James Whitmore returns for another guest appearance on Gunsmoke, this time as a man named Jim Forbes. Three years earlier, Forbes was sentenced to prison for defrauding several Dodge City residents. Forbes owns a mine just outside Dodge City. He is convinced there is gold in the mine.
In years past, Forbes was desperate for funds to continue his mining efforts. He decided to solicit investments from the people of Dodge. He salted the mine by placing quartz nearby, which can be an indicator of the presence of gold. Several people did invest in the mine only to discover later the actions Forbes had taken to encourage their investment. The investors -- some of which invested all the money they had -- reach the conclusion Forbes never thought there was any gold in the mine and simply swindled them. Forbes was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to prison.
In the ensuing three years while Forbes was in prison, his wife has died, and his young son has gotten older. The previous investors are still upset and want Forbes to return their investments. Forbes remains as convinced as ever there is gold to be found in the mine and therefore stubbornly insists on returning to his mining efforts. He can do so thanks to money his sister has provided. When the investors learn Forbes has some money, they decide to attempt to force Forbes to use it to repay them. This is the basis for the tension in this story.
This episode features the solid guest cast we have come to expect from Gunsmoke. Whitmore is convincing as Jim Forbes, the beleaguered gold miner. This is the second of his three Gunsmoke appearances.
A young David Ladd plays Brian Forbes, Jim's son. In real life, David is the son of Alan Ladd and ex-husband of Cheryl Ladd. Ladd appeared in numerous television shows and films as a child and teenager before going on to a successful career in movie production. This is his only Gunsmoke appearance.
Peter Whitney, who is a familiar face to any fan of westerns, makes his final Gunsmoke appearance in this episode as Jason Holt. Whitney's involvement with Gunsmoke goes all the way back to the first season. Fred J. Scollay is a less familiar character actor that appears here as Clint Fisher, one of the people, along with Jason Holt, that hates Forbes.
This is yet another Season 11 episode where the regular characters do not have much to do. The story is built around Whitmore, Ladd, and the Whitney and Scollay characters. (The viewer does get to hear Festus talk at some length about another one of his family members: "Hard Rock" Hogan Haggen, who taught Festus all he knows about mining.) The story does not offer anything surprising, and the ending is predictable from the outset. The episode is still worth watching for the performances alone.
In years past, Forbes was desperate for funds to continue his mining efforts. He decided to solicit investments from the people of Dodge. He salted the mine by placing quartz nearby, which can be an indicator of the presence of gold. Several people did invest in the mine only to discover later the actions Forbes had taken to encourage their investment. The investors -- some of which invested all the money they had -- reach the conclusion Forbes never thought there was any gold in the mine and simply swindled them. Forbes was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to prison.
In the ensuing three years while Forbes was in prison, his wife has died, and his young son has gotten older. The previous investors are still upset and want Forbes to return their investments. Forbes remains as convinced as ever there is gold to be found in the mine and therefore stubbornly insists on returning to his mining efforts. He can do so thanks to money his sister has provided. When the investors learn Forbes has some money, they decide to attempt to force Forbes to use it to repay them. This is the basis for the tension in this story.
This episode features the solid guest cast we have come to expect from Gunsmoke. Whitmore is convincing as Jim Forbes, the beleaguered gold miner. This is the second of his three Gunsmoke appearances.
A young David Ladd plays Brian Forbes, Jim's son. In real life, David is the son of Alan Ladd and ex-husband of Cheryl Ladd. Ladd appeared in numerous television shows and films as a child and teenager before going on to a successful career in movie production. This is his only Gunsmoke appearance.
Peter Whitney, who is a familiar face to any fan of westerns, makes his final Gunsmoke appearance in this episode as Jason Holt. Whitney's involvement with Gunsmoke goes all the way back to the first season. Fred J. Scollay is a less familiar character actor that appears here as Clint Fisher, one of the people, along with Jason Holt, that hates Forbes.
This is yet another Season 11 episode where the regular characters do not have much to do. The story is built around Whitmore, Ladd, and the Whitney and Scollay characters. (The viewer does get to hear Festus talk at some length about another one of his family members: "Hard Rock" Hogan Haggen, who taught Festus all he knows about mining.) The story does not offer anything surprising, and the ending is predictable from the outset. The episode is still worth watching for the performances alone.
