Belle’s Back | Gunsmoke (09-09-56)

Summary

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Old Time Radio Westerns

Episode Summary: “Belle’s Back” | Gunsmoke (09-09-56)

Host: Andrew Rhynes
Original Air Date: September 9, 1956
Podcast Air Date: September 9, 2025

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Overview

This episode of Gunsmoke, “Belle’s Back,” reintroduces Belle Ainsley to Dodge City after three scandalous and painful years away. The story delves into the tangled web of small-town memory, reputation, and the enduring scars of family and betrayal, as U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon untangles the fallout from Belle’s return and the dangerous presence of Jess Kreider—a wanted criminal and Belle’s former partner. The episode explores themes of forgiveness, judgment, and the struggle for redemption on the western frontier.

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Key Discussion Points & Episode Breakdown

The Return of Belle Ainsley (03:11–07:09)

• Chester rushes in with news of Belle’s return, reminding Marshal Dillon of her past and the town’s opinion.
  • “Matt, Belle’s back.” (03:28 — Chester)
• Matt is skeptical and detached, insisting his past involvement with Belle was merely over her cooking.
• Belle’s past is discussed, especially her connection to the outlaw Jess Kreider.
• Chester: “Jess Kreider’s no good.” Matt produces a wanted poster, listing Kreider’s recent crimes.

Belle’s Side of the Story (05:00–07:09)

• Belle arrives at Matt’s office, expressing her intent to stay in Dodge for her aging father and grown sister, Phyllis.
• She reveals, heartbreakingly, that she left town not by choice but was abducted by Kreider:
  • “I rode out of Dodge, thrown across the back of Jess Kreider’s saddle with a gag in my mouth and my hands tied.” (06:13 — Belle)
  • She also confesses the isolation she felt from the town: “Three months after I left, I came back … and I found the good people of Dodge had already tried and condemned me.”
• Belle asks Matt for help to reclaim her reputation: “If you believe me, just tell them how it happened.” (06:48 — Belle)

Life at the Ainsley Ranch / Family Tensions (08:09–13:03)

• The townsfolk gossip about Belle’s return and her past.
• The Ainsley family is fractured: Belle’s sister, Phyllis, refuses to live under the same roof, moving into town at just 15 years old.
• Matt attempts unsuccessfully to track down Phyllis at her boarding house. The innkeeper is dismissive:
  • “That’s growed up, the way I look at it. Anyway, I figured it’s just another case like her sister Belle.” (11:24 — Dovey)
• Matt and Chester visit the Ainsley homestead. Belle acknowledges the community’s reluctance to forgive and her own sister’s flight.
• Tension crackles, but Matt chooses not to mention Phyllis, suspecting more is happening beneath the surface.
• After leaving, Matt reveals to Chester: “We’re gonna ride away from here now. But we’re coming back later tonight.” (13:10 — Matt Dillon)

The Confrontation: The Outlaw’s Hideout (15:20–19:00)

• Matt and Chester search the barn, believing Kreider is hiding out. They are briefly held at gunpoint by Belle.
• Belle is desperate but ultimately confesses the truth: Kreider was hiding at the ranch and, now wounded, has fled with Phyllis.
  • “She didn’t run away. I sent her into town.” — Belle, indicating her protection of her sister (17:52)
  • She further admits, in anguish, Kreider was bothering Phyllis, confirming dark suspicions.
• Belle pleads with Matt to capture Kreider before worse can happen:
  • “Get him, Matt. Go after him and get him.” (18:38 — Belle)

The Final Showdown (19:37–21:03)

• Matt and Chester find Phyllis and Kreider at a remote shack. As Kreider emerges, Matt apprehends him, but Kreider goes for his gun and is killed.
• Phyllis is distraught and defensive, insisting, “I love him. We were gonna be married…” (21:04 — Phyllis)
• Matt offers hard but fatherly advice:
  • “You gotta get rid of that hate of yours. If you don’t, it’s gonna ruin your life for good.” (21:30 — Matt Dillon)
• He promises to keep her involvement secret, urging her to reconcile with Belle:
  • “Nobody will ever know about this, Phyllis. I promise you. Jess Kreider was alone when I found him.” (21:43 — Matt Dillon)
• Phyllis, at the episode’s close, is hesitant but suggests she might head home after all.

