You are now listening to the Someone's Favorite Productions podcast network.

Welcome back to Tumbleweeds and TV Cowboys, a classic Western film and TV podcast.

My name is Hunter.

This week we're talking about episodes thirteen through fifteen from the first season of gun Smoke.

And you know, if we're talking about gun Smoke, that means Dan Budnick is joining me for the discussion, and we'll get into the conversation shortly.

Before we get into it, a quick note.

I was recently a guest on Your Missing Out, a National Film Registry podcast, where we discussed Lassie Come Home.

A bit different from what I normally cover here, but I had a great time.

And the show covers a wide range of films you all selected by the National Film Registry and including some Westerns, like they covered Ride the High Country and recently they talked about Shane.

So go check them out there on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, and I'll put a link to their show in the episode description.

And one more thing.

Starting in September or October, new episodes will release every other week.

Balancing, prep, recording, and editing has become tougher lately, and I'd rather focus on quality than stick to a weekly schedule.

It's not ideal, but I think it'll be a good change in the long run.

Now let's get into our discussion on Gunsmoke episodes thirteen through fifteen.

Garden Smoke starring James Arnest as Matt Dilla.

Block to You by Ellen Am.

Ellen Am the modern cigarette that gives you full exciting flavor, Pats the Miracle Tip.

Welcome back, Dan.

How's it going.

It's going okay.

Yeah, I'm ready to ready to return to Dodge City.

Oh yes, I am always ready to return, and I'm happy to have you back.

And this is our fifth time covering gun Smoke.

It's always a pleasure.

But first, let's talk about what you've been up to.

I know that your second Doctor Who book has been released at this point, but do you have any other recent Blu Ray special features you contributed or anything that could be announced or anything else?

Oh?

Yes, the latest thing apart from there, both both the Doctor Who books are out, which feels ah, that's a relief.

The I am myself and my friend Rob Kelly were on a set.

It's it's a it's a it's a collection of Dan Curtis Late Night TV movies like shot on video mystery thriller type movies.

I forget the name of the set.

Keena Laber just announced it.

We do a commentary on a movie called Come Die with Me with Eileen Brennan and kind of boring guy whose name I suddenly forgot, but Rob and I we we do the commentary.

I think it's a pretty good commentary.

We we had a good time.

We had a good time on it, and I think that's oh yeah.

And I don't know if I said last time that I think it's coming out very soon yet.

Terror Vision is releasing a new version of The Prior Brothers very early Shot on video direct to video Slasher from sledge Hammer, and they're using an archival commentary I recorded when I was with Bleeding Skull back in twenty eleven, and including an essay I've written on the history of early history of shot on video horror in nineteen eighties.

So those that's coming out, they're both coming out soon.

Oh, very cool.

That's awesome.

Yeah, I saw that.

Dan Curtis said announced I will be picking that up.

Yeah, And it's got Amanda Reus, the Great.

Amanda Reyus is on several of the commentaries and Haidi Honecott, who wrote a wonderful book that I'm forgetting the name of now and Women in Horror, Women Directors in Horror, and I'm sorry I forgot the name of it.

But she's on a commentary too, and her book is excellent.

I'll remember the title shortly.

I thought I had the book right here.

I don't actually have a big book on Western movies because we're gonna talk westerns.

Oh, absolutely, all right, well, excellent, Well, And as always, all of the links to follow Dan and purchase his books and checkout event and the links to eventually Supertrain are in the show notes, so please go check them out if you haven't already.

All Right, well, Dan, we're getting into episode thirteen of Gun Smoke Reed Survives and this is the first of fifty six episodes written by LUs Crutchfield, and he has a story and screenplay credit, and this episode aired on New Year's Even, nineteen fifty five, and it's got a couple of great guest stars.

Yes, I think I think the name is Ephraim Hunt.

I had either or Ephram.

I think it's Ephram.

Mister Hunt is good.

I know his brother Mike.

Yeah, a little Porky's reference for.

All right well or mister Hunt, sorry about that?

Is played by John Carrodine.

Yes, And of course Carrodine.

He has a pretty specta acular filmography.

I mean so many great movies over multiple decades.

I mean from Stage Coach to The Howling and so many great movies in between.

But he was in two episodes of gun Smoke, and he guest starred in quite a few other Western series.

I know he was in Bonanza, The Rifleman in Cheyenne.

And then there's Lola Albright who plays Lucy Hunt, and I'm not familiar with her, except I've seen her in a movie, a wild movie called Lord Love a Duck.

Are you familiar with that movie?

I you know what, I know the title, but I've never seen it.

Oh Dan, There there is an insane scene between Tuesday Weld and Max Showalter that you it has to be seen to be believed.

I don't know how else to describe it, except she is trying on sweaters and saying what the color is, and he is reacting to them.

And if you only heard the audio, you would feel like this must be from a dirty movie.

It is so strange.

But you definitely look it up on YouTube.

You just searched like Lord Love a Duck Sweaterstein.

I think it will pop up.

Okay, it is wild.

Yeah, that's that's one of those titles that I know.

And I've heard the phrase youse, lord love a Duck.

I don't know who uses that phrase, but I feel like I've heard it on multiplications.

But yeah, And she was also in quite a few other Western TV shows as a guest star.

But the final guest star is James Drewy.

Yes, and he plays booth Rider and this is a very early role for him and he was just twenty one years old when this was released.

And this is the first of four episodes of gun Smoke he appeared in.

And he of course would later lead his own Western series, The Virginian and which you and I are going to talk about eventually.

Eventually, Yes, yes, And he keeps.

Coming up on the podcast, so at this point listeners know I'm a big fan.

Yeah, but yeah, but that's it for the guest stars.

So so Dan, can you tell us what this episode is about?

Sure?

I was going to say eventually The Virginian.

It's like eventually super Trained.

Eventually you'll talk about the Virginia.

So this is the basic premise of this is you have a young lady named Lucy, Lucy Hunt who's married to I'm ephrom Hunt, Mister Hunts played by John Carrodin John Carrodane's Uphraim is said to me, he's very he's very uh the very very Christian, very very pious.

He owns a nice, heized farm.

He's got a lot of money.

Lucy was first, I guess she first came in a dodge.

She was at the saloon where Miss Kittie works and she met e f from mister Hunt.

They got married, and when the episode began, Lucy shows up in in in in Matt's the Sheriff's office and says he's trying to kill me.

He's crazy.

So he is, so Matt kind of keeps an eye out and then and he's like, I'm not you know, he's not one hundre percent sure what's going on.

And Miss Kitty introduced him to Booth Ryder, who is uh James Drury, who is the who is sort of a hired hand at the farm.

And we basically learned very quickly that Lucy and Booth are having a little something and uh Booth and uh mister Hunt get into a bit of a tussle and mister Hunt is killed and we learned that uh uh Lucy is maybe not as innocent as we thought she was, and uh Booth goes on the run for a while, but he eventually returns, and things don't go great for people in general.

I'm just gonna stop it there.

That's that's that's the kind of I was.

I suddenly realized I was going to say what the ending was, but yeah, it's not.

You know, it ain't a happy ending.

It's basically, oh yeah, no, well, what did you think of this episode?

