Gunsmoke
"Get out of Dodge!"
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Western
Actor: James Arness, Amanda Blake, Dennis Weaver, Ken Curtis, Milburn Stone, Woody Chambliss
Creator: Charles Marquis Warren
Country: United States of America
Type: tv
Season: 1
Episode: 1
Duration: 45m
Release: 1955
Rating: 6.6
Season 1 - Gunsmoke
17 Sep 1955
"Temperatures are high, tempers are short, and Matt is unenviably duty-bound to protect despicable gunman Cope Borden from being lynched by a group of normally law-abiding and hard-working ranchers and cowhands."
08 Oct 1955
"The frightened teenage daughter of a rancher enlists Matt to attempt to save her father's life by amputating his gangrenous leg."
05 Nov 1955
"Matt has the unpleasant task of evicting some squatters from a rancher's land, but the squatters claim the rancher sold the land to them legally."
03 Dec 1955
"Two men cut off a Chinese immigrant's pigtail, and he tells Matt that he can return home to China only with the pigtail or by taking the lives of the men who stole it."
31 Dec 1955
"Booth Rider is being played for a sucker by the wife of the ranch owner he works for, in the hopes that he will have to kill her husband in self defense."
21 Jan 1956
"Hank Springer who claims the sheriff of Mingo framed him for murder, escapes from Matt's jail, wrongly believing he has killed a deputy in the process, and now has the intention of killing the apparently corrupt sheriff."
24 Mar 1956
"Matt suspects Kitty of shooting and wounding an old man who attempted to abduct her in hopes of forcing her to marry him."
Season 2 - Gunsmoke
29 Sep 1956
"Matt goes on a rampage to close down Front Street after he accidentally shoots and kills his old friend (and temporary deputy) while trying to defend himself from a sneak attack by a murderous saloonkeeper."
20 Oct 1956
"After Matt beats fast gun and braggart Sam Kircher in a gunfight, Kircher's inexperienced teen brother comes to town and tells Matt he will learn to use a gun, and then kill him."
24 Nov 1956
"When a man suspected of murder can't establish his alibi, Matt arrests the man. After the prisoner draws a gun on Chester and escapes, evidence suggests he might not be guilty."
29 Dec 1956
"A landowner's attempt to evict homesteaders is helped by a cholera outbreak."
05 Jan 1957
"A man, abandoned and permanently crippled by the cold on the prairie, is rescued by Matt and Chester and struggles to find a purpose."
12 Jan 1957
"Matt jails the wife abusing Sam Baxter on suspicion of murdering 2 squatters on his land, but after he gets locked up, a 3rd squatter is murdered."
09 Feb 1957
"When Matt serves a warrant in another town for a wanted man, there are two men answering the possible suspect's description, and they both have gone totally straight."
16 Feb 1957
"The shooting of several members of an outlaw gang, though in self defense, triggers an emotional crisis in Matt, haunted by memories of all the men he has killed."
02 Mar 1957
"Violence and tragedy result when Matt and Chester persuade a reluctant Kitty to hire flirtatious Rena Decker as a Long Branch hostess."
09 Mar 1957
"Told he has only two months to live, a man determines to avenge the suicide of a young woman by killing the womanizer he blames for her death."
Season 3 - Gunsmoke
14 Sep 1957
"Gunman Nate Springer arrives in Dodge with the obvious intention of committing murder, but his nervousness and unpredictability make Matt determined to find out who hired him and why he seems so different from his steel-nerved reputation."
05 Oct 1957
"While Kitty dines with Matt on the edge of town, Kitty's old beau robs the bank."
12 Oct 1957
"An addled and desperate prairie family lures Matt and Chester out of town as a preliminary part of their plan for attempting a violent robbery of the Dodge City bank."
19 Oct 1957
"Young and likable Jesse Pruett teams up with an unlikely \"partner\" in the person of Bill Stapp, a murderous former Quantrill raider. Stapp has promised to lead Jesse to the man who killed ..."
