Gunsmoke (TV Series) The Predators (1972) User Reviews

A story about taming the wild.

[kfo9494 · 8/10 · 12 October 2013]

At first I did not understand why the writer chose to put a dog story right in the middle of an interesting plot involving a former gunfighter. But at the end of the show it became apparent that the dog, that use to be wild, had been changed much like the ex-gunfighter has changed. A brilliant work of fiction.

The main plot involved Howard Kane(Claude Akins) as a man looking for revenge for something that happened years ago in a range war. Howard was shot in the back by a former friend, Cole Maston, when Cole was offered money to get rid of Howard. So Howard has been looking for Cole for years and has finally caught up with his rival outside Dodge.

In the meantime, Howard has happened up, thanks to the wild dog, on a farm house that is occupied by a woman, Abelia Johnson, and her two kids. He stays out in the barn and starts to get smitten with the independent woman while he is looking for the exact location of Cole. And when he finds Cole will he be like the wild dog that changed or will he continue to be the wild gunman that will never settle down.

Claude Akins and Jacqueline Scott made a nice couple in this story about revenge or redemption. Even though the story did not end like we all expected- it left enough open for us viewers to hope things will one day be much better. Perhaps that is all we can hope for all of us. Nice show.

Note- When Marshal Dillon is talking to Howard at the Long Branch, he calls the man that Howard is looking for as Jack Cole instead of the name in the credits as Cole Maston.

Expect No Surprises

[wdavidreynolds · 6/10 · 24 August 2021]

Howard Kane was shot in the back by a man named Cole (either Cole Matson, as shown in the credits, or Jack Cole, as Matt Dillon refers to him) during a range war four years prior to this story. Kane has spent the years since that time trying to find Cole to exact revenge. He finally tracks Cole to a ranch near Dodge City.

Meanwhile, some wild dogs have been wreaking havoc on herds of cattle and sheep on the farms near Dodge. Festus Haggen, Nathan Burke, and Sam Noonan have eliminated all but one of the dogs. Sam manages to wound the final dog, but the dog runs away.

Abelia Johnson, a character that appeared in two previous episodes of Gunsmoke, continues to live with her two kids, Marieanne and Jonathan on a farm near Dodge. The Johnson kids find the dog and recognize it as Dobie, a dog that had lived with them as a puppy. The dog is gentle around the kids, and they begin to care for it.

When Kane stops at Abelia's farm to tend to his horse, a friendship and romance begins to develop between the two. However, Abelia refuses to allow Kane to become too close if he is intent upon killing Cole.

As the story unfolds, Abelia becomes the caregiver for both the dog and Kane, but there is a lingering question of whether either can be trusted.

Jaqueline Scott reprises her role as Abelia Johnson, a rare recurring character that never became part of the regular cast. The kids are played by different actors, however. Jodie Foster in a red-haired wig replaces Susan Olsen, who played the daughter in the earlier two episodes. (The daughter's name was spelled "Marianne" in those episodes and "Marieanne" in this episode.) Brian Morrison assumes the role of the son, replacing Mike Durkin. Both Foster and Morrison appeared as orphans in the "P. S. Murry Christmas" episode from earlier in Season 17.

The third episode of Gunsmoke broadcast from Season 1 featured the actor, Claude Akins. Akins guest stars for the final time on Gunsmoke with this episode. He appeared in a total of ten episodes over the years.

A few notable character actors pop up in this story in small roles. Mills Watson appears in the opening as a cowboy confronted by Kane. George Murdock plays the part of Cole Marston -- the man Kane is pursuing -- in a single scene. Read Morgan and Lew Brown play ranch hands that work with Cole.

This story is a straightforward rehash of the old betrayal-revenge trope common in the Westerns genre. Frequent Gunsmoke writer Calvin Clements, Sr attempts to disguise it by using a most un-clever, obvious parallel story concerning the wild dog. Expect no surprises with this story. However, the performances are up to the usual Gunsmoke high standards, and the story is entertaining.

neurotic self-examination

[grizzledgeezer · 5/10 · 3 October 2013]

One of the problems with TV dramas set in the 19th century is that we don't really know how people -- other than serious writers -- thought. It's unlikely common people gave much consideration as to whether they were lonely, or whether life had any meaning, or... whatever. They were too busy making a living. When you hear folks talking about whether they should put themselves first, or saying "everyone's alone, once you get past the smiles", you suspect something is badly wrong.

That's the basic problem with this script's dialog. It doesn't ring true. It seems to come from the mouths of 20th-century middle-class people who've read too much pop psychology.

An interesting contrast can be drawn with the early episode "What the Whisky Drummer Heard". When Matt and Chester discover that the drummer has been causing trouble by telling made-up stories, they are at a loss to understand his motivation, because this sort of "insanity" is alien to their experience.

The other basic problem is the plotting. The sub-plot of the "wild" dog and his reclamation runs an obvious and (very) heavy-handed parallel to the main plot of the sometime-gunman who wants revenge on a man who betrayed him. Once the dog goes for the meat, not the lamb, we know exactly how the story will end.

The one good thing (for me), is seeing Claude Akins (whom I don't care for) in a relatively quiet and understated role.

"The Predators" is lame and lazy storytelling not worthy of "Gunsmoke".