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, Matt Dillon, the 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.
I sure will be glad to get back to Dodge, Mr. Jones.
Wichita is a nice town, Chester.
You like it so much, next time you can come alone. I got no business here anyway.
It's almost over, Chester. The train leaves in about ten minutes.
I've been worried all morning for fear we'd miss it.
That's going to be a long ride. We wait outside here until they yell all aboard.
You sure do hate stepping down, don't you?
I like fresh air, but you can get on if you want.
No, no, no.
You could be finding us a couple of seats, you know.
The train guarantees a seat to everybody who buys a ticket, Mr. Dillon.
Well, I was only trying to give you an excuse to get off your feet, Chester.
Well, I ain't so tired as all that. Well, if I do declare it, look what's coming.
Where?
You're under.
Oh, that's a right pretty girl.
She is, ain't she?
Say, you reckon she's going to Dodge, too?
Why don't you ask her?
Oh, my goodness, Mr. Dillon, I don't even know her.
Well, it's not going to stop him.
Who?
That gentleman standing by the car. He's seen her, too.
Gentleman? He looks more like a drunk rowdy to me.
Yeah, it's kind of mosey over there, huh?
Say, maybe he doesn't know her, Mr. Dillon.
Yeah, maybe.
I misdoubt it, though. He's too mean and ugly-looking.
Well, if we're going to be traveling together, we'd best get acquainted.
Now, my name is Laster. Ah, Blaster.
How do you do?
I'm meeting my partner in Dodge, Joe Garrett. Maybe you know him?
I'm sorry, but I've never been in Dodge.
No? Make two of us. At least we ain't going to be lonely, are we?
Well, that depends.
Depends on what?
If you're a gentleman.
If I'm a gentleman. Oh, of course I am, honey.
Hey, I know. Look, I got a bottle here. Let's just get aboard, and then we have a little drink.
Please, Mr. Laster.
Oh, come on.
No.
What's the matter if you start out real friendly and then you freeze up?
Come on, get in that train, like I say.
Let me go.
Come on.
Have a little drink.
You won't let the lady go.
You're asking for trouble, ain't you?
No. He tried to force me onto the train, and he wanted me to drink with him.
Now, don't you worry, Miss. He won't bother you anymore.
If you wouldn't mind, then there's none, not till you bust it in.
Ah, Blaster, huh? How do you know my name?
Well, I heard you tell the lady.
You're a real snoopy, ain't you?
Sometimes, yeah.
Do you know what you're getting into, mister?
Now, you tell me.
I'll show you.
Well, you're carrying a gun.
But I don't always use it.
Oh, you hit him.
You're the gun saver with me.
Here, Chester, put his gun in your belt.
Yes, sir.
He's gonna be pretty mad, ain't he?
Oh, I'll kill you. I swear I'll kill you.
You tricked me, you know that?
Get aboard while you can still walk.
Mister, when we get to Dodge, you're gonna wish you'd never seen me.
I'm wishing that already.
Now, move.
I'm sorry for all the trouble.
No trouble, Miss.
I didn't mean to get you into a fight.
It wasn't your fault.
But I always feel that it is.
Why?
Well, just my being a woman, I guess. You know.
Now, there won't be any more trouble, Miss.
Not till we get to Dodge anyway.
Come on, let's get aboard.
Well, what do you think of Dodge, Reena?
Marshal, I can't tell much from the depot.
I will show you the rest. Chester, go get a baggage, will you?
Yes, sir.
Well, Dodge kind of frightens me, Marshal.
Oh, why?
Well, I'm only a woman, and I've heard so much about the terrible things that go on here.
Oh, don't you worry, Reena. Nothing's going to happen to you.
I do feel safer when you're...
Marshal!
Oh, excuse me a minute, Reena.
Yeah, what do you want, Lester?
Well, now they tell me that you're Marshal Dillon.
Yeah, that's right. Marshal Dillon.
I just want to let you know that now there's two of us, Marshal.
