When Ben Tolliver leaves his job without pay and takes a prized stud he personally broke, old Jake Creed calls it theft—and vows to shoot Ben on sight. Marshal Dillon tries to cool things down, but Creed refuses legal help, choosing revenge instead. As tensions rise, Creed sneaks into Dodge and cripples Ben’s beloved horse. Enraged and grief-stricken, Ben sets out for the Creed ranch with blood in his eyes. But when Matt catches up, he finds Creed already dead—killed in a tragic accident while breaking a mustang alone. The gunfight never happens, but the damage has already been done.

Keywords: “Gunsmoke Ben Tolliver’s Stud episode,” “Jake Creed horse theft story,” “Matt Dillon stops revenge killing,” “crippled horse western drama,” “John Meston radio script,” “July 1955 Gunsmoke radio,” “Marshal Dillon and Chester”

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Howard McNear (Doc), Georgia Ellis (Kitty), Sam Edwards (Ben Tolliver), Eleanor Tannen (Nancy Creed), James Nusser (Jake Creed)

Originally Aired: July 16, 1955

20-20: The Last Shot He Could See
When Troy Carver, an aging Arizona gunfighter and old friend of Marshal Matt Dillon, rides into Dodge chasing a wanted killer, Matt quickly notices something’s wrong—Troy’s vision is failing, and he refuses to admit it. Determined to take outlaw Lee Poland alone, Troy’s pride blinds him more than his failing eyesight ever could. But Matt can’t sit by while his friend walks into a sure death. In a final showdown, Matt breaks his promise and intervenes—saving Troy’s life and forcing him to confront a truth he’s long denied: a gunfighter who can’t see is already finished.

Keywords: “Gunsmoke 20-20 episode,” “Troy Carver gunfighter blindness,” “Lee Poland outlaw showdown,” “Matt Dillon breaks promise,” “John Meston western radio drama,” “July 1955 Gunsmoke episode,” “Marshal Dillon friendship story”

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Howard McNear (Doc), Georgia Ellis (Kitty), Vic Perrin (Troy Carver), Joseph Cranston (Lee Poland), James Nusser, and others.

Originally Aired: July 9, 1955

Uncle Oliver: Blood Ties and Broken Promises

When Viney Stang and his fast-talking Uncle Oliver arrive in Dodge, their prairie simplicity hides a dangerous edge. After Viney jokingly suggests he’d kill Chester to get his job, Chester is ambushed and shot in the head. As Matt hunts for Viney, suspicion grows, but the truth takes a tragic turn—Oliver, trying to protect his nephew, had planned the shooting himself. In the end, Matt guns down Oliver in a deadly confrontation, leaving Viney stunned, broken, and begging only to go home.

Keywords: “Gunsmoke Uncle Oliver episode,” “Viney Stang Chester shooting,” “July 1955 Gunsmoke radio,” “Matt Dillon family loyalty story,” “John Meston western drama,” “tragic ending Gunsmoke,” “Oliver Stang radio episode”

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Howard McNear (Doc), Georgia Ellis (Kitty), Vic Perrin (Viney Stang), Harry Bartell (Oliver Stang), with supporting roles by the Gunsmoke radio company.

Episode Title: General Parsley Smith: The Lies That Saved a Town
Originally Aired: July 2, 1955

General Parsley Smith: The Lies That Saved a Town
An eccentric Civil War “general” arrives in Dodge, loudly accusing the town’s new banker of being a crook. Though dismissed as a harmless liar, Parsley Smith’s warnings grow louder—and more disruptive. Marshal Dillon tries to keep the peace, but suspicions mount as the banker’s shady associates come to light. When the general takes justice into his own hands and exposes a plot to rob the town blind, his lies reveal an unexpected truth—and end in a final, tragic twist.

