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
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 chancy job, and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely.
Music
Up here, my brother.
Hello, Bigfoot.
I have watched you come. You're welcome.
You've traveled a fair piece from your lodges.
Sometimes trail is long. Come, we will have food.
Sit.
I'm hungry. That's a fact.
Here, antelope. Eat.
I was afraid for a while, eh? My ribs were going to stick together.
You come with news?
Yeah, Bigfoot.
I told you I'd bring you news. You can head back to your lodges.
The man with the scar is dead?
No, no, he ain't dead, but he's been picked up.
Picked up?
Mm-hmm.
The marshal's got him. In the pokey. In jail.
But he is not dead.
Not yet again. He may be soon enough.
The marshal's riding him out to Hay City tomorrow to be tried for murder.
No, no, his life belonged to me.
What do you care, Bigfoot, just so they got him?
This man Rouse killed my father. His life belonged to me.
You're not thinking straight, Bigfoot. Forget all this and go home.
Leave Rouse to the law.
Ron, my brother.
Yeah?
Your trail goes past the lodges of my people?
I should be riding past there tonight.
I ask you to see my son, Younghawk, and send him here to me.
Sure, I can do that, Bigfoot, but...
I'm telling you again, I wouldn't get myself mixed up in nothing if I was you.
The murder of my father must be answered.
Yeah, but the law has arrested this fellow Rouse. They'll take care of him.
His life does not belong to white man. It belonged to me.
Now eat. You will need food to travel.
The Last Supper
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah?
Did it ever strike you how much time folks waste just writing things down?
I can't say I've done much worrying about it, no.
Well, you see every day how much of it's going on.
Oh? How's that?
When I go to pick up the mail, there's always a whole pile of letters there, ain't there?
That's what the mail's for, Chester, to bring letters.
Yes, Mr. Dillon, I know that, but every one of them letters has something wrote down in it, don't it?
Yeah.
Now, I don't mean circlers and important things like that.
I mean all them letters that don't say nothing more than just howdy and how you've been, etc.
Why, if they were to take all the letters that were wrote in this country on a single day, they wouldn't be worth a whole boot.
You may be right, Chester, but I know one thing.
What's that?
You'd be pretty hard to live with if you didn't get one of those worthless letters every now and then.
Well, now I...
Come on, let's get a beer and cool off, huh?
My, it sure is dark coming in out of that bright sun, ain't it?
I can see well enough to make it out that Doc beat us to it.
Well, hello, Doc.
Miss Kitty?
Chester.
Matt.
Come on, sit down.
Thanks, Kitty.
Thank you.
I'm surprised to see you here at this time of day, Doc.
Oh, I don't think you're in any position to call attention to a man's taking time off for a little refreshment.
Well, I wouldn't even notice any man but you.
What do you mean by that?
Well, you're always so ready to give a piece of your mind whenever anybody else takes a little time off.
Oh, for heaven's sake.
Doc tells me you're taking a trip tomorrow night.
Yeah, I'm delivering a prisoner to Hay City.
Mr. Jones, I just don't feel easy about you taking that cussed rouse up there all alone.
What's the matter, Chester?
Don't you think Matt can take care of himself?
Why, of course he can take care of himself, Miss Kitty, but this fellow is awful mean.
It just might work out to be easier if I was to go along on the stage with you.
Why don't you take him with you, Matt?
Chester has to stay in Dodge, Kitty. We've got another man in jail.
It wouldn't hurt him none if we just left him locked up overnight, Mr. Dillon.
The way he is feeling this morning, he probably wouldn't even know the difference.
Chester, you're staying here.
Yes, sir.
Well, Matt, if this man's dangerous, maybe you'd better take Chester.
Yes, Matt, by all means.
That's what I think, Mr. Dillon.
I'll get him there alone.
I'm going to go get that beer.
Sure nice of you, Marshall, ranging a private stage, so to speak.
Hey, Marshall, you hear me?
Yeah, I heard you.
My guess, nobody wanted to ride that close to you.
I don't know. I ain't such a bad sort of a fella.
Hey, Marshall, you know, I could be real comfortable this trip.
If you just undo these here wrist irons.
Marshall, you got the gun.
Ain't nobody else here to object.
I'd object.
Well, that don't make no sense, Marshall.
Less than you're feared of me.
Hey, is that it, Marshall? You feared to ride with me with my hands free?
Huh?
Even without a gun?
You talk too much, Ross.
Yeah, you're feared of me.
Why don't you shut up?
Jim!
Indians, Matt, look what it is!
How many?
Just two, it looks like.
All right, we'll see about that.
Hey, why? Why are we stopping?
Maybe we can talk to them. We sure can't outrun them.
Hey, Marshall, shoot! Shoot, Marshall!
Why don't you shut up and sit still?
You're wise, Marshall. Now I take your gun.