You know what I I It's it's kind of a weird episode because.

It's it almost it's it's it's it's one of those where sort of you could have almost done it without it being like a gunsmoke episode, like you could have had like Lucy show up and talk to a sheriff, because it's basically Lucy goes to the sheriff and says he's trying to kill me, and that sets things in motion because now Matt is like, I'm gonna keep an eye out, but turns out that Lucy's full of crap, and she's just trying to get Matt like worried that something is going to happen, and she's trying to convince Booth to kill her husband and stuff like that so she can God given everything away, trying to get control of the his estate and stuff like that, and it's it's kind of an odd episode.

Where Matt and and the gang well Chester kind of show up just a little late all the time for everything to happen, and they're sort of like it's it's it's one of those kind of weird episodes where it's almost like I just want to say, there are quite a few like wagon trains and things were like the main characters almost like a you know, like a love boat, you know, where like the main characters are you know on the boat.

You know our main, our main, you know, our purser, our captain, our stuff like that.

You know, like they're not always involved in the stories happening, but they sort of meet up with the stories at certain points while the actual stories and that's kind of what this is like.

It's like it's the story of of of of the Hunts and Booth and this sort of kind of a love triangle but not really a love triangle because mister Hunt doesn't really seem to care that much, and the chicanery that Lucy pulls off and uh and Matt just happens to kind of wander in every once in a while.

Yeah, because because it's it's a short episode, and because we only see like, I think we see mister Hunt twice, and we see like Lucy twice, and we see Booth twice, there's never a I never really got a feeling for their characters apart from what they tell us.

The characters are apart from what you know, uh, apart you know, you see Booth and he looks like you know, he said, he's a bit of a he's a young guy.

He's a bit of a bit of a green horn, but and he's he's very easily taken in by this young wealthy woman.

You know.

Then then you get mister Hunt, who they say is very pious and everything like that, but I don't actually see that during his scenes.

I mean, he says a few things, but I can say a few things too that are very bibly.

That doesn't make me pious, And and you just sort of it's it's kind of weird because it's it's it's almost like it's it's almost like a like like like the characters are like they're not real characters.

They're sort of stand ins for like here is the conniving person, here is the innocent who commits a murder, and here is the the wiser old man who doesn't realize what's happening right underneath his nose.

And it's like they're not real characters.

They're just sort of and they're not quite ciphers.

They're a little bit more there in between characters and ciphers, and they're sort of like, oh, this character is that, this character is that, this characters that they're gonna do this, and the there's there's only one moment at the very end that I felt like where it was kind of like, oh, I didn't expect that, but everything that helped that else that happens is kind of exactly when I knew what was going to happen.

Is exactly what I thought was going to happen.

It's kind of too bad because then that means, like I said, Matt can't really do anything, Yeah, and he doesn't really do anything, and that's not and here here's I think at the end of the day.

How many episodes of Gunsmoke are there over like four hundred, Right, it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter that we have an episode like this, because this is a story of Dodge City almost more than it's it's gun Smoke.

If if Gun Smoke is about Dodge City, then this is a story of Dodge City.

If it's about Matt Dillon, then this is a disappointing episode.

But as a character study of a couple in Dodge City who go askew, it's it's not bad.

I didn't love it, but I I think it's one of those things that it's if you look at the whole picture, the whole show, the whole the whole show in front of you, it's it's a nice little like I said, it's a nice little character.

But it's a nice little chapter.

But as an episode, it's it's just okay.

I felt it was like I said, it's the character is a little underwritten, and Matt doesn't really have anything to do.

I mean, he does come into the end and have a bit of a shootout with Booth, but it's not much of a shootout.

Yeah, and and so so it's kind of it's it's not a it was It's not a boring episode.

It's not an uninteresting episode.

It's just an episode that you get to the end and kind of like, Okay, what do you got next?

Kind of episode.

Yeah, I I I thought that it was pretty good.

I U.

I know one thing, I I was pretty surprised by the way Lucy is treated, especially in the opening scene by Matt Chester.

He brings her up, saying that she's in town, and you can tell by the way Chester is talking about her that Matt and Lucy have some kind of history together.

And I don't know if she, you know, broke his heart or what happened.

But oh, there you go.

There's They're perfect.

I was gonna say, I'm sorry not to interrupt, but there maybe that comes back later on two hundred episodes from now will get Lucy's sister will show up and she'll have letters that Matt wrote or something that you know, or something like that.

Oh, that would be tremendous.

I'm sorry interrupted you with your critique.

Oh, no problem, yeah, but but yeah, but but Lucy was a dancehall girl, and so is Kitty obviously, But for some reason, it seems like Matt is judging Lucy for having you been that, and he doesn't judge Kitty at all, even though the job is the same, like as far as we understand it.

So I did you feel that way, Dan, did you feel like he was like kind of harshly judging Lucy?

You know?

I felt that a bit.

I uh, yeah, it's it's I I'm it's just funny.

The sort of the thought I had when I when I felt that was I thought, yeah, I wonder sort of what what Matt thinks of, like like Kitty who goes there and she makes her living doing that, and someone else like like like like Lucy who kind of comes into town, meets a rich guy and then goes away.

Maybe he's yeah, maybe he maybe he liked Lucy and was jealous of mister Hunt or I don't know, but yeah, I did feel that a bit, and I I did it never really quite or I didn't feel it really quite goes back to that.

So in the end, I was kind of like, I don't I don't know what to think of having thought that, Oh, well.

Maybe he's more judging her for being a gold digger.

Possibly, yeah, something like that.

But I did think that aspect of the story was interesting.

I thought Lola Albright was decent.

Is Lucy Her character is pretty different in the radio version, and I actually can't decide which is best for the story.

But in the radio version, she makes this situation between her and mister Hunt seem much more urgent.

She says something like, if you don't listen to me, the next murder you'll be investigating will be mine.

Oh excuse me, sorry, I guess talking about murder gave me a nervous cough.

But and she doesn't treat him like they used to be lovers or like they had some kind of history like she does in the TV version.

Okay, And then although towards the end, you know she there is kind of the same thing where she says she tells him like booth Rider means nothing to her, and she and Matt could be together.

Yes, But in the radio version, when Matt asked Kitty about Lucy, she tells him that Lucy's as hard as a nail and she'll use anyone to get what she wants.

And in the TV version she says she never really got to know her.

Yeah, And so I I really can't decide what's better because her personality is just so different.

But maybe being more like subtly manipulative is better like she is in the TV show.

But I'm really not sure, but yeah, but I do.

Overall, I like the story.

I thought James Drewy was was very good, especially in the final scene.

Yes he's yeah.

And John Carrodine, I mean, he's always fun to watch.

We did have one line that I thought was very amusing when Matt Dylan asked him how's Lucy doing, and he says her health is excellent, her state of grace is less certain.

There's just something about that line.

I absolutely love it.

It makes me want to put more thought into answering that kind of question.

Yes, yeah, yes, exactly.

He does do that one thing when he has when when they asked from Michelle who did this?

And then he's only got like thirty words before he dies, but he just goes off on a tangent.

Just give us two words, Just give us one word, Just give us one word as to who did it.

I'd like to dg it.

Yeah.