04 Jan 1958
"Matt and Chester travel to the small town of Elkader to arrest would-be killer Kerry Post, but find they must first expose a bogus U.S. Marshal in order to lure him into town."
18 Jan 1958
"Kitty is taken hostage during a bank robbery and killer Jed Gunther warns everyone not to follow them, or he will use Dillon's gun to kill her."
01 Mar 1958
"The only man who didn't treat Beulah like dirt is marrying another woman, whose brother doesn't want him in the family. When the groom is shot leaving the church, everyone suspects the new brother-in-law."
08 Mar 1958
"Addled hide skinner Emmett Dooley believes that he killed a man and demands to be put in jail. Matt is convinced that Dooley was not the culprit and tries to lure the real killer into giving himself away."
22 Mar 1958
"There's a new Faro dealer at the Long Branch. When the town drunk, the meekest man in town, tries to attack him, the dealer swears he'll kill him if he ever tries that again. But he also swears he \"never seen him before in his life.\""
10 May 1958
"Matt is strongly suspicious of the character and the intentions of gentleman gambler Leach Fields, especially when he proposes marriage to a recently-widowed woman who may know the location of $10,000 in stolen money."
17 May 1958
"When Jim Cando is thrown in jail by Matt, for a robbery and murder, he orders his partner to get him out by any means, or he will implicate him in the crime too."
31 May 1958
"After capturing suspected murderer Jim Nation, Matt has to eventually trust the suspect to help out when he and other stagecoach passengers are held at gunpoint by an outlaw."
07 Jun 1958
"Suave and enigmatic gambler Marcus France falls in love with Long Branch hostess Boni Damon. France is curiously unwilling to marry Boni, though he is willing to risk death to protect her from the unwanted advances of vicious Tiller Evans."
Season 4 - Gunsmoke
06 Dec 1958
"When Doc arrives too late to save his patient, her husband, a good friend of Matt's, blames Doc for her death."
24 Jan 1959
"An old friend of Doc's, a nurse, is visiting and he hopes she will stay around Dodge. In the meantime Matt is worried that an ex-con is gunning for him even though he thought he was innocent five years ago."
14 Feb 1959
"Young Billy flees Dodge in fear after being suspected of shooting dead an older saloon girl whose sexual advances he had been resisting."
07 Mar 1959
"A coward gambler, who's too cheap to hire a gunman, wants Matt dead for a beating he got from him years ago, so he starts some talk around Dodge about the big reputation any person could gain, if they simply killed Matt."
04 Apr 1959
"After years of captivity, a white woman and her half-Indian daughter are set free by the Indians, but they are shunned in Dodge."
11 Apr 1959
"A gunfight in the Long Branch forces Matt to arrest a drunk. Letting him go since it was a fair fight, he suspects him of selling guns to the Indians, and goes after him even though he may run into those Indians."
18 Apr 1959
"Matt and Dodge City's businessmen employ an unusual tactic to save ambush victim Lee Prentice from being taken to corrupt Baker City to face certain hanging on a trumped-up murder charge."
23 May 1959
"Print Asper is suspected of attempted murder when he forces a crooked lawyer, at gunpoint, to return the ranch he stole from him, and the lawyer still ends up getting shot later by someone."
30 May 1959
"Dodge City's businessmen learn a hard lesson when they reject Matt's advice and hire a meek constable to handle a gang of rowdy but free-spending trail cowboys."
Season 5 - Gunsmoke
31 Oct 1959
"Three men escorted by Matt back to Dodge wait for a wounded young Indian woman to identify the one that killed her husband and shot her."
26 Dec 1959
"A quarrel between two partners in homesteading escalates to the point of gunfire. Matt tries to make peace between them by locking them up together."
16 Jan 1960
"Someone takes a shot at a hard man who is brutal to his wife, and someone is overheard claiming he was offered money to kill the man."
28 May 1960
"Kitty doubts the veracity of Matt's old friend Dolly Winters, who arrives in Dodge seeking the Marshal's help and claiming to have been robbed, beaten, and jilted by a man named Rad Meadows."