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Notable Quotes

• Belle Ainsley:
  • “I rode out of Dodge, thrown across the back of Jess Kreider’s saddle with a gag in my mouth and my hands tied.” (06:13)
  • “She’s my sister, Matt. She’s only 15.” (18:04)
• Matt Dillon:
  • “A chancy job, and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely.” (02:29)
  • “You gotta get rid of that hate of yours. If you don’t, it’s gonna ruin your life for good.” (21:30)
• Chester:
  • “Doggone if I can understand women at all, Mr. Dillon.” (19:57)
• Phyllis:
  • “I love him. We were gonna be married!” (21:04)

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Important Timestamps

• 03:11: Chester announces Belle’s return; the past recalled
• 05:00–07:09: Belle tells Matt her version of leaving Dodge
• 10:30–12:58: Phyllis’s departure and the family rift are revealed
• 13:10: Matt’s discreet plan to investigate further
• 15:20–19:00: Belle, desperate, confronts Matt and admits it all
• 19:37–21:03: Final pursuit, Kreider’s death, and Phyllis’s confrontation with Matt
• 21:18–22:26: Matt’s stern but caring lecture; Phyllis's possible reconciliation

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Memorable Moments

• Belle’s heartbreaking confession of her forced departure and isolation.
• Matt’s steadfast, calm, and sometimes world-weary handling of both the law and messy emotions of the townsfolk.
• The tense, compassionate confrontation where Matt must kill Kreider and deal gently with a confused, hurt Phyllis.
• Matt’s promise to protect Phyllis’s secret—balancing law and mercy in true Western style.

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Tone & Style

The episode is rich in the signature Gunsmoke mix of gritty frontier justice, sparing compassion, and clipped, naturalistic dialogue. The language evokes the moral ambiguity and hard-earned wisdom of the West, while also highlighting human frailty and the heavy price of hate and misunderstanding.

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This summary captures the full emotional arc and narrative sophistication of “Belle’s Back”—a quintessential Gunsmoke tale brought vividly to life with restored sound and enduring performances.

Transcript

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[Bill Ainsley]

Foreign.

[Matt Dillon]

Welcome.

[Andrew Rines]

To the Old Time Radio Westerns. I'm your host, Andrew Rines, and let's get into this episode. This episode is going to be Gunsmoke. Original Air date is September 9, 1956 and the title is Bell's Back.

[L M Cigarette Announcer]

Gun Smoke brought to you by L M the modern cigarette that lets you get full exciting flavor through the modern miracle of the pure white miracle.

[Bill Ainsley]

Tip.

[L M Cigarette Announcer]

Live modern Smoke. L m around Dodge City and in the territory on west, there's just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers. And that's where the U.S. marshal and the smell of gun smoke. Gunsmoke, starring William Conrad the transcribed the story of the violence that moved west with young America and the story of a man who moved with it.

[Matt Dillon]

I'm that man. Matt Dillon, United States Marshal, the first man they look for and the last they want to meet. It's a chancy job, and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely.

[Chester]

Good evening, Matt.

[Matt Dillon]

Hello, Doc. I've been waiting for you. I'm all set up.

[Chester]

Might as well put away that crippage board. We won't be playing tonight.

[Matt Dillon]

Oh, why not? You found an easier mark?

[Chester]

No, but you're gonna hightail it up the street once you hear the news.

[Matt Dillon]

Yeah.

[Chester]

Matt, Belle's back.

[Matt Dillon]

Belle? Belle who?

[Chester]

Bell, who? Belle Ainslie, that's who. You got a mighty short memory for a man who used to eat dinner out at her place two or three times a week.

[Matt Dillon]

Well, she was a good cook, that's all. Besides, that was three years ago.

[Chester]

Oh, Matt, you know, dog gone.

[Matt Dillon]

Well, why don't you forget it, Doc? Is Jess Crider with her?

[Chester]

No, she's come back alone.

[Matt Dillon]

Well, that's too bad.

[Chester]

Too bad? Why, Jess Crider's no good.

[Matt Dillon]

That's just why he was Wanted three years ago when he left here with her. And he's wanted even more now. Here, take a look at this bulletin from Wichita. Hold up at the Stockman State Bank. Wounding two bank guards. Santa Fe, three counts of highway robbery. Lordsburg, hold up at the Butterfield Stage. Driver killed.

[Chester]

All right, so Jess Kreider's a thieving killer. Everybody knows that.

[Matt Dillon]

Well, that's why I'd like to see him come back.

[Chester]

Mr. Dillon.

[Matt Dillon]

Yeah, what is it, Chester?

[Chester]

Guess who is back, Mr. Dillon.

[Matt Dillon]

I already know, Chester.