Now, there is one shot that I wanted to bring up that I thought was really strange, and it's this shot of Doc at the long Branch and the camera zooms in on him, and I don't know much about like zoom whins is you know from this era, but it's zooming in and the image is becoming more and more grainy, and then the camera pulls back like rather like hap hat hazardly and pans over to Matt, who's just walked in, and it's very sloppy, like I don't know if you notice that.

I don't when was that you?

If you talked for I got the episode playing, maybe I can find it.

Is it?

It's right before Matt talks to Kitty about.

I'm in the vicinity.

I'm in the vicinity.

There we go, and I know this is great stuff.

Everyone enjoyed this.

Oh here we are, here, we are so uh so there's the oh yeah yeah, the camera is I'm sorry everyone here, I'm just I'm just backing up a little so so oh yeah, oh yeah.

There we get to dissolve.

We dissolve from very skinny John Carrotine to Dock and the camera is I think it's tracking in yeah maybe, so It's tough to tell because it only goes for a couple of seconds and then it goes real fast back and then yeah, wow, that was strange.

It's almost like the director was like, all right, return to one, like back to one or something.

You almost wonder if there was meant to be a cut in there or something like maybe maybe it would cut from the dock looking to them, a cut of them walking in, and then it would have and then and then it would cut to the long shot where you could see everything.

But instead the entity just left the whole thing in.

So you're not supposed to leave that in.

You're supposed to cut that middle out and put another shot in there.

Ah, that was weird.

Yeah, it is.

A very strange shot.

But but yeah, it is, like you said, it's a pretty like predictable episode.

But I did enjoy it overall.

I really enjoyed seeing uh, you know, James Drewy in such an early role.

But uh, yeah, I mean, do you have any other thoughts on this one?

I like, well, I do, like ye at the moment where he after mister Hunt is killed and he goes and talks to Lucy and basically says, you know, like he's like like like like Colombo at his boldest or if you've ever seen the Newer show on TV, Elsbeth, she does this a lot too, where she knows who the killer is and she'll go up to them and basically say it, and she's just he basically says to Lucy, Matt basically says to Lucy, you know, yeah, I know you did this.

I can't prove it.

You're scot free.

Yeah, go enjoy your money, enjoy your life.

And she's like, whatever are you talking about, Matt, And he's like, yeah, whatever, Yeah, you got And he's like he's like, you played me, you got me, Yep, you get you got me.

You walked right in there, and yep.

And I do like that because that's sort of, as I said to it's it's it's Matt kind of failing to help anybody.

And when you learn at the at the very end, even when you think Lucy might be safe in the end, and that and that Booth has his final little twister rooney moment and you're like, oh, okay, well let me just let me just stare up.

Oh I have the state of Grace A line written out here.

There's a good line.

Yeah.

Oh gosh, yeah, lots of lots of lots of uh because of even because of his money.

Oh I uh what about the title.

Yes, so the Reed survives.

So is that in reference to like the I can't remember what the line is about, Like John Cardy says something about how, yeah, men are like a tree or something like that, and a woman is like a read they can break.

Is that right?

I think so yes.

I to be honest, I think when I heard it, I was like, Oh, that's interesting, and then it didn't occur to me until later that Oh, I think that was referencing the title, but I never went back, so that's my problem.

But I think that's what is he was making.

I think a biblical reference.

Yeah, but that but it's I mean, it's a it's a great title because you you uh, because it wasn't until the second time through when I looked at the title and I was like, and my my first thought was, actually, oh, no, I've been watching the wrong episode.

No one survived, you know, read survives.

What is that about?

I'm looking for someone named Reid and and and so I was like, no, this is it.

This is Read Survives, And yeah, there was.

I do like that when they do fun stuff like that with the title.

But yeah, I mean the truth, I do like the that that, yeah, mister Hunt has a big jug of apple jack.

Yeah, that was it's have some apple jacket.

I think I want to say it'll cool you off.

I don't know if it'll do that, but I guess, I guess give it a try.

I don't know.

Yeah, it's it's Yeah, it's it's.

It's kind of one of those episodes where it's I feel like the sort of the the deeper we get into it when it was it's an episode like this where the main characters don't do much and it's the secondary characters.

Once I've sort of said what I need to say about the secondary characters, I don't have a ton to say apart from if you're watching the show and you get to this episode, watch it, enjoy it, figure out what the title means, you'll figure it out faster than I did.

And like I said, you'll see some great, great actors doing their thing, and and you could see basically sort of Matt get played and kind of lose in the end.

Sort of yeah, but but but overall, yeah, it's it's.

Yeah.

It's one of those one of those episodes where there there isn't a lot to say because I think it is very straightforward and the and I'm I'm trying not to give away with that final little twister moment is right at that it's not a huge moment, but it's just like when you when you get to it, you're like, oh, so I'm not gonna I'm not gonna say it, but yeah, but overall it's a it's watch it be good, watch it.

Yeah, watch come on.

I think overall it's it's it's it's pretty entertaining and worth watching.

Yeah, definitely, And for the cast, just see if you love Virginia, you gotta watch the young James Dreary.

Absolutely So all right, well we're moving on to episode fourteen, which is titled Professor Luke Bone.

And this was based on a story by John Meston and was written by David Victor and I think it's Herbert Little Junior.

And they wrote thirteen episodes of gun Smoke and ten more of their episodes are from this season.

And Dan, this will spoil my thoughts on this episode, but when I saw this, when I saw that, I got a little nervous.

But we'll get more into that.

Of course, I will just mention the guest stars.

Go ahead.

Oh, I was gonna say, would you like to give your thoughts first.

Then after I do, after I do break it up a little, I can.

Yeah, well why not?

Why not?

I'll hear a plot breakdown.

Yeah, I'm sorry, So you were I'm sorry you were saying.

The casts the cat.

Yeah.

So there are a couple of guest stars.

So John Bit plays the Professor and Struther Martin is.

This is the first of eleven episodes he would appear in, and I'm sure, I'm sure listeners are familiar with him.

He's in a ton of Westerns.

And I want to mention just one more person from the cast.

It's Gloria Castillo and she plays Missus Ringle.

She's only in one scene, but she played Ruby in the Night of the Hunter, which is one of my all time favorite movies.

I adore that movie.

Yeah, that's wonderful, wonderful.

All right, Well, well Dan, Yeah, let's hear what this episode is about.

Professor Lutbone.

So Doc is as helping a young couple who have a baby that's very sick and he's able to bring the back.

I guess the baby was having trouble breathing and he had he had he had provided some sort of diet or something and he can't figure out what's wrong, and they realize and he realizes what's wrong when the couple basically say, well, we saw that that that professor who's who's down in Dodge City Pedlin a curative, and he said it would help our baby.

So we've been, you know, adding that to what you've been doing.

And Doc's like, oh no.

So he storms back to Die City and Professor Lubone he's one of those traveling medicine man type things, and it's just it's him and a guy playing a banjo and he I think you want to say, he plays O Susannah on the banjo.

I forget exactly what he plays, but and he sits there and he does he does a spiel.

He's got the he's got the glass bottles with like the Professor Lutbone curative and this will fix you up.

You drink this, it'll take care of anything.

