User Reviews

This was an episode that I really wanted to like with the likes of John Anderson playing the lead character- it had to be a nice show. But while watching the show it seemed to dip into things that really slowed down the story making it less of a value than expected.

Adam Kimbro (John Anderson) a former US Marshal is down on his luck. He use to be one of the better lawmen in the west (even teaching Matt Dillon about being a lawmen) but now was let go from his job due to his age and living his life as a drunk bum. Matt sees a little bit of himself in the aging lawman and wants to give him some self-confidence. So Matt hired Kimbro for three days as they will bring gold from a mining company into the Dodge bank.

Here is where the story kind of gets away as the cleaned up Kimbro sees things and people in the mining town and wonders what his life would have been if he was not a lawman. It was apparent that the writer was trying to but Kimbro and Dillon's life on a parallel path- but it never really played that way.

On the way back to Dodge some bandits are waiting. And we get to see Kimbro and Matt working together to get the load to Dodge as the story gets interesting again.

Nothing really wrong with the story but was expecting more from the writer. But with that said the show was a nice way to spend an hour. Just wish they could have made the middle as interesting as the beginning and the end.

Prolific character actor John Anderson makes his twelfth and final appearance in the Gunsmoke series as an aging ex-lawman named Adam Kimbro. Kimbro, who gained renown for establishing law-and-order in Abilene as a U. S. Marshal, was one of Matt Dillon's most influential mentors. He left his mark in numerous other towns along the way.

Time has not been kind to Kimbro, however. At some point, people began to consider him too old to be effective in law enforcement. The man started drinking heavily and working odd jobs to earn enough money to buy the next drink.

When Kimbro takes a job cleaning stables in Dodge City, Matt is reunited with the man he holds in such high regard. The Marshal is shocked to see his old friend and teacher is now a down-and-out drunk drifting from town to town.

Marshal Dillon offers Kimbro a temporary deputy's job helping transport gold from a mining company back to Dodge. Kimbro, who is delighted at the opportunity to do what he has always loved with his old friend, willingly accepts the work.

As the pair make their way to and from the mining company, they stop in the town of Deerfield. Kimbro worked in the town at one time, and the short stop there gives him the chance to reacquaint himself with an old flame. They also manage to attract the interest of Peak Stratton and his incorrigible group of sons. Stratton decides to trail the Marshal and his Deputy and look for an opportunity to ambush them and steal the gold.

This episode is built around Anderson's character, and the actor provides his usual top-notch performance. Anderson's range as an actor was always impressive. He could play sympathetic characters, scheming villains, and angry, impetuous outlaws. He often played characters older than his actual age. It is worth noting that Anderson was less than a year older than James Arness, although the Kimbro character is clearly supposed to be much older than Matt Dillon.

The remaining cast is relegated to significantly less screen time than Anderson and Arness. Doreen Lang portrays Mary Bentley in this story. Mary is Kimbro's long lost love, and the pair share a reunion scene on the streets of Deerfield. Lang's only other Gunsmoke appearance was in the two-part "Snow Train" episode from Season 16. Lang was seven years older than Anderson. Both actors had worked with Alfred Hitchcock in films earlier in their careers. Lisa Eilbacher and Wendell Baker play Mary's children, Melody and John.

The Strattons are a typical villainous Gunsmoke family -- filthy and depraved. Michael Strong plays the father, Peak Stratton. Strong's only other Gunsmoke role was as a sinister bounty hunter in "Snap Decision," the first color episode of the series in Season 12.

A nearly unrecognizable William Devane (credited as "William De Vane") appears as Moss Stratton in his only Gunsmoke role. Devane would go on to play recurring characters in several television shows, including Knots Landing, The West Wing, and 24. Lesser-known actors Tom Falk and Rick Weaver play the other two Stratton sons.

The highlight of this Gunsmoke installment is definitely John Anderson's final series appearance. The brief glimpse into the background of the Matt Dillon character is worthwhile.

That is not to say the story is without problems. The conclusion is obvious from the beginning. Every viewer knows how this story is going to end as soon as Matt and Kimbro set out on their mission. The story is also clearly padded with material to fill the time. The scene where Kimbro just happens to see his old flame on the streets of Deerfield is one example. (Although one could argue this scene is obviously designed to juxtapose with Matt's relationship with Kitty Russell.) It is quite strange that Mary does not initially recognize Kimbro, but then she admits she has never stopped thinking of him.

The most egregious example of filler is a scene between Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen and Milburn Stone as Doc Adams that is dropped into the middle of the episode. The scene is typical of the type of banter we often see between the two characters, but the placement in the middle of this story is extremely odd.

(Side note: I have always thought it strange that Festus is so illiterate he does not recognize certain words. The scene mentioned is built around Doc admonishing Festus because he does not know the words printed on the badge he wears. Constant exposure to certain words should impart some knowledge of those words, even if the person does not generally recognize words.)

There are additional obvious plot elements that are ignored. For example, Kimbro had been an alcoholic for some time when the character is introduced, but he never suffers any withdrawal symptoms in the story after the Marshal deputizes him. When Matt and Kimbro ride into Deerfield, Kimbro acts as though he is tempted to visit the saloon, but when he sees Mary Bentley, he is distracted. The dependency on alcohol should have been addressed in some manner.

Writer Jim Byrnes clearly intends the audience to see the parallels between Matt Dillon's life and the life of Adam Kimbro, as well as the potential for Dillon's life to follow the same trajectory Kimbro has experienced following his law enforcement career. Byrnes figuratively beats the viewer over the head with the theme. However, I never had the sense as a viewer that Matt seriously considered the possibility of sharing Kimbro's fate. While Dillon certainly pities Kimbro's condition, there never seems to be any reflection on Matt's part that he fears his future holds anything similar.

Ultimately, this story comes across as lazy and incomplete. It had potential that was never fully realized.