Around Dodge City and in the territory on west, there's just one way to handle the killers
of the spoilers and that's with a US Marshal and the smell of Gunsmoke.
Gunsmoke 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 chance a job and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely.
Marshal Dillon, hello, Bowers, how's the cattle business?
Oh, I shipped a thousand head out on the train this morning just so I can afford to buy you
a drink.
I don't know if it's going to be a good idea, but I hear Doc Adams has been looking all
over for me.
I better go find him.
He was in here a while ago talking to Kate.
Maybe she knows where we went.
Matt, oh, hello, Mr. Bowers.
Hello, Kitty.
Doc had to leave, Matt.
They called him up to Smith Place in an emergency, but he asked me to give you a message.
You know Ed Thorpe and his wife?
Yeah, sure, I do.
I got a little piece of land right on the south edge of my ranch.
They're not doing very good, though.
He's sure around, according to Doc.
He was out there last night and he plans to go back for them today.
To go back for them?
Yeah, they have to be brought into town, Matt.
They've got spotted fever, both of them.
Gee, they got a little baby out there, too.
That's why Doc says somebody's got to fetch all three of them in the Dodge where they
can be taken care of.
I'll find a wagon and go out after him tomorrow.
We couldn't get back tonight, anyway.
You want some help, Marshal?
I got a whole parcel of cowboys who ain't earning their feed.
Oh, thanks, Bowers, with Chester and I can manage.
He might need help.
What do you mean?
Ed Thorpe.
Sick as he may be, he'll get a gun and fight before he lets you carry him off that place.
I know him.
Well, then he can stay there, but I'm going to bring his wife and that child, then.
All right.
If you keep an eye on him, he can be a bad man.
Oh.
Mr. Dunn, this ain't Ed Thorpe's place.
I know it, Chester, but I want to meet these people.
They must be new.
Come on.
Mr. Dunn, how do you know they're new?
They ain't been out this way in over a year.
Well, no more reason to meet them.
Let's walk around back.
I thought I saw somebody there.
Nothing but a sod hut and blowdry.
He must be living on nothing.
Doesn't look like it, Chester.
Well, I can tell he's butchering a calf.
Now, where'd he get that?
Well, he sure didn't raise it on those weeds this woman's trying to hoe.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Hello.
What are you men doing here?
I'm Marshall Dillon from Dodge.
This is Chester Proudfoot.
There's something wrong, Marshal?
No.
Your hat's gonna get all bloody where you put it on this cat.
You leave him be.
Here, you'll get sunstroke without a hat.
All right.
So I was trying to cover up Emmett Bauer's brand.
We're starving out here, Marshal. I had to kill that calf.
You ain't gonna risk my husband, are you, Marshal?
No, ma'am. Not unless Emmett Bowers complains.
So Joe had to do it, Marshal. We just can't go on without something to eat.
Look, look over there where I've been hoeing.
I couldn't plant enough seed for hardly anything to come up.
And we can't afford no more seed. Our credits run out and dodge.
That ground doesn't even look plowed.
Well, I've done the best I could. That ain't easy.
No, no, not for a woman.
But we're on our way to Ed Thorpe's. I guess you know that they got spotted fever.
I was there this morning.
Ed Thorpe's dead.
What?
Died in the night, I guess.
Well, you didn't tell me that, Joe.
You mean you left Mrs. Thorpe alone with that baby?
I ain't gonna chance catch her no fever.
But Joe, the baby...
My woman here is always worrying about babies.
It's only because she can't have none, I guess.
She's like one of them there dry gourds.
Don't, Joe. You're putting shame on me.
Chester.
Yes, sir.
Come on, let's get out of here.
Oh, Miss Nadler.
Yes, Marshal.
Next time you're in Dodge, you come see me.
I'll say that you got some seed.
The Night of the Dead
I wouldn't have done that. I thought we wouldn't never make Darby tonight.
How's the baby, Chester?
Well, to sleep, anyway. I guess I've been losing it right, huh?
Yeah, just like a mother.
Oh, there's Doc waiting for us.
Oh!
You sit tight a minute, Chester. We'll help you with the baby, huh?
I hope he don't wake up.
Where's the other fellow? But his wife's there.
Now, that died before we got there, Doc. Miss Thorpe's lying down and back there.
We covered her up good. She's been asleep most of the way.
Mrs. Thorpe?
She's still asleep. Give me a hand up here.
Yeah, sure.
Mrs. Thorpe?
