 12 o' stage, all ready to pull out
and looky there, old puckett sitting up there on the box, proud as a band rooster
hello, i'm marshall
you got business with me?
no, jim just came down to see you off, you about ready to pull out? yeah, just soon as i check
the harness in that lead horse
hello there, marshall
oh, puckett
first time i ever rode shotgun in the whole life
i sure hope we get held up
well i hope you don't
for the outlaws' sake
that's a pretty fair shotgun you got there, puckett
don't go shooting just anybody now
yeah, i know what i'm doing
well, you're off, marshall, good trip, tim
thank you
now then
you all set, puckett?
i sure am
you say, marshall, you know something?
ah, what's that?
this ain't a bad way to start the new year
man's gotta make a change once in a while
all right, jim, let's go
we're behind schedule already
hang on, puckett, here we go
gun smoke
produced and directed in hollywood by norman mcdonnell
stars william conrad as matt dylan, u.s. marshall
the story was specially written for gun smoke by john methin
harley bear is chester, howard mcnear is doc, and georgia hawkins is kitty
this is george walsh inviting you to join us again next week
when cbs radio presents another story on gun smoke