Keywords: “Gunsmoke General Parsley Smith,” “Drew Holt Gunsmoke bank plot,” “July 1955 Gunsmoke radio,” “John Meston Gunsmoke script,” “Marshal Matt Dillon classic western,” “Chester Proudfoot and Doc Adams,” “old general western radio drama”

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Howard McNear (Doc), Georgia Ellis (Kitty), Vic Perrin (General Parsley Smith), John Dehner (Drew Holt), Joe Duval (Ed Nash), Harry Bartell (Mr. Botkin)

Originally Aired: June 25, 1955

The Army Trial: A Heart Full of Promises

In this tragic and unforgettable episode of Gunsmoke, Marshal Matt Dillon is forced to intervene when dreams of freedom and love collide with the harsh discipline of army law.

Jed Cook, a weary army sergeant stationed at Fort Dodge, deserts his post, desperate to start a new life with his fiancée, Della Masters. But their dreams crumble when Matt recognizes Jed during a chance encounter on the open prairie and arrests him for desertion.

Jed faces a court-martial, sentenced to two years of hard labor. Della, furious and heartbroken, vows that nothing—not the army, not the law—will stand between them. As Jed is being transported to Leavenworth, he escapes into the vast Kansas frontier, determined to reach the place he and Della had planned to reunite.

Matt knows Della holds the key to finding Jed. Despite Della’s stubborn defiance and threats, he follows her trail into the wilderness. But by the time Matt finds Jed, it’s too late—Jed has been captured and tortured by Indians, left dying in the dust.

In a heart-wrenching final moment, Della realizes that all her desperate plans only cost them the life they dreamed of. As she buries Jed on the open prairie—“about as far west as he’ll ever get”—Della is left to confront the bitter consequences of love, impatience, and a world that does not bend for broken hearts.

A devastating portrait of dreams crushed by duty, The Army Trial stands among Gunsmoke’s most emotionally wrenching episodes.

Keywords: “Gunsmoke The Army Trial episode,” “Jed Cook Della Masters story,” “Matt Dillon army desertion arrest,” “June 1955 Gunsmoke radio,” “tragic love story western,” “marshal tracks down deserter,” “John Meston emotional Gunsmoke drama.”

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Howard McNear (Doc), Georgia Ellis (Kitty), Vivi Janiss (Della Masters), Lawrence Dobkin (Jed Cook), Harry Bartell (Lt. Dussman), Jim Nusser (Moss Grimmick).

Originally Aired: June 18, 1955

The Reed Survives: A Murder Grown in the Heat

In this haunting and psychological episode of Gunsmoke, the relentless summer heat of Dodge City breeds suspicion, jealousy, and ultimately, death.

Lucy Middlecamp, once a dance hall girl and now the wife of the stern preacher Ephraim Hunt, secretly comes to Marshal Matt Dillon, pleading for help. She fears her husband will kill her. While outwardly pious and respected, Ephraim is privately cruel, accusing Lucy of leading him into sin and threatening her life under the guise of righteousness.

Complicating matters is Booth Rider, a young drifter working on the Hunt ranch. Matt warns Booth to leave town, sensing danger, but Booth, infatuated with Lucy, refuses. Soon, under Lucy’s manipulative urgings, Booth is drawn deeper into a deadly trap.

When Ephraim Hunt arms himself and returns to the ranch, a violent confrontation erupts. Booth, goaded by Lucy’s fear and flattery, shoots Ephraim dead. But Matt Dillon, too late to stop the tragedy, quickly realizes the ugly truth: Lucy orchestrated the killing without ever lifting a finger.

She preyed on Booth’s emotions, planted fear in Ephraim’s heart, and left Booth to do her bidding. With no proof against her, Matt can only watch as Lucy prepares to leave Dodge, free and unpunished.

A brutal meditation on manipulation, guilt, and the weakness of good men, The Reed Survives paints a chilling portrait of how evil often wins—not with guns, but with whispers.