Oh, oh, my.
What's the matter, Doc?
She's not asleep, ma'am.
What?
She's dead.
No.
She died on the way in, I guess.
Now we got a baby to take care of.
You know, Doc, I think she knew she was gonna die.
From what?
I guess before we left her place, she told me that if anything happened to her, the baby was to be put in Ma Smalley's care.
And then Ma Smalley was to have complete charge over him.
What she says goes.
Well, Ma's a widow and she's had kids herself. That was a good choice.
Yeah.
But she's too old to raise him herself, man.
Yeah, we'll have to worry about that later, Doc.
Now let's get busy.
You're under there, Mr. John. Stand right in front of the store.
Why wouldn't I come to the office, Justin?
Well, you know how Ma Smalley is. She don't think his lady likes to go to any man's office.
What she's doing with Miss Nadler, she didn't say.
Well, you go on down and get the mail, Chester. I'll wait here for you.
Thanks, sir.
Hello, Ma.
Hello, Marshal.
How have you been, Miss Nadler?
Pretty good, Marshal.
Ain't everybody consenting for the Marshal and bring him on the run?
Ah, now, Ma, you know your words always bend law with me.
Oh, listen to him. He's a terrible man.
Well, that's true, Ma.
Marshal, Mrs. Nadler wants to adopt the thought baby.
Well, Mrs. Thought left the baby in your charge, Ma. It's all up to you.
I've had him over a week, Marshal, and I'm going to keep him a while longer so he'll be near Doc just in case.
But Mrs. Nadler here seems like a mighty fine woman to me, and I'd rather take that baby
only I'm worried about one thing.
I've told her the truth, Marshal, and she thinks maybe Joe and I can't make a go of it out there.
You remember what you said when you were leaving that day?
Yes, I said to come see me and I'd help you get some seed to plant.
Well, now, that's all I need. I get a little corn up, I might even raise a few hogs.
I work awful hard, Marshal. I promise I will.
She gets started and she can have the baby, Marshal.
I'll pay you back. I ain't begging. I'll pay you back every cent, Marshal.
Mrs. Nadler, you come by my office before you leave town.
I'm going to go into the store here and have a talk with Mr. Jonas right now.
Oh, Marshal, I do thank you. I do thank you.
Come on back to the house, Mrs. Nadler. You can look after him a little while longer.
Hello, Marshal.
Hello, Jonas.
What can I sell you today?
I came to see you about Mrs. Nadler. You know her, don't you?
Of course I do. Joe Nadler's out back in the stock room right now.
Oh, he is?
Nadler, come in here.
He's buying himself a new pair of boots, Marshal.
I thought their credit had run out.
Oh, Nadler's doing better now. He's started bringing meat into Delmonico and a couple other eating places.
Paid a part of his bill already. Ain't you, Nadler?
I don't know, as I like you talking about my private affairs, Jonas.
No harm. It's only Marshal Dillon.
Hello, Nadler. Those are good-looking boots.
Well, they ought to be. Them's the best I stocked.
Them were too big for me.
Twenty dollars, huh? Now, that'd buy a whole wagonload of seed, Nadler.
You telling me how to spend my money?
Does your wife know you've been doing better lately?
Family matters. Ain't no concern of the law.
All yours are. And if it weren't for your wife, I wouldn't bother just wanting you, Nadler.
But because of her, I'm telling you to take those boots off and buy some seed and whatever else you need to grow corn with.
Now, look here, Marshal Dillon.
Shut up. I'm giving you a chance, Nadler. In three days from now, I'm going to be riding out to see what you've done with it.
It's up to you whether or not you'll be riding back with me.
I'm going to be riding out to see what you've done with it. It's up to you whether or not you'll be riding back with me.
Well, today's Thursday, Mr. Dillon. Are we going to ride out with the Nadlers?
Well, we can wait another day, Chester.
You know something I don't think you want to go tall?
Yeah, you're right. I don't.
Hello, Marshal. Chester.
Oh, Mr. Bowers.
Hello, Bowers.
I was just up with Delmonico's. Marshal had myself a feed.
Oh, good. How was it?
It was fine. Until I went out back and got a talking with the cook.
No?
No. I reckon any man's got a right to complain when he goes to a restaurant and finds himself eating his own beef.
Yeah, well, I know about that, Bowers.
You do? And why ain't you done nothing about it?
Oh, because of Ms. Nadler, I guess.
