Gunsmoke | Braggart’s Boy (Aired 12-09-1956)

Podcast: Gunsmoke | OTRWesterns.com
Host: Andrew Rhynes
Main Cast: William Conrad as Matt Dillon
Episode Title: “Braggart’s Boy”

Episode Overview

In this classic Gunsmoke episode, Matt Dillon faces a family drama that reveals the dangerous consequences of pride and bravado in the Old West. When Cleve Cleveland's estranged son, Tom, returns from the East, he's quickly pulled into the world of gunslinging to live up to his father’s exaggerated legacy. The episode explores father-son expectations, the difference between real courage and empty boasting, and the painful process of confronting the truth about oneself.

Key Discussion Points and Plot Breakdown

1. Tom Cleveland Arrives in Dodge City

(Starts ~04:21)

• Tom Cleveland, raised in Philadelphia, returns to Dodge to reconnect with his rancher father, Cleve Cleveland, after many years apart.
• Tom is unfamiliar with the West and stands out: “The boys around here aren't much used to such style, I guess.” (Matt Dillon to Tom, 06:33)
• The town reacts with amusement and skepticism at his appearance and mannerisms.

2. Cleve’s Push for Manhood and Gunplay

(~08:05–09:57)

• Cleve tries to mold Tom into the image of a Western man, focusing on teaching him to shoot.
• Cleve boasts about his own (mostly fictitious) past, wanting Tom to inherit his reputation:
  • “When he come here and I heard how they laughed at him… I decided I was going to make a man under that boy if it killed me.” (Cleve, 08:46)
• Matt Dillon warns: “There's more to it than gunsling. You can make a good shot in two months, but it takes longer to turn a boy into a man.” (Matt Dillon, 08:54)

3. Trouble Brews at the Long Branch Saloon

(~11:22–13:52)

• Tom, left alone and eager to prove himself, gets into trouble at the saloon, egged on by others and his father's bravado.
• Kitty warns Matt: “Well, he's just asking for trouble, Matt. Somebody's got to get him out of there.” (Kitty, 12:31)
• Tom ends up in a gunfight with notorious gunman Brawley Star—is wounded in the arm.

4. A Deadly Challenge—Father and Son Entangled

(~13:52–16:44)

• Cleve, infuriated, challenges Brawley Star to a duel at 11 AM the next day, despite knowing he's outmatched.
• Matt cautions: “I'd say you got yourself in about as much trouble as you can handle, Cleve. Maybe more than you can handle.” (Matt Dillon, 15:24)

5. Cleve Confronts the Truth

(~17:18–20:54)

• Matt finds Cleve drinking to steel his nerves for the shootout.
• Matt confronts Cleve about his fabricated reputation:
  • “You've never even seen the Waco Kid or any of the others you brag about. You've never been in a gunfight in your life.” (Matt Dillon, 19:31)
• Cleve breaks down:
  • “I'm a coward.” (Cleve, 20:36)
  • Matt offers comfort: “Forget it, Cleve. If a man runs into somebody who can, put the Indian sign on him...”

6. Tom’s Attempt to Finish the Fight

(~21:07–23:03)

• Tom, still intent on defending the family’s honor, tries to challenge Brawley Star but Matt stops him forcibly and takes away his gun.
• Matt tells Chester: “If he tries to get away, put a bullet through his other arm.” (Matt Dillon, 21:47)

7. Matt Defuses the Crisis—Brawley Leaves Town

(~22:03–23:40)

• Matt faces Brawley Star at the livery stable and orders him to leave Dodge City to end the cycle of violence.
• “You really run your town, don't you?” (Brawley, 23:15)
• “All right, Marshall. I got no reason to stay. I'll ride.” (Brawley, 23:20)
• Brawley rides out peacefully.

8. Resolution—Father and Son Understand Each Other

(~23:45–24:36)

• Tom admits to Matt and Kitty that he knows the truth about his father:
  • “I think he's something of a braggart and a liar.” (Tom, 24:06)
  • “And most likely a coward.” (Kitty, 24:11)
  • Tom: “Oh, don't worry. I'll never let him find out I know. After all, he's my father.” (24:13)
• Matt gently offers hope: “Well, then maybe you can help him grow up, huh? Maybe you can make a man out of him.”
  • Tom responds, “I hope so, sir.”
  • Matt: “You know something, Tom? I think you will.” (24:36)

Notable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• Cleve on making a man of Tom:
  “I decided I was going to make a man under that boy if it killed me.” — Cleve, (08:46)
• Matt’s wisdom on manhood:
  “There's more to it than gunsling. …it takes longer to turn a boy into a man.” — Matt Dillon, (08:54)
• Kitty’s concern about Tom:
  “He's just asking for trouble, Matt. Somebody's got to get him out of there.” — Kitty, (12:31)
• Cleve’s breaking point:
  “I'm a coward.” — Cleve, (20:36)
• The episode’s final note of hope:
  “Well, then maybe you can help him grow up, huh? Maybe you can make a man out of him.” — Matt Dillon, (24:24)
  “I hope so, sir.” — Tom, (24:31) “You know something, Tom? I think you will.” — Matt Dillon, (24:36)

Important Segments and Timestamps

• Tom arrives in Dodge City: 04:21–07:16
• Cleve’s gun training and boasts: 08:05–09:57
• Trouble brews, Tom is wounded: 11:22–13:52
• Cleve challenges Brawley Star: 13:52–16:44
• Cleve admits the truth: 17:18–20:54
• Tom attempts to face Brawley: 21:07–23:03
• Matt defuses, Brawley leaves: 22:03–23:40
• Resolution and hope: 23:45–24:36

Tone and Style

As with all Gunsmoke episodes, the tone combines stoic Western honor with underlying warmth and wisdom. The language is honest, direct, and sometimes stark—well-reflected in Matt Dillon’s everyman marshal persona and the supporting cast’s plainspoken lines.

Summary

In “Braggart’s Boy,” Gunsmoke explores the dangers of living by boasts and false legends—both for those who create them and the next generation pressured to live up to them. Cleve Cleveland’s lies about his gunslinging past nearly doom both himself and his son, Tom, but with Marshal Dillon’s firm but compassionate hand, the disastrous cycle is broken. The episode ends with the possibility of real growth—for both father and son—grounded not in legend, but in honesty and humanity.