Old Time Radio: Gunsmoke - Trial

Broadcast: March 22, 1959

Matt Dillon was the Marshall of Dodge City, Kansas in this thirty-minute western adventure. There were over 480 episodes broadcast in the 9 years it had spanned. The opening of the show left little doubt that Dillon was the law; “Around Dodge City, and into the territory on the west, there’s just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers: that’s with a US Marshall and the smell of gunsmoke! Gunsmoke! … Starring William Conrad the story of the violence that moved west with young America, and the story of a man who moved with it. I’m that man … Matt Dillon. United States marshal … the first man they look for, and the last man they want to meet … it’s a chancy job, and it makes man watchful … and a little lonely.” In this episode:

When Van Walcott, the local store owner, was over at the stage office, he came back to catch a man, Homer Tidsdale, red-handed stealing a couple of potatoes. Homer admits to it, and Matt can see that the man is starving. He's genuinely sorry for his sin, but Walcott is unrelenting in his quest for justice. Coincidentally, there's a new circuit court judge coming to Dodge City, and when he arrives, Matt finds that he dispenses a most unusual brand of justice.

Cast: William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, Lawrence Dobkin, Vic Perrin, John Dehner, Harry Bartell