User Reviews

Sebastian Cabot and Keye Luke both give fine performances in this excellent and unpredictable episode. It's the first time Gunsmoke addresses bigotry and hostility towards an ethnic minority. A classic, early Gunsmoke episode with good guys, bad guys, religious hypocrisy (a recurring theme in Gunsmoke), and things not always being as they seem. There's also a great scene with Luke, and Milburn Stone in Doc's office, with Doc trying to yank out a tooth while Matt watches. You'll probably want to rewind it a few times to catch the physical acting and expressions from all three actors.

When reading the title of this episode I was somewhat confused since I was not familiar with the word Queue other than a line of people. However during the first few minutes of the show when the Chinese man was seen getting off the stage there was no doubt where this show was going.

A Chinese man named Chen is on the stage that arrives in Dodge. When two cowboys see him getting off they make their way to him and throw him back inside the stage. They do not want no Chinese man in Dodge. Of course Marshal Dillon is a witnesses to the event and advises that any law-abiding person can live in Dodge and helps Chen make his way into town.

One evening Chen is threatened by the two cowboys and they cut his queue (pony-tail) off and tell him next time it will be his throat. When he still refuses to leave they basically hire a man for beer to go and take care of Chen. Bailey (Sebastian Cabot) goes over to where Chen is living with two goals. One was to make sure Chen leaves town and the other was to steal Chen's treasure box. One of the cowboys gives Bailey a gun to take care of business.

This is a story that is used many times in western plots. Just recently I watched a 'Rifleman' episode that had nearly the same exact plot. This was a way to give credence to race relations that was going on in the United States at the time. Sebastian Cabot was excellent as the shifty man that talked religious but was just a larger sinner than most. Even with suspicious plot the episode still played well. Good watch.

When a Chinese immigrant named Chen arrives in Dodge City, he is met with discrimination by some of the locals. Two men -- Howard and Rabb Briggs -- want Chen to leave the town. The bullies have heard that Chinese men value their braided pigtail, or "queue," and consider it a disgrace to have it removed.

(The truth of this custom is not exactly as portrayed in this and other westerns set in the mid and late 19th century. The Qing Dynasty in imperial China required men to grow their hair long and shave their forehead. The long hair was to be braided into the queue. Men who refused to comply were considered rebels.

As the United States began to flourish in the late 1800s, there was a significant increase in Chinese immigration. Chinese men would come to the United States to make money to send home. Since these men planned to return to China at some point, they were required to return with their queue or be considered a revolutionary. San Francisco even passed a "Pigtail Ordinance" in 1873 to require all prisoners to have their hair cut within an inch of the scalp.)

Bailey works at the stage office in Dodge, and he greets Chen when he first arrives. Bailey considers Dodge City a wicked place where evil and sin flourish. However, Bailey is not above being lured by the temptations offered within the town confines.

Actor Keye Luke portrays Chen in his only Gunsmoke appearance. Luke was born in Canton, China, but grew up in the United States. He is best known for his roles in the Charlie Chan film series and in the series Kung Fu.

Sabastian Cabot portrays the sanctimonious Bailey character in this story. Cabot's extensive acting career included considerable voice-over work. He plays villains in both of his Gunsmoke appearances, but, having been a valet earlier in his life, he excelled at playing servant types. One of his most famous roles was as Mr. French in the series Family Affair from the late 1960s into the early 1970s.

Actor/Director Robert Gist plays Rabb Briggs. Gist would return for two more episodes in the series. Dennis McCarthy (credited as Devlin McCarthy) makes his only Gunsmoke appearance as the character known only as Howard. McCarthy can be seen in small roles in numerous television shows through the years. He often played doctors, reverends/priests, or some kind of law enforcement officer.

The screenplay for this John Meston story was written by Sam Peckinpah. This his first Gunsmoke screenplay and one of the earliest writing credits for the famed director. The Bailey character is pure Peckinpah with early glimpses of character traits that would appear again in his later work as both a writer and director.

