User Reviews

"Target" was the fifth season opener, the second of John Carradine's two appearances on GUNSMOKE, the first season's "Reed Survives" being the other. He plays Kader, a bitter landowner who implores his weakling son Danny (Darryl Hickman) to help him drive off a band of stranded gypsies who need a day to fix their broken wagon. Danny has other ideas, as he has fallen in love with gypsy girl Nayomi (Suzanne Lloyd), plotting to marry her in St. Louis if they can escape strict, forbidding gypsy law. Marshal Dillon (James Arness) gets involved when the gypsies recover Nayomi by knocking out Danny, who chooses to follow them with a stolen gun on a stolen horse. Canadian Suzanne Lloyd was a television veteran who also spent time in Britain, doing one episode of THE AVENGERS ("The Murder Market") and the low budget feature "The Return of Mr. Moto" (1965). Darryl Hickman, soon to give up infrequent on screen work for steady voiceovers, is the older brother of Dwayne Hickman, then popular as Dobie Gillis. That same year, Darryl had co-starred with Vincent Price in William Castle's "The Tingler," and was here reunited with John Carradine, proud cast members of John Ford's immortal "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940), also appearing together in 1942's "Northwest Rangers."

Another strong entry in what's arguably the peak period of the series. The story's a variation on Romeo and Juliet, except here it's a Gypsy girl (Lloyd) and a farmer's son (Hickman). Old man Kader (Carradine) is one mean guy who views his gun-averse son as a weakling, while the Gypsy band has strict rules against outsiders. At the same time, the Gypsies are camping on Kader land, and the old man's livid. So the suspense builds since the young lovers appear eager to get away from their feuding families. Meanwhile, Matt's concern is stopping violence before it starts.

Great ironic ending that I didn't see coming. Consider the many possible endings implicit in the premise, but ace writers Crutchfield and Meston chose a very disturbing one that leaves the viewer pondering the nature of things. Thanks also to producers Mac Donnell and Arness for okaying that ending. Gunsmoke was perhaps the only series of that time that often avoided comforting climaxes, one reason these early years continue to stand up.

I apologize as this isn't a professional review, but I wanted to say I'm new to the series still. I haven't watched the color episodes and never really got into this show. Well, the black and white half hour episodes are currently being aired, I decided to give it a shot especially because I really like Dennis Weaver because of an appearance of his on Twilight Zone. I found that I really like the early episodes a lot. They have some very good episodes. I've still only watched maybe 20-30 of them and there are other great episodes as well but this one was especially good. John Carradine is always a great bad guy or hateful person in whatever show he's in. This episode is no different. It's theme is one that has played out in other shows, but it's certainly not one of the more common themes even in westerns. Bonanza had at least one episode with a similar plot and Wagon Train as well. However, it wasn't one you see every day with an ending that you don't forget. 10 Stars

(*Marshal Dillon to Danny Kader quote*) - "There's other ways to settle things without a gun."

There are gypsy trespassers squatting on Mr. Kader's land and he wants them off.

Kader's son, Danny is in love with one of the gypsy girls whose name is Nayomi.

Conflict between old man Kader and his son soon escalates to the point where Danny suddenly leaves home in a bitter rage.

Soon Marshal Dillon intervenes in the matter, hoping to settle things without the use of guns.

In the world of Gunsmoke, just about every person that lived outside of the town was a nasty, vile, inbred, psychotic. Over and over again, when Dillon runs into people living in shacks out in the prairie, they are hostile, mean, angry, and usually pointing a gun at Dillon, or in some episodes shooting at him.

I wonder if that is what the people of the Old West were really like? I hope not. In this episode, cranky old John Carradine is featured as the angry Father of a typical idealistic 1950s/60s dopey teenager. The teenager is played by Daryl Hickman, who looks and acts like Wally from Leave it to Beaver. He falls in love with a gypsy whose family has their wagons parked on Carradine's land.

The gypsies want nothing to do with Hickman, Carradine wants to shoot the gypsies off his land, and Marshal Dillon wants law and order. Inevitably, as often happens in any Gunsmoke episode, the results are tragic. Gunsmoke did not have many happy endings.