Seven years before Kolchak, The Night Stalker TV series began, Darren McGavin and Simon Oakland teamed up in this episode of Gunsmoke. It is great to see the character tension between them, with Oakland plotting to kill McGavin because he is too kind to Matt Dillon.
The actual story is hard to believe. Ms. Kitty telegraphs all the Sheriffs and Marshals on the way to Mexico to let McGavin & Oakland (and Vitto Scotti & Tom Reese) pass through their jurisdictions, because Matt Dillon is being held hostage. No doubt at least some of those marshals and sheriffs were not friends of Dillon, and might not care if he got killed. The four escaped convicts riding in a wagon were sitting ducks. Any good sniper could have taken them out with just some moderate risk to Dillon.
This episode is not very big on action, but it is fast-paced due to the non-stop arguments between the four convicts and Dillon. The villains are a pretty bad bunch. Vito Scotti often played bad guys, including Indians, and comancheros. Tom Reese was another bad gunslinger. Oakland had played what may be the first Western serial killer on an episode of Bonanza, and Darrin McGavin was probably the best actor among the villains.
Also in the mix was Ms. Kitty, Doc Adams, and Festus working with Thad to try and help Dillon. It works out to be a fun and entertaining episode of good guys versus bad guys.