And no da da da da, And and of course Doc is not convinced.

Chester, though, is very thrilled about it and is gonna give a little I gonna go up there and talk about it, but Matt won't let him.

I think it's sort of like, you know, come out Chester where the law you can't go promoting stuff like this.

And the doc wants loot thrown out, Professor bone thrown out of town.

And there's a moment a professor.

A guy comes up to Professor Bonden says, well, my dad's really sick and he can't get out of bed.

What if I give this to him?

Well, I give him take three models and have him drink this.

Well, I don't know if that's going to work.

He's very stubborn.

Well, I'll come on down and talk to him.

And uh, and and and Doc is really cheesed off because that means the professor is now like basically pretending to be a doctor rather than just like, uh, because apparently I guess you could sell this crap and you're you're okay, but if you if you try to administer it as if you were a doctor, you you can be in trouble.

And and he and and Doc knows that that this baby was hurt by it, and and and and so Matt kind of goes to visit the professor in the night and says, you know what, you know, I'm you know that thanks for stopping by, but maybe it's the time he took it off, and it turns out the professor is so excited to be in Die City that he's going to open a store, to which Matt says, don't, don't, please, don't.

And then basically it kind of goes on and things get worse because we learn we learned that there is a special ingredient in the Professor's curative, which is what made Chester so happy.

And it all sort of ends with the gentleman who spoke about his dad earlier, coming into town with a gun to take care of the shyster professor and his curative, which may not be as curativity as he proclaims it to be.

But that's it.

It's basically about a shyster medicine man who wants to open up open up a shop, and die City, possibly through the detriment of the health of everybody.

All right, Dan, that was a tremendous synopsis.

Yeah, well, yeah, I can go first.

I did not enjoy this episode.

I guess the only things I enjoyed about this episode was is I I enjoyed you seeing Doc's character in this and I felt like Doc's character sometimes at times watching this, especially in regards to his feelings for the Professor.

Yeah, and it was.

It was fun to see Struther Martin in an early role.

Now I do wonder if censorship is a factor in this episode, because I think it could have been more interesting if someone was addicted to the elixir.

Now, I like you because obviously Chester takes it and he's not, you know, sick at all.

But yeah, that's that's I love that moment where Matt says, you know, you had Chester up there and Gon gonna talk all about how great it was, there's nothing wrong with him, and he's like, yes, I know.

I that was a little yeah, a little shady on my part.

But if he had continued to take it and it was hard for him to stop, that maybe could have been a little more interesting.

And I actually didn't get to finish the radio episode, but I know in the radio episode it was Kitty who was taking it, not Chester.

Oh, and I wish I could have finished it.

I do want because I think in the radio they would explore something like addiction.

They're way more likely to than they would on the TV show, I think.

But I just didn't have time to finish it.

But yeah, I couldn't stand the professor.

Okay, one thing we need to figure out after we finished going through this season is we need to look at all the episodes that are average or below average and see how many of them have characters with beards.

Oh yeah, because it's weird that all these episodes have that in common.

But for whatever reason, especially obviously, fake beards are all a part of that episodes that I don't enjoy.

I think if the.

Professor were less of a caricature and a little more real, maybe that could have helped, Like, like if you could have believed him when he said that he knows he uses shady means to get people to buy this, but if he was, like, but you haven't seen the results, and like how lives have changed, Like like if he had kind of sold that a little more, maybe he would have been less annoying.

Yeah, but it's just so obvious that he's a con man and no one should ever have believed anything that he says.

But uh, but yeah, well, I don't know what are your what are your thoughts on the episode?

The episode has one of my favorite moments I've seen in the show so far, and that's the very final scene when Bone and his servant are leaving and there do the people burn down his thing?

Or do they does he?

I was a little confused about what happened.

His tent cart thing is destroyed.

I think he burns it down himself.

I think I think he does it himself.

Yeah, because he he he doesn't feel he wants to sort of start over.

And there's just a lovely and unfortunate I didn't write down like the lines or anything like that, but there was just a great moment where you know, it's like and where Matt says, well, you know, you go out there, you'll find something else, you know, And it's the middle of the night.

You know, they don't all they've got.

It's just the two these two guys with like just the bags, you know, on their backs kind of thing, just literally wandering out into the desert or whatever.

I don't know how they're gonna, they gonna they're gonna be dead the next morning.

But it's just just you know, Matt says, you know you'll find it, You'll find something else to do, you know, And and I think, uh, and and Professor Bowe says something along the lines of it.

I don't know why I did to write it down, and I should have.

It's it's a very end.

He says something like, well, you know what, you know what, Marshall, There's going to come a time when when even Dodge City is so full up and changed that they're not even going to have room for someone like you.

And you're gonna have You're gonna you're gonna end up like me, you know, just just out wandering.

And Matt says, and that day will be the happiest day of my life.

But until then I have to watch over Dodge City because of people like you.

Oh yeah that, And the doc just gives him a quick look like son of a bitch, pardon my French, and then they just start walking.

But it's funny because, like I had problems with the episode, but that moment I was like, there you go.

That's why I love that.

That's why I love the end.

Now I didn't love the episode, That's why I love that moment.

Just just what he what he just the thought that and he's right, there will be a time when Dodge City is is a city.

I mean, well, I don't know where's dodge It's in Kansas.

Is there is still Dodge City?

Is that still a place?

But now a city or I don't know, is it I don't know.

I don't know either, And but but I like the thought that sort of the premonition of, you know, like there will be a time when this will be so built up that you know, there'll be no room for you anymore.

There'll be just so much city here, there'll be nothing for you.

Yeah.

And I like the fact that Matt, you know, Matt is as good of a man as he is and as good as what Marshall is he is, part of him is thinking like, oh, I can't wait the day when I don't have to monitor all you creeps all the time and watch people I love being shot down in the street and such.

You know, that'll be great.

And just his just just that moment and he just kind of right at the end until then I gotta keep I gotta watch dog City to keep people, keep him safe for people like you.

And there's actually it's funny.

There's like a quick cut, like a one second cut of the professor just giving him a huh kind of look and then it cuts back to the lawns.

But that that's that moment is worth the episode.

Because the episode overall confused me because he's clearly, like you said, he's clearly a charlatan.

I don't understand why the fact that the doctor and the town basically comes in and says, your curative almost killed the baby doesn't hold more weight.

I don't understand how he's gonna set up a store for I mean, it's it seems to me like what you do with something like this is you come into town, you put on a big show, you sell everything you can.

You leave because you've sold them crap, and they're they're gonna get sick from it, and some people, some people might get better.

Like Chester.

He was sick in the first place, but but he Chester's feeling no pain.

You know.

I'm sure there were other people there that were.

You know, it would perk them up and make them feel better kind of thing.

But but you know, it's like, how long do you stay in town when you know you're coming into town?

Like like like Robert Preston the music Man, he didn't open a fake music shop afterwards, you know, in the town there he did his bit, like with the monorail and margin, you know, you put in the monorail, then you get the hell out of there.

Yeah, you don't stick.

It's just so weird to be like, he's gonna open up shop.

Why what will that accomplish?

I mean, you're going to open a shop and in a day, well less than a day, someone shows up with a gun.

You know, how is that?