[Chester]

Yeah, but that ain't all, Chester.

[Matt Dillon]

If one more person comes in here and tells me about Bell Ainsley, so help me.

[Bill Ainsley]

You're what? Man, Belle.

[Chester]

She was right outside. I was gonna say. Oh, come on. Come on, Chester. I'll buy you beer. Well, I. Gosh. Well, I'll see you later, Mr. Dillon.

[Bill Ainsley]

How are you, Mats?

[Matt Dillon]

I'm fine, Bill. And you?

[Bill Ainsley]

Hmm, little older.

[Matt Dillon]

Are you visiting or are you planning on staying?

[Bill Ainsley]

Well, I'm staying. The town will let me.

[Matt Dillon]

What about Jess Kreider? Where is he, Bill?

[Bill Ainsley]

I don't know, and I don't care. I left him in Durango. I'm through with him, Matt.

[Matt Dillon]

I see.

[Bill Ainsley]

I want to stay here with my father.

[Unknown Townsman]

He's getting old.

[Bill Ainsley]

And my kid sister, Phyllis, well, she's grown into a young woman since I went away.

[Matt Dillon]

And pretty bitter, I understand, when it comes to you.

[Bill Ainsley]

She'll get over it. Everybody will. If you'll help me, Matt.

[Matt Dillon]

Help you?

[Bill Ainsley]

Three months after I left, I came back, if you remember, and I found the good people of Dodge had already tried and condemned me. What could I do but go back to Jess?

[Matt Dillon]

Well, you chose to run off with him in the first place.

[Bill Ainsley]

Shows who knew whether I had. Who bothered to ask you? Anybody?

[Matt Dillon]

What are you saying, Matt?

[Bill Ainsley]

I rode out of Dodge, thrown across the back of Jess Kreider's saddle with a gag in my mouth and my hands tight.

[Matt Dillon]

Oh, why didn't you tell somebody that?

[Bill Ainsley]

Who'd have believed it?

[Matt Dillon]

But he didn't. Keep your hands tied for three years, Bill.

[Bill Ainsley]

Matt, a woman has to have somebody, somebody who wants her. And nobody here did as bad as he was. Jess was my man.

[Matt Dillon]

What do you want me to do, Bill?

[Bill Ainsley]

Just tell people, that's all. If you believe me, just tell them how it happened.

[Matt Dillon]

Why don't you live modern Live modern.

[Chester]

Live Live Live modern Change to L and M.

[L M Cigarette Jingle Singer]

Only with L M can you enjoy the full, exciting flavor of today's finest tobaccos through the modern miracle of the L, M Miracle Tip through the Pure white miracle tip L M tastes richer, smokes cleaner, draws easier. No other cigarette plane or filter gives you all the flavor you want. The rich, exciting flavor you get only from L and M. So light up, free up, let your taste come alive. Live modern smoke L and M Make.

[Matt Dillon]

Today your big red letter day and.

[Chester]

Start to live the modern way.

[Matt Dillon]

Live, live, live modern Get L today.

[Unknown Townsman]

It. Hello, Matt.

[Matt Dillon]

Evening. Kidding. Where'd you get all the crowd?

[Unknown Townsman]

The trail herds in the bar Double D from the panhandle.

[Matt Dillon]

Huh?

[Unknown Townsman]

I. I understand an old friend of yours came back last week.

[Matt Dillon]

You know, a man tips his hat twice to a woman around here and he's married.

[Unknown Townsman]

Is that really all you did, Matt? Tip your hat twice?

[Matt Dillon]

Yeah. Just a punk. Have you talked to Bill?

[Unknown Townsman]

Well, in passing. I heard a story. You believe it, Matt?

[Matt Dillon]

That's possible. It's the kind of a thing Joss Crider do. I don't know for sure.

[Unknown Townsman]

Well, if it did happen that way and she's left him for good, then I guess maybe she's got some sympathy coming to her. Yeah, she sure didn't get much at home.

[Matt Dillon]

What do you mean?

[Unknown Townsman]

Well, she moved back in at the ranch. Yeah, so her it was all right with her father. Probably on account of her cooking. You remember her cooking, Matt?

[Matt Dillon]

I remember old man Ainsley well enough. He worked both those girls half to death.

[Unknown Townsman]

Well, anyway, I guess her sister really raised Cain.

[Matt Dillon]

Well, I figured that'd happen.

[Unknown Townsman]

She's hated Belle ever since the night she ran away with Kreider was taken away, but I didn't think she'd carry it so far.

