Originally Aired: July 22, 1956

In Gunsmoke #224, “Lynching Man,” Marshal Matt Dillon investigates the hanging of a newcomer named Hank Blennis, apparently lynched for horse theft. But what begins as a search for justice soon uncovers a tangle of revenge and misplaced hatred. A man named Charlie Drain, still haunted by his father’s wrongful lynching, becomes obsessed with punishing the guilty—only to make a fatal mistake of his own. As tempers rise and the truth unravels, Matt must confront not only the killers but the corrosive power of vengeance. A dark, tragic episode about the blurred lines between justice and obsession.

Cast: William Conrad, Vic Perron, Harry Weaver, John Bartell, Lawrence Dobkin, John Dehner, Jack Moyles, James Nusser, Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis

Tags:

Western, lynching, justice, vengeance, morality, WilliamConrad, horse theft, mistaken identity, oldtimeradio, 1950sradio, classicwestern, mattdillon, frontierjustice, suspensepodcast, retribution, tragicdrama

Originally Aired: July 15, 1956

In Gunsmoke #223, “Letter of the Law,” Marshal Matt Dillon is ordered to evict Brandon Teak from his homestead for a bureaucratic oversight—his failure to register the deed. Once a notorious gunslinger, Teak has traded violence for a quiet life with his pregnant wife, Sarah. But the law, pushed by land baron Lee Sprague and upheld by a rigid judge, has no room for sentiment. As tensions escalate, tragedy strikes, and Matt must weigh the cold letter of the law against justice and conscience. A moving tale of redemption, resolve, and a lawman’s moral reckoning.

Cast: William Conrad, Joseph Kearns, Vic Perrin, Helen Kleeb, Paul Dubov, Will Wright, Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis

Tags:

Western, drama, justice, homestead, redemption, WilliamConrad, lawman, eviction, frontierlife, oldtimeradio, 1950sradio, classicwestern, mattdillon, gunsmoke, morality, suspensepodcast

Originally Aired: July 8, 1956

In Gunsmoke #222, “Passive Resistance,” Dodge City is divided when Gideon Seek, a gentle, gunless sheep herder, becomes the target of cattlemen determined to drive him out by violence. Refusing to fight back or even name his attackers, Gideon stands by his pacifist beliefs—even as his sheep are slaughtered, his home is burned, and his own life is put in danger. Marshal Matt Dillon struggles with Gideon’s refusal to seek justice and must wrestle with the limits of law, vengeance, and the courage it takes to resist violence in a violent land. A thought-provoking episode that questions the meaning of strength and justice on the frontier.

Cast: William Conrad, Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis, Ralph Moody, John Dehner, Harry Bartell, Jack Moyles

Tags:
Western, drama, pacifism, sheep, cattlemen, nonviolence, GideonSeek, WilliamConrad, 1950sradio, oldtimeradio, DodgeCity, MattDillon, frontierjustice, classicwestern, lawandorder, vintagepodcast, Gunsmoke, moralconflict, passiveResistance

Originally Aired: July 1, 1956

In Gunsmoke #221, “Gun for Chester,” Chester Proudfoot is haunted by the arrival of Ace Ledbetter, a man from his mysterious past in South Texas. Convinced Ledbetter has come to Dodge to kill him, Chester grows increasingly desperate, even as Matt Dillon struggles to separate paranoia from real danger. When a violent showdown finally erupts in the Marshal’s office, the truth behind Chester’s fear—and a long-buried secret involving a lost love—comes to light. A tense and personal story of pride, shame, and the burdens we carry, “Gun for Chester” explores the cost of old grudges and the pain of things left unspoken.

Cast: William Conrad, Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis, Lawrence Dobkin

Tags:
Western, drama, SouthTexas, ChesterProudfoot, grudge, showdown, oldtimeradio, WilliamConrad, 1950sradio, AceLedbetter, secretpast, frontierjustice, emotionaldrama, classicwestern, MattDillon, DodgeCity, vintagepodcast, Gunsmoke, longburiedsecret

Originally Aired: June 24, 1956

In Gunsmoke #220, “Sunday Supplement,” two writers from New York arrive in Dodge City, searching for thrilling stories of the untamed West. Disappointed by the relative calm, they stir up trouble by stealing a sacred Pawnee totem from a burial ground—an act that drives the peaceful Chief Little Hawk to violence. As the cavalry reels from deadly attacks, Marshal Matt Dillon races to uncover the truth and prevent more bloodshed. With themes of exploitation, cultural misunderstanding, and the cost of sensationalism, this episode offers a pointed look at the dangers outsiders can bring to a fragile peace.

