Gunsmoke: Old West Stories

Originally Aired: January 3, 1960 Gunsmoke #404, "Trojan War," finds Marshal Matt Dillon confronting the notorious Pueblo gang when they arrive in Dodge City. The trio of outlaws, Ed and Rio Parks and Chuck Evans, have a fearsome reputation for stage robberies throughout the western territories, and Dillon wastes no time warning them to keep their noses clean in his town. When the gold dust shipme...

Originally Aired: December 27, 1959 Gunsmoke #403, "Puckets New Year," Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester are returning to Dodge City after a brutal blizzard when they discover an abandoned buffalo hunter's camp. They find an elderly hunter named Ira Puckett hiding in a wagon, badly injured and half-frozen after being abandoned by his skinner, Jed Larner, who rode off when the storm approached rather...

Originally Aired: December 20, 1959 Gunsmoke #402, "Beekers Barn," finds Marshal Matt Dillon facing a tense family conflict on a bitter cold Christmas Eve. When rancher Jethro Beeker storms into the marshal's office demanding that trespassers be thrown off his property, Matt discovers the "criminals" are Will Ross and Harmony, Jethro's own daughter whom he disowned two years earlier when she marri...

Originally Aired: December 13, 1959 Gunsmoke #401, "Don Mateo," Matt Dillon's past comes calling when Don Esteban, an old friend from his days riding the Mexican border, arrives in Dodge City looking for him. The reunion at the Long Branch starts with warmth and nostalgia as the two men reminisce about their dangerous adventures together, hunting outlaws in territory where they made their own law....

Originally Aired: December 6, 1959 Gunsmoke #400, "Big Chugg Wilson," a seemingly innocent flirtation between saloon girl Lori and a rough buffalo hunter spirals into violence and obsession. When the unwashed and lonely Chugg Wilson rides into Dodge City to sell his hides, Lori playfully teases him at the Long Branch, much to the concern of Roque, a ranch hand who has feelings for her. Kitty Russe...

Originally Aired: November 29, 1959 In Gunsmoke #399, "Hard Lesson," a desperate young man named Joe Belvin faces an impossible choice when his outlaw brother Pete comes home mortally wounded from a bank robbery. Pete has returned seeking their mother's healing touch, only to learn she died a year ago. With Pete bleeding badly and refusing a doctor for fear of the law, Joe rides into Dodge City to...

Originally Aired: November 22, 1959 Gunsmoke #398, "Paid Killer," finds Marshal Matt Dillon facing a deadly threat when old Billy overhears a sinister conversation in the livery stable. Two men discuss a contract killing—one offering a thousand dollars in gold to have Dillon murdered, and the other accepting the job. Though Billy couldn't identify the voices in the darkness, Matt and Chester soon...

Originally Aired: November 15, 1959 Gunsmoke #397, "The Square Triangle," presents a tale of deadly temptation when Marshal Matt Dillon warns Red Lawson about the dangerous allure of Ava Morley, a married woman whose past admirers ended up in a fatal gunfight. Lawson dismisses the warning, insisting he's no fool like the others. When Matt encounters Ava prowling Front Street after midnight looking...

Originally Aired: November 8, 1959 Gunsmoke #396, "Cavalcade," presents Marshal Matt Dillon with an agonizing dilemma when Deputy Sheriff Ed Hunter arrives from Richmond, Virginia, carrying murder warrants for two fugitives. Hunter has tracked one suspect, Calvin Moore, for nineteen years following the shooting death of Roger Beauregard. When Hunter shows Dillon a photograph, the marshal recognize...

Originally Aired: November 1, 1959 Gunsmoke #395, "Westbound," finds Matt Dillon and Chester traveling to Abilene on what should be a routine prisoner pickup. While Doc grumbles back in Dodge about Chester's easy assignment, the deputy himself feels uneasy about the trip. Their mission is to arrest Jack Daggett, a killer who fled to his hometown after a shooting in Dodge. The arrest goes smoothly...

Originally Aired: October 25, 1959 Gunsmoke #394, "Old Gunfighter," centers on Charlie, an elderly man who spends his days sitting in front of the Dodge House, regaling anyone who'll listen with stories of the legendary gunfighter Rio Joe and the old days. When Chester intervenes to protect Charlie from a couple of young toughs who are tired of his constant talking, he ends up with a black eye for...

Originally Aired: October 18, 1959 Gunsmoke #393, "The Mortgage," presents Marshal Matt Dillon with a moral dilemma that strikes at the heart of frontier justice. Wealthy landowner Caleb Andrews arrives at the marshal's office demanding that Dillon serve an order of foreclosure and eviction on Ed Blake, a hardworking farmer who owes $420 on his mortgage. The debt came due just three days ago, but...

