Originally Aired: October 30, 1955

In Gunsmoke #186, “The Choice,” a mysterious young drifter named Andy Hill arrives in Dodge looking for honest work—but a deadly confrontation and a quick draw soon reveal he’s more than he seems. Marshal Matt Dillon offers him a second chance as a stagecoach guard, but suspicion lingers. When a stage is held up and Andy refuses to fire, questions arise: is he a coward, or complicit? As truths about Andy’s outlaw past emerge—tied to a cold-blooded killer named Carrick—Matt must decide whether to trust the young man’s bid for redemption. In the end, Andy’s courage and conscience are tested in a final, fateful showdown on the prairie.

Cast: William Conrad, Sam Edwards, Harry Bartell, Barney Phillips, Lawrence Topkin

Tags:
Western, redemption, outlaw, moralchoice, secondchances, Gunsmoke, WilliamConrad, 1950sradio, oaterdrama, classicwestern, justice, frontierlaw, suspense, psychologicaldrama, radiohistory, gunfighter