One can almost imagine the Gunsmoke writers sitting around and thinking, "We have two more episodes to write for this season, but only have one idea. Maybe we can just extend one episode into two hours!"
There is not really anything wrong with this story of a man named George McClaney who is desperate for money and demonstrates a willingness to perform an extremely dangerous task because it pays well. The scene where George boils the dynamite to create the first container of nitroglycerin is nerve wracking, even though there is little doubt he will succeed.
(I do have to wonder about the wisdom of using something as volatile as nitroglycerin crudely extracted from dynamite to blow safes open.)
The problem is there is not enough material here for a two-part episode. There is a lot of needless talking, over-wrought hand wringing, and useless plot elements in this first part. There is very little involvement by the regular cast members, as most of the story revolves around George
This episode features a strong cast of guest stars. David Canary, who played Candy Canaday on Bonanza starting in 1967 and spent many years on All My Children, plays the desperate man. Several other frequent Gunsmoke guests also appear, including Eddie Firestone, Tom Reese, and Dub Taylor.
Attractive Bonnie Beecher appears here as Anne, one of Kitty Russell's employees at The Long Branch Saloon. George is smitten with Anne, and his desire for a future with her is the primary motivation for his actions in the story. In real life, Beecher dated Bob Dylan at one point. She may have been the inspiration for Dylan's "Girl from North Country." She would later marry renown hippie/activist Wavy Gravy. She had a child with Wavy Gravy that was named "Howdy Do-Good Gravy Tomahawk Truckstop Romney." (Romney is Wavy Gravy's birth name.)
There is not really anything wrong with this story of a man named George McClaney who is desperate for money and demonstrates a willingness to perform an extremely dangerous task because it pays well. The scene where George boils the dynamite to create the first container of nitroglycerin is nerve wracking, even though there is little doubt he will succeed.
(I do have to wonder about the wisdom of using something as volatile as nitroglycerin crudely extracted from dynamite to blow safes open.)
The problem is there is not enough material here for a two-part episode. There is a lot of needless talking, over-wrought hand wringing, and useless plot elements in this first part. There is very little involvement by the regular cast members, as most of the story revolves around George
This episode features a strong cast of guest stars. David Canary, who played Candy Canaday on Bonanza starting in 1967 and spent many years on All My Children, plays the desperate man. Several other frequent Gunsmoke guests also appear, including Eddie Firestone, Tom Reese, and Dub Taylor.
Attractive Bonnie Beecher appears here as Anne, one of Kitty Russell's employees at The Long Branch Saloon. George is smitten with Anne, and his desire for a future with her is the primary motivation for his actions in the story. In real life, Beecher dated Bob Dylan at one point. She may have been the inspiration for Dylan's "Girl from North Country." She would later marry renown hippie/activist Wavy Gravy. She had a child with Wavy Gravy that was named "Howdy Do-Good Gravy Tomahawk Truckstop Romney." (Romney is Wavy Gravy's birth name.)