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Reviews
Gunsmoke: The Prisoner (1962)
The prisoner
This was the first of two episodes called the prisoner, the other one is 1969. I gave a fairly pedestrian episode an 8 because of the surprise ending. I especially liked the steam engine noise at the climax as Sarah tells what really happened. It reminded me of an old western movie , 3:10 to Yuma after the shootout. Also the one with kirk douglas and Anthony Quinn as kirk tries to take his best friends son as prisoner onto the train before the shootout. Dramatic and Tragic but effective.
Gunsmoke: The Gallows (1962)
One of the all time best episodes
As a lifelong fan of Gunsmoke, this was one I just watched for the very first time tonight as it was filmed in 1962, a time when as a ten year old, I apparently missed when it first came out. i was absolutely blown away by it. I knew the writing was excellent in the early to mid 70's episodes, but this was one of the best ever. I never saw Matt with such a dilemma to actually let a sentenced man free. It reminded me more of something Clint Eastwood might do as Dirty Harry. This was some moral conflict that Matt internalized, not reminiscent of early 60's characterization of the Gunsmoke players., especially the stoic and unemotional Matt. The only other person i could see Matt letting free of a potential murder charge was old Doc Adams.
I couldn't believe the story could end that way. Surely Matt wouldn't let this man hang? Then again, would he have possibly set him up to leave with out stopping him, and not follow the letter of the law? A likable character that saved Matt's life and he would surely affect Matt for the rest of his life. Both played off each other with subtlety and to perfection.
Thoroughly enjoyed this episode, left me with a feeling of sadness for all the characters though. Would watch it again in a minute, one of the best ever.
Unforgettable.