This is the first time that Kitty killed someone on Gunsmoke (but not the last). The theme of medical malpractice came up several times over the years. Various characters blamed doctors for the death of their loved ones, regardless of the facts. In "Song for the Dying" (Season 10, Episode 21), Robert F. Simon is on a mission to kill a doctor who he blamed for the death of his wife during pregnancy.
Robert F. Simon often played nasty characters, but Abraham Sofaer could give him a run for his money when it comes to emoting evil, hatred, and vileness.
The twist in this episode is that his daughter's husband, Ollie Radford, did not take his daughter to the doctor when she was pregnant, and she died in stillbirth. Gunsmoke always seemed to mine the most tragic stories. Sofaer blames the husband, Radford (played by John Pickard, who appeared on Gunsmoke twelve times), for her death during pregnancy.
Now Sofaer hears that Radford remarried, and that his new wife is having a baby. The fact that Doc Adams is involved with the pregnancy of the new wife infuriates Sofaer even more, because he takes it as further proof that Radford wanted his daughter to die.
Doc Adams, Miss Kitty, Marshal Dillon, and Chester all decide to keep the location of Radford and his wife a secret, and to force Sofaer to leave town on the next train. Sounds good, except that Chester runs into the Longbranch Saloon and yells at Miss Kitty that the wife is giving birth at Ma Smalley's. Sofaer is there and hears everything, thus setting tragic events into play.
Sofaer puts a gun to the back of Miss Kitty, and orders her to take him to Ma Smalley. The whole time he is being verbally and physically abusive. Sofaer could really emote viciousness and pure maniacal evil. He is incredibly scary as he shoves and pushes Kitty down the back alleys, expecting to find his former son-in-law, so he can kill Radford, and probably his pregnant wife, Miss Kitty, Ma Smalley, and even Doc Adams. This episode does a great job of building up the stress and tension. Amanda Blake delivers an impressive performance, where she alternates between angry and terrified as Sofaer shoves her around and verbally abuses her. Soafaer acts insanely demonic.
Two issues to mention are that in "Thick and Thin" (Season 5, Episode 16), the main cast discusses that Ma Smalley closed up the boarding house and moved back east. Now Ma Smalley's boarding house is back open, and nobody ever mentions whether or not she returned.
The other issue to mention is that Chester was always used to create problems due to his lack of discretion. On many occasions, he has run into the Longbranch, or some other public location full of people (usually including a villain or two), and shouted out very important and sensitive information, thus triggering a tragedy or showdown. In this sense, he is like little Mark McCain on The Rifleman, who always seemed to walk into the villain of the week, and tell him all the stuff that his Dad, Lucas, had told him not to say.
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