Originally Aired: October 11, 1959 In Gunsmoke #392, "Kitty's Quandary," a drifter named Shave Murdoch has been spending considerable time at the Long Branch, and he's set his sights on Kitty Russell. While Shave smoothly courts Kitty with compliments and attention, he shows particular interest in Marshal Dillon's whereabouts and routines. When Matt arrives to take Kitty to supper, tension crackle...

Originally Aired: October 4, 1959 Gunsmoke #391, "Hinka-Do," begins when Matt Dillon discovers that the Lady Gay Saloon has suddenly come under new management. A formidable woman named Mamie, lately of Kansas City and St. Louis, announces she's taking over the establishment with a new policy. The peculiar part is that former owner Herman Bleaker, a vain little man known for showing off his fancy v...

Originally Aired: September 27, 1959 In Gunsmoke #390, "Personal Justice," Matt Dillon brings a prisoner named Reed Morley to Wichita to stand trial for the murder of a woman. Before Matt can even get a hot bath after the dusty journey from Dodge, he's confronted by Clayt Morley, Reed's older brother, who insists that no one with the Morley name could commit such a crime. Clayt makes his position...

Originally Aired: September 20, 1959 Gunsmoke #389, "Gentlemens Disagreement," opens with a desperate Jeannie Wells bursting into Matt Dillon's office with alarming news: Ed Baudre has arrived in Dodge City on the morning train, and she's certain he's come to kill her husband Bert. Four years earlier, Jeannie had been involved with Baudre back in Louisville before choosing to marry Bert instead, a...

Originally Aired: September 13, 1959 In Gunsmoke #388, "Johnny Red," a stranger arrives in Dodge claiming to be Billy Crail, the long-lost son of elderly rancher Mrs. Crail who ran away seventeen years ago. The reunion seems heartwarming at first, as the lonely widow welcomes her boy home with open arms. However, Matt Dillon knows a dark truth: the real Billy Crail died at the Battle of Shiloh dur...

Originally Aired: September 6, 1959 In Gunsmoke #387, "Matts Decision," Marshal Matt Dillon faces mounting frustration from nearly everyone in Dodge City. The episode begins with Chester complaining about rowdy prisoners who've made a mess of the jail, and matters only get worse from there. Doc Adams storms into the Marshal's office angry about a drunk who stole and wrecked his buggy, demanding Ma...

Originally Aired: August 30, 1959 Gunsmoke #386, "Shooting Stopover," finds Marshal Matt Dillon transporting a dangerous prisoner named Gurney to Wichita to face murder charges. Accompanied by his deputy Chester, Dillon boards the afternoon stage carrying not only the shackled killer but also a strongbox of gold, a schoolmarm passenger, and a reverend. When they stop at Hat Creek Station to change...

Originally Aired: August 23, 1959 Gunsmoke #385, "The Reed Survives," finds Matt Dillon confronting a volatile domestic situation that threatens to turn deadly. Lucy Hunt, who left her dance hall life six months ago to marry the scripture-quoting Ephraim Hunt for his 800 acres of rangeland, comes to Matt in desperation. She claims her husband, who once studied to be a preacher, has grown cruel and...

Originally Aired: August 16, 1959 Gunsmoke #384, "Pokey Pete," Dodge City's curious recluse becomes the target of taunting youngsters and dangerous drifters alike. Chester catches young Ted harassing the elderly, silent Pete, who shambles through town wearing boxes on his feet during his monthly visits for supplies. While Chester tries to teach the boy respect by taking him fishing and spinning ya...

Originally Aired: August 9, 1959 Gunsmoke #383, "Mavis McCloud," a mysterious telegram arrives in Dodge City announcing that someone is coming to get married and requesting Marshal Matt Dillon meet the noon train. When young Mavis McCloud steps off that train, she surprises everyone by explaining she doesn't know whom she'll marry yet—she's simply come west looking for a husband, and believes the...

Originally Aired: August 2, 1959 Gunsmoke #382, "Ball Nine Take Your Base," finds Doc Adams reluctantly preparing to umpire a baseball game between the Dodge City team and the visiting Eastern All-Stars, a group of professional players. While Doc views baseball as a gentleman's sport and considers umpiring an honor, Marshal Matt Dillon warns him that professional baseball has changed from the frie...

Originally Aired: July 26, 1959 Gunsmoke #381, "Old Beller," Marshal Matt Dillon accompanies Doc Adams to a trail camp after receiving an unusual summons—a drover has threatened to kill Doc if he doesn't cure a patient. When they arrive at trail boss Hobb Waddell's camp, they discover the patient isn't human at all. Old Beller, a legendary lead steer worth more than ten good cowhands, has taken il...

Originally Aired: July 19, 1959 Gunsmoke #380, "Second Arrest," Marshal Matt Dillon faces a frustrating legal setback when his key witness, Will Hunter, fails to appear in court to testify against Mort Seely, a man accused of horse theft. Without Hunter's testimony, Judge Brooker has no choice but to dismiss the case and release Seely, despite everyone's certainty of his guilt. Dillon suspects fou...