Kitty Russell buys half of Bill Pence's interest in the Long Branch Saloon. Shortly after the transaction is complete, Kitty receives a telegram from her father, who abandoned Kitty and her mother when Kitty was young. The father is coming from New Orleans to visit Kitty in Dodge City.
After Wayne Russell arrives, he begins trying to convince his daughter to abandon her plans and return to New Orleans and join him in his freight business.
John Dehner makes the third of twelve guest star appearances in the series with this story where he plays Kitty's father. Dehner, who played various characters in many of the Gunsmoke radio episodes, is perfect in this role.
Judson Pratt plays Bill Pence for the second and final time. Pratt would appear in one additional episode as another character.
Cyril Delvanti with his distinctive gaunt, wrinkled, weathered face and English accent makes a brief appearance as the messenger who delivers the message to Kitty. This is Delvanti's third series appearance. He would eventually appear in eight episodes.
This episode, along with the Season 8 episode "Panacea Sykes," gives the viewer a rare glimpse into the past life of Kitty Russell, and that makes it one of the more important episodes. Dehner, Amanda Blake, and the other regular cast members all deliver outstanding performances.
(On a personal note, the first time I saw this episode, I kept wishing Matt Dillon would show more affection for Kitty and at least tell her he was going to miss her.)
Note: Viewers watching the episodes in the original broadcast order may notice in the earlier Season 2 episode "Sweet and Sour," Kitty says she is a half-owner of the Long Branch. Yet, in this episode, she purchases half interest in the saloon from Bill Pence. This episode (number 565) was filmed prior to the episode (number 569) that was broadcast earlier and the events happen prior to the "Sweet and Sour" story.