Cast: William Conrad, Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis, Harry Bartell, John Dehner, Joseph Kearns, Lou Krugman, Ralph Moody

Tags:
Western, drama, Pawnee, Indian, frontier, WilliamConrad, JohnMeston, sacredtotem, 1950sradio, oldtimeradio, NewYorkwriters, culturalclash, DodgeCity, MattDillon, cavalry, classicwestern, vintagepodcast, exploitation, westernpodcast, SundaySupplement

Originally Aired: June 17, 1956

In Gunsmoke #219, “Cheap Labor,” Dodge City witnesses a quiet, powerful drama when gentle giant Foss Capper befriends Carrie Stansel, a hardworking woman held back by her controlling brother Ben. As Foss and Carrie dream of a life together, Ben’s jealousy explodes—leading to violence, threats, and a town forced to choose sides. When Ben brutally punishes Carrie for defying him, Foss faces a terrible choice: return to the gunfighter’s life he tried to escape, or let her suffer. The story builds to a tense confrontation that exposes the true meaning of courage, sacrifice, and self-worth—on both sides of the law.

Cast:
William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Lawrence Dobkin, Vic Perrin, Jean Bates, Barney Phillips, Harry Bartell

Tags:
western, family, gunfighter, WilliamConrad, ParleyBaer, GeorgiaEllis, cheaplabor, oldtimeradio, courage, 1950sradio, classicdrama, romance, abuse, redemption, suspensepodcast

Originally Aired: June 10, 1956

In Gunsmoke #218, “Daddy-O,” Kitty Russell’s long-lost father—charming, stylish, and mysterious—arrives in Dodge City for a reunion decades in the making. Soon swept up in a flurry of new business and old dreams, Kitty finds herself torn between loyalty and suspicion as her father pushes her to sell her share of the Long Branch and join him in New Orleans. But when the truth emerges about his real motives, Kitty must decide between family and self-respect. With Marshal Dillon by her side, she learns that some things are worth more than a father’s approval—or his schemes. A deeply personal drama of pride, disappointment, and hard-won independence.

Cast:
William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, John McIntire, Lawrence Dobkin

Tags:
western, family, conman, WilliamConrad, ParleyBaer, GeorgiaEllis, HowardMcNear, daddyo, oldtimeradio, KittyRussell, reunion, 1950sradio, classicdrama, pride, independence, suspensepodcast

Originally Aired: June 3, 1956

In Gunsmoke #217, “The Pacifist,” a drifter named Harden Hook arrives in Dodge, poor and half-starved, carrying only a haunted past. Once a violent Missouri raider, Hook swore never to kill again after a single, shameful act during the Kansas border wars. But old enemies Sutters and Hoagler track him down and stir up the brother of a man Hook killed, hoping to provoke vengeance. Marshal Dillon tries to protect Hook, but a plot unfolds to frame him for murder. In a tense showdown, Hook risks his own life to save another, revealing that true bravery can mean refusing to kill—even when everyone expects it. A powerful story about war, conscience, and the courage to break the cycle of violence.

Cast:
William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, Vic Perrin, Harry Bartell, James Nusser, Paul DuBois

Tags:
western, pacifism, redemption, WilliamConrad, ParleyBaer, GeorgiaEllis, HowardMcNear, thepacifist, oldtimeradio, lawrencekansas, civilwar, Missouri, 1950sradio, classicdrama, conscience, bravery, suspensepodcast

Originally Aired: May 27, 1956

In Gunsmoke #216, “Man Hunter,” a stranger comes to Dodge on the trail of a quiet ranch hand—revealing him as Ike Abbott, wanted for a murder committed twelve years earlier in Arizona. As Marshal Dillon weighs friendship, law, and the specter of bounty hunting, he confronts Ben Quillen, a deputy with a badge for hire and no qualms about killing for reward money. When Quillen’s tactics put Dodge on the brink of bloodshed, Dillon must choose between justice and the letter of the law. A tense showdown reveals the true nature of manhunting—and the line that separates a marshal from a mercenary.

Cast:
William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Lawrence Dobkin, John Dehner, Ken Lynch

Tags:
western, bountyhunter, justice, WilliamConrad, ParleyBaer, GeorgiaEllis, manhunter, oldtimeradio, lawman, 1950sradio, classicdrama, reward, DodgeCity, pastcrimes, suspensepodcast

Originally Aired: May 20, 1956

In Gunsmoke #215, “Buffalo Man,” Marshal Dillon and Chester stumble into a brutal world on the buffalo range, where a headless corpse and a camp ruled by violent hunter Ben Siple set off a chain of danger and abuse. Captured and tied up, Dillon and Chester’s only hope is Abby, a battered woman trapped in Siple’s camp, who risks everything to help them. A tense encounter with the Pawnee leads to a trade of justice for freedom—and a chance for Abby to escape her tormentor. But when Siple tracks her down in Dodge, Dillon must keep his promise that Abby will never be hurt again. A gripping tale of cruelty, courage, and a hard-won second chance.

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

Tags:
western, survival, WilliamConrad, ParleyBaer, GeorgiaEllis, HowardMcNear, buffaloman, oldtimeradio, domesticabuse, Pawnee, frontier, 1950sradio, classicdrama, justice, rescue, suspensepodcast