[Matt Dillon]

What do you mean?

[Unknown Townsman]

Phyllis left the ranch yesterday and moved into town, Matt. She's got a room over at the Dodge House.

[Chester]

What?

[Unknown Townsman]

Huh?

[Matt Dillon]

A 15 year old kid living here alone?

[Unknown Townsman]

Yeah, I know.

[Matt Dillon]

I'll go see her and talk to her kitty, but I don't think it'll do.

[Chester]

Well, good evening, Marshall Chester.

[Matt Dillon]

How are you, Dovey?

[Chester]

Some of my guests been kicking up their heels, have they?

[Matt Dillon]

Dovey? I understand that the youngest Ainsley girl, Phyllis, took a room here yesterday. Is that right?

[Chester]

Yeah, she certainly did. Wanted to get away from that environment, I reckon. I can't say I blame her, Marshall. I know if my sister had been cavorting around for three years with a cutthroat like Jess Kreider.

[Matt Dillon]

Dobby, would you mind telling the girl that I'd like to talk to her?

[Chester]

I can't very well do that, Marshall.

[Matt Dillon]

Oh, why not?

[Chester]

Cause she up and left this evening.

[Matt Dillon]

What?

[Chester]

Yep. I've already let the room. Somebody else. She said she's leaving the country and wasn't coming back.

[Matt Dillon]

Leaving the country? Or was she alone?

[Chester]

Well, now, she walked out alone. But I kind of had the impression there was some man waiting for her outside.

[Matt Dillon]

And you let her go?

[Chester]

Well, there wasn't nothing I could do about it.

[Matt Dillon]

Well, you could have told somebody or family or me. She's only 15, Dobe.

[Chester]

Well, that's growed up, the way I look at it. Anyway, I figured it's just another case like her sister Belle. It sure ain't none of my responsibility.

[Matt Dillon]

Chester and I saddled up and rode out to the Ainsley Ranch or a homestead. It was actually a broken back spread with a flinty range and short water. When we got there, we sat and talked with Belle and her father. All polite and formal like and nobody saying much of what they meant. Chester kept looking at me funny because I didn't mention young Phyllis. But I decided against that two minutes after we. We walked in. And I still hadn't said anything. When we left, Belle came out of the yard with us.

[Bill Ainsley]

It was nice of you to ride out, Matt. Test it.

[Chester]

Well, I.

[Bill Ainsley]

Nobody else in town's even been near the place.

[Matt Dillon]

Now, they're slow people to change, Belle, and takes them a while. I guess they gotta get over feeling kind of awkward around you. I guess.

[Bill Ainsley]

Well, it's not only the outsiders who feel awkward around me.

[Matt Dillon]

Oh.

[Bill Ainsley]

Well, I guess you wondered where Phyllis was. She's moved out, Matt. She took a room in town.

[Matt Dillon]

Well, she'll get over it. Girl can be pretty flighty at that age.

[Bill Ainsley]

I suppose so. Well, thanks for coming out.

[Matt Dillon]

Sure. You ready to ride, Chester?

[Chester]

Yes.

[Matt Dillon]

We'll see you again, Bill.

[Bill Ainsley]

I hope so. Good night, Matt. Good night, chester.

[Matt Dillon]

Good night.

[Chester]

Mr. Dillon. You didn't say one word about fellas.

[Matt Dillon]

Wait a minute, Chester. We're gonna ride away from here now. But we're coming back later tonight.

[Chester]

What?

[Matt Dillon]

Didn't you notice how they acted? Old man Ainsley was scared to death and Belle was jumpy as a young colt. Well, I did notice that Belle didn't come back home alone. Chester just criders around somewhere. Why don't you live modern? Live modern.

[Chester]

Live, Live, live modern Change to L and M.

[L M Cigarette Jingle Singer]

Yes, live modern Smoke Modern smoke. L and M enjoy a modern cigarette. L and M gives you the full, exciting flavor of today's finest tobacco. No other cigarette, plane or filter gives you the flavor. You get through the modern miracle of the L and M miracle tip. Through the pure white miracle tip. L and M tastes Richer smokes, cleaner draws easier so light up, free up let your taste come alive Live modern Smoke L and M Make today your.

[Matt Dillon]

Big red letter day and start to live the modern way Live, live, live modern Get L and M today.

[Chester]

You figure Cry was right there in the house tonight when we was Mr. Dillon?

[Matt Dillon]

No, he couldn't have been, Chester. There's no place for him to hide. Probably holed up in the barn. We'll look there first.