It's just so weird because I thought, I mean, maybe this is how it worked back then, but just it doesn't seem a viable business model to me.

And like you said, the doc the professor, I'm sorry, is so clearly full of bologney that the if it had been set maybe in one evening or something, you know, and and maybe like and everyone's getting really excited and having and maybe like a lot of like these medicine show type things I've seen, like like in the Harold Lloyd movie The Kid Brother, one of my favorite movies, something like this comes into town where Harold is put in a temporary sheriff, and it's the medicine guy selling his curative.

It's a strong man doing all sorts of feats and things, and it's the leading lady dancing around and being cute, and so it's like it's like a little show they put on and part of it is selling the medicine and they show up, they do the show, they go to the next town.

So so it's sort of like, I feel like the basis of this episode is it's kind of based in a that doesn't seem right to me, and it never convinces me that it is right.

And so I sat there kind of the whole time going Okay, let's just let's just wrap it up.

Let's wrap it up.

Okay, keep it moving, keep it moving.

Okay, we got it.

And then it gets the final scene.

I thought, Okay, I really like that.

But overall overall, I wouldn't say this, like you said, it might be a Beard thing, but this is this is I don't, I don't.

I don't think this is a very good episode.

A little below average.

Definitely, Yeah, it was.

It was definitely.

It was definitely a challenging episode.

Yeah, and yeah, like I said, I do think if it had been treated as an addiction story, it would have been more interesting, or I think if the results of the curative were more spectacular, like if if if Matt had talked to Chester at the beginning and Chester had been like Matt, I don't have a limp anymore.

Or oh yeah, that.

Would have been a little more interesting, but of.

A miracle or some sort had occurred, yes, that convinced him to stay there, rather than immediately starting off with you almost killed a baby, so I'll stay here.

Yeah, yeah, you're right.

Yeah, yeah I think but yeah, I really think we should move on.

I was gonna say, yeah, I'm just gonna give you one more.

I just just checking checking my notes.

Don't don't Yeah, I have right here, just Matt's line, don't do it?

Yeah, Yeah, that's yeah, it's it's yeah, it's it's it's a tricky episode because they're not all going to work right.

Something that's gonna be wrong.

I just I just feel like the basis of it is it's based in a not incorrect, but just based in a situation's like what that doesn't make sense?

And then it never corrects itself and you just sit there the whole time going, okay, whatever, why are they allowing this?

This?

This?

It seems like mad?

Isn't Matt is mad?

Is it being a very good Marshall if he can't do something about this guy or sooner?

So?

Yeah, and Doc even accuses him of being a law man in this in this episode.

Yeah, oh well, but yeah, like you said they can't all be winners, and this one is just a huge loser.

But let's move on because we have episode fifteen, and this one is titled No Handcuffs, and this is from a story by John Meston and from a screenplay by Les Crutchfield, who wrote Reid Survives.

And it's got a couple of guest stars.

It has Vic Perrin, And I know I talked about him previously.

He was in a Randolph Scott movie that I talked about on the podcast.

But he was in a ton of shows and movies.

And this is the first of five Gunsmoke episodes he was in.

And he plays Hank in this episode, and then mort Mills plays Break and this is the first of six episodes he was in.

And he was in a ton of Western TV shows and he was in some movies.

He was actually he plays the police officer that pulls over Janet Lee's character in Psycho.

Oh wow, yeah, oh yeah wow yeah?

But Dan, what did you actually?

We should do the synopsis first?

What is this episode about?

This episode, well, I will say what it seems to be about in the first forty seconds.

Is it seems to be about a man on a horse following another guy inside a sound stage that has western buildings in it.

Yes, because there's a shot forty seconds in where and it's funny.

If you don't look up, it looks great, but if you look at the sky, it's it's basically a guy is walking along sort of the sidewalks of I guess they're sidewalks, right, I know, they're just they're just in front of the buildings.

Yeah, that's what I would call them.

Yeah, and there's a guy following them, him on a horse very closely.

And like I said, you go forty seconds in and look up and you will see, huh, those aren't stars.

That is a ceiling and that is a studio somewhere or other, which I'm imagining in nineteen fifty six on smaller TVs in the definition of the time, the line, number of lines and things the TV's had at the time, which I don't think.

I don't the TVs don't have lines now like they did back then.

I'm not going to go into the television definition here I can.

I'm not going to.

But I feel like people would this would have been dark.

It would have been dark up there.

People would have been able to see it, but because we're watching a DVD, all I can see is the tops of all the I mean there's like there's one building that he's about to walk in front, were like the top halfs of the windows are cut off.

Yes, yeah, over on the left hand.

And here's the thing at the end of the day.

Like I said, I don't think people would have noticed it when it aired, so I'm gonna let it ride.

But I just I just happened to notice it right now as I was looking at So it's basically, one guy is following another guy and the guy in the horse is going to shoot this this other guy.

When when Matt kind of shows up and turns out the guy in the horses some sort of deputy sheriff from the town of Mingo, which is which is I guess some distance away, and uh this this deputy is there to bring this guy back.

The guy a guy by the name of I want to say, Hank, Yes, but I could be wrong.

Yes, Hank.

Hank was accused of killing a guy back in Mingo by the sheriff, and the deputy is there to bring him back.

But the thing is, Hank basically tells a story that the sheriff in that town is awful, and he sort of rules the town with a iron fist, and you can't do anything.

He kind of controls everything, and he like he'll there's a good chance that the sheriff committed the killing and just chose Hank as like the escapegoat for it.

And so Matt basically says, well, you know, I can't really do anything.

You have to go.

You know, the deputy he's got the warrant for your arrest.

Well, I didn't bring a warrant, Oh okay.

So he puts Hank in a cell and sends the deputy guy to go back to get the warrant, but the deputy actually stays in town and fools Chester, who I guess has some facial recognition problems, into leaving the cell, and so he grabs Hank, and Hank and the deputy guy getting a fight.

The deputy guy's knocked down.

Hank goes on the run, and Matt and Chester basically chase him from a distance to the town of Mingo and countering people along the way who have met up with him, and he seems to Hank seems to be getting more and more desperate as he's approaching Mingo.

Actually I would say that why isn't to go the other way?

But but as and and then so and eventually at the end of the episode, they arrive in Mingo, and they learn the fate of Hank, and they meet this sheriff and and it's sort of as they're approaching Mingo, they hear more and more about how terrible the town is and how terrible the sheriff is, and it sounds more and more like Hank is probably correct in what he's saying.

And there's something something not great going out in the town of Mingo.

And and I can't stop saying the word Mingo, so I'll just stop right there Mingo.

All right, Well, what did you think of this episode?

You know what, I think if this episode was an hour long episode, I really would have loved it.

But I think they packed too much into it because one of the things throughout it for me is the is you know, they keep saying, well, the sheriff is like this the sheriff, but then when you see the sheriff in the end, he doesn't really do anything.

You know, it's like it's it's sort of like it's it's almost like you know John Chardine's character where they're like, oh, he's so he's so pious, he's so he's so preaching all the time, but then when we see him, he's not really like that.

Yeah he peece, but but this and I just it's funny.

