Matt is seriously wounded in a gun fight. Kitty is so despondent, she puts the Long Branch up for sale, bids Matt goodbye and leaves Dodge City. In a new town, in another saloon, she finds o... Read allMatt is seriously wounded in a gun fight. Kitty is so despondent, she puts the Long Branch up for sale, bids Matt goodbye and leaves Dodge City. In a new town, in another saloon, she finds out why Matt is the kind of man he is.Matt is seriously wounded in a gun fight. Kitty is so despondent, she puts the Long Branch up for sale, bids Matt goodbye and leaves Dodge City. In a new town, in another saloon, she finds out why Matt is the kind of man he is.
Photos
Mary Angela Shea
- Bea
- (as Mary Angela)
John C. Flinn III
- Worden
- (as John Flinn)
Stephen Burnette
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode is confused by INSP with episode 6/9 of the same name.
- GoofsAll entries contain spoilers
- ConnectionsEdited into Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987)
Featured review
Kitty Russell Gains Insight into Matt Dillon's Stoicism
Matt Dillon is shot and seriously wounded during a robbery attempt in Dodge City. Of course, Doc Adams manages to remove the bullet and nurse him back to health.
This situation is the last straw for Kitty Russell. She decides she can no longer tolerate having a man in her life that has been shot eleven times and knowing the next time might prove to be fatal. Miss Kitty closes the Long Branch Saloon, puts it up for sale, and leaves Dodge.
(This is the first appearance of a theme that would recur occasionally throughout the remaining episodes of Gunsmoke. Kitty has grown exasperated with Matt's job and his devotion to it.)
Kitty goes to the town of Ballard, where her friend Claire Hollis runs a saloon called The Nugget. Ballard is a would-be cow town, somewhat like an earlier version of Dodge City. The town is run by a man who insists everyone call him "Papa," not as a term of affection but an acceptance of his domination. Papa Steiffer has a couple of henchmen that work for him, and he controls the town sheriff. Steiffer forces businesses operating in Ballard to give him a cut of any revenue, and he imposes exorbitant fees on drovers in the area for the use of water and grazing land.
Steiffer's strong arm techniques are stifling business in Ballard. Claire explains to Kitty that she does not think the saloon will survive under the current circumstances and is considering leaving the town. When Kitty suggests Claire fight back against Papa, Claire is quick to point out Kitty has chosen to run away from the situation in Dodge City in a similar manner to what Claire is considering in Ballard. Miss Russell sees this situation differently, and welcomes the opportunity to take on Papa Stiefer. Kitty offers to buy a share of The Nugget.
The word of Steiffer's shady business practices has spread. When Matt learns Kitty has landed in Ballard, he decides to investigate. Kitty resents Matt's intrusion. She tells Matt she does not need nor want his help and encourages him to leave her alone. Steiffer assumes Kitty sent for the Marshal. All of this leads to an inevitable showdown between Matt and Kitty as well as between the Marshal and Steiffer.
This episode features a strong cast of guests, most who have participated in Gunsmoke stories previously. Henry Jones is perfect in the Papa Steiffer role. One can see how his calm, confident demeanor might lead others to underestimate just how devious he really is. Jones was a veteran of Broadway, films, and television. This is the second of three Gunsmoke appearances for the actor.
Beverly Garland makes the last of her four Gunsmoke appearances as Claire Hollis. Garland was also playing the role of Barbara Douglas on the comedy series My Three Sons at the same time this episode was filmed.
John Milford is the town sheriff John Dawson in one of his seven Gunsmoke appearances. Jack Lambert and Roy Jenson play Papa's "muscle." Both are familiar faces that frequently played villians. This episode marks Lambert's last Gunsmoke participation. He also played seven different characters over the course of the series, as did Jenson.
The construction of this story is interesting. The Kitty and Matt dynamic is the larger "package" that contains the Papa Steiffer stranglehold-on-Ballard story. The Steiffer plotline is not anything new in dramatic television. Local tyrants are common in many television dramas. There is even a scene that has been used in another Gunsmoke episode where Papa attempts to frame the Marshal for attacking a woman.
