A stranger comes to Dodge, and Doc bewilders and dismays Chester and Matt by arming himself and vowing to kill the man.A stranger comes to Dodge, and Doc bewilders and dismays Chester and Matt by arming himself and vowing to kill the man.A stranger comes to Dodge, and Doc bewilders and dismays Chester and Matt by arming himself and vowing to kill the man.
- Director
- Writers
- John Dunkel
- Norman MacDonnell(uncredited)
- John Meston(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsChester says Doc's gun is a ball and powder percussion pistol, when Matt takes it from him you can clearly see it is a revolver.
- Quotes
Chester: It kind of feels like somebody stuck a butcher knife in there and just turned the handle on me.
Dr. Galen 'Doc' Adams: I'll give you some free advice. Stop puttin' all that salt pork in your stomach and those dried beans, and get some fresh greens in there. That's what you need. And stay out of saloons.
Chester: It don't hurt that bad.
Featured review
Intense, Festering Hatred
Doc Adams is walking down the street in Dodge City while talking with Chester Goode when he spots a man who has just arrived in town. Doc's demeanor immediately changes, and Doc mutters he is going to kill a man. Doc returns to his office, retrieves his old Colt .36 pistol, and goes after his intended victim.
Chester alerts Matt Dillon to the situation, and they make their way to the Long Branch Saloon where Doc is holding one of the strangers at gunpoint. Doc is adamant he is going to shoot the man, one Clem Maddow. The doctor orders Clem into the street, but Maddow refuses to obey Doc, just as he refuses to do anything to stop Doc. Matt diffuses the situation, and Doc walks away.
Maddow, his brother George, and a third man named Ben Bartlett are miners passing through Dodge. Clem knows why Doc wants to kill him, but he refuses to tell the Marshal what he knows. When Matt tries to find Doc to learn more about the basis of his desire to kill Maddow, he cannot find the doctor.
Later, a shot is fired. When Matt and Chester investigate, they find Clem has been shot in the back. Of course, Doc is a suspect. When Doc walks into the scene, he tells Matt he was at the livery stable when he heard the shot. Clem is bleeding badly, and Doc is his only hope. Doc tells Matt to bring Clem to his office. Did Doc shoot Maddow? If not, who did? Will Doc be able to overcome his hatred for Maddow and treat him?
The three strangers are played by actors that are no strangers to diehard fans of the Gunsmoke series. Chris Alcaide portrays Clem Maddow. Alcaide often played villains in detective shows, westerns, and numerous b-movies, although he plays against part as the mild-mannered Maddow here. He had appeared previously in the "Kite's Revenge" episode and would return for another three episodes.
Ainslie Pryor portrays Clem's brother, George Maddow. Pryor had also appeared earlier in the series in the "Smoking Out the Nolans" episode, where he played Josh Nolan. Pryor and Alcaide both appeared together again in the Season 3 episode "Kitty's Outlaw."
This is the first Gunsmoke television episode for actor Harry Bartell, although he played parts on the radio version of the show. He takes on the role of Ben Bartlett. Bartell had a guest part in ten different Gunsmoke episodes, including this one.
Three notable aspects of this story include:
This Gunsmoke installment marks the first directed by Ted Post. Post would go on to direct over fifty episodes of the series. Quite the prolific director, Post directed episodes of The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, The Rifleman, and many other classic television shows. He directed Clint Eastwood in both Hang 'Em High and Magnum Force, and he directed Beneath the Planet of the Apes - all which were very successful films.
This is an entertaining story with sufficient twists and turns to keep viewers guessing until the end. The reveal of the culprit's identity is reminiscent of a game of To Tell the Truth as every time it looks like someone is responsible, another suspect emerges.
Chester alerts Matt Dillon to the situation, and they make their way to the Long Branch Saloon where Doc is holding one of the strangers at gunpoint. Doc is adamant he is going to shoot the man, one Clem Maddow. The doctor orders Clem into the street, but Maddow refuses to obey Doc, just as he refuses to do anything to stop Doc. Matt diffuses the situation, and Doc walks away.
Maddow, his brother George, and a third man named Ben Bartlett are miners passing through Dodge. Clem knows why Doc wants to kill him, but he refuses to tell the Marshal what he knows. When Matt tries to find Doc to learn more about the basis of his desire to kill Maddow, he cannot find the doctor.
Later, a shot is fired. When Matt and Chester investigate, they find Clem has been shot in the back. Of course, Doc is a suspect. When Doc walks into the scene, he tells Matt he was at the livery stable when he heard the shot. Clem is bleeding badly, and Doc is his only hope. Doc tells Matt to bring Clem to his office. Did Doc shoot Maddow? If not, who did? Will Doc be able to overcome his hatred for Maddow and treat him?
The three strangers are played by actors that are no strangers to diehard fans of the Gunsmoke series. Chris Alcaide portrays Clem Maddow. Alcaide often played villains in detective shows, westerns, and numerous b-movies, although he plays against part as the mild-mannered Maddow here. He had appeared previously in the "Kite's Revenge" episode and would return for another three episodes.
Ainslie Pryor portrays Clem's brother, George Maddow. Pryor had also appeared earlier in the series in the "Smoking Out the Nolans" episode, where he played Josh Nolan. Pryor and Alcaide both appeared together again in the Season 3 episode "Kitty's Outlaw."
This is the first Gunsmoke television episode for actor Harry Bartell, although he played parts on the radio version of the show. He takes on the role of Ben Bartlett. Bartell had a guest part in ten different Gunsmoke episodes, including this one.
Three notable aspects of this story include:
- Doc's out-of-character desire to kill someone. Fans of the series will recall there are a small number of times where Doc is driven to kill, but never due to years of festering hatred. It is shocking to see him so furiously intent on killing someone rather than trying to save a life.
- A rare glimpse into Doc's past. Over the course of the series little is revealed about the doctor's time before he arrived in Dodge. Unlike the other main characters, viewers never meet any of Doc's family, and he seldom references anything from his past.
- The opening scene with some humorous banter between Chester and Doc. Similar scenes would be repeated frequently over the course of the series with Chester and, most famously, with the Festus Haggen character.
This Gunsmoke installment marks the first directed by Ted Post. Post would go on to direct over fifty episodes of the series. Quite the prolific director, Post directed episodes of The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, The Rifleman, and many other classic television shows. He directed Clint Eastwood in both Hang 'Em High and Magnum Force, and he directed Beneath the Planet of the Apes - all which were very successful films.
This is an entertaining story with sufficient twists and turns to keep viewers guessing until the end. The reveal of the culprit's identity is reminiscent of a game of To Tell the Truth as every time it looks like someone is responsible, another suspect emerges.
helpful•60
- wdavidreynolds
- Dec 9, 2021
Details
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 4:3
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