Gunsmoke • CBS
CHARACTER: Ben Rodman
EPISODE: "Waste: Part 1" (#17.3)
AIRDATE: 27 September 1971
DIRECTED BY: Vincent McEveety

EPISODE SYNOPSIS: Matt helps a young boy find his mom while finding an outlaw.

CHARACTER: Ben Rodman
EPISODE: "Waste: Part 2" (#17.4)
AIRDATE: 4 October 1971
DIRECTED BY: Vincent McEveety

CHARACTER: Judd Ward
EPISODE: "Abelia" (#14.8)
AIRDATE: 18 November 1968
DIRECTED BY: Vincent McEveety

EPISODE SYNOPSIS: A young woman and her kids and Festus are held hostage from a man Matt is trying to find.

CHARACTER: Web Fraley
EPISODE: "The Raid: Part 1" (#11.18)
AIRDATE: 22 January 1966
DIRECTED BY: Vincent McEveety

EPISODE SYNOPSIS: Les McConnell (John Anderson), posing as a gun salesman, is the front-man for the Stark (Gary Lockwood) Gang. He's gone into Sedalia, Missouri as the advanced scout for a bank heist. The gang rides in and robs the bank, killing the bank manager. They get away and decide to hit the bank in Dodge.

CHARACTER: Web Fraley
EPISODE: "The Raid: Part 2" (#11.19)
AIRDATE: 29 January 1966
DIRECTED BY: Vincent McEveety

EPISODE SYNOPSIS: After the Stark Gang robs the bank in Dodge, front-man Les McConnell sets several buildings on fire to prevent a posse from pursuing the gang. Matt leaves most of the men in town to battle the flames and takes only Festus and a handful of others to pursue the gang.

CHARACTER: Tom Scanlon
EPISODE: "The New Society" (#10.35)
AIRDATE: 22 May 1965
DIRECTED BY: Harry Harris

EPISODE SYNOPSIS: A man accused of killing an Army paymaster 12 years earlier gives a death-bed statement that he was innocent of the crime. The Army requests Matt to reinvestigate the case and turn up any new evidence, if he can find it. The citizens of Ridge Town refuse to cooperate with the investigation. He goes to see the ex-sheriff, an old friend of his now paralyzed and wheelchair bound from being shot at the same time the paymaster was killed.

CHARACTER: Billy Hargis
EPISODE: "Carter Caper" (#9.8)
AIRDATE: 16 November 1963
DIRECTED BY: Jerry Hopper

EPISODE SYNOPSIS: Joe Stark (Willian Phipps) takes a pet chicken from an old man. Billy Hargis (Jeremy Slate) rides up as Sally, the chicken, cooks. Joe likes Billy's horse. That night Stark is fixin' to steal the horse. Hargis whups Joe. Stark goes to see Doc. He pulls four teeth. Bob Smith slugs Barclay Mims, for looking like he wanted a handout. Billy steps in a rescues Mims. At the Long Branch a cowboy is bothering Cara Miles, Billy steps in. Slate tells Billy "I'm going to get you". Billy and Cara (Anjanette Comer) are getting married. Slate is spreading the word around town that Billy killed the gunfighter, Bo Carter. Dan Slate wants to go up against Billy. Billy has promised Cara not to wear a gun. Mims gets thrown out of Delmonico's for trying to steal a dinner. Billy pays for his meal. Flack goads Billy but he won't put on a gun. Sam brings Cara to Kitty. She was beat up by Flack. Kitty goes looking for Matt. Billy looks for Cara. He finds Cara's hat on the floor of the Long Branch and goes up to Cara. Billy's looking for Flack (Rayford Barnes). Flack steps out of an alley an draws, killing Billy. Flack's celebrating at the Long Branch. A stranger enters and goes to the end of the bar. Mims tells Flack to draw. Mims plugs him. The stranger is Bo Carter, who tells Matt Flack drew first.

CHARACTER: Jess Ayley
EPISODE: "Lacey" (#7.16)
AIRDATE: 13 January 1962
DIRECTED BY: Harry Harris

EPISODE SYNOPSIS: Lacey Parcher (Sherry Jackson) sneaks out into the barn to meet Jess Ayley (Jeremy Slate). Her father tells Jess don't come around here no more. He comes back to talk and gets run off again. Mrs. Parcher and Lacey come see Matt. Lacey says she killed Cyrus because he wouldn't let her marry Jess. Jess takes up with Bessie (Nora Hayden) an old flame. Lacey's is being held at Ma Smalley's. Lacey gets Ma's revolver and makes her tell about Jess and Bessie. She ties Ma up and goes after Jess. She goes up to Bessie's room, Jess is there, he tells her I had to kill your father he came at me with a pitchfork. We agreed you would take the blame, because they don't hang women. She kills Jess. Matt comes Lacey asks you never heard of them hanging a woman.

CHARACTER: Pruit Dover
EPISODE: "The Gallows" (#7.22)
AIRDATE: 3 March 1962
DIRECTED BY: Andrew V. McLaglen

EPISODE SYNOPSIS: Pruitt Dover (Jeremy Slate) is owed $100 by Ax Parsons (Robert J. Stevenson). They struggle over a knife after drinking heavily. Pruitt wakes up to find Parson dead with the knife in his chest. Louie Pheeters (James Nusser) sees Pruitt ride off. The Elkader sheriff has Pruitt in jail. Matt goes and picks him up. On the way back, a crazy old man shoots Matt. Pruitt kills the guy in a struggle over his knife. Pruitt digs the bullet out. He takes Matt's gun and rides off as he sleeps. He returns to Dodge and is locked up. Matt speaks up for Pruitt to the Judge but he is found guilty and sentenced to hang. Matt heads to Hays City with Pruitt for the hanging. Matt tells Pruitt to get on his horse and escape. He does but changes his mind and catches up to Matt.
They reach Hays and Pruitt is hung.

SHOW DESCRIPTION: Gunsmoke was first of the so called "adult Westerns." The series premiered in 1955 and ran for 20 years, making it the longest running show in prime-time. Gunsmoke was set in Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870s and starred handsome, 6'7" James Arness as the heroic Marshal Matt Dillon. Amanda Blake played Kitty Russell. "Miss Kitty," proprietor of the Long Branch Saloon, was a level-headed business woman with a heart of gold and a tender spot for the marshal. Doc Adams (Milburn Stone), the town's irascible doctor, spent his spare time in the Long Branch along with Matt's gimpy-legged, well-meaning deputy, Chester Goode, (Dennis Weaver) known for his coffee and calling for "Mister Dillon!" with a nasal twang.

Despite being on the air for 20 seasons, the cast was remarkably stable. Replacing Chester (Dennis Weaver) in 1964 as deputy was Festus Haggen (Ken Curtis), an illiterate hillbilly.