[Chester]

Yes. There's a lantern burning inside.

[Matt Dillon]

Yeah. Now, you wait here and keep me covered. I'll edge up to the door. And then going fast.

[Chester]

You be careful.

[Matt Dillon]

Crider. Jesse. Come on in, Chester.

[Chester]

He ain't here.

[Matt Dillon]

No, but he has been. You see that blanket on that straw there? It's made up for a bed.

[Chester]

Well, maybe he's up at the house now.

[Matt Dillon]

I don't think so. The only horse in here is that old spavin mare Ainsley uses on the buckboard. Just Crider to have the best mount he could lay his hands on.

[Chester]

Maybe the two of them got spooked up and made a run for it.

[Matt Dillon]

Maybe. But I don't think so.

[Bill Ainsley]

Get your hands up, Matt. Well, you too, Chester.

[Chester]

Oh.

[Bill Ainsley]

Yes, yes.

[Matt Dillon]

Forget it, Bill. He's too far away by now to hear you.

[Bill Ainsley]

What are you talking about?

[Matt Dillon]

Take a look around. Didn't you have a couple of horses in here?

[Bill Ainsley]

Sure we did. Now, don't move. Either one of you. Gone? Yes. Yes.

[Matt Dillon]

You might as well save your breath, Bill.

[Bill Ainsley]

He took both saddles and the packs. You know where he went?

[Matt Dillon]

I can guess where. When's the last time you saw him?

[Bill Ainsley]

This evening, just before dark. I brought him out some coffee. He said he was going to try to sleep. Matt, Where'd he go? Tell me.

[Matt Dillon]

There's not much point in holding a gun on us. Not now.

[Bill Ainsley]

Stay back, Matt.

[Matt Dillon]

Let's have it. No, thanks.

[Chester]

Well, now, a man can breathe a mite easier without that thing staring him in the face.

[Bill Ainsley]

What's happened to Jess? Tell me.

[Matt Dillon]

What do you care? You've left him, haven't you? You said you hadn't.

[Bill Ainsley]

Oh, I only came and told you that so you wouldn't get suspicious. Jess caught a bullet in that hold up at Elko. It was bothering him some, and we had to find a place to stay for a while.

[Matt Dillon]

So you brought him home to the family, huh? And in less than a week, your kid's sister ran away from home.

[Bill Ainsley]

She didn't run away. I sent her into town.

[Matt Dillon]

And why?

[Bill Ainsley]

What's the difference why?

[Matt Dillon]

Because Jess was bothering her Is that it?

[Bill Ainsley]

What are you saying?

[Matt Dillon]

He's always been known for it. Belle. Was that the reason?

[Bill Ainsley]

All right, that was the reason. She's my sister, Matt. She's only 15.

[Matt Dillon]

And Jess is your man, huh? Isn't that what you told me when you came to my office?

[Bill Ainsley]

Sure, that's what I told you, but never mind that now. I want to know what's happened to Jess.

[Matt Dillon]

The same thing that happened to Phyllis, I guess. She checked out of the Dodge House this evening bell. Said she was leaving the country for good.

[Bill Ainsley]

What?

[Matt Dillon]

A man was waiting for her outside, and Jess Kreider left here with two horses.

[Bill Ainsley]

Get him, Matt. Go after him and get him.

[Matt Dillon]

You know where he might be?

[Bill Ainsley]

Of course I know. I know everything about him. I've had three years to learn, haven't I?

[Matt Dillon]

All right. And where is he?

[Bill Ainsley]

He'll only ride at night. He'll stop at sunup. There's an abandoned shack about a mile west to where Little Deer Creek runs into the Arkansas.

[Matt Dillon]

Yeah, I know the place.

[Bill Ainsley]

Well, that's where he'll be. We've used it before. We stopped there on our way in.

[Matt Dillon]

All right, Bill. That business about your hands being tied, being thrown across the back of Kreider's saddle.

[Bill Ainsley]

That part was true, Matt.

[Matt Dillon]

All right, Bill. Come on, Chester. Let's ride.

[Chester]

He might not come out of that shack all day, Mr. Dillon.

[Matt Dillon]

He will. Chester, they just got here. Those horses are still sweating. He won't leave them standing there saddled for long.

[Chester]

It wouldn't be too hard a chore to slip up through that pump thicket there at the back.

[Matt Dillon]

No. If he fights, I don't want the girl in it. We just wait till he comes out.

[Chester]

Doggone if I can understand women at all, Mr. Dillon.

