Ben Sommars is the blacksmith in Dodge City, and he is one of Newly O'Brien's best friends. Ben is a strong, brutish type. When he drinks -- something he rarely does -- he can be destructive. He is not a man most people would describe as handsome.
Sommars has been corresponding by mail with a woman named Celia Madden. Celia travels to Dodge to meet Ben. When she arrives, Newly and Ben meet her and can quickly see she is an attractive woman. Newly instantly grows suspicious and begins investigating all he can about Ms. Madden.
It does not take long for Ben to become suspicious of Newly's intentions. Ben thinks Newly's interest in Celia is something more than curiosity and protectiveness of Ben's material possession and feelings. Soon, a rift develops between Newly and his good friend.
Ben and Celia begin to get to know one another, and the pair seemingly grow closer. Ben soon professes his love for the woman and asks her to marry him.
A stranger in town named Martin Blake sees Celia and Ben together and confronts her. Blake tells Ben that Celia had previously taken him for a considerable amount of money before running away, and he has followed her to Dodge. Blake contends that Celia owes him for the considerable funds he spent on her. Celia tells Ben that she thought she was attracted to Blake at one time, but she became frightened of him. Ben subsequently decides to give Celia the money to pay Blake what Blake says she owes.
The character actor Cliff Osmond portrays Ben Sommars. Osmond was no stranger to television dramas from the 1960s through the 1980s. He often played villains and losers, but in real life he was a respected acting teacher. This is one of his six different Gunsmoke guest roles.
The actress Melissa Murphy makes her first Gunsmoke appearance as Celia Madden. Her acting career was relatively short and did not include that many roles. She did return for one other Gunsmoke episode in Season 17's "One for the Road."
Frank Marth appears for the third of four Gunsmoke appearances as the Martin Blake character.
Since this story takes place mostly within the town, we see a few familiar Gunsmoke townspeople. Steve Raines also shows up once again as a stagecoach driver, a role he often played on the show.
Some variation of the mail order bride story is somewhat common in the Westerns genre. In the earlier days of U. S. history, many single men chose to migrate west into less populated, unsettled territory. The scarcity of women led some men to run ads for brides in eastern newspapers. Some women were attracted to the idea of leaving home and settling somewhere new for various reasons.
Marriages during that time were often more a matter of pragmatism and convenience than mutual physical and emotional attraction. It makes sense to think there were people who might try to take advantage of such circumstances.
The theme of this story is promising and offers something slightly different from the norm. The way the mystery of Celia's interest in Ben unravels is intriguing. The viewer can see something is wrong, but it is not clear what is going on until later in the episode. The performances are well done and convincing.
The ending of the story leaves more questions than it answers. Unfortunately, someone (Writer? Director? Producers?) chose to attempt to wrap everything in a pretty bow and imply an implausible, happy conclusion.
It is difficult to believe Ben and Celia could ever enjoy much happiness in a life together. It is more likely Ben would spend his days with Celia in a constant state of suspicion and jealousy. At the same time, Celia does not seem like the type to have a sudden change of heart and decide she and Ben belonged together. It would be more likely she would look for the first available opportunity to leave with a cowboy, find someone to rid herself of Ben, or both.
Sommars has been corresponding by mail with a woman named Celia Madden. Celia travels to Dodge to meet Ben. When she arrives, Newly and Ben meet her and can quickly see she is an attractive woman. Newly instantly grows suspicious and begins investigating all he can about Ms. Madden.
It does not take long for Ben to become suspicious of Newly's intentions. Ben thinks Newly's interest in Celia is something more than curiosity and protectiveness of Ben's material possession and feelings. Soon, a rift develops between Newly and his good friend.
Ben and Celia begin to get to know one another, and the pair seemingly grow closer. Ben soon professes his love for the woman and asks her to marry him.
A stranger in town named Martin Blake sees Celia and Ben together and confronts her. Blake tells Ben that Celia had previously taken him for a considerable amount of money before running away, and he has followed her to Dodge. Blake contends that Celia owes him for the considerable funds he spent on her. Celia tells Ben that she thought she was attracted to Blake at one time, but she became frightened of him. Ben subsequently decides to give Celia the money to pay Blake what Blake says she owes.
The character actor Cliff Osmond portrays Ben Sommars. Osmond was no stranger to television dramas from the 1960s through the 1980s. He often played villains and losers, but in real life he was a respected acting teacher. This is one of his six different Gunsmoke guest roles.
The actress Melissa Murphy makes her first Gunsmoke appearance as Celia Madden. Her acting career was relatively short and did not include that many roles. She did return for one other Gunsmoke episode in Season 17's "One for the Road."
Frank Marth appears for the third of four Gunsmoke appearances as the Martin Blake character.
Since this story takes place mostly within the town, we see a few familiar Gunsmoke townspeople. Steve Raines also shows up once again as a stagecoach driver, a role he often played on the show.
Some variation of the mail order bride story is somewhat common in the Westerns genre. In the earlier days of U. S. history, many single men chose to migrate west into less populated, unsettled territory. The scarcity of women led some men to run ads for brides in eastern newspapers. Some women were attracted to the idea of leaving home and settling somewhere new for various reasons.
Marriages during that time were often more a matter of pragmatism and convenience than mutual physical and emotional attraction. It makes sense to think there were people who might try to take advantage of such circumstances.
The theme of this story is promising and offers something slightly different from the norm. The way the mystery of Celia's interest in Ben unravels is intriguing. The viewer can see something is wrong, but it is not clear what is going on until later in the episode. The performances are well done and convincing.
The ending of the story leaves more questions than it answers. Unfortunately, someone (Writer? Director? Producers?) chose to attempt to wrap everything in a pretty bow and imply an implausible, happy conclusion.
It is difficult to believe Ben and Celia could ever enjoy much happiness in a life together. It is more likely Ben would spend his days with Celia in a constant state of suspicion and jealousy. At the same time, Celia does not seem like the type to have a sudden change of heart and decide she and Ben belonged together. It would be more likely she would look for the first available opportunity to leave with a cowboy, find someone to rid herself of Ben, or both.
