User Reviews

This is a really good episode that effectively covers many poignant subjects and issues. This is another episode that I don't think modern era TV series would have the courage to show in such a straightforward manner.

Ultimately, the episode is about the commitment to infants. It shows negatively people who attach themselves too tightly to religious codes and therein lose the purpose behind the codes, which is to foster and advance compassion and charity.

At the heart of this is the idea that the infant is innocent of all sin and therefore should not be punished.

It also effectively shows the maternal instincts in a manner that is both dignified and poignant. This is an issue that could have been portrayed and written in a hamfisted manner, but instead it struck the right balance.

The way this episode is written and acted raise it to another level. Gunsmoke is a series that frequently hit high marks in presentation of complex social themes in a manner that was dignified and substantive. This is another such episode.

The best scene happens at the end. it is simply a beautiful ending, showing a very special moment between Matt and Kitty, one that cannot be revealed, but is well worth watching the episode to the end. Long before the book "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" was written, the ending of this episode showed how true the differences of the sexes truly are.

After watching this episode, it turned out to be one of the best shows of the entire series run of 'Gunsmoke'. Even after 19 years, James Arness and Amanda Blake were at the top of their game with interesting interchange between characters. This is why most people feel like Marshal Dillon and Ms Kitty are old friends that are welcomed any day of the week.

In this episode Dillon is forced to shoot an old friend, Eli Baines, during an drunken phase at the Long Branch. Mr Baines had a long time drinking problem that finally came to a head. Even with the understanding of Ms Baines, Matt feels remorse and sets out for a few days to be alone.

While on the trail, Matt happens up on a cave to escape the rain. Inside he finds a very young girl that has just had a baby. Seems like her family send her away after finding out she was with child. When Matt takes the girl and the baby back to family farm. The father will not accept the child. (It appears that the girl had been raped by an outlaw). The family will take the young girl back but will not take the baby. With the girl so young, Matt agrees to take the child with him in order to find a home.

When Matt arrives back in Dodge, Ms Kitty agrees to keep the baby until a suitable home is found. And it is not long until Matt finds the widow Baines that had always wanted a baby but was unable after having a still-birth many years ago.

All seems well until Ms Kitty refuses to give up the child. She has fallen for the baby and intend to give up her saloon for life as a mother. Much to the dismay of the widow Baines who had been planning for days for the baby to arrive.

The baby is placed between two people that want to share their love. It will be difficult for a decision to be made- and no matter the outcome- someone will shed tears.

A very good written script that is acted to near perfection. Great watch for any viewer. My highest grade for this wonderful story.

