Five ex-Confederate soldiers have robbed the bank in Dodge City and are on the run through Indian territory, followed by Matt Dillon. The outlaws find abandoned Union military uniforms and d... Read allFive ex-Confederate soldiers have robbed the bank in Dodge City and are on the run through Indian territory, followed by Matt Dillon. The outlaws find abandoned Union military uniforms and disguise themselves as Union soldiers. At the next town, they declare martial law under the... Read allFive ex-Confederate soldiers have robbed the bank in Dodge City and are on the run through Indian territory, followed by Matt Dillon. The outlaws find abandoned Union military uniforms and disguise themselves as Union soldiers. At the next town, they declare martial law under the guise of an Indian uprising. The outlaws, disguised as Union Soldiers, talk the town's sh... Read all
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- Doc
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- Festus
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- Director
- Writers
- Ron Bishop
- Norman MacDonnell(uncredited)
- John Meston(uncredited)
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Storyline
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The five criminals had been imprisoned together after the Civil War. Now they are on a quest to amass as much money as possible. The gang consists of the tough-talking man they call Big Thicket, the slightly more intelligent man that goes by the name Oregon, an amiable follower named Foss, a nasty, quiet psychopathic type they call Clatch, and a young, less enthusiastic marksman they refer to as Pryor, who owns a Sharps rifle.
The gang does not completely trust Pryor, but they need his sharpshooting talents. Clatch is itching to use his knife on someone and repeatedly threatens the younger member of the gang.
Eventually the outlaws find an abandoned wagon on the prairie. Inside the wagon, they find several Union Army uniforms. This discovery leads them to hatch a plan where they will disguise themselves as Union soldiers and take over a town to rob the bank there.
When Marshal Dillon and Newly find the wagon, Matt realizes the situation is much more serious now, because the gang is more likely to be accommodated if people think they are Union soldiers instead of mere "trail bums." Matt sends Newly to get some additional assistance.
The gang rides into an isolated prairie town after sabotaging the telegraph wires to cut off communications. Initially, Sheriff Van Werkle is not entirely convinced about the intentions of the men, but when they tell him marauding Indians are on the way to ransack the town, he cooperates.
By the time Marshal Dillon arrives, the outlaws manage to take him prisoner and lock him in the town jail. Pryor is assigned to guard Matt.
This episode features another strong cast, as viewers have come to expect with the series. Several of the guests in this episode are making either their only series appearance or appearing for the last time.
This is the final appearance in the series for Ramon Bieri. The familiar actor plays Big Thicket. Bieri had appeared in five previous episodes of the series. He was a popular actor in television dramas often appearing as tougher characters -- sometimes a hard-nosed law man or military personnel, other times a rugged villain. Just prior to filming this Gunsmoke episode, he played a key role in Terrence Malick's critically acclaimed film Badlands.
Lance LeGault, who began his career as Elvis Presley's stunt double, portrays the character Oregon in this story. This is LeGault's only Gunsmoke guest role, but he later had several recurring roles on popular shows such as Dynasty; The A-Team; Magnum, P. I.; Werewolf; and Dallas.
Actor Ron Soble is another actor making his sole Gunsmoke appearance. He plays the menacing, knife-wielding character known as Clatch. Soble had the distinction of playing Wyatt Earp on Star Trek: The Original Series in an episode that included a take on the Gunfight at the O. K. Corral.
Don Stroud had previously appeared as a drover in the Gunsmoke episode "Jesse" in Season 18. He plays the character Foss in this story. Foss is loyal and foolishly goes along with whatever Big Thicket and Oregon plan.
Russell Wiggins returns to Gunsmoke for the second and final time. He portrays the reluctant outlaw Pryor in this story. Wiggins had previously played the mentally challenged, animal loving character Billy in the Season 19 episode "The Deadly Innocent."
Actress Gretchen Corbett makes her only series appearance as Arlene in this story. Corbett was mentored by actor James Garner, and she appeared with Garner as the character Beth Davenport in the series The Rockford Files and some of the subsequent Rockford Files made-for-television movies.
Med Flory, who often played bumbling sheriffs or soldiers, plays clueless Sheriff Van Werkle in his final series appearance. Actor John Crawford also makes his last appearance in the series with this role as the piano player Muller. This is Crawford's fourteenth Gunsmoke appearance.
The theme of outlaws disguised as soldiers taking over a town so they can perpetrate a crime was the basis for Season 12's "The Goldtakers" episode. That story was different, because the outlaws-disguised-as-soldiers are in Dodge City, and their goal is to process gold bars they have stolen, rather than robbing the bank.
The idea of former Confederate soldiers on a robbing spree makes sense given the time setting for Gunsmoke. Finding the Union uniforms and the opportunity it provides the outlaws is clever. However, the story provided by writer Ron Bishop is disappointing. An alarming number of scenes are filled with excessive dialog that serves to kill time and does little or nothing to propel the story forward.
It takes one-third of the story before the outlaws even make it to the town, which is where the primary plot takes place.
The resolution to the situation presented is contrived and obvious from the time the outlaws assign Pryor to guard Matt Dillon in the town jail. The only intelligent people in the entire story are Arlene and the piano playing Muller, who both work at the local saloon.
During this episode, Matt reveals that he once tried his hand at "hiding," i.e. Hunting buffalo for their valuable hides, but he found the work distasteful. The criminal gang aspires to get into the business of hunting buffalo and selling hides.
This is the second episode of Season 20, and there have been no scenes set in Dodge City during the season so far. Neither Doc Adams nor Festus Haggen have been seen, except in the opening credits.
There are some lingering questions about this story:
How did these incompetent crooks manage to rob the bank in Dodge and get away? This is not a group of criminal masterminds.
It is especially egregious that Newly is sent to bring reinforcements, and they never arrive. Why was Newly even included in the story?
It is a shame this outstanding cast was not given better material. The premise is intriguing enough, but the execution is lacking.
- wdavidreynolds
- Oct 26, 2021