Originally Aired: October 28, 1956

In Gunsmoke #238, “Dirty Bill’s Girl,” a new face in Dodge turns more than a few heads. Rose, a striking blackjack dealer, runs a table so hot it draws in both gamblers and trouble. When Marshal Dillon starts watching her play, he finds she’s not just a cardsharp—she’s a woman with a mission. Rose has been tracking one man across the frontier for four years, and now she’s found him: Elko Dean, the gunman who killed her father, the notorious gambler “Dirty Bill” Prawley. With a sawed-off shotgun hidden beneath the table, she means to settle the score. But when Matt steps between vengeance and justice, the final hand is played at point-blank range—and it’s the Marshal who has to cheat to save three lives.

Cast: William Conrad, Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis, Virginia Christine, Vic Perron, John Daner

Tags:
western, frontier, DodgeCity, vengeance, gambling, justice, revenge, WilliamConrad, ParleyBaer, HowardMcNear, GeorgiaEllis, VirginiaChristine, VicPerron, JohnDaner, oldtimeradio, classicradio, 1950sradio, radioDrama, lawandorder, cardsharp, DirtyBill, femmevengeance

Originally Aired: October 21, 1956

In Gunsmoke #237, “Til Death Do Us,” a sanctimonious farmer, Jezreel Cobb, and his cowed wife, Minerva, drift into Dodge—and into danger. After shots are fired at their buggy, Matt Dillon follows a rumor to a braggart gunman who claims he was offered $300 to kill Cobb. When the gunman forces a showdown at the Long Branch, Matt drops him—but the truth is darker than hired vengeance. Back at the Cobb place, Matt learns Minerva paid for the killing after decades of beatings “for her transgressions.” When Jezreel suspects the plot and reaches for his hickory stave, Minerva meets him in the barn and calmly empties her gun. In a chilling, matter-of-fact confession served with warm plum pie, she tells the Marshal: Jezreel won’t be beating her anymore.

Cast: William Conrad, Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis, Virginia Gregg, Ralph Moody, Don Diamond, John Daner

Tags:
western, frontier, DodgeCity, MarshalDillon, domesticabuse, selfdefense, moralhypocrisy, saloon, LongBranch, WilliamConrad, ParleyBaer, HowardMcNear, GeorgiaEllis, VirginiaGregg, RalphMoody, DonDiamond, JohnDaner, oldtimeradio, classicradio, 1950sradio, radioDrama, justice, grimtwist

Originally Aired: October 14, 1956

In Gunsmoke #236, “Gunshot Wound,” Jim Nielsen returns to Dodge with a bullet still lodged near his heart and revenge burning in his soul. After surviving a fight with the Mailer brothers two months prior, Nielsen learns his wound is fatal—and decides to take the men who shot him with him to the grave. Despite Marshal Matt Dillon’s efforts to stop a renewed bloodbath, Nielsen’s grim resolve leads to two more deaths and one chilling realization: vengeance offers no peace. A sobering tale about pride, inevitability, and the futility of violence.

Cast: William Conrad, Harry Bartell, Vic Perrin, Lawrence Dobkin, Jess Kirkpatrick, Harley Bear, Howard McNair, Georgia Ellis

Tags:
western, revenge, fatalwound, pride, tragedy, JimNielsen, MailerBrothers, MattDillon, WilliamConrad, DodgeCity, oldtimeradio, classicwestern, 1950sradio, Gunsmoke, moralityplay, fatalism, justice, drama, lawman

Originally Aired: October 7, 1956

In Gunsmoke #235, “The Gambler,” a refined riverboat gambler named Clint Ascom arrives in Dodge City with one mission: to find and kill a man he’s never met—Jim Cass. Marshal Matt Dillon intervenes, puzzled by the animosity toward the mild-mannered, gunless Cass. As the mystery unfolds, it’s revealed that a dark secret from Cass’s past—an impulsive killing on the Cincinnati waterfront—has come back to haunt him. But vengeance proves complicated when both men are forced to confront the human cost of hatred. A powerful morality tale about revenge, perspective, and the weight of past sins.

Cast: William Conrad, Lawrence Dobkin, Ralph Moody, Harley Bear, Howard McNair, Georgia Ellis

Tags:
western, revenge, gambling, riverboat, morality, redemption, hatred, JimCass, ClintAscom, MattDillon, WilliamConrad, classicwestern, oldtimeradio, 1950sradio, vintagepodcast, Gunsmoke, psychologicaldrama, justice, pastsins, riverboats, DodgeCity

Originally Aired: September 30, 1956

In Gunsmoke #234, “The Brothers,” the arrival of legendary lawman Leif Tugwell in Dodge stirs up tension, especially with a hot-headed young gunslinger, Trace Gore, eager to make a name by taking him down. Marshal Matt Dillon tries to keep the peace, unaware that Tugwell is hiding a debilitating illness that has ended his days as a gunfighter. As pride and reputation clash with reality, the episode builds to a suspenseful confrontation that’s more psychological than physical. A deeply human story about aging, ego, and what it means to let go.

