User Reviews

Morgan and Abe Curry are two brothers that have a ranch out of town. Both brothers are always seen in town together and are liked by just about everyone. After a town visit, Morgan and Abe ride to their ranch to find a smartly dressed man helping himself to the hay. When Abe asks the man, Tom Clegg, to move along Clegg forces Abe to draw and Abe is shot dead. Morgan buries his brother near the ranch.

The next day Morgan rides into Dodge to tell Matt that his brother was murdered. But when Matt hears the story he says that it was self defense since Abe was going for his gun. Morgan vows that Tom Clegg will die.

A classic western where nobody really wins the outcome of the situation. But at the end at least the viewer can move on knowing that some type of justice was served. Nice show.

Abe and Morgan Curry are two friendly, devoted brothers who own a ranch near Dodge City. They have recently spent some time in town drinking and gambling. After they spend their money and have their fill of whiskey, they return to their ranch. When they arrive, they find a stranger helping himself to hay and water.

Abe does not take kindly to seeing a stranger taking such liberties on their property. Angry words are exchanged, and the stranger challenges Abe to a gunfight. Morgan tries to warn Abe not to draw, but Abe foolishly indulges the stranger and is killed. The stranger then tries to goad Morgan into a gunfight, but the wiser brother refuses. The stranger mentions he will be in Dodge if Morgan changes his mind.

Morgan is heartbroken over his brother's death. He follows the stranger - who we soon learn is a gunfighter named Tom Clegg - back to Dodge. Morgan knows he is no match for Clegg in a gunfight. He begins following the gunfighter around Dodge. Clegg soon becomes frustrated with Morgan's constant surveillance. Matt Dillon and the other residents of Dodge take notice of the situation.

Liam Sullivan makes the first of two appearances in the series with this performance as Tom Clegg. Sullivan was a talented actor who would provide several memorable performances on television shows such as The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, but he is miscast as the Tom Clegg character. He never seems as menacing as the character should be.

Devoted Gunsmoke fans may remember Michael Hinn from the earlier Season 2 episode "The Round Up." In that episode he plays an old friend of Marshal Dillon's who Matt accidentally kills. In this story, Hinn plays Morgan Curry.

Robert Keys makes his only Gunsmoke appearance as Abe Curry. Keys frequented numerous television dramas in the 1950s and early 1960s.

"Executioner" is one of those sad, tragic stories where none of the main players emerge unscathed. Stories where a character intentionally annoys another to the point the second character takes drastic action are not that uncommon. The viewer can see where this story is headed from the time Morgan arrives in Dodge.

For starters - I'd say that when it came down to the pivotal "Tom Clegg" character in the story, actor, Liam Sullivan, just wasn't at all suited for this role. From my perspective - Sullivan clearly didn't come across (neither in his appearance nor in his actions) as being the convincing "tough guy" gunslinger that this part required him to be.

Anyway - For the most part - "Executioner" only amounted to being a pretty standard episode from the second season of TV's "Gunsmoke". And, with that said - It had both its fair share of good moments, as well as its not-so-good moments, too.

The Curry brothers are a couple of friendly guys. So when brother Abe gets gunned down by menacing gunman Clegg over little or nothing, brother Morgan looks to Matt to avenge his brother's killing. But what's Matt to do since it appears Abe drew first.

Strong story. We expect Matt and Clegg to have a showdown, but what will trigger it since technically Clegg has not broken the law. Here, the story gets interesting and unconventional. At the same time, an unexpected moral question arises. My only misgiving is with the actor playing Clegg (Liam Sullivan) who projects unevenly from one scene to the next. Otherwise, it's a strong series entry.