This here is my partner, Joe Garrett.
Lester says you made things bad for him in Wichita, Marshal.
Is that so?
Yeah. He says you stole his gun, too.
Oh, he can pick it up at my office sometime. I'll do that.
I don't like what you did, Marshal.
Well, I didn't do it for you, Lester.
Yeah, all right. I know.
Now we're going to take some horses up north for just a few days, Marshal.
And then we're going to be back.
Well, I'll be here. I'll be here every day.
What did those men want, Marshal?
It was nothing, Reena. Nothing important.
Oh, I'll bet there's going to be more trouble over me, isn't there?
Now don't you worry about it. We'll find you a room,
and then I'll take you over to the Long Branch and introduce you to Kitty Russell.
She's the owner of the place. Come on, Chester's waiting.
Music
There he is. Come on in, Matt. It's your office.
How have you been, Doc?
Oh, fine, fine, fine. Oh, Matt, Chester's been telling me about this new girl, Reena Decker.
Oh?
Sounds like a manly sweet little apple.
Is that what Chester said?
No, I didn't say no such a thing.
Well, that's what you meant, Chester. Is it true, Matt?
You can go see for yourself, Doc. She'll be working on the Long Branch tonight.
Well, the little Kitty hired her.
Uh-huh. I left them talking together about an hour ago.
Good. I'll drop by there tonight, if I have the time.
You'll find time, Doc.
Well, I will if somebody doesn't fall off his horse or jump out of a window or go get himself shot.
Leave him die. It'll be worth it.
It's a good thing nobody has to depend on a cyberite like you, Chester.
Doc, I don't know what that means, but it sure don't sound nice.
Well, then don't ever let me catch you saying.
Well, Miss Kitty, come on in, Kitty. Join the fun.
Oh, I'm afraid I'm going to spoil the fun, Doc.
Oh, what's the trouble, Kitty?
I thought I'd better come tell you before you hear it from her, Matt.
What?
Rena Decker isn't going to be working at the Long Branch.
Oh, why not?
I didn't hire her.
You didn't hire her?
I'm not saying she's not pretty and all that, but I've seen her kind too often. They mean nothing but trouble.
Well, I don't understand, Kitty. She seems like a nice little girl.
You men are all alike. Pretty face throws you every time.
No, not Kitty. I have no interest in her beyond trying to help her the way I'd help anybody.
Who started that fight in Wichita, Matt?
Ab Laster. He was annoying her.
She didn't lead him on?
Oh, no, Kitty, you're being unfair. That girl's here all alone. She doesn't know anybody and she needs a job.
Sure, and when I had to leave her at the bar a few minutes after you brought her in, she almost got another fight started.
What? Kitty, why would she do that?
Some women like men fighting over them.
Kitty, what really is it that you don't like about her?
Doc, you haven't seen her yet, huh?
No, no, but I sure am interested now, Kitty.
You'd be just as stupid as I am.
No, Kitty.
All right, just to show you, I'll hire her.
But don't blame me when somebody gets killed because it's bound to happen.
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, what, Chester?
Looks like Miss Kitty was wrong, don't it?
That's been two days, but she didn't put any time limit on it.
What do you think she's got again, Rena, anyway?
Sometimes a woman takes a dislike to another woman and nobody ever knows exactly why.
They sure are hard to track, ain't they?
They got their ways, I guess.
But then so have we.
That's right. We ain't always so plain and simple, are we?
Where you going?
Those men in front of the long branch.
What about them?
Hey, they're going to fight, Mr. Dillon. Look at them.
They're about to draw.
All right, hold it, you men.
They're both down. They both got hit.
Go get Doc, Chester.
Well, they look dead to me.
Get him anyway. I'll see if I can find out what this is all about.
Yes, sir.
Anybody know these men?
No, not me.
I didn't see you here, Kitty.
Hello, Matt.
Maybe you know these men, huh?
Just a couple of riders. I don't even know their names.
What started it?
