The last three minutes of this episode are the best three minutes of any Gunsmoke episode.
8 Reviews
Ending
rmont-0638326 July 2021
Matt Dillon is Superhuman
csmith-996152 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Even the most unbelievable episodes of Gunsmoke are great. Our Marshall is gunned down with four slugs in him at 1 AM. He's left for dead by not only the bad guys but the also by the Dodge City townsfolk ( including Kitty). Six hours later he's gunning down the leader of a ruthless gang. Superhuman? I guess so. Am I complaining? I guess not!!
Don't Make 'Em Like This
janet-conant18 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Okay this is worth watching again. The first episode of Season 11 really delivers.
I've been seeing some of the color episodes and decided to try Season 11. One fabulous episode and why Gunsmoke was one of the best.
Couldn't figure out who that guy was playing the main man, Mace, and thought he had star quality. Wow John Drew Barrymore! He had such potential if he kept away from the booze. All supporting cast was top notch. Matt was just as they say, super human. Kitty never showed one ounce of fear even being manhandled!
Seeing Doc's face when he tries to help Matt as he lies in the street was something I couldn't believe was happening. A real first in Gunsmoke. Festus showed real courage standing up to Mace.
Haven't seen the end but know it'll be riveting and truly one of the best episodes. The color episodes can't compare to the B&W.
I've been seeing some of the color episodes and decided to try Season 11. One fabulous episode and why Gunsmoke was one of the best.
Couldn't figure out who that guy was playing the main man, Mace, and thought he had star quality. Wow John Drew Barrymore! He had such potential if he kept away from the booze. All supporting cast was top notch. Matt was just as they say, super human. Kitty never showed one ounce of fear even being manhandled!
Seeing Doc's face when he tries to help Matt as he lies in the street was something I couldn't believe was happening. A real first in Gunsmoke. Festus showed real courage standing up to Mace.
Haven't seen the end but know it'll be riveting and truly one of the best episodes. The color episodes can't compare to the B&W.
Matt is one tough cookie in this TV written script
kfo949414 February 2013
I will say that Marshal Matt Dillon was one tough bird. In this episode alone, he gets takes four slugs and in just a few hours he is sitting up in a chair talking. Man that is the definition of tough. It is either him or the expertise of Doc Adams that can have someone near death up and about in just a few short hours.
But even with the 'for-TV-sake' script, this episode did provided a nice hour of entertainment that the viewer just had to watch. A nice show.
It all begins when a large group of bandits come into Dodge at night and demand all the people living in the town to give them all the valuables. They even makes sure all the businesses open and give them every bit of cash available. With everyone leaving their valuables outside their houses the bandits declare that they will be gone by dawn and no one hurt if all cooperates.
With the Marshal being the first one they disarm, he tries to think of a way to escape. But when he finally decides to ride out, the bandits are waiting and Matt drives into a wall of gunfire. It looks hopeless for the people of Dodge.
An interesting plot with great characters.
But even with the 'for-TV-sake' script, this episode did provided a nice hour of entertainment that the viewer just had to watch. A nice show.
It all begins when a large group of bandits come into Dodge at night and demand all the people living in the town to give them all the valuables. They even makes sure all the businesses open and give them every bit of cash available. With everyone leaving their valuables outside their houses the bandits declare that they will be gone by dawn and no one hurt if all cooperates.
With the Marshal being the first one they disarm, he tries to think of a way to escape. But when he finally decides to ride out, the bandits are waiting and Matt drives into a wall of gunfire. It looks hopeless for the people of Dodge.
An interesting plot with great characters.
Tense Episode with Some Questionable Twists
wdavidreynolds1 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
First, I should say I love this episode. Season 11, the last of the black-and-white seasons, begins with a bang. Chester Goode is long gone. Quint Asper has moved on. Matt, Doc, Kitty, and Festus are the regular characters now. (Thad Greenwood will arrive in Dodge soon.)
