"Gunsmoke" Till Death Do Us (TV Episode 1960) Poster

(TV Series)

(1960)

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9/10
A moving episode that was well written and performed
kfo949428 August 2013
A powerful episode that really makes the viewer feel for the characters. This is a story that can actually move a person and much of the feeling has to do with the way the lines are delivered. A small but great cast made this episode one of the more potent shows in a long time.

Jezra Cobb is a brute of a man that hides behind his own interpretation of the Bible to think he is better than everyone else in the area of Dodge. When Jezbra and his wife Minerva ride into town someone takes a shot at him from the shadows of an alley. Jezra is upset a Marshal Dillon for running a town full of sinners and demands the Marshal find out who would want him dead, for he has no enemies in Dodge.

It is not long before a stranger, Puggy Rado, gets drunk and begins running his mouth. He claims that he was given $300 to kill Jezra. It is only when Jezra sees Puggy that he knows who placed a contract on his life.

The rest of the story needs to be watched. A powerful message comes off the screen and into homes while setting in the comfort of the viewer's home. I would not call the ending shocking but rather sad. An uncomfortable story that was told very well by the writer. With the script and fine acting, this is one of the better performed shows we have seen this season.
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7/10
Hard Times for a Gentle Lady
Johnny_West7 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Way before Farrah Fawcett was lighting up her husband for abusing her in The Burning Bed, Gunsmoke had women killing their husbands at least a few times. Here the sweet and gentle wife, Minerva (played by Mary Field), put a gun into her abusive husband's guts and sent him to hell the hard way.

We get another depressing and tragic story from Gunsmoke creator Les Crutchfield. Milton Selzer plays the abusive husband very well, as he had a talent for coming across as vile and evil. Almost everything Selzer says to everyone is vicious. Selzer gets nasty at the Longbranch Saloon, he is unpleasant and spiteful towards Matt Dillon, and he is rude to Chester. By the time his wife gets around to shooting his guts to hell, the audience is cheering.

Like many episodes of Gunsmoke, the guest actors are given the most lines and the most screen time. In this case, it is Milton Selzer who delivers a demonic performance that contrasts very sharply with the soft and kind performance that Mary Field delivers even after her husband almost beats her to death. The bandaging over her injured eye, and the scratch marks on Minerva (Mary Field) work to increase the outrage against her husband. This is an excellent episode, and both Mary Field and Milton Selzer deliver realistic and gritty performances.
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That Glory Smile
dougdoepke19 August 2007
Jezra Cobb is a cruel sanctimonious sod-buster who rides into Dodge one day with his downtrodden wife, whereupon someone takes a shot at him, but misses. Given that Jezra denounces anyone not in conformance with his narrow view of the Bible, he's not well-liked. Still, who would want to kill him.

Good story with powerful ending, though Milton Selzer as Jezra spreads it on pretty thick. (I wish, however, the very last shot had gone back to Matt so that we could have seen his emotional reaction to the poignant plea.) Banter between Matt, Doc, and Kitty in Doc's office is particularly well-scripted and engaging. In fact, the chemistry between them is so good, it threatens to overshadow the plot. The lines are delivered so skillfully and so drolly that I almost wished the characters could do a comedy together. Byplay was an important part of the series appeal, but rarely I believe has it been done more expertly as comedy relief than it was among the cast of the early Gunsmoke.
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10/10
Resentful Glory
darbski5 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILERS** Well, if there's one thing that chaps my hide, it's someone preachier than me. In this case the wife beating self styled dispenser of right and wrong was dealt out his final wages by the one who knew him best. I think, if I was Matt, I'd ask Doc how many times Minerva had been beaten by her husband. Then told her to say not one word about Puggy. Yup, I think self defense against a crazy man (and there are plenty of witnesses to his insanity) sounds like the case, here. Judgement has been pronounced. End of sermon.
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5/10
The Truth About Jezra And Minerva
StrictlyConfidential1 December 2020
(*Jezra Cobb to Marshal Dillon quote*) - "I never had an enemy in my life."

Someone is out to kill Jezra Cobb and it looks like they really mean business.

Not only is Jezra a religious bible-thumper, but, he is also known for being a nasty wife-beater, as well.

When Marshal Dillon investigates the attempt on Jezra's life he eventually comes up with some surprising truths about Jezra's wife, Minerva who's been living under her husband's thumb for 17 years.
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