Bigfoot.
The gun. Throw it out.
Good.
I didn't know you were a holdup man, Bigfoot.
Not holdup man.
You've gone to a lot of trouble for nothing.
There's no gold on this stage.
I don't look for gold. I look for prisoner.
Ross?
I want prisoner.
Marshall, don't you let him get you.
Shut up, Ross.
Marshall.
Bigfoot, you and I have been friends.
You've been able to take my word.
Marshall has always acted with honor.
Well, then let me tell you something.
I'm taking this man to Hayes City to be tried for murder.
The evidence against him is great.
He'll probably hang.
No, his life belonged to me.
He may not have a life at all after the trial.
You take him. You won't either.
He killed my father.
Let the law punish him then.
Don't start trouble with the tribes.
I do not start trouble.
He start in trouble.
Well, let me finish it for you then.
Let me take him on to Hayes City.
I promise you justice, Bigfoot.
He will have justice.
My son, get off your horse.
Now, Marshall, you and your prisoner will get out of the stage.
And you, driver, you will sit quiet and not be foolish.
Come, now get out.
I suppose you've got a plan for me.
The Marshal must come with me for a while.
You're making a mistake, Bigfoot.
I would make mistake to let Marshall go free.
All right, my son.
Tie the hands of Marshall. I will watch prisoner.
And you, driver, you free to go.
Do not return to dodge.
Marshall, hey, you awake?
Yeah, I'm awake.
I can't see any engines.
Well, don't worry about it.
They can see you.
I just think we might make a break for it in the dark.
You wouldn't get ten feet.
I gamble a bullet at me.
They wouldn't waste a bullet on you, Ross.
They just drag you back.
The gamble isn't good enough.
Ain't you gonna do nothing?
I have to be alive to do it.
What does that mean?
It means I'm gonna wait for a better chance
than making an open target of myself.
My hands tied.
You should have left my hands free.
If your hands had been free and you'd try to do anything,
you'd be dead right now.
You know what they're gonna do?
Bigfoot wants to give you a fair trial, Ross.
They're gonna walk us to the encampment.
There's a meeting in the council of the tribe.
Yeah, dirty engines.
At least they're giving you a chance.
That's more than you did for Bigfoot's father when you shot him.
Oh, he was just a no-good dirty engine.
Marshall, listen, I want to tell you...
You make me sick. Why don't you shut up?
I want to get some sleep.
Oh.
Marshall, I tell you true.
I ain't gonna last much longer.
Quit crying, Ross.
We must have come twice as much.
I'm a real man.
I really am.
You're a real man.
Quit crying, Ross.
We must have come 20 miles in, son of...
walking while them engines ride.
I know how far we've come.
I walked it with you.
Well, you ain't roped to no horse like me.
And you got your hands free.
Daytimes, anyway.
Ain't fair.
They're not worried about what you think, Ross.
You sound like you're on their side.
Well, it's not an easy choice.
You wouldn't raise a finger to save me, would you?
Listen to me, Ross. I may not like it, but it's my job to get you to Hay City alive.
You don't act like you're trying very hard.
I tell you, Marshallis ain't hardly human, being drug-along prairie like this.
It's just more than a man can stand.
You're still on your feet, aren't you?
Yeah, but I...
You better try and keep it that way.
What does that mean?
They could keep right on dragging you when you quit walking.
I'll keep walking.
You better start saving your breath, too.
Marshall?
Yeah?
Marshall, ain't they never gonna stop?
I don't know.
They even stopped the water since mid-morning.
Yeah.
Ain't you, Firsty?
Well, ain't you?
Why don't you shut up?
Marshall, we...
Oh.
Hey, Marshall, listen to me. You gotta let...
I gotta make it much longer.
Marshall, I got a rock in my boot.
It's going right through my foot.
That's too bad.
I mean it, Marshall. I just ain't gonna be able to walk no further.
You want me to carry you?
Talk to him.
Make him stop just...
just while I take you down.
I'm not likely to stop for you to feel easier.
Might if you ask him. He ain't got nothing against you.
They just seeing you don't free me is all...
Oh, please, Marshall, ask him to stop just for a minute.
All right, Ralph.
But you keep quiet, you hear?
You let me do the talking.
Sure. Sure, Marshall.
Bigfoot.
I want to talk to you.
Come.
Ralph, your prisoner, has a stone on his boot.
He wants you to undo his hand so he can take it out.
So he can go on walking.
He will walk.
You'll make better time to your council if you don't have to drag him.
In a mile we reach a stream, water horses.
Bigfoot then.
Well, then now.
At the stream...
We go.
Get your head up before you fall down.
We're heading for the stream.
You're gonna stop?
That's what he said.
Well...
Marshall, you and prisoner, sit.
Oh.
Oh, I thought I'd never sit down again.
You better be sure you can get up.
