This is a terrific episode. Laurie Prange who plays the wild girl was superb in the role; even worthy of an Emmy. The story is modeled after authentic cases of "feral" children lost in the wild who survive like animals. After the midpoint of the story, Kitty and the child are captured by hillbillies who want to make money displaying the child in a cage. In cases where such children were captured, this was often their fate, until a benevolent person, or a doctor wanting to study the child and attempt to normalize the him/her buys the child from the captors or circus where the child is being kept. In this episode of Gunsmoke, Kitty eventually realizes the situation the girl is in and gives her the love that other have deprived her of. The story ends when Kitty figures out how to place the girl in care of a loving family.
8 Reviews
After a stage coach accident in the middle of nowhere, Kitty meets a girl who lives in the wild.
trilogy10112 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Kittly meets Gallum
grizzledgeezer15 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Though people rarely plunge over a cliff, survive, and meet feral children, this episode almost makes one believe it's possible. This is due to an excellent script and Robert Totten's sensitive but unsentimental direction. He avoids the missteps that could have turned this episode into a pile of emotional slop. This is the reason for my vote of 8.
As in "Captain Sligo", Royal Dano's presence is wasted. (I recognized him only when I wondered why his character was so skinny.) But it's more than made up for by Mercedes McCambridge, (!!!) who gives a fierce performance as Rubilee. She's primarily remembered for "All the King's Men", "The Exorcist", and "Johnny Guitar"; the following quote is interesting:
"One of the most destructive things in my life was the kind of parts I played in pictures. I studied Shakespeare and the classics, and I end up shooting Joan Crawford ["Johnny Guitar"], and killing a horse that Elizabeth Taylor was in love with ["Suddenly, Last Summer"]. I'm serious. I played the worst harridans, the most hard-bitten women, the absolute heavies, and it just about did me in."
Your fans would say you did it very well, indeed.
"The Lost" appears to be an unintended sequel to "Baker's Dozen", perhaps the ickiest of all "Gunsmoke" episodes. (See my unkind review.) Kitty decides the best place for the feral child is with the Ronigers, who had 13 children in "Baker's Dozen", and now have 17. Peggy Rea repeats her role as Mrs Roniger.
The opening sequence, in which a stagecoach accident leaves the female lead in a state of disrepair, is the same stock footage used in a "Big Valley" episode ("Presumed Dead", 4.3). It says a great deal about the two series that, while a rather battered Miss Kitty has to struggle out of the wreckage, Miss Barbara Stanwyck is thrown clear, landing in what can only be described as a leg-cocked cheesecake pose, her bodily injuries indicated by a schmeer makeup on her temple.
As in "Captain Sligo", Royal Dano's presence is wasted. (I recognized him only when I wondered why his character was so skinny.) But it's more than made up for by Mercedes McCambridge, (!!!) who gives a fierce performance as Rubilee. She's primarily remembered for "All the King's Men", "The Exorcist", and "Johnny Guitar"; the following quote is interesting:
"One of the most destructive things in my life was the kind of parts I played in pictures. I studied Shakespeare and the classics, and I end up shooting Joan Crawford ["Johnny Guitar"], and killing a horse that Elizabeth Taylor was in love with ["Suddenly, Last Summer"]. I'm serious. I played the worst harridans, the most hard-bitten women, the absolute heavies, and it just about did me in."
Your fans would say you did it very well, indeed.
"The Lost" appears to be an unintended sequel to "Baker's Dozen", perhaps the ickiest of all "Gunsmoke" episodes. (See my unkind review.) Kitty decides the best place for the feral child is with the Ronigers, who had 13 children in "Baker's Dozen", and now have 17. Peggy Rea repeats her role as Mrs Roniger.
The opening sequence, in which a stagecoach accident leaves the female lead in a state of disrepair, is the same stock footage used in a "Big Valley" episode ("Presumed Dead", 4.3). It says a great deal about the two series that, while a rather battered Miss Kitty has to struggle out of the wreckage, Miss Barbara Stanwyck is thrown clear, landing in what can only be described as a leg-cocked cheesecake pose, her bodily injuries indicated by a schmeer makeup on her temple.