[Matt Dillon]

I've had the same trouble myself a time or two, Jester.

[Chester]

But why would that nice young girl want to go running off with a murdering outlaw like Jess Kreider?

[Matt Dillon]

Maybe it's more a matter of hitting back at her sister. She's let her hate for Belle build up till it's driven her half crazy, I guess.

[Chester]

Somebody's coming out.

[Matt Dillon]

It's him. Yeah. Easy now. We'll just let him get clear of the cabin. You stay down now. All right. Hold it. Crider, you're under arrest.

[Chester]

He's going for his gun.

[Matt Dillon]

Have it your way. Okay. Trust it.

[Chester]

Looks like maybe he got out of hanging.

[Matt Dillon]

Yeah.

[Bill Ainsley]

You killed him, Marshall. You killed him. Why? Do you know what you've done?

[Matt Dillon]

I know, Phyllis.

[Bill Ainsley]

Oh, no. No, you don't.

[Matt Dillon]

Yes, I Do I've kept you from making an even bigger fool of yourself than you already have.

[Bill Ainsley]

What are you saying? I love him. We were gonna be married. Well, we were, Phyllis.

[Matt Dillon]

You better go home and talk to Belle about that.

[Bill Ainsley]

Oh, Belle. I'll never say a word to her again as long as I live.

[Matt Dillon]

Now, you listen to me, Phyllis. You gotta get rid of that hate of yours. If you don't, it's gonna ruin your life for good. Now, you go home and you talk to Bella. And you listen to what she's gotta say before you judge her.

[Bill Ainsley]

No, I won't go back.

[Matt Dillon]

Yes, you will.

[Bill Ainsley]

I can't. Not now.

[Matt Dillon]

Nobody will ever know about this, Phyllis. I promise you. Jess Kreider was alone when I found him. Now, there's your horse, and he's still saddled.

[Bill Ainsley]

I can't. I don't want to.

[Matt Dillon]

I know what you need, young lady. You see that plum bush over there? Well, I'm gonna cut me a switch off of that. And if you're not out of here in one minute.

[Bill Ainsley]

Oh, you wouldn't.

[Matt Dillon]

Oh, I wouldn't? You just watch me.

[Bill Ainsley]

Marshall?

[Matt Dillon]

Yeah?

[Bill Ainsley]

I've been thinking, Marshall. Maybe I'll go home after all.

[L M Cigarette Announcer]

In a moment, our star, William Conrad. Learn more now, earn more later. That's a motto CBS Radio wishes every college student would paste inside his or her wallet. A lot of those collegiate wallets are a good deal fatter than usual these days, thanks to summertime jobs. And as a result, quite a few young men and women are finding themselves tempted to forget about school this fall and keep on with that job. This isn't such a smart idea as it may seem. It's a plain and simple fact that dropouts from college are less likely to find and keep better paying jobs. Quit school before you finished, and you're not only cutting down on your chances for a really good job, you're also throwing away thousands of dollars of possible future income. Finish college, get all the education possible, and your lifetime income is many thousands of dollars higher. America needs well educated young men and women, and the rewards are sure. So if you're wavering now that school's about to open, don't decide against your future. Go back. And remember, learn more now, earn more later. And now, William Conrad.

[Matt Dillon]

You know, when men on the frontier were able to prove up some good land, they were usually content. But next week, after building a prosperous ranch, two lifelong friends nearly lose everything, even their lives because of some side meat and hominy grits. And that was the the West.

[L M Cigarette Announcer]

Gunsmoke produced and directed by Norman McDonnell, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, US Marshall the script was specially written for Gunsmoke by Les Crutchfield with editorial supervision by John Meston. The music was composed and conducted by Rex Corey, sound patterns by Ray Kemper and Bill James. Featured in the cast were Virginia Christine, Ralph Moody and Sammy Hill. Marley Bear is Chester, Howard McNair is Doc, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty. Join us again next week for another specially transcribed story on Gun Smoke.

[Matt Dillon]

Foreign.

[Andrew Rines]

This has been a presentation of otrwesterns.com and we hope you enjoyed. Please take some time to like and rate our shows in your favorite podcast application. Follow us on Facebook by going to otrwesterns.com Facebook subscribe to our YouTube channel by going to otrwesterns.Com YouTube and send us an email podcasttrwesterns.com you can call and leave us a voicemail 707-986-8739 this episode is copyright under the Attribution Non Commercial Share Like Copyright for more information go to otrwesterns.com copyright have a great day and thanks for listening.

[Matt Dillon]

Sam.