Season 6 - Gunsmoke
17 Dec 1960
"The cooking of a new chef at Delmonico's is popular with most in Dodge, but one dissatisfied customer ends up dead."
14 Jan 1961
"Red and Joe Lime are no-good murderous brothers, and Matt has to track 'em down out on the prairie. Trouble is, Matt comes down with a fever due to missing out on so much sleep in the last ..."
21 Jan 1961
"A man and his wife come across a lone trapper and make camp with him. Next day, the husband comes to Dodge to report to Doc that his wife is sick, but Doc finds the woman beaten to death, and the husband accuses the trapper."
25 Mar 1961
"To protect Kitty, Matt is forced to physically (and publicly) subdue fractious troublemaker Pat Swarner. When Swarner is subsequently found murdered, oft-inebriated Jud Sloan's claim that ..."
08 Apr 1961
"Horse thieves murder a man to get his animals. Matt tracks the criminals to a Kiowa camp."
15 Apr 1961
"Rough and rowdy Minnie comes to Dodge City and sets her designs on Doc Adams much to the delight of Matt, Chester and Kitty."
29 Apr 1961
"A gunrunner supplies the Pawnee with weapons. Matt arrests him, but when the Pawnee find out, they capture Matt and free his prisoner."
17 Jun 1961
"Matt and Chester find Rod Ellison shot and paralyzed on the prairie and return him to Dodge for surgery. Ben Witter abrasively advises Matt that he is a deputy sheriff from Pueblo who has ..."
Season 7 - Gunsmoke
30 Sep 1961
"Ex-con Perce McCall helps to save Matt's life in a shootout, and then falls for a beautiful, but greedy saloon girl who puts him under great pressure to start stealing again."
30 Dec 1961
"A band of outlaws offer to pay Matt to make himself scarce while they rob the bank. If he refuses, they promise to kill one man per day until he agrees."
13 Jan 1962
"A hired man is sweet on his boss's daughter and disliked by his boss. When the boss is killed, his own daughter claims to have done it, but Matt is suspicious."
27 Jan 1962
"Beginning with Doc, who rescues him from a ditch, everyone wants to give amiable drunk Dan a chance, or a job, or both."
10 Feb 1962
"Chester is getting home-cooked meals from, and giving guitar lessons to, a spirited young woman who hopes thereby to make her estranged sweetheart jealous."
17 Feb 1962
"A man has been hired to kill Matt, but when he meets and quickly falls in love with a decent girl, he has a change of heart--or does he?"
03 Mar 1962
"While returning suspected killer Pruit Dover to Dodge to stand trial, Matt is shot and badly wounded, and yet Dover stays with him and nurses him back to health."
28 Apr 1962
"Henry and Jake have struck it rich. Now they want to follow their dream and buy a Mississippi river boat. When Henry spots Miss Kitty, he fancies marrying her but she will have nothing to do with his dream or him."
05 May 1962
"Cale is a bullheaded young drifter who takes a nap in a barn he comes across only to wake up to shootout between a horse thief and the owner. Cale is shot, wounded, and becomes a suspected accomplice."
26 May 1962
"The market for snake oil is on the decline, so a peddler and his sons expand their con game with murder."
Season 8 - Gunsmoke
15 Sep 1962
"When stable hand Cale is found with paralyzed legs after his horse threw him, Matt goes for help on foot, unarmed, on the dangerous prairie."
20 Oct 1962
"Released after eight bitter years in prison, Collie Patten has difficulty adjusting to the fact that things have inevitably changed with respect to his relationships with his wife, his son, and the citizens of Dodge."
27 Oct 1962
"A young woman who's heir to her father's land decides to carry out his plan to build a ditch that will impair her neighbors' access to water and perhaps trigger a range war."
03 Nov 1962
"A trapper leaves his friend dying alone in order to save his own life, only later to stumble across that friend in Dodge, very much alive and wanting him dead."