The the episode moves very quickly, and I like sort of as they they draw closer to I like the like when they're they're they're traveling through the middle of nowhere, and suddenly they're shooting, and they sneak up behind a guy and Mets like, you know, you know, you know, put your gun down, and the guy turns and turns the gun on Matt and says, oh, you're not the guy that was shooting at me.

And he says, there's this other guy.

This little guy came through.

He shot at me, took my horse.

And then they stop in this this house with this lady in it, and and Hank's hiding in the house, and there are all these and then they find Hank's body and and in the in the in the jail, and they're they're all these little It's it's kind of a weird, like I almost feel like we're watching like an edited version of an hour long episode because because once once Hey beats the deputy and takes off, it's sort of like things go like very quickly, and not not in a bad way, because I enjoyed it, but I almost I almost wish that I I kind of wish that we would have spent I mean, I appreciate where Matt's coming from, like if he hears it another law man has gone bad, he's gonna help take him down.

But I would have loved to have seen maybe a little more of the town itself.

Like they say it's pretty bad.

I guess it is, but we just hear about it a lot.

We don't actually see it happen, and so so it's kind of it's kind of a weird episode where I felt like, I'm gonna after you give your opinion, I'm gonna say the reason why.

Even though I think I wish it had been longer, I don't think I'd have watched it if it was longer, And I'll say why in a little bit.

But overall, I mean, it's a it's a it's a it's a it's a fast moving episode.

I I like the fact that I like the way it starts.

I like this sort of sort of Matt sort of dealing with Okay, you know, how do I how do I deal with this this guy, this deputy from this other place but doesn't have the the the the warrants, okay, you know, And and I like their their journey to Mingo, but it all does feel a bit it feel it feels a bit like like like it Yeah, it feels like it was like a fifty minute episode and they cut half of it out.

That's the way I feel about it.

And so it's so it's entertaining to watch, but I also feel like I missed, Like I feel like there could have been more development of almost everything in it, which isn't a bad thing.

I'd rather have an episode that moves quickly than one that just drags.

But at the same time, at the same time, I did feel when it got to the end that, like I said, the like the final scene with the sheriff is more based on hearsay from his trip than actual proof of what's happening.

People telling him, oh he did this, he did that, oh he did that, he did that, And he shows up and takes the sheriff down.

You're like, maybe we could talk to him for a few minutes or something.

You just you just so it was a it is I certainly liked a lot more than the previous one.

Yes, and maybe maybe a little bit more than Reed Survives.

But but but but again also it just it just feels like, yeah, like I said, for about the first six seven eight minutes, it's going along nicely, and then sudden that the last like second halfish or so just goes a bit too.

It like it goes fast, that it slows down, then it goes and it just it just it felt weirdly paced to me.

Again, not a bad thing, just the thing.

Yeah, I did like this episode.

I do agree that it is sort of rushed, but I I I thought the opening scene was was was was pretty fun.

Even though it is a little you're seeing it on DVD like on a big screen, it is you know, so clearly get set.

But I did.

I did like it, and I felt like they were trying something that they hadn't really done before previously.

Yes, and this is just sculpe to it.

Yeah, there's a scope to it.

Yes, that is it in the other episodes.

Yeah, yeah, and this is jumping ahead.

But I did like the ending, and I think the town that they end up in, Mingo is I have no idea how far away they are from Dodge, and I think you mentioned that I'm assuming it's far, but it does feel like a border town or something.

Oh, yes, yes, And I did think that that.

Was kind of fun to see Matt and Chester in a different environment, even though that doesn't really factor into how the final scene plays out.

But now, one thing, the name of the saloon at the end is the Golden Nugget.

Great name, I uh if somebody is opening a saloon ay time soon, the Golden Nugget is a is a great a great uh, great one to go for.

Yes, I also like I do enjoy when Matt and Chester get out of Dodge.

It's good to see some exteriors and kind of have less stage bound you have scenes.

Yeah, I did that just like that adds so much to the production value of the show, I think, and I do think this episode in particular is a little bit darker, Like I think there's more scenes at night, which I did think it kind of gave it a different a little bit of a different atmosphere.

Although you read Survives might have had quite a few night scenes as well.

Not now I think about it, and I think it's interesting to have a villain who really has like what two minutes of screen time, but he's he's built up through dialogue.

And I actually thought that that was a little bit.

I don't think we've really seen anything quite like that yet so far.

No, And I did think that they built him up pretty well as this corrupt law man and that you know, everyone in the town fears.

And I.

Yeah, and in general, I like the supporting characters and the performances.

I don't really have any complaints outside of it.

I do agree it maybe is a little bit rushed.

I don't know what I would cut.

Maybe the man who is shot, Yeah, like this frostbitten horse.

Yeah, I almost would have just rather had just more time of Matt and Chester talking riding horses or something.

But yeah, and I did not listen to the radio episode.

This was another episode I just couldn't.

I couldn't find the time to work that one in.

But but overall I thought it was pretty pretty solid.

Yeah, I think I'm sort of wondering if if it had been more, if they had done like a two parter where they devoted maybe a little more time to just having these little vignettes with people sort of on the road kind of because I almost feel because they have two of them, and I thought they should have had a third.

It's always nice to grouping in threes.

I just had a third seed where they meet someone else, maybe a small wagon train though with a family in it or something.

Oh, this crazy guy went by and he took our horses or something like that.

It's a yeah, it's I do want to ask, did I am?

I am?

I was?

Was I going nuts?

Like when when Matt says to the deputy guy, go back there, get your arrest warrant, come back, and then he leaves the next morning and then Chester's in the sheriff's office and then he hears yelling.

He goes outside and there's the deputy guy there saying, oh, go down, there's some crazy he's happening.

And Chester immediately runs away so the deputy can go in there and get Hank.

I thought, Chester, you see that's the guy, right?

Did I miss something like?

Why?

Like what he shouldn't be looking at Hey, you're the guy that's supposed to be you know, half a day do mingo, half a day, half a data Mingo.

That's a spaghetti western.

We never got really Frank o'neiro in half a Data Mingo.

But but I I there was that moment where I watched it and thought, because the moment Matt leaves and leaves Chester in charge, you think, oh boy, this is gonna this is gonna go great.

It's yeah, it's it's a it's all.

I'll tell you my my theory as to why I wouldn't have watched it if it was a longer episode, because because some time ago I think it was.

I think maybe it's an after an episode of Bronc.

Maybe on my my podcast that Makes Your Supertrain.

I think we watched an episode.

I think maybe it's another show I know Luke and there were a couple episodes like this which I covered with Amanda as they do that This happened a lot in the seventies and especially it seemed to happen like every once a month in Cannon, where Cannon or someone they will go to, you know, like we need you to come to this town investigate the murder of this person or this person's gone missing or something like that, and they get to the town and immediately upon driving they'll get pulled over and the deput go, what are you doing in town?

Well, I'm just here.

Oh, you're investigating the murder of the you know the I don't know.

I'm trying to think of a good last name, Donovan.

I know they're oh, you're here investigating the murder of the Donovan girl.

Well, if I were you, I'd turn around and drive out of town because the sheriff doesn't lack people like you or or you know, are the or mister Smelman who who runs the town doesn't like people like you in town or something, and so, so it's one of those episodes where they go to a small town.

