What a good episode done by originating "Gunsmoke" scriptwriter John Meston and director Harry Harris, assisting strong performances from prominent tv guest stars of the sixties -- leading man Jason Evers, beefy and bullying Claude Akins and Michael Forest, who once convincingly played a Greek god in the original "Star Trek". The regulars also did their parts to hold the story together. Top marks have to go to Bethel Leslie, who apart from her good looks always exudes an unusual mix of no-frills straightforwardness and sophisticated intelligence. Here as a saloon gal ready to settle down with the right guy she is given a well-drawn character and witty lines by Meston and does more with them than any other actress could, I believe.
5 Reviews
Entertaining story that was a pleasure to watch
kfo94941 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers
A nice story with a powerful ending is the best way to describe this episode. Well written and well acted episode that was entertaining to the end. A pleasure to watch.
A new girl, Elsa Poe, comes to Dodge and gets a job at the Long Branch working for Ms Kitty. Elsa had been a saloon girl all her life and was a breath of fresh air to the town.
Charlie Ross is half owner of a freight business in town and a well respected member of the city. Charlie comes to Elsa's aid one afternoon and the two appeared smitten with each other. It goes as far as Charlie asking Elsa to marry him.
But there are two traveling cowboys, Bob Sullins and Art McClain, that feel that they still have a shot with Elsa. In fact the two are so enthralled with Elsa, they they fight on the streets of Dodge wanting the other to stay away. Elsa has made it clear that she wants nothing to do with either one of the cowboys. Her heart is with Charlie.
The night before the wedding, someone enters Elsa room and knocks her out. Charlie hearing the noise runs into her room and is killed. The killer, unseen by the viewer, escapes through a window.
Now the town folks of Dodge in near riot condition. They want both Sullins and McClain hung. Matt will have to find a way to keep the prisoners from harm and find the true killer.
The show started off kind of slow but really picked up speed toward the end. It was one that will have you glued to the set for the entire time. A good show that was entertaining to watch.
A new girl, Elsa Poe, comes to Dodge and gets a job at the Long Branch working for Ms Kitty. Elsa had been a saloon girl all her life and was a breath of fresh air to the town.
Charlie Ross is half owner of a freight business in town and a well respected member of the city. Charlie comes to Elsa's aid one afternoon and the two appeared smitten with each other. It goes as far as Charlie asking Elsa to marry him.
But there are two traveling cowboys, Bob Sullins and Art McClain, that feel that they still have a shot with Elsa. In fact the two are so enthralled with Elsa, they they fight on the streets of Dodge wanting the other to stay away. Elsa has made it clear that she wants nothing to do with either one of the cowboys. Her heart is with Charlie.
The night before the wedding, someone enters Elsa room and knocks her out. Charlie hearing the noise runs into her room and is killed. The killer, unseen by the viewer, escapes through a window.
Now the town folks of Dodge in near riot condition. They want both Sullins and McClain hung. Matt will have to find a way to keep the prisoners from harm and find the true killer.
The show started off kind of slow but really picked up speed toward the end. It was one that will have you glued to the set for the entire time. A good show that was entertaining to watch.
One of the Best
cellecho3 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Kfo9494 summarized the story very well but what impressed me was the inclusion of so many regulars in meaningful roles: Kitty hired and befriended Elsa; Doc was the first to escort Elsa to the Long branch and treated her when she was shot; Quint was Matt's right-hand man in tracking down the murderer and held the mob at bay when they wanted to storm the jail; Sam not only provided drinks but played the fiddle (I'm sure he really played--I'm a musician and know he wasn't just faking it.) Festus was even mentioned but never appeared. My only regret was that they all "celebrated" at the end with drinks at the Long Branch. I didn't feel there was much to celebrate: 3 deaths.
An EPIC TRAGEDY
lrrap12 June 2021
VERY WELL Scripted, directed, acted, and photographed. Excellent all-around.
At the conclusion, you feel as if you've been through a two-hour epic drama, so tightly packed with action and great dialogue is this episode. The main characters are beautifully integrated into the action, which moves from stage arrival to charming scene with Doc, encounters in the Long Branch, Del Monaco's, the two bad jerks ready to rumble at Quint's blacksmith shop, a street fight, a gradually developing crisis between Elsa and the Three men in her life (two of whom are unwanted), a country picnic, a wedding party (with Sam (Glenn Strange) providing the fiddlin'), a murder in the dark, Matt and Quint in pursuit of the killers (but which one did it?), a near lynching, a lynch mob assault on Dillon's jail...and on and on......ALL OF IT expertly woven together into a superb, tense, gritty 50-minute drama, one of the BEST of the entire series.
Only two quibbles... why in the world did Elsa not tell everyone about the near-assault upstairs just before the wedding party..so that someone could have accompanied her afterwards for protection? And..the very final shot was a tad of a letdown; maybe it just needed to be handled in a slightly different way.
Still, a FABULOUS achievement in TV drama, especially considering the "grind" of producing an hour-long weekly series. LR.
At the conclusion, you feel as if you've been through a two-hour epic drama, so tightly packed with action and great dialogue is this episode. The main characters are beautifully integrated into the action, which moves from stage arrival to charming scene with Doc, encounters in the Long Branch, Del Monaco's, the two bad jerks ready to rumble at Quint's blacksmith shop, a street fight, a gradually developing crisis between Elsa and the Three men in her life (two of whom are unwanted), a country picnic, a wedding party (with Sam (Glenn Strange) providing the fiddlin'), a murder in the dark, Matt and Quint in pursuit of the killers (but which one did it?), a near lynching, a lynch mob assault on Dillon's jail...and on and on......ALL OF IT expertly woven together into a superb, tense, gritty 50-minute drama, one of the BEST of the entire series.
Only two quibbles... why in the world did Elsa not tell everyone about the near-assault upstairs just before the wedding party..so that someone could have accompanied her afterwards for protection? And..the very final shot was a tad of a letdown; maybe it just needed to be handled in a slightly different way.
Still, a FABULOUS achievement in TV drama, especially considering the "grind" of producing an hour-long weekly series. LR.
Who done it
maskers-871265 October 2018
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