10 Nov 1962
"A band of ne'er-do-wells, led by their mother, see in town a young woman that pleases them and decide to take her by force."
17 Nov 1962
"Matt and Doc come to the rescue of a farm wife and daughter who essentially are kept as prisoners by the farmer and his son."
01 Dec 1962
"While Matt is out of town, putting lawman's business ahead of Kitty yet again, a new man in her life has plenty of time and attention to give--perhaps too much attention."
08 Dec 1962
"To avenge the death of his twin brother Fergus, savvy plainsman Festus Haggen forms an initially uneasy alliance with Matt to track down his murderous uncle \"Black Jack\" Haggen."
15 Dec 1962
"Chester gets a letter from his uncle Sunday, a 'crook', on his upcoming trip to Dodge city. When he arrives with a niece, he finds he has to watch them both or what they have planned just might work, at his expense."
22 Dec 1962
"A slick city reporter sets out to prove that even a milquetoast can pass for a feared gunfighter, if a few well-placed tidbits of rumor precede him."
29 Dec 1962
"The \"town fool\" has a chance to change his life when he learns that a famous general, now on his deathbed, believes him to be his long-lost son."
05 Jan 1963
"The town drunk who saw a man drowned, believes it was dream, until he meets up with the guy who did the drowning."
19 Jan 1963
"A father's dying request is that Matt go to retrieve his daughter. Expecting to find a little girl, Matt finds a near-grown woman, but one who's wild and desperately in need of civilizing."
26 Jan 1963
"When a young pretty farm woman becomes attracted to and sees some good in a would-be robber, she refuses to identify him."
02 Feb 1963
"Chance Hopper is Matt's young foster brother, torn between loyalty to Matt and to his partners in crime, who are counting on Chance to divert Matt from their course and make good their getaway."
09 Feb 1963
"Gib Dawson brings his beautiful Indian wife, Shona, in to Dodge for treatment of a badly infected hand wound, at a time when racial tensions are running high against the Comanches."
16 Feb 1963
"Ben and Ash are business partners and the best of friends, until a blow on the head changes Ben's personality and leads to a confrontation over a woman that may part the friends for good."
23 Feb 1963
"Billy Poe is falsely accused of murder by a dying man, and flees to another town while Matt follows him, and encounters dangerous resistance from other men who hate lawmen."
09 Mar 1963
"Two men want to rob the bank in Dodge, but are unwilling to try it while Matt lives. A man agrees to accept the job of killing the marshal, attaching some rather peculiar conditions to his acceptance."
23 Mar 1963
"An orphaned Indian boy latches on to a cowboy in need of work and the two of them find all doors closed to them in Dodge."
30 Mar 1963
"A rancher's spoiled son believes even after he is convicted of murder that his father's wealth and influence will save him from the hangman."
06 Apr 1963
"A rancher's widow regrets having spent her life away from the bright lights of a city, and is desperate that her son not share her fate."
13 Apr 1963
"Kitty welcomes her mentor from New Orleans, but the colorful old lady takes liberties with the truth and with Kitty's possessions."
20 Apr 1963
"Chester is smitten with Polly, but she has eyes only for Wade, a man new in town and newly her father's employee. Knowing little about Wade, Polly agrees quickly to marry him, but Chester discovers that Wade already has a wife."
11 May 1963
"Chester is sweet on a widow dressmaker. When the widow is not only intent on marriage but eager to make changes in Chester as well, he has second thoughts--especially after a talk with her child suggests that the widow may still be a wife."
18 May 1963
"Aaron, sweet on saloon girl Leah and wanting to make her his wife, is attacked and killed by Colie Fletcher. When Matt goes after him, Colie runs into Jubal Tanner, wounds him, and steals ..."
25 May 1963
"A prized Appaloosa, grazing alone and apparently without owner on the prairie, proves to be the ruin of more than one man."
Season 9 - Gunsmoke
28 Sep 1963
"A teen-aged boy who robbed and killed to impress a saloon gal is pursued by Matt. The boy waylays Matt and leaves him for dead, then goes home to his grandmother's house to find her nursing Matt back to health."