Yeah.
Get him untied my hands so that I can get my boot off.
Will you?
He's gonna untie his hands, Bigfoot.
He wants to take his boot off.
Young huck, untie rope from horse.
Now just take a handcuff.
No handcuffs.
I can't do nothing this way.
Marshall?
Yeah.
This is the way it will be done.
I will water horses.
You will take boot off.
My son will stay with you.
He will watch.
I'd take my own boot off.
The marshal will do it.
You better settle for that, Ross, if you want that rock out.
You stay, son, and watch.
Oh, I watch.
All right, Ross, which foot is it?
It's this one, the right one.
All right.
Now brace yourself.
Yeah.
Easy, easy, easy there.
Well, you want your boot off or not?
Yeah, but pull it slow.
Pull it really slow.
I was not old women at my time.
Yeah, that's, that's very slow.
Hey, young huck, you just look here.
Just look, lean over here.
Lean up, now you see?
See?
Look out.
Ah!
Ha, ha, ha.
Gotcha, you dirty knife-tip.
I sure did, marshal.
I got it right in his belly.
Young huck, here, let me see.
I worked that out real good, didn't I?
Oh.
Young huck.
Why, you dirty pig, you killed him.
Well, that one name would have just tickled him.
Now grab his gun before his old man gets back.
I'd worry about that if I were you.
Go on, grab his gun.
All right, I got it.
That's the way.
You know, you and me's got the deal.
All you got to do is shoot that engine when he comes back
and we all set.
I'm not going to shoot him.
You ain't going to what?
He hasn't killed anybody.
You have.
Dylan, are you crazy?
I'm a white man.
You're nothing to be proud of.
Here it comes.
Why don't you shoot him, marshal?
Go on, shoot him.
Bigfoot.
My son.
Hurt?
His dad.
Shoot, heaven's name, marshal, shoot him.
Marshal, you did not do this thing.
No, Bigfoot, I'm sorry I couldn't stop it.
Dylan.
He pulled a knife from his...
Will you shoot him?
This white man, he crawled on a snake's belly.
We'll punish him, Bigfoot, I guarantee that.
I punish him now.
No.
The white snake is dead?
Yeah, he's dead.
Bigfoot has done what he had to do.
It is finished.
Not quite, Bigfoot.
I'm going to have to take you in.
It does not matter.
My father lies dead.
My son lies dead.
The white man who killed them lies dead.
It is finished.
Here, my gun.
Hey, Doc.
Don't you suppose it's getting nearly time to eat?
Eat again? Just finished breakfast about an hour ago.
Doc, can't hear.
Oh, Kitty.
Hello there, Miss Kitty.
Aren't you out kind of early?
I'm bringing a message to Matt.
A friend of his was in the long branch last night
and wanted me to say hello for him when Matt got back.
He didn't get back?
I thought he was due in on the stage this morning.
That's what I thought too, Miss Kitty,
and it's left me in an awful pickle.
Well, what's the trouble, Chessy?
That prisoner in there, the one he left with me in the jail.
What's the matter with him?
Nothing's the matter with him,
except he thinks he should get out and I'd like to let him out too.
I'm tired of feeding him.
Well, you got the key, haven't you?
Well, Doc, of course I got the key,
but I ain't sure it's fitting to me to let anybody out without party.
Well, looks like you can ask Matt.
Yes, sir.
Well, look at that.
I guess Mr. Dillon decided to ride back.
With an Indian?
And on an Indian pony?
That is kind of strange, now, ain't it?
Hello, Matt.
Chris Dillon?
Hello, Kitty.
Doc.
Matt.
Chester.
Yes, sir?
Put this man in the cell, will you?
Lock him up?
That's what I said.
Yes, sir.
All right, Bigfoot, go with Chester.
Well, Matt, I guess we needn't worry about you.
You start off with one prisoner and you come back with another.
Just like it were no trouble at all.
Yeah.
Well, if you don't mind, I'll see you both later.
Sure, Matt.
Wait, is there something wrong, Matt?
What could be wrong, Doc?
Like you said, Kitty, there's no trouble at all.
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 Meskin.
Featured in the cast were Ralph Moody, Lawrence Tobkin, and Vic Perrin.
Marley Bear is Chester, Howard McNear is Doc, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty.
And now here's a special word from our star.
This is William Conrad.
I don't often step out of Matt Dillon's shoes on the air.
And I'm going to do it today for an important reason called Radio Free Europe.
Did you know that 93 percent of the refugees escaping Iron Curtain countries proved to be Radio Free Europe listeners?
At risk of life itself, captive people do listen, hunger for the truth about the free world.
Your truth dollars, your help, whatever the amount, will keep the truth going through the Iron Curtain.
Send it now to the Crusade for Freedom.
Care of your post office.
Gunsmoke is a presentation of the CBS Ladygo Network.