Goaded by a newspaper man craving a story and strangers craving excitement, two sons return to Dodge determined to find the man who shot their wanted father in the back years earlier.Goaded by a newspaper man craving a story and strangers craving excitement, two sons return to Dodge determined to find the man who shot their wanted father in the back years earlier.Goaded by a newspaper man craving a story and strangers craving excitement, two sons return to Dodge determined to find the man who shot their wanted father in the back years earlier.
Photos
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
- Thad
- (uncredited)
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis entry was originally scheduled for 1 April 1967 as episode #12.28 and would have been the final series episode , but CBS chairman William Paley "uncancelled" the show for a 13th season. The episode was held back and used to fill a hole in the schedule.
- GoofsAs the stagecoach comes into town, it is pulled by four chestnut sorrels with light manes and tails, but when it arrives at the station a minute later, the horses are dark bays with black manes and tails.
- Quotes
[the spokes on Doc's buggy are loose]
Dr. Galen 'Doc' Adams: How much is it going to cost me to have 'em fixed?
Festus Haggen: Shouldn't 'mount t'much; fifty cents'll do... Soakin' in the crik a few hours'll swell them spokes back tight as pin feathers on a prairie chicken's rump.
Dr. Galen 'Doc' Adams: Soakin' in the crik?
Festus Haggen: Sure.
Dr. Galen 'Doc' Adams: And while you're sitting there, letting the wheels soak, I suppose you'll do a little fishing?
Festus Haggen: Now that you mention it...
Dr. Galen 'Doc' Adams: So I end up paying you fifty cents to fish.
Festus Haggen: Well, Doc, I'm gonna have t'dig me some worms, catch me some grasshoppers. That's tirin'. If it wasn't for them wheels needin' soakin', I wouldn't have to....
(Side note: Frank Cole must have been a really bad guy, because $15,000 would have been an incredible bounty amount during this time. $15,000 in 1873 would be well over $1 million in 2021. For example, a $15,000 bounty was offered for Robert, Emmett, and Gratton Dalton -- all three combined -- in the late 1800s.)
Frank's father, Jonathan, still lives near Dodge, although he is in failing health. William and Amos make their way to Dodge to reunite with their grandfather, but -- more importantly -- to try to find the identity of their father's killer and possibly exact revenge. (William is more inclined to leave the matter alone, but Amos is more driven to solve the mystery and gain some measure of vengeance.)
Matt Dillon tries to discourage the sons from opening these old wounds. He cannot disclose the identity of the shooter, but he assures the brothers there is nothing to be gained by their pursuit.
The young men are being encouraged in their endeavor by a reporter named Stoner who has made a career writing about Frank Cole and the way he was killed. Stoner eventually develops a theory that Matt Dillon killed Frank Cole, primarily based on the fact the bounty was never claimed. Amos Cole, who now carries his dead father's gun, decides to challenge Marshal Dillon to a gunfight.
Even though this episode was filmed in Season 12, it fits well with a string of fine episodes during this part of Season 13. The viewer is supposed to be surprised by the resolution of this story, but the surprise revelation is easy to guess early in the story. That does not detract from the quality of the unique tale, however.
The chronology of this story raises an interesting curiosity for die-hard, long-time Gunsmoke fans. Frank Cole was killed twelve years earlier, and Kitty Russell states she bought the Long Branch Saloon one year before Cole was shot inside the saloon. Miss Kitty bought a half-interest in the Long Branch during the second season of Gunsmoke. (This transaction is mentioned in the episode titled "Daddy-O.") The timing means at least thirteen years has passed between the airing of the season two episode in 1957 and this episode in 1967.
This episode features another strong ensemble of guest stars. Lew Ayers is Jonathan Cole, and he is nearly perfect in the role of the aging Cole grandfather. Charles Robinson appeared in a sizable number of television shows from the early 1960s well into the 1990s. Here he plays Amos Cole in his only Gunsmoke appearance. This is the last of four episodes that featured Richard Evans. He plays William Cole in this story.
Lee Krieger plays Eli, the nervous hotel clerk that gives everyone the impression he knows a lot more about Frank Cole's death than he is willing to tell. Lamont Johnson is another television veteran who makes his only Gunsmoke appearance in this story as the determined Stoner.
Since this episode was filmed for the previous season, we get our last glimpse of Roger Ewing as Thad Greenwood, although his name does not appear in either the show opening or the end credits.
- wdavidreynolds
- Apr 12, 2021