In its second season, Gunsmoke blazed its way
into the top ten, where it would stay for the next six years (four
of them ranked No. 1), and James Arness earned an Emmy nomination
for his towering portrayal of U. S. Marshal Matt Dillon. Dillon
broke the mold of the TV lawman. As he notes in one episode, "They
tell me that back East, there are a lot of book writers and
newspaper people who picture a frontier lawman as someone pretty
near perfection, who always guns his man down, never makes a
mistake, he's at the top of the heap on every play." The
"mule-headed" Dillon is not that man. "My job is to keep the peace,
and I'll do it my own way," he proclaims. In the episode "No
Indians," he ambushes a band of white men who slaughter a family and
frame the Pawnee Indians for the crime. "What kind of man would
ambush a bunch of men like that?" a wounded survivor protests. "My
kind, mister," Dillon replies. In the episode "Cow Doctor," he
knocks out a man who knifes Doc. "Let me know when he comes to and
I'll knock him out again," Dillon states. And in "The Mistake," he
arrests the wrong man for murder.
These half-hour black and
white episodes (the show expanded to an hour format in its seventh
season) deliver traditional Western action, but at the heart of
Gunsmoke are its character-based human dramas. An excellent
example is "Gone Straight," featuring Carl Betz (The Donna Reed
Show) as a man who answers the description of a wanted outlaw,
but who is now an upstanding citizen trying to help another man (Tige
Andrews of The Mod Squad) reform. Some episodes play out in
unexpected ways that defy convention. We can pretty much guess the
fate of an old friend who insists on helping Matt in "The Round-Up,"
but we can't predict at whose hand.
Gunsmoke was directed by sure Western hands, including
Andrew McLaglan, Ted Post, and Christian Nyby. Several episodes were
written by Sam Peckinpah, including "The Round-Up" and "Legal
Revenge," featuring a young Cloris Leachman as a woman who appears
to have it in for her wounded husband. Several episodes address
social issues such as racism ("Sins of the Fathers" featuring Angie
Dickinson as the daughter of a marauding Indian chief) and gun
culture (the powerful "don't take your guns to town" episode, "Young
Man with a Gun"). Along with Matt Dillon, the rest of Gunsmoke's
characters became archetypes: "Mr. Dillon's" drawling, bum-legged
deputy, Chester (Dennis Weaver), ornery Doc (Milburn Stone), and
saloon gal, Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), who, by the way, looks quite
fetching in a riding outfit. An interesting bonus are the show's
sponsor shots for LM cigarettes. "See you next week," Arness puffs.
"In the meantime, light up." --Donald Liebenson
Season 2 (1956-57)
39 episodes
#
Airdate
Prod. Code
Title
Overview
40
September 8, 1956
541
Cow Doctor
Doc heals a man who he had a knife fight
with.
41
September 15, 1956
542
Brush at Elkader
Marshal Dillon pursues a suspect with no
description to a town called Elkader. Unfortunately the
townsfolk of Elkader seem to be protecting the criminal.
42
September 22, 1956
540
Custer
A mischievous runaway soldier seems to
escape punishment for his crimes. However, he is recaptured
by the army and is sent to fight with General Custer at the
Battle of Little Big Horn.
43
September 29, 1956
544
The Round Up
Marshal Dillon is furious after a Dodge
City roundup ends in the accidental death of a longtime
friend.
44
October 20, 1956
545
Young Man with a Gun
A young man comes to Dodge with a
vendetta against Marshal Dillon.
45
October 27, 1956
546
Indian White
A woman attempts to raise a reluctant
white boy who was raised by Indians.
46
November 10, 1956
550
How to Cure a Friend
A crooked gambler sets up a poker game
with the richest man in Dodge City.