You wouldn't believe me if I told you.
How would he mean?
Dr. Herr about it.
Who?
Oh.
I'll go with him.
All right.
Oh, Marshall.
Oh, wasn't it terrible.
I was so scared.
Rayna, have you any idea what started this?
Well, Marshall, I don't know.
I was talking to them at the bar, and then suddenly they got mad at each other,
and then they came out here.
That's all I know.
What were you talking about, Rayna?
Why, nothing. Just talking.
Then why'd they get mad?
You know how men are?
Yeah, I know. I know how some of them are.
See you later, Matt.
Marshall.
What, Rayna?
Marshall, sometimes it's an awful burden being a woman.
You understand, don't you?
I don't know, Rayna.
I'm not sure what I understand.
My ding, Mr. Dull, I sure would hate to be buried that way.
Nobody not knowing who you are, not even a marker on your grave.
It's a sad, poor way to end it.
Yeah.
It's been a trouble on you, too, ain't it?
Some, yeah.
You've been awful quiet ever since yesterday, Mr. Dull.
Hell, I've been thinking, Chester.
I'm going to go to the long branch.
You want to come?
Yes, sir. Thank you.
You're busy, ain't you?
Yeah.
Hello, Matt.
Chester.
What a home, Miss Kitty.
I missed you at the burial, Kitty.
Oh, that must have been real fancy.
Is Rayna around?
Right over there at the bar.
Two men, as usual.
Oh.
What are you doing?
It's Ab Laster and that Garrett fellow.
Yeah.
Well, I didn't know they'd come back in town.
It didn't take Rayna long to find out.
What do you mean, Kitty?
She brought him in with her when she came to work.
But then, of course, she and Laster are old friends, aren't they?
Not Kitty, huh?
Why don't you go over there, Matt?
Have a drink at the bar.
Listen to her a few minutes.
You might learn something.
All right, I will.
Oh, Ab.
Oh, Sam, give me a beer, will you?
Rayna, honey, it's sure good to see you.
Are you really going to take me to dinner, Ab?
Oh, you bet I am.
What about me?
What?
You mean I invite it?
Oh, well, I guess that depends on Ab.
Yeah.
Some other time, Garrett.
This is going to be my night tonight.
Why, Ab, you make it sound like he's not wanted.
He ain't.
But you don't have to treat him like he's a dog or something.
I ain't treating him like he's no dog, am I, Gav?
No.
Of course you are, Ab.
Now, no man's going to put up with that, is he, Mr. Garrett?
No real man is.
Well, no.
No, by golly.
Now, you take it back, Laster.
Huh?
Oh, go on and leave us alone, will you?
I ain't taking no more.
Now, get your gun out.
Oh, if that's how you want it.
All right, wait a minute.
Oh.
You killed him.
You killed him, Ab.
Give me your gun, Laster.
No.
Give it to me.
No.
I expect to take a man's gun when he's already got it in his hand, Marshal.
Now, don't be a fool.
Marshal, he killed him.
Don't let him get away with it.
Shut up right now.
There we are, Marshal.
Don't you back away from me.
Lena's tricked you into two fights, Laster.
You're going to let her do it again?
Stand still, you hear?
She likes men fighting over her, don't you see that?
You leave her out of this.
And stand still.
You put your gun up, Laster.
No.
Oh, Marshal, I was so worried.
I thought sure he'd killed you.
I was so scared.
Lena, poor men have died because they wouldn't believe a kidding about you.
What?
You get out of Dodge right now, or not you ever come back.
Well, Kitty.
It's not your fault, Matt.
Yes, it is, Kitty.
I hope you'll never let me forget it.
I need my
treat back.
Gun Smoke, produced and directed in Hollywood by Norman MacDonald, stars William Conrad
as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
The story was specially written for Gun Smoke by John Meston.
Featured in the cast were Lynn Allen, Lawrence Dobkin, and Mick Perrin.
Miley Bear as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as 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.
Gun Smoke.