05 Oct 1963
"A charming cowboy apparently is guilty only of breaking hearts until he gets to Dodge, where he finds two women who may make a killer of him."
12 Oct 1963
"A young rascal meets the outlaw idol of his youth, but the aging gunman, newly released from prison, wants only to go straight."
19 Oct 1963
"Hard-luck Tobe, who's lost his farm, gets a job in town with Chester's help and takes up with a saloon gal, not knowing she's on the run from a beau who's a con man and a killer."
26 Oct 1963
"A mild-looking cowboy discovers that it's easy to steal, and, soon thereafter, that it's easy to kill as well."
02 Nov 1963
"A despondent widower goes to work on a farm for two sisters, each of whom finds him fascinating in her own way."
09 Nov 1963
"Quint is hired to escort a family on the first leg of their journey to Oregon. On the way, he learns the reason for their going, a motive that could have repercussions for Quint."
30 Nov 1963
"On his way to Larned, Matt, feverish, spends the night at an abandoned shack. When he wakes up after losing a day, a recently released convict who swore to kill Matt, is himself found ..."
07 Dec 1963
"When fast-talking killer Charlie Hacker escapes from Matt in Texas, Matt follows him right into Mexico without extradition papers and has to deal with corrupt officials there."
14 Dec 1963
"Matt finally catches up to killer Charlie Hacker in Mexico, and has to make a deal with the greedy Mexican police to get Hacker back to the border, with revengeful Mexican bandits in pursuit."
21 Dec 1963
"A mild old peddler of patent medicines and card tricks arrives in Dodge with his grown daughter, hoping to settle down, but instead they find their worst luck yet, beginning with a card game with a rich man and his spoiled son."
28 Dec 1963
"A repugnant drifter hopes to use his nubile daughter to get his hands on a piece of land."
11 Jan 1964
"It's a test of wills when Quint witnesses a murder and the father of one of the prime suspects lowers Quint into a well to try to force him to promise his silence."
18 Jan 1964
"Festus returns to Dodge from wolfing and is hired by the Cattleman's Association to hunt down the wolves killing everyone's cattle. What he finds is that what's been doing the preying may ..."
25 Jan 1964
"A man carrying a tempting sum of money is attacked from behind by someone who beats him and leaves him for dead. Lucky for the injured man, an old friend of Matt is there to take him in to Doc Adams for mending."
01 Feb 1964
"Bucko, a close friend of Festus, is accused of murdering a man to whom he lost at poker. When his alibi witness lies out of fear, Bucko is sentenced to hang, and Festus, who'd begun to see the marshal as a friend, vows Bucko won't swing."
15 Feb 1964
"Festus's beautiful young cousin, whom he has not seen since she was a little one, arrives in Dodge to keep the pact her father made for her when she was a baby: to marry Festus."
22 Feb 1964
"A family in search of a doctor find Matt and his prisoner unconscious and handcuffed to each other on the prairie. The prisoner wakens first and announces that Matt is the condemned man he is transporting for hanging."
21 Mar 1964
"Festus, returning to Dodge after doing some trapping, sees his girl, April, and they argue over a gift she received. Running off, she hides but her perch gives her a bird's eye view of a ..."
16 May 1964
"A traveling salesman meets up with Bull Foot, an Indian who mainly sells vegetables. When goods are traded for a squaw, he is upset when she runs away and into the arms of Festus, whose ..."
30 May 1964
"Jess, Jay's twin, is shot and killed by an unknown assailant while working late at the family business. When a stranger to Dodge is suspected, Matt does his best to track him down and bring him to justice."
Season 10 - Gunsmoke
17 Oct 1964
"A violent killing appears to be the work of Indians, but Matt doubts it. Someone accuses Quint of it and the solution involves secret motives and revenge in Indian country."
