Frank Sutton, best known as Sergeant Carter in the series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., plays Billy, an uneducated simpleton that lives near Dodge City and visits the town occasionally. When he is in Dodge, he loves and entertains the children in the town, and the children enjoy his goofy antics. However, some of the older male residents of Dodge bully Billy and take advantage of his lack of intelligence. It doesn't help that everyone knows that Billy's mother was a Native American of the Cheyenne tribe.
Problems arise when a famous Civil War General who is in failing health, Kip Marston, identifies Billy as the son he abandoned as a baby. The General wants an opportunity to see and apologize to Billy before he dies. He sends Colonel Gabe Wilson to Dodge City to attempt to bring Billy to visit.
Of course, the Colonel finds Billy in Dodge, but convincing Billy to return with him is not going to be all that easy. For one thing, Billy is in jail when the Colonel arrives. For another, Billy has no interest in leaving his humble existence. Eventually, The General decides to make the trip to Dodge City to see Billy, instead of waiting for Billy to come to him.
The best thing about this episode is the cast of very familiar character actors. In addition to Sutton, J. Pat O'Malley is the Colonel. Ralph Moody, who appeared in numerous television series around in the 1960s and 1970s, is Kip Marston. Vitina Marcus, who played a similar part in the Season 7 episode, "The Squaw," plays Billy's wife. Roy Roberts, who would eventually become a semi-regular on Gunsmoke as Mr. Botkin, plays the part of Mr. Dobie. We also see Ted Jordan, who was a close friend of James Arness and would later become a cast regular as Nathan Burke, in a small part.
Unfortunately, the story here is seriously lacking. Why is the Colonel so insistent on bringing Billy back to the General once he arrives in Dodge and sees the circumstances? Why is Billy so resistant to going with the Colonel? It isn't like the Colonel is asking Billy to leave permanently. Why does Kip Marston suddenly decide to travel to Dodge to see Billy, instead of waiting for Billy to come to him? It would seem the old General's health isn't as bad as we were led to believe. The viewer is just never compelled to really care about the central plot elements, and, in the end, none of it matters, anyway.
There are some enjoyable moments in the episode. When Colonel Wilson arrives in Dodge City, we get a brief, rare glimpse into Matt's past as a young scout when he was in the U.S. Calvary around 1867. There is also a humorous scene in Delmonico's when Doc, Matt, and Kitty are having dinner and Chester shows up. Often those scenes that were probably added as time fillers turn out to be some of the most endearing.
In a series where the writing is often outstanding, a "dud" script like this one stand out even more, and the cast in this episode deserved better.
Problems arise when a famous Civil War General who is in failing health, Kip Marston, identifies Billy as the son he abandoned as a baby. The General wants an opportunity to see and apologize to Billy before he dies. He sends Colonel Gabe Wilson to Dodge City to attempt to bring Billy to visit.
Of course, the Colonel finds Billy in Dodge, but convincing Billy to return with him is not going to be all that easy. For one thing, Billy is in jail when the Colonel arrives. For another, Billy has no interest in leaving his humble existence. Eventually, The General decides to make the trip to Dodge City to see Billy, instead of waiting for Billy to come to him.
The best thing about this episode is the cast of very familiar character actors. In addition to Sutton, J. Pat O'Malley is the Colonel. Ralph Moody, who appeared in numerous television series around in the 1960s and 1970s, is Kip Marston. Vitina Marcus, who played a similar part in the Season 7 episode, "The Squaw," plays Billy's wife. Roy Roberts, who would eventually become a semi-regular on Gunsmoke as Mr. Botkin, plays the part of Mr. Dobie. We also see Ted Jordan, who was a close friend of James Arness and would later become a cast regular as Nathan Burke, in a small part.
Unfortunately, the story here is seriously lacking. Why is the Colonel so insistent on bringing Billy back to the General once he arrives in Dodge and sees the circumstances? Why is Billy so resistant to going with the Colonel? It isn't like the Colonel is asking Billy to leave permanently. Why does Kip Marston suddenly decide to travel to Dodge to see Billy, instead of waiting for Billy to come to him? It would seem the old General's health isn't as bad as we were led to believe. The viewer is just never compelled to really care about the central plot elements, and, in the end, none of it matters, anyway.
There are some enjoyable moments in the episode. When Colonel Wilson arrives in Dodge City, we get a brief, rare glimpse into Matt's past as a young scout when he was in the U.S. Calvary around 1867. There is also a humorous scene in Delmonico's when Doc, Matt, and Kitty are having dinner and Chester shows up. Often those scenes that were probably added as time fillers turn out to be some of the most endearing.
In a series where the writing is often outstanding, a "dud" script like this one stand out even more, and the cast in this episode deserved better.