Just arriving in Dodge, Molly McConnell looks for her husband. When she finds out he's been killed, and Dillon is responsible, she wonders why he didn't tell her in the first place and sets ... Read allJust arriving in Dodge, Molly McConnell looks for her husband. When she finds out he's been killed, and Dillon is responsible, she wonders why he didn't tell her in the first place and sets out to learn how to shoot so she can kill him.Just arriving in Dodge, Molly McConnell looks for her husband. When she finds out he's been killed, and Dillon is responsible, she wonders why he didn't tell her in the first place and sets out to learn how to shoot so she can kill him.
Photos
- Barfly
- (uncredited)
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Gustave Field
- Norman MacDonnell(uncredited)
- John Meston(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn newspapers of the time, this episode got more publicity than usual because it was to be part of Hutton's return to acting after a four-year absence. Hutton had a dwindling fan base at the time and had already experienced failure on CBS television with the short-lived Desilu sitcom Goldie in 1959-1960, after which she took a sabbatical. Several articles were written about this guest appearance, including Hutton revealing that Amanda Blake was "very mean" to her on the first day and the next day Blake did not even show up to the set. Another article was an interview with Blake where she said she did not approve of episodes with major guest stars like Hutton and Jean Arthur because she felt audiences watched Gunsmoke for the main characters. Publicity revealed that this episode was originally scheduled to be broadcast on Saturday, April 24, 1965. However, NBC then countered by scheduling a showing of Hutton's Annie Get Your Gun (1950) in the same time spot. At the last minute, CBS moved this episode to one week later, May 1, 1965.
- GoofsBetty Hutton sang songs that had not been written. Frankie and Johnny wasn't written until 1904 and She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain in 1899. Little Brown Jug was accurate for the time. It was written in 1869.
- Quotes
Molly McConnell: Oh, Kitty. He belongs to you?
Kitty: Matt's a man with no strings on him. Let's just say he's more mine than anyone else's.
- SoundtracksSilver Threads Among the Gold
(uncredited)
Written by H.P. Danks and Eben E. Rexford
Performed by Betty Hutton
So, let's see..there's Betty Davis (in the future), Jean Arthur, Eileen Heckart, and..." Betty Hutton?? Clearly, the episode was written and built around her special talents..few of which are obvious in this show.
STILL...once Betty settles in--starting with her scene with Kitty...it's really NOT ALL THAT BAD and, in fact, there's something oddly appealing and sympathetic about her, in a pathetic sort of way. Ms. Hutton's voice was clearly worn out by this point in her career, and her big "bombshell" numbers fail to inspire. But the male extras in the saloon scenes didn't seem to mind.
O' Herlihy's direction keeps things flowing nicely, with numerous well-framed shots, and the performances of Ken Curtis and Glenn Strange are very good. But there are some pretty lousy plot contrivances (as another commentator mentions): the fact that everyone knew that Dillon didn't kill Mr. Hutton, but nobody (including the stubborn Dillon himself) will tell her. Hutton's last scene with Kitty..where Kitty's attachment to Matt becomes clear, is bizarre: Betty is unexpectedly sympathetic and touching, then immediately reverts to her insanity. Also-- I AGREE...what's with the townsfolk of Dodge?? Matt's relationship to them is often troubling, since they often seem to be a crude, bloodthirsty group that have little regard for the big guy. They apparently find Betty's plan to gun down Matt (with Claude Akin's assistance) pretty entertaining. Weird...but that's the primitive Old West, I guess.
In the end, things worked out nicely. The ridiculous musical cue when Betty and her mob march into town sounded more fitting for one of Barney Fife's "tough guy" scenes and threatened to undercut any drama that had been built up. THAT was a dumb choice by the musical staff, as was the very obvious stunt man seen in Dillon's brief fight with Claude Akins.
But, in the end, I laughed out loud at Matt's final lines, and it was nice to see Claude Akin's nicer side come through. Most importantly, it was a relief to see Betty Hutton leave Dodge. A better actress and a couple of script re-writes would have elevated this episode significantly. As it is, it's not NEARLY as bad as its reputation; I 'd watch this episode any-day-of-the-week before I'd sit through "Help me, Kitty" or "20 Miles from Dodge" again.
Notice that this episode has MANY MORE "reviews" (mostly negative) than most any other Gunsmoke; that's because people love to jump on the bandwagon and talk trash. Try to resist the "let's pile-on Betty" syndrome when you watch it. It's really quite entertaining. LR.
- lrrap
- Nov 15, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- Stage 3, CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA(Dodge City Western Street)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 4:3