Keywords: “Gunsmoke The Reed Survives episode,” “Lucy Middlecamp Ephraim Hunt story,” “Booth Rider manipulated into murder,” “June 1955 Gunsmoke radio drama,” “Matt Dillon investigates murder,” “John Meston psychological Western,” “marshal helpless against true evil.”

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Howard McNear (Doc), Georgia Ellis (Kitty), Michael Ann Barrett (Lucy Middlecamp Hunt), Sam Edwards (Booth Rider), Ralph Moody (Ephraim Hunt), Edgar Barrier.

Originally Aired: June 11, 1955

Trust: A Deal Sealed in Blood and Iron

In this tense and character-driven episode of Gunsmoke, Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester are caught in a deadly standoff not just with an outlaw—but with the fragile idea of trust itself.

After tracking a fugitive named James Nation across the rugged plains, Matt and Chester lose their horses and find themselves stranded with Nation on foot, hoping to flag down a passing stagecoach. When the stage finally arrives, it’s clear that danger rides inside: one of the passengers, a surly man named Simmer, is not who he claims to be.

Simmer is actually Art Carp, a ruthless road agent planning to rob the stage of its $50,000 treasure. And when the passengers are stranded at a remote swing station, Carp makes his move, taking them hostage at gunpoint.

It’s Nation—the fugitive Matt was arresting—who changes everything. Given a chance to escape, Nation instead risks his life to help Matt and Chester. With nerves of steel, Nation turns Carp’s own arrogance against him, disarming the outlaw and winning back his own honor in the process.

For his bravery, Matt does something unheard of: he trusts a prisoner with a gun, letting Nation help guard Carp on the way back to Fort Donner.

A gripping tale of second chances, human decency, and the rare bond between enemies, Trust is a standout testament to the rough morality of the Old West.

Keywords: “Gunsmoke Trust episode,” “June 1955 Gunsmoke radio,” “Matt Dillon James Nation fugitive,” “Art Carp stagecoach robbery,” “Chester and Matt hostage crisis,” “John Meston Gunsmoke script,” “trust between marshal and outlaw.”

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Vic Perrin (James Nation), Joseph Kearns (Art Carp), John Dehner (Fly), Clayton Post (Wells), James Nusser (Stock Tender), with music by Rex Koury and production by Norman Macdonnell.

Originally Aired: June 4, 1955

Jealousy: A Wound Deeper Than Bullets

In this emotionally charged episode of Gunsmoke, a dangerous spiral of suspicion, betrayal, and violence grips Dodge City as jealousy tears a young couple apart—and nearly costs more than one life.

Cam Durbin, a reformed gambler and old friend of Matt Dillon, arrives in Dodge with his beautiful new wife, Tilda. But beneath Cam’s calm surface simmers an uncontrollable jealousy, easily fanned into flames by the conniving dealer Lonnie Pike. When Pike begins feeding Cam malicious lies about Tilda and Matt, Cam’s growing distrust threatens not only his marriage but Matt’s life.

Matters escalate when Cam, poisoned by jealousy, vows to face Matt in a gunfight. Desperate to save her husband from his own worst instincts, Tilda takes justice into her own hands—shooting Lonnie Pike in a crowded saloon.

As Tilda faces arrest and prison, and Cam faces the wreckage of his own pride and mistrust, both realize the true cost of suspicion. Only the truth—and forgiveness—can save them now.

A powerful exploration of loyalty, manipulation, and the destructive power of jealousy, Jealousy is a poignant standout in the Gunsmoke canon.

Keywords: “Gunsmoke Jealousy episode,” “Cam and Tilda Durbin story,” “Matt Dillon Lonnie Pike conflict,” “June 1955 Gunsmoke radio,” “marshal defends his honor,” “John Meston jealousy drama,” “tragic love story Dodge City.”

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Howard McNear (Doc), Georgia Ellis (Kitty), Vic Perrin (Cam Durbin), Virginia Gregg (Tilda Durbin), Harry Bartell (Lonnie Pike), Don Diamond.

