Old Time Radio Westerns – Dr. Sixgun: Trouble with First Male Teacher

Podcast Host: Andrew Rhynes
Episode Date: December 12, 2025
Original Broadcast: Dr. Sixgun (12-05-54)

Episode Overview

This episode of Dr. Sixgun revolves around the arrival of Frenchman’s Ford’s first male schoolteacher, Mr. Ferris, and the trouble that follows. Renowned for blending justice and mercy in a lawless land, Dr. Sixgun and town residents must contend with a series of schoolteacher turnovers, local superstitions about male teachers, and a string of daring robberies. The story escalates when the new teacher’s mysterious habits and the town’s recent crime spree collide in a dramatic, poignant finale.

Key Discussion Points & Story Beats

1. The Schoolteacher Dilemma in Frenchman’s Ford

• Problems filling the post: The town has trouble keeping a schoolteacher—there have been three marriages among schoolmarms in a year, leaving the position unfilled.
  • “She juiced up and told banker Grierson she was giving him notice... She was getting married.” (03:21)
  • Grierson expresses frustration: “He said he was getting sick and tired of playing matchmaker for lonely cowhands and flighty school marms.” (05:15)
• Unconventional solution: The town hires a male teacher from back East, Mr. Ferris, offering double salary and lodging with Dr. Matson.

2. First Encounters with Mr. Ferris

• Arrival and first impressions: Mr. Ferris arrives awkward but polite, fitting the look of a schoolmaster, not a gunman or cowboy.
  • “He was a tall, gangling young man with a high forehead and a prominent, sharp nose...”
• Odd habits: Carries few belongings, prefers walking at night, and quietly observes the town’s unconventional ways.

3. Mr. Ferris in the Classroom and Town

• Unorthodox methods: Implements new discipline—yardstick for boys (“no gentleman would hit a lady”)—and abandons rote learning for story-time.
  • Student Susie: “Ms. Maud used to give us swaps with the ruler. Mr. Ferris uses the yardstick... But he only switches the boys. He says no gentleman would hit a lady.” (19:01)
  • On his teaching: “We just listen. He reads us poems and stories... Creepy stories by Mr. Poe.” (20:02)
• Impact beyond school: Reads classics in the Bull Run Saloon, winning over skeptical townsfolk and even calming drunken outbursts by reading Dickens aloud.
  • “Mr. Ferris read for some time by the light of the flickering lamps in the Bull Run Saloon... Cherokee Sam put his gun back in his holster and ordered a fresh drink.” (33:13)

4. The Mystery of Mr. Ferris

• Strange behaviors: Takes solitary night walks, reads Greek, becomes deeply respected but somewhat inscrutable.
  • “No, Doctor... When the mood comes, I must walk in the night... I find the still of the night the ideal time for meditation. It fills an almost religious need for me, you know.” – Mr. Ferris (26:33)
• Growing attachment: Locals become fond and even protective of Ferris, worried for his safety due to an uptick in robberies by the “Black Slicker Bandit”—a mysterious criminal with long blond hair.

5. Rising Tension: Crime Wave Hits Close to Home

• String of robberies: Robber carries out attacks across the area, including hold-ups of the Bull Run Saloon and an army paymaster’s wagon.
• Mr. Ferris attacked: News breaks that Ferris was also held up and injured while out at night, shocking the community.
  • “What do you think of a low down, miserable yellow dog that had hit a peaceful, helpless critter like the schoolmaster on the head and steal his money?” – O’Shea (45:21)

6. The Truth Revealed

• Bandit’s last act: The Black Slicker Bandit is shot during a robbery and presumed to be hiding in town.

• Shocking revelation: Dr. Sixgun finds Mr. Ferris home, fatally wounded from a gunshot—his belongings (including a black slicker and guns) expose him as the bandit.

  • “You’ve been shot.” – Dr. Sixgun
  • “Yes, I have been shot.” – Mr. Ferris (54:32)

• Ferris’s Confession:

  • “You mean am I a bandit turned schoolmaster or a schoolmaster turned bandit? A little of both... Doctor, have you any idea how difficult it is for a man of my tastes and background to live on the salary the town of Frenchman's Ford pays a school teacher?” (55:48)
  • He admits past crimes, lack of means, and inability to resist temptation. Dies before he can be brought to justice.

7. Community Reaction & Epilogue

• Sorrow and anticlimax: O’Shea and Cherokee Sam are devastated—not just by Ferris’s death, but also by having the storytime end without learning how “Oliver Twist” concludes.
  • Cherokee Sam: “Doggone it, I wish that fella’d waited a couple of weeks before he got his cell phone filled full of lead. We never will know what happened to Oliver Twist.” (58:33)
• Subtle change: The new schoolteacher is a woman again, returning to old routines—children, meanwhile, wish for the days of stories and the strange, gentle man who once read to them.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the revolving door of schoolmarms:
  “He allowed us how the kids could learn reading and writing off the wanted posters on the wall of the sheriff's office.” (05:20)
• Mr. Ferris’ philosophy:
  “There’s a Latin quotation—Horace, which says… he who is good and trustworthy need carry no arms. Virtue protects him.” (49:38)
• Ferris on living in the West:
  “It’s because so few teachers have the proper training.” (56:32)
• Final wishes of a child:
  “Gee, I wish Mr. Ferris was back.” – Susie (59:42)
• Cowpoke’s lament for literature:
  “We never will know what happened to Oliver Twist.” – Cherokee Sam (1:00:08)

Timeline & Timestamps

• 00:51 Introduction to the town and schoolteacher problem
• 06:12 Mr. Ferris arrives; meets Dr. Matson and townsfolk
• 17:21 Mr. Ferris’s approach in school and conversation with Susie
• 21:50 Ferris reading Greek, night walks; townsfolk find him odd but intriguing
• 33:13 Ferris calms rowdy saloon with Dickens
• 45:21 The robbery of Mr. Ferris; shock and anger in town
• 54:32 Dr. Sixgun finds Ferris wounded; Ferris’s true identity revealed
• 58:33 Cherokee Sam’s lament on unfinished “Oliver Twist”

Tone and Style

The episode unfolds with a gentle humor, a sense of wistfulness, and the classic dry wit of Old Time Radio Westerns, culminating in a poignant, melancholy conclusion that underscores the complexity of human character and the unpredictability of life on the frontier.

For New Listeners

This story stands out for its playful, clever social commentary on frontier society—its suspicion of outsiders, longing for something more (or at least more entertaining!), and unfulfilled dreams. It blends suspense, satire, and sadness in equal measure, with a twist ending that leaves the listener reflecting on justice, redemption, and all the stories left untold.