It all begins with Eli Baines and his wife coming to town to deal with the owner of the mercantile to apparently sell him seed. Eli's wife makes sure to ask him not to go to the saloon. It was no place for Eli because he became a different person if he drank. I've known people like that so this is not an uncommon situation. Well, Eli meets up with a friend on the street who wants him to come to the Long Branch to help him celebrate his son getting an appointment to West Point. His friend gets him there and thus Eli Baines' demise begins. He has way more than he could take and starts wrecking up the place fighting. Burke, the freight office manager goes to get Matt to break it up telling Matt that Eli has gone crazy. Matt pulls him off of the man he was beating up but Eli grabs a gun that was on the floor and fires at Matt forcing Matt to defend himself and ends up killing Eli. Matt knew him and his wife and really felt bad about what he had to do. Mrs Baines held no hard feelings against Matt knowing that he did what he had to do and went to talk with Matt to assure him of that. Matt decides to get away for a few days and Kitty sees him getting ready to leave so she goes to talk to him. She even tries to blame herself for what happened as had Sam been there he would never have served Eli more than one drink but with a new man behind the bar he did not know about Eli and Kitty just never thought to tell him..So Matt rides off. He gets caught in a rain storm the following night and happens upon a cave to get him and his horse into. He no more than gets inside and a fire started than he hears a baby cry. He walks ahead a short distance and finds a young girl,likely no more than 15, with a new baby. She seems scared asks him who he is and if he's an outlaw, which he assures her by his badge that he is a United States Marshal from Dodge City. He can easily tell the baby is cold and its mother not a lot better and gets them to come by his fire to ET some heat and some food. Upon finding out what he can about the girl he learns that she was attacked and ended up pregnant because of it. Her parents would have nothing to do with her and sent her away to a "home for wayward girls" to have her baby. She leaves there not wanting to have her baby there " because one of the girls died ". She decided to go and find the lady who had delivered her to have her help her deliver the baby. Before getting there, the baby comes and this is how she ended up in the cave. Matt takes her back to her family but he meets with opposition. The parents relent and take back their daughter but refuse the baby. They send the baby with Matt back to Dodge. Matt gets back late with the baby in his arm and stops at the Long Branch and wakes up Kitty. She really had no idea what was going on and why should she but she ends up with the baby in her arms and Matt tells her he'd see her in the morning. One might have known he would do that. Kitty begins to care for the child even admitting that the saloon was no place for one but that Matt didn't have to be in a hurry to find a home for it either. Kitty grew very attached to this little baby. Bought a carriage for it, a bassinet, and pretty clothes with tiny ribbons. In the meantime, Doc thinks that Mrs. Baines would be a very good person to raise the child as she had given birth but her baby died. Matt goes to see her about it and she agrees to take it. Kitty however is at this point determined to do whatever it takes to"properly raise" the baby. To quote Kitty she had"gotten a room at the Dodge House,I move in tomorrow when she gets older I'll get a house on the edge of Dodge and if necessary I sell the Long Branch. So you see she'll be raised properly". Quite determined, wasn't she. Matt had no choice at that time but to tell Mrs. Baines he wouldn't be bringing the baby after all because Kitty wanted to keep it. Poor Mrs. Baines she was so looking forward to something positive in her life. She decides to go and visit with Kitty in hopes of changing her mind. After the visit, Kitty comes to Matt with the baby,she named it Mary, and tells him she has decided that Mary would be better off with Mrs. Baines and would Matt take her there. She asks that he say nothing because"it won't take much for me to change my mind" He asks no questions and takes her out there. Kitty gives Mary to Mrs. Baines, who is elated.Matt and Kitty leave and much emotion for Kitty goes with her. I'll leave the rest those who watch you will not be sorry you did!

I enjoyed "The Foundling" because it was a different story line than usual. Not only did it show "Kitty" in a different light, it showed us what could have happened in those days if this situation had come about. It showed the compassion for our fellow man (woman). This was not only the best way to go for the situation but the only way to go for the series. If "Kitty" had kept the baby so many of the story lines after this one would have to change. The Longbranch would have to be owned by someone else. Matt would not see Kitty as much because she would not be in the thick of things he would have to go to see her and that too would have to be another story line.

Eli and Maylee Baines live on a farm near Dodge City and are in town to pick up supplies. Eli is normally a gentle, decent, hard-working man, but when he drinks, he becomes violent. After purchasing the supplies, Eli goes to the Long Branch Saloon where he gets drunk and begins fighting and breaking things.

Nathan Burke alerts Marshal Matt Dillon that Eli is wreaking havoc in the Long Branch. When Matt responds, Eli hits the Marshal and starts to draw his gun. Matt shoots and kills Eli in an act of self-defense.

Matt is profoundly troubled by his actions. Kitty Russell and Doc Adams try to tell their friend that he had no choice, and Matt knows this, but he also has trouble accepting the fact that he killed someone he considered a good man. The Marshal's response to this existential crisis is to leave town for a few days of solitude and self-reflection.

When Matt seeks refuge in a cave during a rainstorm, he discovers a young woman and baby. The baby has recently been born. (This is a problematic story element that is never explained. How does a young, inexperienced woman that has lived an isolated existence give birth to a baby with no assistance, and yet the umbilical cord has obviously been cut, and the baby has been cleaned and appears to be perfectly healthy?)