Peckinpah's work on Gunsmoke and contributions to other series like Trackdown, Broken Arrow, Tales of Wells Fargo, and Have Gun - Will Travel led to his heavy involvement early in the series The Rifleman. In fact, the pilot for The Rifleman was originally written as a Gunsmoke episode but was rejected. Peckinpah then gave the script to Dick Powell who green-lighted the production of the episode "The Sharpshooter" for the series Zane Grey Theatre. That episode was used as the first episode of The Rifleman. (It is also worth noting that in Peckinpah's original script the main character was named John McCain and did not have a son. Director Arnold Laven suggested changing the name to Lucas McCain and adding the Mark McCain character.) Later, Peckinpah would develop the outstanding series The Westerner starring Brian Keith. Unfortunately, it only lasted for thirteen episodes before it was canceled.

Other westerns series would mine some of the same subject matter as this story. The Rifleman even included an episode titled "The Queue" with a similar theme. Watching this episode over sixty years after it first aired diminishes the impact it would have had in 1955. Nevertheless, the episode highlights timeless issues of stereotyping, discrimination, and dehumanization of groups of people because of their ethnicity.

Of special note is the scene where Doc Adams is removing one of Chen's teeth while Matt watches. It is funny, revealing, and some of the sound effects border on the cringeworthy. This scene is one of the best early scenes in the series.

Interesting episode with unusual plot that makes the ending unpredictable. Chinese man (Keye Luke) arrives in Dodge only to be roughed up by two men who themselves were victimized by Chinese claim-jumpers (nice motivational touch). Rumor is that Luke's treasure box he's brought along contains riches-- another reason to do him harm. Story is complicated by sin-obsessed hypocrite (Sebastian Cabot) whose loyalties appear uncertain-- will he aid Luke or the two men.

It's clear that the quality of these early episodes is largely determined by who does the screenplay. Here it's Sam Peckinpah from a story idea by John Meston. No doubt, this accounts for several unconventional touches, such as the saloon scene where Dillon is forced to back down because of his own words, or Luke's sudden shedding of his false, stereotypical personality. Then too, the little dental episode in Doc's office is well scripted and a real hoot. Can't help noting also, that even here, Peckinpah shows real contempt for pious hypocrites as his movies and TV series The Westerner later demonstrate. Also, Luke's final gesture comes across as both credible and satisfying. I can't help thinking that the success of this first year owes a lot to the maverick sensibility of the innovative Sam Peckinpah.

In this episode, a Chinese man arrives in Dodge. And his arrival rubs a few of the residents the wrong way. But they don't all have the same issues. Some are about bigotry. And some are about thievery. Matt and Chester are forced to spend a lot of time trying to just make sure the Chinamen is left alone. There's an interesting character played very well by Sebastian Cabot. He plays a morally weak, but judgmental man. He even goes after Kitty at one point. For working in a saloon. He sees himself as a man who knows what's right. Even Matt does some stereotyping. But we get to see that it does no harm when not used as a weapon, to hold someone back. As the story moves forward through all the usual 50's western goodness. At some point someone does something to dishonor the Chinaman, and for while it's hard to know if it's true or not. Did he do it to himself? After the primary story is resolved. Matt makes an important statement about citizenship and immigration to the United States of America. The Chinamen threatens to kill the person or persons that dishonored him. "I will not lose my honor as a Chinese" It's then that Matt reminds him. "Chen you said you wanted to bring your wife here and make this country your home. If you do that. You have to do that as an American. Not a Chinese." He goes on to remind him that killing someone would prove he doesn't belong in Dodge or any other place in this country. Something all Americans should remember when it comes to immigration in the 21st century. The United States has always had it right with E Pluribus Unum. It's what keeps us all pulling in the same direction. They've known it since the 18th century. And, it still applies today (2017).

How many times do we see this same story? An oriental fellow comes West for some unknown reason. He aims to settle, but the cowboys have a different idea. They start harassing him and before we know it, he has no Que. I've seen this same story in many westerns. It's a good one, but it does get old after awhile...

The lesson is always the same: Accept others who are different or answer to the law. I'm not sure how accurate this is. I don't know that the law would be any more acceptable to the china man then others...But of course, this is Matt Dillon...

Though this is a fairly good story, I give it a rating of 7 simply because it's and overused story.