Usually it's a desert type town, and there's like either a law enforcement person or a judge or like the rich family that started the town.

They have like an iron fist over the town and they control the town, and and UH and Canon or whoever has to work around them to try to solve the case.

And for some reason a few months ago, I got so sick of that plot line I put I put a moratorium on it on Eventual super Trade.

Unfortunately I can't control what we watch on Eventual Supertrade.

So there's been at least one episode since then that has had that plot, but this is basically an early version of that, but without all of the you know, him arriving in town.

They're saying, Marshall, you're gonna want to leave.

When the sheriff finds out you're here, he's going to put you in ja.

He doesn't care who you are, He's you know, something like that.

And I do kind of like that.

Through the whole time, I'm thinking, is it going to be like that?

Is it good?

And luckily it's not.

Matt shows up.

He whoops the sheriffs behind and takes them and arrests him.

But but it is.

It is basically that sort of thing.

It's there's an awful town ruled by the iron fice of someone awful, and our hero, our detective Ore whoever, has to go in there and do save the if you want to say, a particularly egregious example of it, the two hour Canon TV movie, the sort of pilot for the show, is a version of that, and it just, oh my god, it's only ninety minutes without commercials, but it feels like it goes out for about four hours.

And I do quite like Canon most of the time.

Yeah, like that was just like that.

That plotline comes up a lot on that.

If you see, if an episode begins with him driving through the desert, that's what the storyline is going to be.

And so when the moment the guy said, I can't go back because the sheriff rules of town, and he picked me in, and I thought, oh no, please, not in nineteen fifty six.

Oh no, Luckily it's not quite that.

But it's almost that.

And if it were an hour long, and like say, the last fifteen twenty minutes were in the town, i'd path so, yeah, so this is actually a this is actually a personal choice, you know.

And also the other and I would say the other storyline, I have a moratory amount or our story set in Europe around the late nineteenth early twentieth century, set in like country or or sort of in this country, or sort of secluded boarding schools for girls or something terrible.

For some reason, those drive me up the wall.

I don't know why I liked them at one point.

Then it's a few years ago.

I saw a few in quick succession, and at the end of watching School of Death, I said, no more.

So the two things.

So those are the two plot lines.

If you see a plot line like that, think of me fondly because I won't be watching it.

But so, but this this gun so luckily, like I said, jackknife around it sort of it does something.

It it's it Actually, the funny the more I think about it, the more I don't really know what the episode is up to.

I mean, because it's like so much of it is about like the aftermath of what Hank has done.

But then when they get to the town, Hank's dead.

It's like, why so much of the episode evolved revolving around Hank who It's the more I think about it, the stranger the episode is, so maybe I'll stop thinking about him.

Yeah, And there is one thing that is kind of weird with this episode is Hank.

Oh no, he doesn't kill Break.

Yeah, so Break Survivor he thinks he does, He thinks he does, and then he says, well, since I've now that I have killed somebody, I am going back to Mingo to kill the sheriff.

Yeah, now that I've all now that I actually am the killer, I'm going to go kill again, which is kind of a weird motivation for somebody who's never worn a gun and is just trying to get away.

Yes, and if he really thinks, I mean he hits he hits that deputy guy like kind of softly, like three times around the head and neck, if he really thinks, like and my first thought was, is he made of jello?

How did he kill him?

What?

You know?

What is going on there?

How did that?

But he's not dead?

Yeah, he just And I thought, boy, Hank's gonna be if if Hank thinks, given someone light slaps around the neck three or four times is gonna kill them, he is gonna be in trouble when he comes up against the sheriff, you son of her?

How come he's not dying?

But it's funny, It's it's a weird episode because the more I think about it, it is a weird episode, isn't it?

Like why don't they just like, I don't know, it is a weird.

I'm just gonna leave that that.

I'd love to know what the what the thought process was behind it, you know, because instead of building up the bad guy, you're spending all the time building up this one guy who just gets killed.

You know.

It's like, you know, it's like that detective in the movie The Stepfather spoiler who spends the whole movie tracking down the stepfather, and then spoiler gets killed immediately upon finding the stepfather at the end of the movie, and you're like, what spoiler again if you haven't seen the movie, everyone, but it's an old movie, it's a but And he's like, as you can tell from that, he's not actually the big character in the movie, but he is part of it.

But it's sort of like that.

You watch it and you go huh, And like when they find Hank's dead body, do you know you don't see it.

You just they pull like the blanket off his face and they kind of grimace and then put it back and you're like, yeah, who is that?

And then this strange I love that strange old guy?

Yeah, I liked him too.

What what was he?

Was he real?

Was he like a spirit or something?

Like?

It was so weird.

He's such a weird I mean, it's funny.

The more I think about this episode, the more I love it because it's so weird.

I'm this is my favorite.

Yeah, and I love the title too.

No handcuffs sure, yeah, okay, okay that makes more sense than Reed Survives, but kind of not too much more, I guess but that doesn't bet But I don't know.

But okay, so this is my favorite.

I'm gonna stop at that.

Yeah, it's a great episode, really, Tom, Tom marks, Yeah.

It's it's weird.

This is definitely one.

The more we talk about it, the more I kind of realize how strange it is.

But yeah, it's it's funny because I when watching it, I I I'm not overthinking it while I'm watching it.

Mostly I'm just kind of like, you know, entertained by it, especially the first time around and then this but this is the first episode we're talking about.

It has just made the episode way more unusual.

Think about it, think about it, think you think about the structure of things, think about the pre like the pre the previous episode, just how kind of so straightforward that was.

You're like, oh God, just get out of here and think about how weird this is.

It is.

It's very strange.

But yeah, I don't uh, I don't know.

Do you have any any other thoughts it?

Should we re review this one down the line?

I feel like maybe let's say that, maybe how about like at the end or like maybe like around episode thirty or something, let's revisit No, handcuffs.

Let's see what we think about it.

Maybe because maybe I've done another one like this.

Maybe this isn't like a maybe this is something the show did it like because it almost becomes like a road movie for about ten minutes.

Yeah, and it's so but it's so weird.

But why why does it become a road mo go to the town, Wait the sheriff.

It's a road movie that's way more about the destination than the journey.

Yes, exactly, thats it?

So weird?

Wow?

Yeah, oh gosh, I feel like we should re review this episode.

Yeah, we'll do that.

Put that on the list.

We're reviewing this one.

Okay, maybe we'll do that instead of our fan fiction that we were going to read epis, we'll just re review.

That's a good idea.

That's that's a podcast in itself.

Chester Chronicles.

You know.

At some point, of course, what we are just going getting into the first season of a series that has is it twenty seasons?

Twenty seasons?

Yeah, yeah, and then like three or four follow up movies or so.

So yeah, maybe at some point we should watch some later some episodes from later seasons, because this is still pretty early in everything.

In everything, for TV.

So it would be interesting now because I think and I talked about this the last time we talked about gun Smoke.

But I like randomly watched the first episode from season seven, which is the first season, when the show went to an hour long, and I was like, Wow, this is amazing, Like I love that episode.

And so I'm wondering if it just took a season or two to kind of you know, find it's footing and become, you know, of a more solid series.