A different kind of story that will be appealing to most.
kfo949412 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
You do get one of the best stagecoach wrecks in this episode as Kitty is making her way back to Dodge when the stage breaks away from the team sending the passenger compartment over the cliff and down an large embankment. The driver take a nose dive into the ground (nice work by the stunt guy) and Kitty comes crawling out of the overturned stage trying to make her way to civilization.
As she make her way through the lonely desert, she comes across a 'wild girl'. We learn later that the girl has been living in the desert for some time and is believed to have appeared when a fever broke out in a town killing most, if not all, of the residence. The wild girl, played nicely by Laurie Prange, helps Kitty arrive at a farm house that is occupied by some hillbillies.
The hillbillies have been trying to capture the wild girl and believe that Kitty will be bait to lure the girl into their cage and to sell her to traveling circus show. Only Matt, that has been searching for Kitty, will be able to stop the act but only if they can find where Kitty's location.
This is a different kind of story that we are accustom from the series. But the story held up well supported mainly by the fine acting. The ending is about as nice as could be written as we get the sweet Peggy Rae saying "Children ain't no problem Ms Kitty, they just need to be loved." Nice watch.
As she make her way through the lonely desert, she comes across a 'wild girl'. We learn later that the girl has been living in the desert for some time and is believed to have appeared when a fever broke out in a town killing most, if not all, of the residence. The wild girl, played nicely by Laurie Prange, helps Kitty arrive at a farm house that is occupied by some hillbillies.
The hillbillies have been trying to capture the wild girl and believe that Kitty will be bait to lure the girl into their cage and to sell her to traveling circus show. Only Matt, that has been searching for Kitty, will be able to stop the act but only if they can find where Kitty's location.
This is a different kind of story that we are accustom from the series. But the story held up well supported mainly by the fine acting. The ending is about as nice as could be written as we get the sweet Peggy Rae saying "Children ain't no problem Ms Kitty, they just need to be loved." Nice watch.
A Magnificent Performance by Ms. Laurie Prange
jlthornb512 February 2019
Gifted actress Laurie Prange gives a beautiful, deeply moving performance as a young feral girl who is brought to civilization from the badlands by Miss Kitty. The work of both Ms. Prange and Amanda Blake is extraordinary but it is Laurie Prange who proves beyond any doubt what a truly fine actress she is. This is some of her most memorable work and she is indeed unforgettable as she gives what is almost a performance of lifetime. If not for the many magnificent roles she brought to life, this would be the epitome of her career. Ms. Prange has always been superb and over the years has left her mark as an acclaimed actress. You will not experience her stunning portrayal here and not have your heart touched and your soul uplifted.
DVD of the Seventeenth Season of "Gunsmoke" -- Best Season in the Series
aradbord30 May 2022
This "Gunsmoke" DVD contains episodes from Season #17 of "Gunsmoke" -- the complete season.
Highlights include the first episode "Lost" -- also known, as "Wild Child". Kitty Russell -- proprietor of the Long Branch Saloon -- is involved in a stagecoach accident, and encounters a child who is non-verbal, and primitive. Beautifully acted by Amanda Blake and Laurie Prange. Additional appearance by Mercedes McCambridge.
The highlight of the season is a three-part series of episodes -- called "The Bullet" -- starring a very young Eric Braeden (Victor Newman, "Young & the Restless"! What, a performance! This series of three episodes really belongs to Amanda Blake -- whose soliloquy, on board the gold train,about her longtime feelings for Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) -- is a showstopper. These three episodes also mark the return of Milburn Stone as Doc Adams (Stone had been recuperating from unexpected open-heart surgery). Perhaps, his best performance, in the long-running CBS-TV Western series.
The Complete Seventeenth Season of "Gunsmoke" DVD is an excellent buy.