Look, Marshal, I'm a rich man. I don't mind a nester slaughtering one of my calves when he's starving, but nobody is going to start selling my beef. I'll kill him if he keeps that up.
I'll handle it, Bowers.
I admire that woman, it is, Marshal, but letting him get by with Russell ain't going to help her.
Oh, by the way, Ma Smalley brought some pies down to the kitchen while I was there. She's waiting outside here. She wants to talk to you.
She'll be right out.
Hello, Ma.
Are you riding out to the Nadler, Marshal?
That's right.
Then you tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I think she's a good woman, but I just can't let that baby go into the home of a cow thief.
That'll break her heart, Ma.
Well, I got a trust to put on me, Marshal.
All right, I'll tell her.
Hello, Miss Nadler.
Oh, Marshal. Hello, Chester.
How are you, ma'am?
What brings you out here, Marshal?
Is your husband home, ma'am?
No, he's been gone since morning.
Miss Nadler, do you know that he's been slaughtering a cow?
Oh, so he's complained about it, about that cow?
No, it's more than the one cow, Miss Nadler. He's been selling meat around Dodge lately.
Oh, no.
It's true.
So that's what he had in the wagon. He wouldn't let me look.
I know you've been looking for him.
I hate to tell you this, but Marshal Molly isn't going to let you have the baby.
Well, she's right, Marshal. It wouldn't be fitting.
It's done. We count her ten at Bowers.
Yeah.
I'll be back in Miss Nadler. I'll go talk to him.
All right.
Come on, Chester.
Hey, Mother can must be right as he is.
Yeah.
I thought I might find you here, Marshal.
Something wrong, Bowers?
One of my men's been murdered, that's all.
Well, we found him out yonder, about five miles.
He's been left for dead. But he talked a little.
What happened?
He's gone.
So you'll have to take our word for what he told us.
All right.
You run across Joe Nadler, slaughtered in another steer.
And Nadler shot him?
That's what he said.
Anything else?
Only that Nadler got on his horse and headed for Dodge.
I guess he figures he'll get caught.
Might as well get drunk one more time.
He'll get caught.
I promise you that.
Miss Diller?
Finally found him.
He's in there getting drunk at the bar.
Well, it's taken us long enough, everybody in town.
I'm afraid we'll have to wait a little longer.
We'll have to wait a little longer.
Well, we'll have to wait a little longer.
You'll have to wait a little longer.
Well, it's taken us long enough, everybody in town.
Let's know I'm after him by now.
He ain't been trying to hide.
We've just been looking in all the wrong places.
See him?
Yeah, I see him.
Stop there, Marshal.
Don't you come no closer.
Put that gun away, Nadler.
I saw Chester.
I knew you'd be in here next.
Why, Nadler, why would I be after you?
You don't fool me.
You know all about it.
You admit killing that writer?
I knew when I shot him I couldn't get by with it.
My horse's tracks were all over the place.
Well, don't make it any worse than it is.
I told you not to come any closer.
Put your gun on the bar, Nadler.
You watch what I'm going to do with it.
No, Nadler, don't.
Why not?
I hit you, didn't I?
Now I'm going to kill you.
You hurt bad, Mr. Allen?
He hit me in the arm, Chester.
I'll be all right.
You killed him?
Yeah.
Do something with him, will you?
I'm going over to the dogs.
Yes, sir, I will.
Marshal Dillon?
What?
Oh, you've been hurt.
It's not bad, ma.
What about Joe Needler?
He's dead.
Well, I figured he would be.
I heard you was looking for him.
That's why I followed you down here.
Well, my arm's bleeding some, ma.
I better get on over to the dogs.
You'll hear me out first, Marshal.
Yeah, of course, ma.
Go ahead.
You'll be the one to tell Mr. Needler about him, won't you?
I guess so.
Take a wagon with you, Marshal.
What?
A woman can't live out there alone.
I got an extra room at my house if you'll help with the work.
Well, what about the baby?
It'll be her baby, Marshal.
And tell her I won't interfere none.
Yeah, I sure will, ma.
I'll tell her all that.
I'll go out the first thing in the morning.
You won't go nowhere, you stand here gabbing all night.
My back arm's bleeding, Marshal.
You ought to go get it fixed, you hear?
Yeah, you're right, ma.
But send you pretty off on higher.
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 John Meston.
Featured in the cast were Virginia Christine, John Danaer, Vic Perrin, Anne Morrison, and
Harry Bartel.
Harley Bear is Chester, Howard McNear 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 on Gunsmoke.