I know, ratings wise, it did.

It wasn't until like the second or third season that the ratings really went through the roof Oh okay and stayed there.

But I know, I know, like, yeah, the first season, the ratings I think are fairly average or maybe even slightly below average.

But yeah, that would be interesting to just sort of maybe do a you know, maybe first hour long, first one in color, first one of the last season.

Yeah, something like that.

Yeah, I mean, because if you think about it too, I mean, how crazy that is, right?

I mean this is nineteen fifty six, and the last regular new episode aired what like April or May of nineteen seventy five.

Yeah, it was definitely seventy five.

Halfway halfway into the run of All in the Family.

You know, we landed on the moon and our space program was pretty much done.

You know, it's just like just Nixon Watergate, Disco was on the horizon, you know.

Can you imagine that this is nineteen fifty six when teens are first discovering that they could go out and do stuff, and when the show ends, like Funk is here at Disco is about to take it, you know.

Yeah, hippies, Oh my gosh, it's it's it's crazy.

Wow.

Yeah, there's one episode that we should definitely cover.

Uh.

I don't know when.

It's from maybe the mid to late sixties, but Buddy Ebsen is the main guest star.

Oh, that might be a good one.

And it's like a really well received, kind of acclaimed episodes, and that might be a good one.

But yeah, maybe at some point, Yeah, we should bounce around and just that the later seasons.

Yeah, like yeah, like I said, yeah, one season from the first one, it's an hour one in color.

Maybe one from the last season or two or something like, like at the point when almost all the other westerns except like Bonanza are gone, the rural shows are gone, and it's all about the Jeffersons and Sanford Son and maud and all all in the family, Mary Tyler, all this stuff like that and gun smoke now no longer looks like sort of one of the pinnacles of television.

It now looks really but still popular, but really out of place as it sort of right, Oh, it's interesting, Yeah, I like.

It all right, Well, well, Dan, I think this is it unless we want, yes, unless you have any other thoughts.

On no handcuffs, No, no.

I'm good, I'm good on no handcuffs.

Yeah, it's a watch it everyone, watch it is it?

Is it as screwy as I made it out to be in this fast fifteen minutes of my rambling.

I don't know, I don't know.

Yeah, it might it might not be.

And maybe it's just because maybe we're just getting tired.

We might be so tired, so maybe our thoughts are starting to get a little a little funny.

But but yeah.

Overall, though this batch of episodes was, it was.

It was not our greatest batch of episodes, but at least thirteen and fifteen we're pretty watchable.

The middle episode was lousy.

Yeah, but what do you what are you going to do?

There?

Thirty nine of these.

You can't.

It's going to with your best effort every week that you just can't.

I can't.

No, no, all right, well Dan.

Yeah, may I may I recommend two Western ethings?

Oh?

Absolutely?

Oh now one of them?

Now, no, I I this is just me.

I've recently started watching the hop Along Cassidy films.

Oh okay, and there are what there's like sixty of them, sixty six of them.

I think they were maybe between what is it, nineteen thirty five and nineteen forty eight, I think, because I know when we did our TV Western history, hop Along is pretty much where it sort of starts, yes, and actually got the wonderful set.

It's sort of like a mill Creek type set that has all sixty six on there.

Okay, No, of course, the of course the discs aren't labeled, and the movies are all out of order, so trying to watch them in order it could be a pain in the behind.

But but I'm watching the first four or five of them, and they're quite charming.

He's he I like him quite a bit, and they're they're pretty darn entertaining films in at all about an hour, So I I like to recommend if someone wants to give a try hop along Cassidy the sixties, and you can find lists of like, uh, you know, the films in order.

I don't need well, I don't know that you need to watch him in order, but like early on, he's very specifically at like in the Virginian and he's very specifically working at a ranch with the same sort of people.

So I think maybe there is some sort of order to it.

But but I do want to recommend that.

And I also would like to recommend I recently got a set of three they're not quite books, they're more like bindered books.

There it's it's it's this three set of books called B Western Movie Reviews by a gentleman named Boyd B O Y D Majors M A G.

E.

R S.

And it's three volumes, and I don't know, I think it's something like, oh, it's quite a few.

It's it's hundreds of reviews of B movie westerns from the thirties and forties.

And I mean this is just like this is there.

It's you can go if you in Google like B movie B Western movie Reviews, and then that name I spelled out boy Major's you'll find you'll find him online.

He's he sells them himself.

And there's just this really wonderful in depth broken up by stars, okay, and then you know, like there's a hop Along Cassidy thing which has reviews of all sixty six in the movies, and then you know, I think like four to five star, four star ratings up to four star ratings, going all the way there from like garbage cans to four stars kind of ratings, and he really liked.

And it's wonderful because there's so many if you like B movies, B movie westerns, like it's crazy.

I think that someone sat down and I would have loved to have done this, but I'm glad he did and he just reviewed them.

And there's so many reviews and it's good stuff too.

They're not just like you know, they're not like this movie's fun, you should watch it, it's got cowboys.

No, they're more they're more in depth than that.

You could tell he loves the movies and he loves talking about him.

There are lots of facts about the making of the movies too, but good, good critical reviews too.

I think so so I bought all three volumes that I've been reading and I'm enjoying them and discovering a lot of a lot of B movie Westerns and things that I hadn't seen before.

So I recommend that a great a great set, and it's it's there are some other great Western movie books.

There's what is it Michael Pitts's Western Movies, which is this huge book that's got all sorts of stuff, but this is specifically B movies from the thirties and the forties into the I think the early fifties, and it's really entertaining.

So just a recommendation, Oh, that sounds awesome.

Yeah.

I think at some point Will Dotson and I are going to do another episode where we cover some John Wayne B movies from the fifties, fun the fifties, from the thirties.

And if you do, if you do, haunted goal them in Okay.

Yeah, So so that would be kind of a good resource to have because I think so he made, I mean, John Wayne's in a ton of B Westerns from the thirties.

So it would be nice to have some kind of guidance or some like some recommendations before because last time I just chose what I watched, just randomly.

I didn't even really know much about them outside of them being B movies from the thirties, So yeah, that would be kind of nice to be able to make a little more informed choice for.

There are so many of them.

Yeah, yeah, nice.

It's nice to have somewhere where you can actually sit and sort of consolidate, well, someone else's thoughts.

Someone else consolidated their thoughts and you can access them.

But yeah, it's a good it's a good sect.

I recommend them highly.

They're they're well there.

I was just gonna say they're a little pricey.

They're actually not, because there's so much information in them.

Uh that that I uh that, I think it's worth it.

So all right, very cool, all right, Dan, Well, yeah, as always, this was absolutely tremendous.

Thanks thanks again for coming on.

Of course, I hope you enjoyed this episode.

I had a great time talking with Dan about these episodes of gun Smoke and he'll be back again next month and we'll cover episode sixteen through eighteen.

Next week.

Will Donson is returning as we continue to make our way through John Wayne's Western filmography.

This one might be a slightly controversial choice.

We're covering Allegheny Uprising.

It's controversial because it takes place in Pennsylvania, which isn't in the West.

But I think it'll be a fun discussion and it'll be great to have Will back on the show until then.

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