User Reviews

Note-Not to be confused with a a 1964 Gunsmoke episode with the same title.

Two country boys have been in the outbacks collection wolf furs for about three months in order to cash in on a deal that the State of Kansas was offering. However during their three months in the prairie the State has rescinded the payment on furs and now the boys have some forty furs with no one wanting to buy.

The two boys, Cory and Rich, was going to use the money to take the family to California to start a new life. But now the only person that may purchase the furs is Dolen that owns the Fur trade business in Dodge. But the money he is going to give the boys will not even be enough for food, let alone a trip toward the west.

With cattlemen in the area willing to sell their buffalo hides, Dolan doesn't even have time to talk with the boys. And in a desperate move the two plan a robbery where they rob Dolan, take the money and also have an alibi for the time. Everything goes as planned.

With it looking like the boys are going to get away scot-free, Festus comes up and accidentally discovers that they are the robbers. But this places Festus's life in danger when the boys are determined to make it out of Kansas.

This episode, even with the aged plot, does a great job of holding the viewer's attention. The best compliment I can give is that the storyline flowed throughout the entire show. Beginning , middle and end were all entertaining in their own way. The problem is James Arness has one of those 'peek-a-boo' appearances in this episode. He is either off delivering paperwork or riding to a nearby town so he basically is a cameo guest in this episode. The show seemed better when Arness was always around.

A man named Cory, his wife Adele, his friend Rich, and his Grandpa want to join a wagon train and travel to California in the hopes of taking advantage of the opportunities there. When Cory and Rich hear the State of Kansas is paying a bounty for wolf pelts, they spend months collecting pelts.

When the duo take their collected pelts to Dodge City, Festus Haggen mistakenly tells them the bounty is no longer being paid. Festus tells them a man named Dolen buys skins and hides, and might be willing to buy their pelts. However, Dolen only offers then ten cents per pelt, which is far short of the $300 they were expecting and not even enough for the food they need.

Out of desperation, Cole devises a plan for the two men to rob Dolen and plant the idea that a couple of cowboys on their way to Texas committed the crime. Cole's scheme works, but the amount of money they steal is much more than the $300 Cole was expecting. Of course, this series of events leads to other circumstances that will have serious repercussions for everyone involved.

Gunsmoke fans are familiar with the story of a desperate person taking actions they would normally not take. (See Season 12's "The Wrong Man" for another of a few different examples.) This is another episode that does not break any new ground but features excellent performances.

Jon Voigt is Cole, and Lou Antonio is Rich in this story. Neither actor is a stranger to Gunsmoke fans. Kelly Jean Peters plays Cole's wife, Adele, and I. Stanford Jolley plays Grandpa. Charles McGraw is another actor with a familiar face that appears in this story as Dolen.

Season 13 is the first season where Festus begins wearing a deputy's badge with some frequency. In this episode, he is especially focused on his pride in being trusted by the Marshal to wear the badge.

This episode shares a name, "Prairie Wolfer," with a Season 9 episode. The earlier episode is the second that featured the Festus Haggen character. In that episode, Festus is the person collecting wolf skins.

***SPOILERS*** I liked it, mainly because Festus shows once again that he has a good heart. This time in wanting to correct a mistake that he made about the price of some wolf hides that were supposed to be bountied from Kansas to the "wolfers" who brought them in. In doing so, he uncovers (and figures it out, himself), a robbery. He comes from poor, but basically honest folks himself, and he must set things aright. It takes the rest of the show to explain how he has to straighten out his initial mistake, and then talk sense into the one brother who has tried to be honest. He does this, and in doing so, the three men in the gunfight actually have to reload their pistols. Jon Voight does a good job of acting, as do all, especially Ken Curtis as Festus. Naturally there is some terrific banter between Doc and Festus, and as his character develops, we get to see one of the best actors play one of the best supporting roles in this era. A strong 9.

Ridiculous of posters to find the show best when Marshall Dillon is the central character. Except for Miss. Kitty only being more attractive to look at-- Festus was hands down the show's finest character. In this he makes an honest-to-goodness mistake and tells two wolf fur trappers that the catch they expected 301 dollars for is nearly worthless. Festus comes to realize his mistake and goes to the wife of the one of the trappers with the earned 301 bucks. From there he is kidnapped. Story is even and makes perfect sense throughout.