Old Time Radio Westerns – “Sweet and Sour {reused script}” | Gunsmoke (03-12-61)

Podcast Host: Andrew Rhynes
Original Airdate: October 18, 2025
Featured Story: Gunsmoke – “Sweet and Sour” (originally aired March 12, 1961, script by John Meston)
Restored Audio & Modern Listening Experience

Episode Overview

This episode transports listeners to the golden age of radio via a digitally restored presentation of the classic "Gunsmoke" episode “Sweet and Sour.” Host Andrew Rhynes sets the stage for the drama unfolding in Dodge City, where Marshal Matt Dillon and his companions are faced with a newcomer whose presence proves dangerously divisive. Through restored sound and vintage performances, listeners revisit the timeless tale of how innocent-seeming charm can mask a catalyst for violence.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. Train Station Encounter (03:28–07:27)

• Matt Dillon and Chester Proudfoot prepare to return to Dodge from Wichita.
• They meet Rena Decker, a “right pretty girl” who's also waiting on the train.
• Ab Laster introduces himself to Rena, being overly forward and offering her liquor.
• When Ab Laster tries to force Rena onto the train, Matt intervenes, disarms Laster, and warns him off.
  • “Let the lady go. You’re asking for trouble, ain’t you?” – Matt Dillon (06:09)
• Laster threatens revenge:
  • “I’ll kill you. I swear I’ll kill you.” – Ab Laster (07:06)

2. Arriving in Dodge City & Trouble Brewing (09:17–13:56)

• Rena expresses her discomfort and fears about coming to Dodge. Matt reassures her.
• Ab Laster and his partner Joe Garrett confront Dillon, airing grievances about the gun incident.
• Matt maintains order and offers Laster’s gun back anytime he wants it “at my office.”
• At the Long Branch Saloon, Matt discusses Rena’s situation with Doc and Kitty Russell.
• Kitty refuses to hire Rena:
  • “I’ve seen her kind too often. They mean nothing but trouble.” – Kitty Russell (12:51)
  • “Some women like men fighting over them.” – Kitty Russell (13:38)
• A rift emerges between the men’s willingness to help Rena and Kitty’s strong suspicions.

3. Escalating Violence (14:18–16:51)

• Two strangers are shot dead outside the Long Branch after a dispute, apparently over Rena’s attention.
  • “Looks like Miss Kitty was wrong, don’t it?” – Chester (14:21)
• Rena feigns ignorance, telling Matt she had “just been talking” to the men.
• Kitty warns Matt that Rena is trouble and seems to relish in this chaos:
  • “Some women like men fighting over them.” – Kitty Russell (13:38)
• Rena hints at the burdens of being an attractive woman, playing to Matt’s sympathy:
  • “Sometimes it’s an awful burden being a woman. You understand, don’t you?” – Rena Decker (16:42)

4. The Climax: Fatal Confrontation at the Long Branch (18:17–21:47)

• Chester and Matt observe Rena at the bar with Ab Laster and Joe Garrett, now returned to Dodge.
• Rena stirs up rivalry between the two, fanning their egos.
  • “Why, Ab, you make it sound like he’s not wanted… No man’s going to put up with that, is he, Mr. Garrett? No real man is.” – Rena Decker (20:13, 20:30)
• The men are goaded into another fight. Garrett is killed in the process.
• Matt confronts Ab Laster. Rena encourages further violence:
  • “He killed him! Don’t let him get away with it!” – Rena Decker (21:06)
• Matt reveals the truth to Laster:
  • “Reena’s tricked you with the two fights, Laster. You gonna let her do it again? She likes men fighting over her, don’t you?” – Matt Dillon (21:14)
• Ultimately, Laster is defeated. Matt, realizing his error, orders Rena out of Dodge.
  • “Four men have died because I wouldn’t believe Kitty about you. You get out of Dodge right now and don’t you ever come back.” – Matt Dillon (21:47)

5. Aftermath & Reflection (22:11–22:16)

• Matt admits his mistake to Kitty in a moment of regret:
  • “It’s not your fault, Matt.” – Kitty Russell (22:11)
  • “Yes, it is, Kitty. And I hope you never let me forget it.” – Matt Dillon (22:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Rena’s effect on men:
  • “Some women like men fighting over them.” — Kitty Russell (13:38)
• Matt’s realization:
  • “Four men have died because I wouldn’t believe Kitty about you.” — Matt Dillon (21:47)
• Rena’s manipulation:
  • “Sometimes it’s an awful burden being a woman. You understand, don’t you?” — Rena Decker (16:42)
• After the final showdown:
  • “Yes, it is, Kitty. And I hope you never let me forget it.” — Matt Dillon (22:16)

Timeline of Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Synopsis | |-------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:28–07:27 | Train station scene, first confrontation with Ab Laster | | 09:17–13:56 | Arrival in Dodge, Kitty warns about Rena | | 14:18–16:51 | First bar fight and deaths, Rena’s feigned innocence | | 18:17–21:47 | Rena provokes another deadly fight, Matt’s realizations | | 22:11–22:16 | Matt’s admission of fault to Kitty |

Tone & Atmosphere

• The episode maintains the gritty, stoic spirit of classic Gunsmoke – mixing dry humor and hard-earned wisdom with a sense of moral ambiguity and regret.
• The performances are natural, with Matt’s steady, world-weary voice anchoring the story, Kitty’s acerbic wisdom, and Rena’s calculated innocence.
• The digitally restored audio enhances period atmosphere — the creak of saloon doors and bustle of Dodge as immersive as ever.

Final Thoughts

The “Sweet and Sour” episode provides a classic morality tale about misjudgment, manipulation, and the peril of underestimating emotional motives. In an era (both of the episode's original airing and its period setting) where roles and reputations dictated behavior, the arrival of a seductive troublemaker sets off a chain of events Matt Dillon cannot control. Ultimately, it's a cautionary Gunmsoke tale about listening to the instincts of friends and the high cost of seemingly innocent entanglements.