In this emotionally charged episode of Gunsmoke, Marshal Matt Dillon faces off against Hack Prine, an old friend turned hired gun. When Hack is hired by Dolph Trumbo to free his brother Lee from jail, the stage is set for a deadly showdown. Prine, bound by his reputation and a peculiar sense of honor, wrestles with the weight of his choices as Matt tries to dissuade him from taking the job.

The tension peaks when a series of events lead to the murder of an innocent man, Ole, used as a pawn in Trumbo's plan. Hack, unwilling to let his name be tarnished or allow Trumbo to frame him, takes justice into his own hands. In a dramatic conclusion, Hack and Matt confront each other, with honor and duty colliding in a tragic gunfight that leaves one man dead and the other mourning the loss of a friend.

This episode explores themes of loyalty, morality, and the complexities of living by a personal code in a lawless land.

Keywords: "Gunsmoke Hack Prine episode," "July 1954 Gunsmoke radio," "Matt Dillon and Hack Prine duel," "Western honor and duty tale," "Dodge City law enforcement," "John Meston Gunsmoke stories," "classic Western drama."

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