Highlights include the first episode "Lost" -- also known, as "Wild Child". Kitty Russell -- proprietor of the Long Branch Saloon -- is involved in a stagecoach accident, and encounters a child who is non-verbal, and primitive. Beautifully acted by Amanda Blake and Laurie Prange. Additional appearance by Mercedes McCambridge.
The highlight of the season is a three-part series of episodes -- called "The Bullet" -- starring a very young Eric Braeden (Victor Newman, "Young & the Restless"! What, a performance! This series of three episodes really belongs to Amanda Blake -- whose soliloquy, on board the gold train,about her longtime feelings for Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) -- is a showstopper. These three episodes also mark the return of Milburn Stone as Doc Adams (Stone had been recuperating from unexpected open-heart surgery). Perhaps, his best performance, in the long-running CBS-TV Western series.
The Complete Seventeenth Season of "Gunsmoke" DVD is an excellent buy.
Unique Story with Excellent Performances
wdavidreynolds2 August 2021
Kitty Russell is traveling via stagecoach again, and that usually means disaster is imminent. In this case, the coach is suddenly separated from the team of horses. The out-of-control coach plunges end-over-end down an embankment and into a gully. The driver, who was pulled off by the horses, is killed. Kitty is the only passenger, and she remarkably survives with no serious injuries.
Kitty is now stranded in an extremely remote area of the badlands. She manages to find water, and she also encounters a feral girl who lives alone in a wooded area along the banks of a river. At first, the girl is terrified of Kitty, but over time, she learns to trust Kitty. The two soon form a bond.
Matt Dillon, Newly O'Brien, and Festus Haggen are searching for Kitty, and they learn of the wrecked stage at a way station. They soon find the wreckage and tracks that indicate someone left the area.
As Kitty and the girl make their way across the prairie, they happen upon the Mather family camping in an old, abandoned house. The Mathers are a group of degenerates that claim they are on their way to a Fourth of July celebration in some nearby town. They manage to capture the feral girl and bind and gag Kitty to a post. They intend to take the feral girl into town and charge people to view her before selling the girl to a traveling show. Fortunately, Matt, Festus, and Newly are closing in.
The part of the feral child -- or "Wild Child" as it appears in the credits -- is played by Laurie Prange. Prange should have been nominated for an Emmy for this role. This was quite early in her acting career, but her performance is astoundingly convincing. This was Prange's only Gunsmoke appearance.
Former Oscar winner Mercedes McCambridge lends her talents in her only Gunsmoke episode as the sinister Rubilee Mather. Rubliee is the "brains of the outfit" when it comes to the Mather family.
Royal Dano guest stars in a Gunsmoke episode for the final time. Here he plays Rubilee's sickly, incapacitated husband Henry. It is a surprisingly small role considering some of the other prominent parts he played over the course of the series.
Gunsmoke veterans Link Wyler and Charlie Kuenstle play the dimwitted Mather sons.
Actress Peggy Rea makes her final Gunsmoke appearance by reprising her role as Bess Roniger from the sappy Season 13 episode "Baker's Dozen." Two of Gunsmoke producer John Mantley's children -- Jon Jason Mantley and Maria Mantley -- play members of the Roniger family.
This story is one of the more unique in the entire Gunsmoke oeuvre. The story was written by actor Warren Vanders, who appeared in twelve Gunsmoke episodes. He usually played sneaky, sinister types of characters. Jack Miller, who wrote twelve episodes of the series and was "Executive Story Consultant" for forty-five others is credited for writing the teleplay.
This episode features another great starring performance by Amanda Blake. There have been several stories published about Blake's reluctance to do these "location shoot" stories. She found them exhausting, and as the years wore on, was less enthused about doing them. At least part of the reason she left the show (or was fired, depending on who is telling the story) prior to Season 20 was over her increasing reluctance to do these types of stories. Blake was absent in many of the Season 16 episodes. It is nice to see Season 17 begin with such a strong part for Blake.