28 Nov 1964
"Ellie Merchant, the wife of farmer Joe Merchant, is having a passionate affair with outlaw Pike Beechum. Beechum intends to remove Joe and any other obstacle between him and Ellie."
05 Dec 1964
"Mistakenly hailed as a hero who downed four robbers, a man rethinks his decision to let folks regard him as a gunfighter when protecting the woman he wants calls for a gunman's skill."
12 Dec 1964
"Art and Bob both have an eye on a new girl in town. She works at the Long Branch but only has eyes for the most well liked man in town. On the eve of their marriage, it all comes to a head and the town is out for blood."
19 Dec 1964
"Festus's ornery aunt arrives, squats on a piece of land, sets up a still, and comes to the rescue of a pair of star-crossed lovers."
26 Dec 1964
"Festus takes part in a horse race in which big money is at stake, tempting some to sabotage the race in order to make sure of the outcome."
02 Jan 1965
"Matt's old friend comes to town, announcing plans to settle down and start a business, but the business he has in mind involves dishonesty and perhaps murder."
09 Jan 1965
"The body of a no-good man is found in his burning store on the same night as the sudden disappearance of the nice couple he cheated out of the money for their ranch."
16 Jan 1965
"On their way out of town, some cousins of Festus come across a badly injured man whom they assume is dead, so they flee, pursued by Festus, who believes his cousins attacked the man."
23 Jan 1965
"Anderson, a stylish bounty hunter, rides into Dodge City. He informs Matt that his partner has a wanted criminal at an ice house. The locale is a two-day ride from Dodge; Anderson wants ..."
30 Jan 1965
"Chief Joseph has come to town suffering from pneumonia. When he and his party are refused lodging at the hotel, a stranger steps in offering his room. Local sentiment is against this and like a boiling over teapot, trouble begins to brew."
06 Feb 1965
"A circus family comes to town and charms the populace, who don't know the family's real stock in trade is larceny."
13 Feb 1965
"The head of the Lukens clan blames Martin Kellums for not helping his young bride during a difficult childbirth when the doctor was away. When Kellums runs to Dodge, Matt does his best to keep everyone safe including the local citizens."
20 Feb 1965
"Two brothers quarrel to the death over a woman, and as the survivor flees with her, pursued by Matt, the killing may not be over."
27 Feb 1965
"The goofy nephew of Festus, Eliab Haggen, comes to Dodge with the hope of shooting off a tiny piece of his ear, because Festus bit off a piece of his dad's ear years ago in a fight."
06 Mar 1965
"Kitty welcomes her mentor to town, but her friend is burdened by a secret: she's here to deliver the child of her outlaw son, a man willing to take his own mother hostage."
20 Mar 1965
"Bert Clum uses his clan to get what he wants. They are camped outside of Dodge. When they meet a small wagon train, he hatches a plot to rob the local bank. But he needs to snatch a baby to hide behind first."
27 Mar 1965
"A woman and her adult, attractive niece stop in Dodge to earn some money to complete their journey to San Francisco. When an offer of marriage to her aunt threatens to derail those plans, the niece takes action."
03 Apr 1965
"A temperance agitator wants to shut down Kitty's saloon and end all the drinking in Dodge."
10 Apr 1965
"On a stagecoach returning to Dodge, Kitty and her traveling companions are waylaid and held for ransom."
17 Apr 1965
"A mousy local man is hailed as a hero when he shoots and kills a man wanted for murder. Then a newspaper reporter interviews him and uncovers facts that cast a very different light on the shooting."
24 Apr 1965
"Drought and crop failure leave Dodge without fruit or vegetables and a farming widow and her son very ill with scurvy."
01 May 1965
"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."
08 May 1965
"Doc, carrying money on an errand for Matt, is found near death. In Matt's absence, the townsfolk figure there's no need to wait for official justice to deal with those deemed responsible."
22 May 1965
"Matt is ordered to Ridge Town to reopen the case of an army major who was murdered 12 years before, when a dying outlaw he shot swears he did not commit the crime, and it appears the whole town is hiding something."
