A powerful, ruthless cattle baron named Carl Ryker and his hired hands are wreaking havoc in and around the town of Brimstone. The Governor has asked Matt Dillon to investigate the situation and take the necessary steps to establish law and order.
When Matt arrives in Brimstone, he discovers an old friend, Chauncey Demon, there. Demon is a former lawman. He and Matt helped tame the town of Laredo when both were younger men. In the years since that time, Matt has established himself in Dodge City, while Demon has fallen on tough times. His wife died. He was arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for actions he took against the Sioux after they signed a peace treaty with the U. S. government. Since his release from prison, he has found whatever solace available by remaining as drunk as possible.
The sheriff of Brimstone becomes ill and is temporarily unable to continue acting as sheriff. Matt is convinced Chauncey is the man for the job. Marshal Dillon convinces the citizens for Brimstone to appoint Demon as sheriff, but Demon has his own personal demons to defeat before he can take on anyone else or any other duties.
Cameron Mitchell, who Westerns fans will best remember as Uncle Buck Cannon on The High Chaparral, plays Chauncey Demon. This is Mitchell's only Gunsmoke role, but he did go on to appear in three episodes of the series How the West Was Won with James Arness.
The episode features a side story where a romance develops between Demon and Kathy Carter, the widow of another lawman that was a friend of Matt and Chauncey. Kathy lives with her son Johnny near Brimstone.
Actress Barbara Colby portrays Kathy Carter, and young Eric Olson plays her son, Johnny. Colby was a talented, promising young actress whose life ended tragically within months of filming this episode when she and her boyfriend were murdered in a brutal, unprovoked attack in Venice, California in a crime that has never been solved. This is the sole Gunsmoke appearance for Colby and Olson.
Marc Alaimo appears in one of his early roles in a scene as an arrogant, over-confident gunfighter named Kane. He would later appear as a recurring character in the series Hill Street Blues and appeared as various characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also had a recurring role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the Cardassian character Gul Dukat.
John Russell portrays the cattle baron Carl Ryker, and Paul Gehrman and Alec Murdock appear as a couple of his hired bullies. This episode is the only Gunsmoke appearance for each.
William Bryant appears for the eighth and final time in this story. Here he plays the sheriff of Brimstone. George Murdock also makes his last appearance in the series. He plays Luke, the bartender in Brimstone. This marks his fourth Gunsmoke role.
This story includes elements previously used in other Gunsmoke episodes. Combine details from the Season 19 episode "The Town Tamers" with "Kimbro" from Season 18, and the results might be like this story.
Taken on its own merits, this is not a bad episode, but when considered with the entire Gunsmoke body of work, it lacks originality. There also aren't any surprises in the episode. The various story lines play out as expected. The bad guys never seem especially threatening. The primary conflict is Demon's internal struggles, not the more conventional fight against the authoritarian rancher. (Demon admits this during a key scene in the story.) The viewer does learn a few more details about Matt's past. This is yet another episode that only involves the Matt Dillon character.
As expected, the performances are outstanding. Cameron Mitchell's performance as Chauncey Demon is particularly noteworthy.
When Matt arrives in Brimstone, he discovers an old friend, Chauncey Demon, there. Demon is a former lawman. He and Matt helped tame the town of Laredo when both were younger men. In the years since that time, Matt has established himself in Dodge City, while Demon has fallen on tough times. His wife died. He was arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for actions he took against the Sioux after they signed a peace treaty with the U. S. government. Since his release from prison, he has found whatever solace available by remaining as drunk as possible.
The sheriff of Brimstone becomes ill and is temporarily unable to continue acting as sheriff. Matt is convinced Chauncey is the man for the job. Marshal Dillon convinces the citizens for Brimstone to appoint Demon as sheriff, but Demon has his own personal demons to defeat before he can take on anyone else or any other duties.
Cameron Mitchell, who Westerns fans will best remember as Uncle Buck Cannon on The High Chaparral, plays Chauncey Demon. This is Mitchell's only Gunsmoke role, but he did go on to appear in three episodes of the series How the West Was Won with James Arness.
The episode features a side story where a romance develops between Demon and Kathy Carter, the widow of another lawman that was a friend of Matt and Chauncey. Kathy lives with her son Johnny near Brimstone.
Actress Barbara Colby portrays Kathy Carter, and young Eric Olson plays her son, Johnny. Colby was a talented, promising young actress whose life ended tragically within months of filming this episode when she and her boyfriend were murdered in a brutal, unprovoked attack in Venice, California in a crime that has never been solved. This is the sole Gunsmoke appearance for Colby and Olson.
Marc Alaimo appears in one of his early roles in a scene as an arrogant, over-confident gunfighter named Kane. He would later appear as a recurring character in the series Hill Street Blues and appeared as various characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also had a recurring role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the Cardassian character Gul Dukat.
John Russell portrays the cattle baron Carl Ryker, and Paul Gehrman and Alec Murdock appear as a couple of his hired bullies. This episode is the only Gunsmoke appearance for each.
William Bryant appears for the eighth and final time in this story. Here he plays the sheriff of Brimstone. George Murdock also makes his last appearance in the series. He plays Luke, the bartender in Brimstone. This marks his fourth Gunsmoke role.
This story includes elements previously used in other Gunsmoke episodes. Combine details from the Season 19 episode "The Town Tamers" with "Kimbro" from Season 18, and the results might be like this story.
Taken on its own merits, this is not a bad episode, but when considered with the entire Gunsmoke body of work, it lacks originality. There also aren't any surprises in the episode. The various story lines play out as expected. The bad guys never seem especially threatening. The primary conflict is Demon's internal struggles, not the more conventional fight against the authoritarian rancher. (Demon admits this during a key scene in the story.) The viewer does learn a few more details about Matt's past. This is yet another episode that only involves the Matt Dillon character.
As expected, the performances are outstanding. Cameron Mitchell's performance as Chauncey Demon is particularly noteworthy.