Season 11 begins with a new opening sequence. The familiar showdown between Matt Dillon and some unknown opponent is still shown. There is then a short sequence that provides some foundation for the episode, and then we get a secondary opening that names the primary cast members. This secondary opening would continue for the remainder of the run of the series. (In this season, the cast members are shown one-by-one with a title next to the picture, or, in the case of James Arness, the title appears after his picture. In later seasons, a voiceover was added to announce the starring cast.)
The Gunsmoke producers pulled out all the stops when casting this episode. It features one of the larger casts, including many extras as townspeople, of any episode in the series.
John Drew Barrymore playing the bad guy Mason "Mace" Gore in this episode is a delight. This is his second appearance on Gunsmoke, as he guest starred in the excellent "Killer On Ice" episode in Season 10. The beard is gone in this appearance. The first appearance of Barrymore is especially effective as his face slowly appears from the shadows outside the door of the Marshal's office just as Matt is reaching for the rack of guns on the wall. In one of the all-time best lines ever delivered on Gunsmoke, Barrymore's Mace Gore character says, "Don't touch those guns Marshal. If you do, I'm gonna have to open up the other world for ya."
The large supporting cast includes many great character actors. I believe this is the first episode of the series where a group of outlaws manage to take over Dodge City. The story is tense and exciting.
With that said, there are some pretty glaring problems with this script. Gore and his gang easily take over the town and are able to isolate it for several hours. If it was that easy, why wouldn't more outlaws try it? Matt and Doc sense something is not right before Gore and his gang take control, but everyone else is oblivious until Gore shows up and makes his grand announcement.
I also question why they would choose a town like Dodge City, knowing they would have to contend with a U. S. Marshal with Matt Dillon's reputation. The town's proximity to Fort Dodge also adds potential problems. It seems it would be much easier to choose a town with less protection and less notoriety.
The big problem for me is Matt Dillon's reaction to Gore's gang taking over the town. He knows Gore has the upper hand in the existing situation. He also knows the train loaded with soldiers bound for Fort Dodge is due the next morning (what a convenient coincidence!) and yet he tries a very foolish escape from the town. The wise move would be to cooperate with Gore and try to keep the Dodge citizens as calm as possible. He would be in a much more advantageous position if he let Gore and his men finish their mission, leave Dodge, and go after them later. By attempting an almost certainly suicidal escape, Matt puts everyone in danger, especially himself. (Maybe Matt's ego gets the best of him?)
Equally problematic is the preparedness of the trainload of soldiers. Would they even be armed on the train? They certainly would not arrive in Dodge prepared to take on a gang of outlaws. Matt mentions they have horses, but it would take some time to unload horses from train cars, saddle them, and prepare to pursue outlaws.
Yet, Gore's men, who were supposedly a grizzled, efficient group of outlaws, scatter at the mere mention of a train loaded with soldiers. For a group of notorious criminals who have a reputation for pulling this type of grand robbery, it wasn't too difficult to cause them to panic.
The guest cast in this episode includes several actors that often played "bad guys" in various films and television shows. Morgan Woodward makes the second of his 19 Gunsmoke appearances as one of Gore's large gang. Woodward had not been present in a Gunsmoke episode since Season 3, but he would show up frequently in the last 10 seasons of the show. Also watch for Al Lettieri as another of Gore's gang. Lettieri enjoyed a short but notable film career before he died suddenly of a heart attack in 1975. He hit his stride as an actor in the early 1970s with major roles in The Getaway, Mr. Majestyk, McQ, and especially as Virgil Sollozo in The Godfather.
This episode is assigned Production Number 0433, which would have placed it with episodes from Season 10. The Production Numbers in Season 11 were in the 0450s, 0460s, 0470s, and 0480s.
This is definitely a fun episode full of excitement to begin Season 11, but the story does not hold up well under scrutiny. I still love it for the excellent cast and the compelling, if not entirely believable story.
Season 11 begins with a new opening sequence. The familiar showdown between Matt Dillon and some unknown opponent is still shown. There is then a short sequence that provides some foundation for the episode, and then we get a secondary opening that names the primary cast members. This secondary opening would continue for the remainder of the run of the series. (In this season, the cast members are shown one-by-one with a title next to the picture, or, in the case of James Arness, the title appears after his picture. In later seasons, a voiceover was added to announce the starring cast.)
