User Reviews

In a comedy episode we are again introduced to Merry Florene and her kin as her folks hatch another useless scheme in the city of Dodge. Marshal Dillon gracefully bows out of most of this episode as he let the rest of the cast members engage in an all out comedy.

The show begins as Merry Florene has become the interim school teacher in Dodge when her nephew and uncle arrive to begin a still in the basement of the school building. Seems they have worked out deal with a local saloon owner to delivery whiskey. The problem is that they need money to get the still started so they come up with this plan. They steal a prize bull and then when money is offered for information about the bull they will have the money to start the still. Sounds easy enough? Wrong!

Throughout the show there is written comedy around every turn. Between Festus and the kin folks and Newly and Merry Florene - there is hardly a minute that someone is not in hot-water or wishing someone else was in the water.

When watching this episode it is easy to discount the script for its lack of 'Gunsmoke' tradition. But after many year it is time for the cast to have some fun. Lane Bradbury is wonderful as Merry Florene which makes the entire episode worth a watch. Ken Curtis is at his best from remembering Thomas Jefferson's birthday to explaining to Matt the circumstance of the week.

Take it for what it is-- a long running show showing a funny side. With that attitude, it will not be a bad watch.

The character Merry Florene and her scoundrel half-brother Elbert Moses return for the final time in this mostly comedic story. Roland Daniel and Cousin Smiley are absent this time, and Elbert Moses is joined by Uncle Titus.

Merry Florene is now the interim school teach in Dodge City. (Seriously?! Merry Florene made it clear in Season 14's "Gold Mine" that she wanted to be a teacher, but how would she have been qualified for such a position?) Of course, Matt Dillon is away, and Festus Haggen is managing the law enforcement duties in the town.

Anyone that has seen the previous episodes of the series featuring Merry Florene know that some of the other family members are going to be hanging around. Sure enough, Elbert Moses and Uncle Titus somehow manage to get the proprietor of a saloon to agree to buy whiskey the pair makes. These geniuses hatch a plan to operate a still in the basement of the schoolhouse. They provide further proof of their devious stupidity by stealing a prize bull in the hopes of collecting a reward to pay for the supplies they need to operate the still.

While Elbert Moses and Uncle Titus are busy bumbling around like a backwoods Laurel and Hardy, Festus is trying to determine what kind of treachery they are planning.

Meanwhile, Merry Florene and Newly O'Brien continue their on-again, off-again relationship. Newly is apprehensive about the possibilities a romance with Merry Florene presents, but Merry Florene is certainly a willing participant.

Of the four Gunsmoke installments that featured this family, this is the most humorous. It is interesting to see the metamorphosis from Season 13's much darker "Hill Girl" to this episode. The Elbert Moses character is less abusive now and even displays a measure of compassion at times. The Uncle Titus character is a harmless goofball. The Roland Daniel and Cousin Smiley characters from the earlier episodes were both much meaner.

It is difficult not to like Lane Bradbury's Merry Florene. Her broad smile, southern drawl, and innocent nature are endearing. Anthony James was a fine character actor (his role in the classic cult film Vanishing Point as a gay hitchhiker is a must-see), but his portrayal of Elbert Moses in these episodes always struck me as more of a cartoonish caricature than a character. Shug Fisher plays Uncle Titus the same way he played most every role he ever had. He appeared in a whopping 27 Gunsmoke episodes, often playing the same sort of character.

James Westerfield's involvement in Gunsmoke goes all the way back to the first season in 1955. He makes his final appearance in this episode as Franks, the saloon owner that agrees to buy whiskey from Elbert Moses and Uncle Titus. Westerfield suffered a heart attack and died less than two years after this episode was filmed at the relatively young age of 58.

This episode could easily be considered a study in overacting, as Ken Curtis, Anthony James, Shug Fisher, and Lane Bradbury all exhibit it with their often-over-the-top performances. It adds to the overall comedic effect.

Calvin Clements, Sr. Wrote all four of the episodes featuring these characters, but this installment eschews any attempt at real drama or suspense in favor of comedy. Of note is the minor story thread about Thomas Jefferson's birthday that culminates in a funny scene between Festus and Doc Adams.

This is not one of the great episodes of Gunsmoke, but it does entertain. It provides a light-hearted break among some more serious stories.