The most interesting part of the story is the exploration of the relationship between Kitty and Matt. It is not surprising that Kitty would eventually become exasperated with her relationship with Dillon. He clearly cares deeply for her, but he never allows his care for her to take precedence over his duties as a U. S. Marshal. (I never thought Matt *loved* his job as much as he felt an obligation to it, for whatever reason. He is one of the most stoic characters in television history. He refuses to let personal relationships interfere with what he sees as his duties.)
This isn't one of the outstanding stories in the Gunsmoke oeuvre, but after some of the stinkers that preceded this episode, it is a breath of fresh air.
This situation is the last straw for Kitty Russell. She decides she can no longer tolerate having a man in her life that has been shot eleven times and knowing the next time might prove to be fatal. Miss Kitty closes the Long Branch Saloon, puts it up for sale, and leaves Dodge.
(This is the first appearance of a theme that would recur occasionally throughout the remaining episodes of Gunsmoke. Kitty has grown exasperated with Matt's job and his devotion to it.)
Kitty goes to the town of Ballard, where her friend Claire Hollis runs a saloon called The Nugget. Ballard is a would-be cow town, somewhat like an earlier version of Dodge City. The town is run by a man who insists everyone call him "Papa," not as a term of affection but an acceptance of his domination. Papa Steiffer has a couple of henchmen that work for him, and he controls the town sheriff. Steiffer forces businesses operating in Ballard to give him a cut of any revenue, and he imposes exorbitant fees on drovers in the area for the use of water and grazing land.
Steiffer's strong arm techniques are stifling business in Ballard. Claire explains to Kitty that she does not think the saloon will survive under the current circumstances and is considering leaving the town. When Kitty suggests Claire fight back against Papa, Claire is quick to point out Kitty has chosen to run away from the situation in Dodge City in a similar manner to what Claire is considering in Ballard. Miss Russell sees this situation differently, and welcomes the opportunity to take on Papa Stiefer. Kitty offers to buy a share of The Nugget.
The word of Steiffer's shady business practices has spread. When Matt learns Kitty has landed in Ballard, he decides to investigate. Kitty resents Matt's intrusion. She tells Matt she does not need nor want his help and encourages him to leave her alone. Steiffer assumes Kitty sent for the Marshal. All of this leads to an inevitable showdown between Matt and Kitty as well as between the Marshal and Steiffer.
This episode features a strong cast of guests, most who have participated in Gunsmoke stories previously. Henry Jones is perfect in the Papa Steiffer role. One can see how his calm, confident demeanor might lead others to underestimate just how devious he really is. Jones was a veteran of Broadway, films, and television. This is the second of three Gunsmoke appearances for the actor.
Beverly Garland makes the last of her four Gunsmoke appearances as Claire Hollis. Garland was also playing the role of Barbara Douglas on the comedy series My Three Sons at the same time this episode was filmed.
John Milford is the town sheriff John Dawson in one of his seven Gunsmoke appearances. Jack Lambert and Roy Jenson play Papa's "muscle." Both are familiar faces that frequently played villians. This episode marks Lambert's last Gunsmoke participation. He also played seven different characters over the course of the series, as did Jenson.
The construction of this story is interesting. The Kitty and Matt dynamic is the larger "package" that contains the Papa Steiffer stranglehold-on-Ballard story. The Steiffer plotline is not anything new in dramatic television. Local tyrants are common in many television dramas. There is even a scene that has been used in another Gunsmoke episode where Papa attempts to frame the Marshal for attacking a woman.
The most interesting part of the story is the exploration of the relationship between Kitty and Matt. It is not surprising that Kitty would eventually become exasperated with her relationship with Dillon. He clearly cares deeply for her, but he never allows his care for her to take precedence over his duties as a U. S. Marshal. (I never thought Matt *loved* his job as much as he felt an obligation to it, for whatever reason. He is one of the most stoic characters in television history. He refuses to let personal relationships interfere with what he sees as his duties.)
This isn't one of the outstanding stories in the Gunsmoke oeuvre, but after some of the stinkers that preceded this episode, it is a breath of fresh air.
helpful•60
- wdavidreynolds
- Jun 24, 2021
Details
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 4:3
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