The girl tells Matt she is not married, and the baby is the result of being assaulted by one of a group of buffalo hunters that had stopped at their house while her parents were away. She does not want the child, and her parents -- people with some extremely distorted ethics shaped by their religion -- consider the child "evil" because of how it was conceived.

Marshal Dillon takes the baby back to Dodge. In a rude move, he wakes Kitty and hands her the baby, turns, and then walks away! Fortunately, Kitty proves to be a willing and capable caretaker for the infant.

Doc suggests approaching Maylee Baines about adopting the baby, and when asked if she is interested, the widow enthusiastically agrees. (This raises another question: how does a woman living along on a farm have the means to care for herself, let alone a baby?) Conflict arises, however, when Kitty decides she wants to keep the child.

This episode features another strong cast of actors, some new to the series, and some veterans.

Character actor Don Collier makes the second of his two Gunsmoke appearances in this story. His screen time is limited, because he plays Eli Baines, who is killed early in the episode. Although Collier only appeared in two episodes of the series, he also had parts in two of the Gunsmoke made-for-television movies.

Bonnie Bartlett makes her Gunsmoke debut as the Maylee Baines character. Bartlett returns for another appearance in Season 20.

Kay Lenz portrays Lettie Graham, the young woman with the baby. This is the only Gunsmoke appearance for Lenz, and it takes place early in her acting career.

Familiar actor Donald Moffat appears in his lone Gunsmoke role as Lettie's father Joseph, who wields his rigid, religion-based self-righteousness as a weapon. Dran Hamilton plays his wife Agnes, who is not as harsh as her husband, but still holds to the same unyielding beliefs. This is also Hamilton's only Gunsmoke appearance.

There are two distinct, separate stories embedded within this episode. The first deals with the Graham family, the circumstances surrounding Lettie's pregnancy, and the family's reaction to the baby. It is heartbreaking that someone would view a baby as inherently evil because of the horrid method in which it was conceived. The whole situation seems archaic and ignorant, but 150 years later, there remain countless examples of similar thinking. It is a sad portion of the story, but I could not help but think it was better for the baby that she did not have to grow up in the toxic environment in which the Graham's lived.

The idea of Matt Dillon carrying a baby on a horse on a journey of some distance back to Dodge City is curious and amusing. Did Matt change the baby's diaper? Did he feed the baby? When he finally delivers the baby to Kitty, the baby is not crying.

The second story involves Kitty's attachment to the baby and her decision to keep and raise it. This is the more predictable part of the story, as there is never much suspense as to how the story will end. I could not help but wonder if a judge in 1870s America would be likely to grant custody of an orphan to a single woman, since the only adoption candidates mentioned are single women. One of those women is a saloon owner -- and likely runs a brothel upstairs, although this is never mentioned in the television series. The other is recently widowed with no apparent means of support.

The Gunsmoke writers and producers seemingly had an affection for stories about orphans and their disposition as there are several episodes built around orphaned children. The attempt at providing an emotional story mostly fails due to trite, lazy attempts at audience manipulation.

This episode could easily have been on that catalog of misery called 'Little House on the Prairie'. This has got to be one of the most contrived entries in Gunsmoke's history; like the writers just wrote something to pad the season to meet the quota.

The mood is disingenuous and the weary actors seem to mail it in, in this poorly done outing. There are clumsy, trite attempts to pull at the heart strings, it just comes off as overdone and formulaic, because we've seen it a thousand times before.

What makes least sense is Kitty's instantaneous exuberance to be burdened with a newborn. One of the very worst episodes, nothing works. The only redeeming thing is a look at a gracile young Kay Lenz in one of her early roles as the baby's biological mother.

This episode might be stellar to the above reviewers but the Foundling just doesn't resonate the same with me.