Kitty is now stranded in an extremely remote area of the badlands. She manages to find water, and she also encounters a feral girl who lives alone in a wooded area along the banks of a river. At first, the girl is terrified of Kitty, but over time, she learns to trust Kitty. The two soon form a bond.
Matt Dillon, Newly O'Brien, and Festus Haggen are searching for Kitty, and they learn of the wrecked stage at a way station. They soon find the wreckage and tracks that indicate someone left the area.
As Kitty and the girl make their way across the prairie, they happen upon the Mather family camping in an old, abandoned house. The Mathers are a group of degenerates that claim they are on their way to a Fourth of July celebration in some nearby town. They manage to capture the feral girl and bind and gag Kitty to a post. They intend to take the feral girl into town and charge people to view her before selling the girl to a traveling show. Fortunately, Matt, Festus, and Newly are closing in.
The part of the feral child -- or "Wild Child" as it appears in the credits -- is played by Laurie Prange. Prange should have been nominated for an Emmy for this role. This was quite early in her acting career, but her performance is astoundingly convincing. This was Prange's only Gunsmoke appearance.
Former Oscar winner Mercedes McCambridge lends her talents in her only Gunsmoke episode as the sinister Rubilee Mather. Rubliee is the "brains of the outfit" when it comes to the Mather family.
Royal Dano guest stars in a Gunsmoke episode for the final time. Here he plays Rubilee's sickly, incapacitated husband Henry. It is a surprisingly small role considering some of the other prominent parts he played over the course of the series.
Gunsmoke veterans Link Wyler and Charlie Kuenstle play the dimwitted Mather sons.
Actress Peggy Rea makes her final Gunsmoke appearance by reprising her role as Bess Roniger from the sappy Season 13 episode "Baker's Dozen." Two of Gunsmoke producer John Mantley's children -- Jon Jason Mantley and Maria Mantley -- play members of the Roniger family.
This story is one of the more unique in the entire Gunsmoke oeuvre. The story was written by actor Warren Vanders, who appeared in twelve Gunsmoke episodes. He usually played sneaky, sinister types of characters. Jack Miller, who wrote twelve episodes of the series and was "Executive Story Consultant" for forty-five others is credited for writing the teleplay.
This episode features another great starring performance by Amanda Blake. There have been several stories published about Blake's reluctance to do these "location shoot" stories. She found them exhausting, and as the years wore on, was less enthused about doing them. At least part of the reason she left the show (or was fired, depending on who is telling the story) prior to Season 20 was over her increasing reluctance to do these types of stories. Blake was absent in many of the Season 16 episodes. It is nice to see Season 17 begin with such a strong part for Blake.
Laurie as the wild child
bunch-7364211 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
She was fantastic playing this role. She did an incredible job. It would be extremely difficult to play a roll as a young chid lost in the woods for a long time and have no way to know how to communicate. Her ability to make the sounds to speak would be hard. Her physical abilities to move around like she did would be very challenging. I think putting all together was really good! What else can you say about the talent level that Laurie had in this TV show. Unbelievable! The review requirements are absolutely ridiculous. You obviously don't want her review to show up her great talent that she had for a simple type western.
A Great Episode, A reminder of Another Gunsmoke
cpolster19 January 2024
A reminder of another Gunsmoke episode. When Kitty and the wild child arrives.at the Roniger farm where is Mr Roniger played by Harry Carey, Jr. In Baker's Dozen which aired December 25, 1967. It would have blended in with that episode.
While the main two roles are Kitty and the Wild Child in the wild and how they interact. Laurie Prange as the Wild Child is quite believable for someone growing up in the wild. It was interesting to see those two share the story.
Royal Dano. Had a small role which was almost not necessary. Do not know why Harry Carey was not here, had he been there I would have given a 10 instead of a 9.
While the main two roles are Kitty and the Wild Child in the wild and how they interact. Laurie Prange as the Wild Child is quite believable for someone growing up in the wild. It was interesting to see those two share the story.
Royal Dano. Had a small role which was almost not necessary. Do not know why Harry Carey was not here, had he been there I would have given a 10 instead of a 9.
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