The Gunsmoke producers pulled out all the stops when casting this episode. It features one of the larger casts, including many extras as townspeople, of any episode in the series.
John Drew Barrymore playing the bad guy Mason "Mace" Gore in this episode is a delight. This is his second appearance on Gunsmoke, as he guest starred in the excellent "Killer On Ice" episode in Season 10. The beard is gone in this appearance. The first appearance of Barrymore is especially effective as his face slowly appears from the shadows outside the door of the Marshal's office just as Matt is reaching for the rack of guns on the wall. In one of the all-time best lines ever delivered on Gunsmoke, Barrymore's Mace Gore character says, "Don't touch those guns Marshal. If you do, I'm gonna have to open up the other world for ya."
The large supporting cast includes many great character actors. I believe this is the first episode of the series where a group of outlaws manage to take over Dodge City. The story is tense and exciting.
With that said, there are some pretty glaring problems with this script. Gore and his gang easily take over the town and are able to isolate it for several hours. If it was that easy, why wouldn't more outlaws try it? Matt and Doc sense something is not right before Gore and his gang take control, but everyone else is oblivious until Gore shows up and makes his grand announcement.
I also question why they would choose a town like Dodge City, knowing they would have to contend with a U. S. Marshal with Matt Dillon's reputation. The town's proximity to Fort Dodge also adds potential problems. It seems it would be much easier to choose a town with less protection and less notoriety.
The big problem for me is Matt Dillon's reaction to Gore's gang taking over the town. He knows Gore has the upper hand in the existing situation. He also knows the train loaded with soldiers bound for Fort Dodge is due the next morning (what a convenient coincidence!) and yet he tries a very foolish escape from the town. The wise move would be to cooperate with Gore and try to keep the Dodge citizens as calm as possible. He would be in a much more advantageous position if he let Gore and his men finish their mission, leave Dodge, and go after them later. By attempting an almost certainly suicidal escape, Matt puts everyone in danger, especially himself. (Maybe Matt's ego gets the best of him?)
Equally problematic is the preparedness of the trainload of soldiers. Would they even be armed on the train? They certainly would not arrive in Dodge prepared to take on a gang of outlaws. Matt mentions they have horses, but it would take some time to unload horses from train cars, saddle them, and prepare to pursue outlaws.
Yet, Gore's men, who were supposedly a grizzled, efficient group of outlaws, scatter at the mere mention of a train loaded with soldiers. For a group of notorious criminals who have a reputation for pulling this type of grand robbery, it wasn't too difficult to cause them to panic.
The guest cast in this episode includes several actors that often played "bad guys" in various films and television shows. Morgan Woodward makes the second of his 19 Gunsmoke appearances as one of Gore's large gang. Woodward had not been present in a Gunsmoke episode since Season 3, but he would show up frequently in the last 10 seasons of the show. Also watch for Al Lettieri as another of Gore's gang. Lettieri enjoyed a short but notable film career before he died suddenly of a heart attack in 1975. He hit his stride as an actor in the early 1970s with major roles in The Getaway, Mr. Majestyk, McQ, and especially as Virgil Sollozo in The Godfather.
This episode is assigned Production Number 0433, which would have placed it with episodes from Season 10. The Production Numbers in Season 11 were in the 0450s, 0460s, 0470s, and 0480s.
This is definitely a fun episode full of excitement to begin Season 11, but the story does not hold up well under scrutiny. I still love it for the excellent cast and the compelling, if not entirely believable story.
Lots of Doc
Johnny_West14 May 2024
John Drew Barrymore, who looked like a wimp compared to all the tough cowboy actors in his gang, takes over a town and spends seven hours to dawn robbing everyone in Dodge City.
Why would any gang go house to house stealing silver pots and gold watches? It did not make much sense to have around ten thugs treeing a town just to rob the locals. It seems to me that they could have just robbed the freight office, the bank, and the Longbranch Saloon, in about 90 minutes or less?
