User Reviews

When card dealer Earl Haney is found in an alley badly beaten up his last words to the Marshal about the attack was a man with a mustache and red shirt. With only that limited information Matt already has a suspect in mind my the name of Jim Bostick. Seems that Jim (Mike Connors) has been a problem since arriving in Dodge and even had a feud with Haney plus the fact he wears a red shirt and sports a mustache makes him the prime suspect.

Matt goes over to talk with Jim that has been playing cards all evening and into the morning. The only time he does not have an alibi at the card table is for about an hour around 4am, which just so happens to be the time Haney was last seen. But Jim tells Matt that he went to see Doc Adams about a stomach illness. Matt does not believe the story since Doc Adams is out of town on a medical run. Matt locks up Jim pending Doc's return.

Before Doc arrives back, Jim has broken out of jail and is in route to Coldwater. Matt and Chester ride after him ready to haul him back to the jail at any cost to stand trail for Earl Haney's killing.

A very unusual story that shows that even Marshal Dillon is human and can experience times of weakness. A very entertaining show that makes for great watch for the viewers.

Note- Even though Kitty has no part of the plot, the riding outfit that she had on at the beginning of the episode makes her look as sexy as ever.

Sam Noonan, the bartender at the Long Branch Saloon, finds a seriously injured Earl Haney behind the saloon. Haney had been dealing faro at the Long Branch. Before he dies, Haney provides a description of the culprit. The description fits Jim Bostick.

(This may be the first time in the series Sam's last name is used. It is mentioned a couple of times in this episode.)

Marshal Dillon finds Bostick involved in a card game in town. When Matt questions the suspect, he admits he did not care for Haney, but he insists he did not kill the man. Matt sees Bostick's attitude toward Haney as further proof of his guilt and arrests him. Bostick claims he was playing cards most of the night with witnesses, but there was a brief time he left to see Doc Adams about an upset stomach. Doc is out of town, and Matt is unable to verify Bostick's claim. When Chester tries to put Bostick in a jail cell, the suspect locks Chester in the cell and escapes. Since Bostick flees, the Marshal is further convinced he must be guilty of Haney's murder.

Matt and Chester pursue and catch Bostick, but Bostick continues to insist he did not kill Haney. Bostick refuses to be taken into custody. He goes so far as to begin to draw his gun on the Marshal, but he is no match for the Marshal. Matt shoots him in the shoulder. The wound is not fatal.

The question of Bostick's guilt remains unanswered.

Mike "Touch" Connors portrays Jim Bostick. This is the only Gunsmoke guest appearance for Connors. The actor would soon begin starring in the series Tightrope, but it only lasted one season. A few years later, he would star as Private Detective Joe Mannix in the popular series Mannix. Seeing him in this early role adds to the appeal of the episode.

The recognizable Cyril Delevanti makes the second of eight appearances in the series with this episode. He appears briefly as a driver Matt questions.

This isn't a bad episode, but the story is predictable. It is reminiscent of a Perry Mason episode where the viewer KNOWS the person arrested for the murder is the one party involved that must not be guilty.

The Jim Bostick character is poorly developed. He does not appear to be a stupid person, yet he announces where he wants to go, and then casually makes his way there (Coldwater) after he escapes from jail. Did he think Matt would not come after him? When Matt and Chester easily catch him, he foolishly chooses to fight. If he was so convinced of his innocence, why couldn't he just wait for Doc to return and verify his alibi?

The title of the episode refers to Matt's actions, but the Marshal did what he was supposed to do. He arrested a suspect in a murder. The suspect escaped custody, Matt pursued him. The suspect resisted arrest and was shot and re-captured as a result. It is not the Marshal's job to determine guilt or innocence.

Early in the episode, Chester mentions Bostick spends a lot of time gambling at the Alafraganza. This is a rare mention of one of the many saloons named in the radio version of the series. In the real Dodge City of the latter half of the 19th century, there were several saloons and gambling houses. In early episodes, there are references to other saloons in Dodge, and The Lady Gay was frequently mentioned. The Bull's Head was featured prominently in later seasons, but there is never any reference to other saloons other than the Long Branch and Bulls Head.

(Note: In the radio programs, Kitty worked at a Saloon known as the Texas Trail, not the Long Branch.)

Though the story has a unique payoff, it's really rather slender, without much development until the last. Matt and Chester trail fugitive Bostick (Connors) whom Matt suspects of murder. Bostick has denied the accusation, claiming he was with Doc at the time. However, Doc is out of town, so Matt has to proceed on his suspicions, which appear confirmed when Bostick escapes jail.

A lot of screen time is spent on Chester's humorous creature comforts. It also appears he's a little slower than usual though not in a mean-spirited way. One complaint with this early series—the often klutzy sets along Front Street. Here it's an alley spot where the murder occurs that just reeks bad indoor set. Note too, how production doesn't try to disguise the multiple shadows one person casts as though there is more than one sun in the sky. Of course, the multiple shadows are created by the many klieg lights used to light the set.

Nonetheless, the payoff again helps establish Gunsmoke as a different kind of Western for its day.