Cast: William Conrad, Vic Perron, Sam Edwards, Harley Bear, Howard McNair, Georgia Ellis

Tags:
western, legend, pride, illness, aging, confrontation, mentorship, LeifTugwell, TraceGore, DodgeCity, MattDillon, WilliamConrad, oldtimeradio, classicwestern, vintagepodcast, 1950sradio, suspensefuldrama, moralityplay, redemption, brotherhood, Gunsmoke

Originally Aired: September 23, 1956

In Gunsmoke #233, “Box o’ Rocks,” a humble old prospector named Packy Roundtree is supposedly laid to rest—until Marshal Matt Dillon pries open the coffin and finds only rocks. As it turns out, Packy faked his death to escape the brutal Jeb Cruder, a sadistic bully with a grudge and an eye on Packy’s secret silver strike. When Cruder uses violence to uncover Packy’s hiding place, the showdown turns deadly in a most unexpected way. A darkly comic tale of fear, deceit, and explosive justice from an unlikely hero.

Cast: William Conrad, Ralph Moody, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, Parley Baer

Tags:
Western, silvermine, revenge, fakefuneral, justice, Gunsmoke, WilliamConrad, PackyRoundtree, darkcomedy, oldtimeradio, 1950sradio, classicwestern, cowardhero, frontierjustice, suspensepodcast

Originally Aired: September 16, 1956

In Gunsmoke #232, “Thick 'n Thin,” long-time partners Odie Perkins and Brace McCoy are at war—over sour grits. What starts as a spat over cooking spirals into a full-blown feud, with bullets flying between barn and house on their shared homestead. Marshal Matt Dillon steps in to restore order, but it’ll take more than jail time and lectures to mend this stubborn friendship. Enter Summer Dove, a wise and capable Kiowa woman with culinary skills that could bring even the most bullheaded cowboys back to the table. A witty and warm episode exploring pride, reconciliation, and the small things that matter most.

Cast: William Conrad, Vic Perron, Barney Phillips, Peggy Rea

Tags:
Western, friendship, feud, reconciliation, comedy, Gunsmoke, WilliamConrad, Kiowa, SummerDove, oldtimeradio, 1950sradio, classicwestern, ruraldrama, foodfight, suspensepodcast, barnlife

Originally Aired: September 9, 1956

In Gunsmoke #231, “Belle’s Back,” Belle Ainsley returns to Dodge after three years away—and immediately stirs up old memories, deeper secrets, and dangerous consequences. She claims she was abducted by the outlaw Jess Crider and forced to flee, but her younger sister Phyllis isn’t buying it. When Phyllis vanishes, Marshal Matt Dillon suspects Crider is back, hiding somewhere near Dodge. What follows is a tense, emotional showdown that reveals fractured family ties, youthful rebellion, and a tragic love gone wrong. A complex character drama set against the hard edges of the frontier.

Cast: William Conrad, Virginia Christine, Ralph Moody, Sammy Hill

Tags:
Western, familydrama, outlaw, redemption, sisters, Gunsmoke, WilliamConrad, fugitives, JessCrider, VirginiaChristine, oldtimeradio, 1950sradio, classicwestern, emotionaldrama, suspensepodcast, dodgecity

Originally Aired: September 2, 1956

In Gunsmoke #230, “Old Pal,” Marshal Matt Dillon is stunned when fresh clues suggest that his close friend Jim Rankin—believed murdered during a robbery in El Paso—may actually be alive and involved in the very crime that supposedly killed him. As Dillon follows the trail, he uncovers a tangled web involving stolen banknotes, a calculating saloon girl named Lily, and a gambler with secrets of his own. With emotions running high and loyalties tested, Dillon must confront the painful truth about a man he once rode beside—and decide whether justice or friendship comes first. A suspenseful tale of betrayal, deception, and the heavy burden of memory.

Cast: William Conrad, Georgia Ellis

Tags:
Western, betrayal, friendship, marshal, fugitives, Gunsmoke, WilliamConrad, deception, saloon, oldtimeradio, 1950sradio, classicwestern, lawandorder, bankrobbery, shootout, suspensepodcast, drama

Originally Aired: August 26, 1956

In Gunsmoke #229, “No Sale,” Kitty and Sam are offered a suspiciously high price for the Long Branch Saloon by two strangers—Brice and Temple. When Kitty declines, threats begin to fly, and it becomes clear the buyers have a deadly backup plan: kill Sam if Kitty won’t sign. With Marshal Dillon on alert and a surprise arrival from Abilene gambler Glenn Horn, a trap is laid to expose the con. But when the gunplay starts, only one man walks away. A tense tale of extortion, bluff, and grit in Dodge City.

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

Tags:
Western, saloon, conmen, extortion, Gunsmoke, 1950sradio, oldtimeradio, DodgeCity, longbranch, gamblers, classicdrama, bluff, shootout, suspensepodcast