Gunsmoke | OTRWesterns.com

Episode: Dirty Bill’s Girl (Original Air Date: October 28, 1956)
Host: Andrew Rhynes

Episode Overview

This gripping episode centers on Rose, a beautiful and skilled card dealer with a mysterious past, who has become a fixture in Dodge City’s gambling scene. Marshal Matt Dillon and his allies grow suspicious after seeing her consistently win against some of Dodge's sharpest gamblers. As Matt investigates, he uncovers Rose's quest for personal vengeance tied to her father's murder and a dramatic confrontation unfolds that challenges the moral boundaries of justice and revenge on the western frontier.

Key Discussion Points and Plot Breakdown

1. A Woman Gambler in Dodge (03:53–05:38)

• Story setup: Rose arrives in Dodge, running a successful blackjack table, quickly making waves as the only female dealer.
• Matt, Chester, and Doc observe her, suspecting a crooked game since the house wins every night.
  • Chester: “Doc, I swear, I just don't know what you could have been thinking of, Mr. Dillon. White. He's as nice a young lady as you'd ever care to meet.” (05:41)
• Chester admits to winning $14.20 but maintains Rose “never did nothing wrong,” while professional gambler Elko Dean loses heavily.

2. Marshal Dillon’s Inquiry (06:51–09:10)

• Matt approaches Rose directly about the fairness of her game.
  • Rose (to Matt): “The man who taught me how to handle cards used to say, you can't cheat an honest man, Rose, so don't bother to try. But a crook is fair game any day.” (08:18)
• She reveals her intent to return all of Slim Raddock’s losses when she leaves Dodge but refuses to address her deeper motivations initially.

3. Rose’s Motive Revealed (09:29–09:47)

• Rose quietly confides her true purpose:
  • Rose: “I've spent four years now looking for one certain man.” (09:29)
  • Matt: “Now you won't quit till you find him, huh?”
  • Rose: “I found him tonight.”
  • Chester: “What happens now?”
  • Rose: “I'm going to kill him.” (09:47)
• The stakes shift from gambling to a tale of vengeance.

4. Rose and Slim Raddock (12:00–13:50)

• Slim, one of Rose’s frequent losers, confides in Matt that he's considering marrying her, not knowing her secret.
  • Slim: “Spent five winters out there all alone. That ain't good for me. I need me a wife on the place. Three weeks ago, first time I seen Rose.” (13:23)
• Matt learns from Kitty that Rose is actually Bill Prawley’s daughter—“Dirty Bill,” a gambler killed in Liberal years before—giving context to her vendetta.

5. The Brewing Confrontation (16:06–18:21)

• Rose throws out all players but Elko Dean for a private game.
• Sam the bartender reports a missing shotgun, possibly taken by Rose.
• Matt realizes, "We're about to have a killing on our hands." (16:26)

6. Showdown at the Blackjack Table (19:37–23:12)

• Matt, knowing Rose is armed, approaches her and Elko at the table. She’s holding them both at gunpoint under the table.
  • Rose: "Sit down, and put your hand flat on the table, Marshal. Same as Elko’s got his. Now keep 'em there. I guess you know this is a shotgun I’m covering you both with underneath the table." (20:06)
• Rose recounts witnessing her father’s murder and recognizing the killer—Elko Dean.
  • Rose: "That night he was killed, I was upstairs asleep… I never forget his face. Elko, that's him." (21:55)
  • Elko: “She’s lying! It’s a job for the law now, Rose. Now you walk away from this table.” (21:57)

7. Slim Raddock’s Intervention and Climax (22:13–23:39)

• Matt calls over Slim, inserting him into the line of fire. Rose cannot shoot Elko without risking Slim.
  • Matt: “He must mean something to you. And he’s in it now, too. The way a shotgun works, it’s all three of us or none of us. Now, you hand over that gun.” (22:36)
• Love outweighs vengeance; Rose surrenders her weapon, devastated.
  • Rose: "It wasn’t fair, Marshal. It was jaden. It wasn’t fair.” (23:22)
  • Matt: “Sometimes you have to cheat, Rose.” (23:26)

8. Justice for Elko Dean (23:27–23:57)

• As Rose and Slim leave, Elko tries to escape. Matt stops him, gun drawn.
  • Chester (to Elko): "You’re under arrest."
  • Elko: "You’re not taking me in."
  • Matt: "Marshall, look out!" (23:57)
• Elko is shot as he tries to resist arrest. Justice is served in Dodge City style.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rose’s Code: “You can’t cheat an honest man. But a crook is fair game any day.” (08:18, Rose)
• Righteous Grief: “My father was a fine man. And anybody that says different is a liar.” (21:35, Rose)
• Love vs. Vengeance: “You knew I couldn’t. You knew I couldn’t. Not with him in it.” (23:07, Rose—emotionally unable to kill Elko with Slim present)
• Resolution: “Sometimes you have to cheat, Rose.” (23:26, Matt)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time (MM:SS) | Segment | |------------------|-----------------------------------------------| | 05:38 | Suspicion at Rose’s blackjack table | | 08:18 | Rose’s philosophy on cheating in cards | | 09:47 | Rose vows vengeance—plans to kill | | 13:23 | Slim’s feelings for Rose, desire to marry | | 15:10 | Rose’s true identity revealed | | 16:06 | Rose sets up a private, fateful game | | 20:06 | Matt confronted by Rose at gunpoint | | 21:35 | Rose’s emotional defense of her father | | 22:36 | Matt’s gamble: introducing Slim into the fray | | 23:07 | Rose, torn, gives up her gun | | 23:56 | Elko killed resisting arrest |

Tone & Character

• The episode’s tone is tense and brooding, shot through with the distinctive blend of Western justice and fatalism.
• Matt Dillon remains patient and morally steady, while Rose’s vulnerability contrasts with her initial hard edge.
• Dialogue is snappy, authentic to the era, and packed with subtext about trust and justice.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode of Gunsmoke is an excellent dramatization of the complexities of frontier justice. It explores how grief and revenge motivate people, how love can intervene in cycles of violence, and the ways that a “modern” approach to justice differs from personal vendetta. The compassionate but shrewd actions of Marshal Dillon diffuse a deadly confrontation, upholding the law even as he bends the moment to save a soul from murder and another from loss.