Originally Aired: May 28, 1955

Cow Doctor: A Debt Paid in Pride

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Gunsmoke, Marshal Matt Dillon and Doc Adams find themselves facing the ultimate test of compassion—and pride—in the Kansas frontier.

When young Jerry Pitcher rides into Dodge searching desperately for Doc, Matt and Kitty are shocked. Jerry’s father, Ben Pitcher, is known for his deep hatred of doctors, refusing even emergency care in the past. But something must be seriously wrong if he’s willing to send for help.

Doc and Matt travel to the remote Pitcher homestead—only to discover the patient isn’t Ben at all, but one of his cows suffering from colic. Furious at being tricked, Doc treats the animal anyway. But while Doc is away, a true emergency erupts back in Dodge: a woman bleeds to death from a simple injury because Doc wasn’t there to save her.

Enraged, Doc confronts Ben Pitcher, who retaliates with violence, stabbing Doc with a knife. Gravely wounded, Doc barely survives thanks to Matt’s rough but life-saving stitches. As Doc recuperates, a desperate Jerry returns to Dodge again—this time to plead for Doc to save his father, who is now deathly ill.

Despite everything, Doc insists on going back to treat the man who nearly killed him. Risking his own life, he saves Ben Pitcher. In the end, true to form, Pitcher refuses to pay Doc—because his cow died. Yet in a rare, heartfelt moment, Jerry tells Doc he’s proud to have him in their home.

Doc smiles. It’s the best payment he could have asked for.

Keywords: "Gunsmoke Cow Doctor episode," "May 1955 Gunsmoke radio," "Doc Adams stabbed by Ben Pitcher," "Matt Dillon stitches Doc Adams," "Doc saves enemy's life," "Jerry Pitcher loyalty," "John Meston Gunsmoke script classic."

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Howard McNear (Doc), Georgia Ellis (Kitty), John Dehner (Ben Pitcher), Vivi Janiss (Mrs. Pitcher), Sam Edwards (Jerry Pitcher)

Originally Aired: May 21, 1955

The Liar from Blackhawk: Truth Drawn at Gunpoint

In this unforgettable Gunsmoke episode, Dodge City meets a different kind of outlaw—one whose deadliest weapon is a lie. Hank Shin arrives in town with a towering reputation as a feared gunman, claiming he once killed three men at once in a saloon up in Blackhawk. Citizens are quickly cowed by his bravado, but Marshal Matt Dillon remains skeptical.

While Matt is away on business in Abilene, Hank's legend grows unchecked. However, those who look closer, like Kitty and Doc, notice something odd—Shin seems more desperate than dangerous, a man clinging to a reputation he knows he can’t truly defend.

When an armed drunk challenges Hank in the Long Branch, Shin shoots him down, but it leaves the so-called gunman shaken, not emboldened. Hank’s world finally collapses when Al Janes, a real gunfighter from New Mexico, rides into town. Fearing for his life, Shin throws away his gun and begs Matt to tell the town he’s no longer a fighter.

But it’s too late. On a dusty Dodge City street, Al Janes confronts Hank. Mistaking a frightened movement for a draw, Janes guns him down—only to learn too late that Shin was unarmed. In his dying words, Hank confesses that he never killed anyone in Blackhawk—the men killed each other while he hid.

A brutal and tragic tale about false reputations, cowardice, and the devastating consequences of living a lie, The Liar from Blackhawk is Gunsmoke at its most psychologically sharp and emotionally devastating.

Keywords: "Gunsmoke The Liar from Blackhawk episode," "Hank Shin fake gunfighter story," "May 1955 Gunsmoke radio," "Matt Dillon exposes false hero," "Al Janes gunfight Dodge City," "John Meston Gunsmoke script," "tragedy of false reputation."

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Howard McNear (Doc), Georgia Ellis (Kitty), Vic Perrin (Hank Shin), Paul Dubov (Al Janes), Barney Phillips (Davey), with special appearances by the Gunsmoke radio company.