So the whole drama of herding dozens of townspeople around, and beating up some of them (and shooting one) gets played out with Marshal Dillon, Festus, Doc Adams, and Miss Kitty watching the horror play out.
At the beginning of the episode, when Barrymore walks into Dillon's office, it seems to me that Dillon could have taken him out. Having watched every episode of Gunsmoke, there is no question that Dillon was fast enough to have put slugs in Barrymore and some of his henchmen.
Instead, Dillon gives up, and lets himself and everyone else get pushed around. At some point, Dillon decides to fight back and make a break for it. That did not make a lot of sense, since there were ten or more outlaws walking around armed and ready to kill. The villains shoot Dillon off his horse, and leave him for dead in the middle of the street.
The fantastic ending had Doc Adams pulling four bullets out of Dillon, and five minutes later Dillon is planning his revenge. The most memorable and best part of this episode is Doc Adams. He stands up to the gang, he outsmarts the villains, he saves Dillon's life, and he avoids getting caught. Episodes that featured Doc Adams were always my favorites.
Why would any gang go house to house stealing silver pots and gold watches? It did not make much sense to have around ten thugs treeing a town just to rob the locals. It seems to me that they could have just robbed the freight office, the bank, and the Longbranch Saloon, in about 90 minutes or less?
So the whole drama of herding dozens of townspeople around, and beating up some of them (and shooting one) gets played out with Marshal Dillon, Festus, Doc Adams, and Miss Kitty watching the horror play out.
At the beginning of the episode, when Barrymore walks into Dillon's office, it seems to me that Dillon could have taken him out. Having watched every episode of Gunsmoke, there is no question that Dillon was fast enough to have put slugs in Barrymore and some of his henchmen.
Instead, Dillon gives up, and lets himself and everyone else get pushed around. At some point, Dillon decides to fight back and make a break for it. That did not make a lot of sense, since there were ten or more outlaws walking around armed and ready to kill. The villains shoot Dillon off his horse, and leave him for dead in the middle of the street.
The fantastic ending had Doc Adams pulling four bullets out of Dillon, and five minutes later Dillon is planning his revenge. The most memorable and best part of this episode is Doc Adams. He stands up to the gang, he outsmarts the villains, he saves Dillon's life, and he avoids getting caught. Episodes that featured Doc Adams were always my favorites.
Extremely well-done ep with a few hard to understand bits
bnelso-2379312 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Why DiD Matt attempt to ride out on his horse knowing full-well he could be shot? Why was Matt covered up with a sheet in the undertaker's office when he was badly injured? A medical risk no?
Despite this and a few other bits of curiosity this is a nearly totally great, suspenseful ep with fine cast. The idea of the city of Dodge being totally taken over by crooks.
Despite this and a few other bits of curiosity this is a nearly totally great, suspenseful ep with fine cast. The idea of the city of Dodge being totally taken over by crooks.
Not a keeper
tj6085 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
You can understand why the producers may have wanted to begin Season 11 of Gunsmoke with a bang after the departure of Burt Reynolds from the cast. The story plot for this episode, however, is borderline weak and, over time does not ring true or hold up well. It seems that the hostage / hostage-taker plotline had only been portrayed well in a few movies before 1965 but given the fact it's been written in probably thousands of TV episodes and movies since, today the story merits not even a yawn. All screenwriters know an engaging villain deserves some sort of well-thought-out backstory but there's none here for gangman Mason Gore. The actions of Kitty, Doc and Festus seem to be less than believable too given some of the hackneyed writing. Season 11 was probably exciting in the year it aired but, in retrospect, Gunsmoke could have just as well been starting to show its age. A saving grace? Despite this episode probably being designed as a starring vehicle for Drew Barrymore's dad, his prescient dirty/hippie look in the pre-Vietnam turmoil era may have signaled the more realistic frontier portrayals (ie absence of barber-etiquette) in television and movies from the late 1960s onward..
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