The McCreadys and the Gabriels are feuding neighbors. Jim and Jenny Gabriel with their son David are homesteaders who have lived on land they claimed a few months earlier. McCready is a wealthy rancher who decided he wants the Gabriels' land since they found a water source on it.
During this story, Matt Dillon, Chester Goode, and Doc Adams will all be drawn into the feud. As is usually the case in such disputes, both parties will suffer unintended tragic consequences based on their actions.
Actress Peg Hillias portrays the strong-willed Jenny Gabriel in this story, which was her only appearance in the Gunsmoke series. Hillias began her career by playing Eunice in A Streetcar Named Desire. She was a highly regarded talent, but she died in 1960 of undisclosed causes.
Paul Fix was a fixture in an enormous number of television dramas and films during his extensive, prolific career. He was perhaps best known for the role of Marshal Micah Torrance in The Rifleman series. Fix appeared in five Gunsmoke episodes, including this one where he plays the villainous rancher McCready.
Bartlett Robinson did not play nearly as many roles as Fix, but he was also a familiar face in television dramas. He appeared in seven different Gunsmoke episodes, all in the half-hour episode seasons. Robinson plays Jim Gabriel in this story.
Stuart Whitman appears only in this single Gunsmoke episode as McCready's hired hand, Bart. Around the time he played this part, he began appearing in the series Highway Patrol as Sergeant Walters. He would star as Marshal Jim Crown in the western series Cimarron Strip in its single season. Later in his career, he played recurring characters in both Knot's Landing and Superboy.
Gordon Gebert plays Billy McCready in his only Gunsmoke involvement. Gebert guest starred in several popular television shows and a handful of films in the 1950s. In his late teens he chose to quit acting and pursue a career in architecture, in which he found success.
Watch for a young John Smith, who plays David Gabriel in this story. While the character is the subject of much discussion, he is only seen briefly in the episode. Smith's birth name was Robert Errol Van Orden, but he changed it at the suggestion of his agent, who also chose the names for Tab Hunter and Rock Hudson. Smith was best known for his starring role as the character Slim Sherman in the series Laramie. The actor was close friends with John Wayne.
The story of a wealthy rancher resentful of homesteaders and trying to drive them off their land is all too familiar in the western genre, but John Meston's story and Les Crutchfield's screenplay adds some unexpected twists along the way that add to the story's intrigue.
(It is worth noting the story never addresses the possible source of the disease being the spring Jim Gabriel discovered. Drinking water or eating food that has been contaminated with human feces that contain the bacteria that causes cholera are the most common ways the disease is spread. Likewise, it would be unusual for people to die from cholera within hours of the symptoms appearing as is depicted in this story.)
During this story, Matt Dillon, Chester Goode, and Doc Adams will all be drawn into the feud. As is usually the case in such disputes, both parties will suffer unintended tragic consequences based on their actions.
Actress Peg Hillias portrays the strong-willed Jenny Gabriel in this story, which was her only appearance in the Gunsmoke series. Hillias began her career by playing Eunice in A Streetcar Named Desire. She was a highly regarded talent, but she died in 1960 of undisclosed causes.
Paul Fix was a fixture in an enormous number of television dramas and films during his extensive, prolific career. He was perhaps best known for the role of Marshal Micah Torrance in The Rifleman series. Fix appeared in five Gunsmoke episodes, including this one where he plays the villainous rancher McCready.
Bartlett Robinson did not play nearly as many roles as Fix, but he was also a familiar face in television dramas. He appeared in seven different Gunsmoke episodes, all in the half-hour episode seasons. Robinson plays Jim Gabriel in this story.
Stuart Whitman appears only in this single Gunsmoke episode as McCready's hired hand, Bart. Around the time he played this part, he began appearing in the series Highway Patrol as Sergeant Walters. He would star as Marshal Jim Crown in the western series Cimarron Strip in its single season. Later in his career, he played recurring characters in both Knot's Landing and Superboy.
Gordon Gebert plays Billy McCready in his only Gunsmoke involvement. Gebert guest starred in several popular television shows and a handful of films in the 1950s. In his late teens he chose to quit acting and pursue a career in architecture, in which he found success.
Watch for a young John Smith, who plays David Gabriel in this story. While the character is the subject of much discussion, he is only seen briefly in the episode. Smith's birth name was Robert Errol Van Orden, but he changed it at the suggestion of his agent, who also chose the names for Tab Hunter and Rock Hudson. Smith was best known for his starring role as the character Slim Sherman in the series Laramie. The actor was close friends with John Wayne.
The story of a wealthy rancher resentful of homesteaders and trying to drive them off their land is all too familiar in the western genre, but John Meston's story and Les Crutchfield's screenplay adds some unexpected twists along the way that add to the story's intrigue.
(It is worth noting the story never addresses the possible source of the disease being the spring Jim Gabriel discovered. Drinking water or eating food that has been contaminated with human feces that contain the bacteria that causes cholera are the most common ways the disease is spread. Likewise, it would be unusual for people to die from cholera within hours of the symptoms appearing as is depicted in this story.)
