A headstrong Texas trail boss is determined to prevent Matt from learning which one of his men was responsible for murdering another by shooting him in the back.A headstrong Texas trail boss is determined to prevent Matt from learning which one of his men was responsible for murdering another by shooting him in the back.A headstrong Texas trail boss is determined to prevent Matt from learning which one of his men was responsible for murdering another by shooting him in the back.
Photos
- Gil Choate
- (as Clark Gordon)
- Cowboy
- (uncredited)
- Barfly
- (uncredited)
- Cowboy
- (uncredited)
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
- Bartender
- (uncredited)
- Cowboy
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- John Meston(uncredited)
- Norman MacDonnell(uncredited)
- Charles Marquis Warren(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- Quotes
Kin Talley: Marshal, how are you gonna keep eighteen juiced-up Texas cowboys out of Dodge? They'll run right over you!
Marshal Matt Dillon: I'm not gonna keep 'em out of Dodge. But they won't find much to do when they get there.
Kin Talley: What do you mean?
Marshal Matt Dillon: I'll close Front Street. I'll close every saloon, gambling hall, and store in Dodge.
Kin Talley: You'd do that?
Marshal Matt Dillon: You bet I'll do it!
After hearing the exchange between Doc and Choate, Marshal Dillon decides he and Chester should accompany the doctor on this adventure. Matt, Chester, and Doc follow the cowboy to the camp.
Upon arrival at the campsite, the trio encounters Kin Talley, the trail boss. Tally tells Matt there is no longer any need for a doctor. Doc confirms this when he examines a man who has died from a gunshot wound to the back. The Marshal questions Talley about the details of the shooting, but the obstinate trail boss refuses to reveal anything he knows about the situation. Marshal Dillon warns Talley that if he and his men continue to refuse to cooperate with the investigation, he will close Front Street in Dodge so Talley and his men will not be able to enjoy themselves in the town.
When word spreads of Dillon's intentions to close Front Street, several businessmen from the town confront the Marshal and implore him not to take such drastic actions. They argue that closing Front Street to the cowboys will not only mean they lose the money those men would spend, but other groups might choose to avoid Dodge. Matt disagrees and refuses to back down.
When a group of the cowboys led by Choate arrive in town, they find everything closed just as Marshal Dillon promised. Later, Talley arrives at the Marshal's office with an obviously beaten, older man named Sam Peeples. Talley claims Peeples is responsible for murdering the dead cowboy. After questioning the poor old man, Matt is convinced Peeples is being used as a scapegoat.
Veteran actor Allan Lane is excellent in the Kin Talley role. This is the first of three Gunsmoke appearances for Lane. The actor began his career as a leading man in films in the 1930s and 1940s. In the mid 1940s, he found success playing heroic characters in Saturday afternoon matinee Westerns. As television became more popular in the 1950s, Lane made the easy transition to that medium.
Clarke Gordon (billed as Clark Gordon) appears in his only Gunsmoke role as the Gil Choate character. This role takes place relatively early in what would be a prolific career for the actor, who was active well into the 1990s.
This is the fourth appearance in the series by Ned Glass, who plays Sam Peeples in this episode. Glass would return for another five episodes in the series.
Watch for a couple of small, notable roles in this episode. John Mitchum plays a character named Bob who in involved in a scene in the Long Branch Saloon. Mitchum was the younger brother of Robert Mitchum. This is the third of seven Gunsmoke appearances for the actor.
Stanford Repp appears as Mr. Hightower, the leader of the group of Dodge City businessmen. Repp played in many different television shows during his career. He was perhaps best known for playing Gotham City Police Chief O'Hara in the Batman series. Incidentally, both Mitchum and Repp appeared in Batman. Repp appeared in a total of five different Gunsmoke episodes.
This episode contains plot elements from a couple of earlier Gunsmoke entries. Season One's "How to Die for Nothing" includes a Texas trail boss who refuses to cooperate with Marshal Dillon and holds anything in Kansas with great disdain. In that episode, trail boss Jacklin goes to far as to threaten to terrorize Dodge City unless Matt releases one of his men. Season Two's "The Round Up" features a situation where Matt closes Front Street, and a group of local businessmen plot to kill the Marshal.
This story highlights the problems so-called cattle towns in the Old West faced when drovers would arrive with their herds. Trail bosses and the trail hands that worked for them pretty much operated as autonomous entities with their own rules and enforcement of those rules. When the trail bosses clashed with local law enforcement, such as is the case in this story, the situation could easily get out of hand.
- wdavidreynolds
- Sep 17, 2023
Details
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 4:3