Bob Sullivan is a con man who tries to trick a widow with three children out of money for a fake cattle herd.Bob Sullivan is a con man who tries to trick a widow with three children out of money for a fake cattle herd.Bob Sullivan is a con man who tries to trick a widow with three children out of money for a fake cattle herd.
Photos
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaNear the end of the story, a fire station is seen in Dodge, to the right of the Ballard Restaurant.
- GoofsThe sink in the kitchen appears to be stainless steel. Stainless steel was not invented until 1913.
Featured review
Predictable and Unpleasant
Robert "Bob" Sullivan is a drummer -- a traveling salesman -- who sells cheap junk at exorbitant prices by making false claims about the goods. After a quick stop in Dodge City, Sullivan is met on the trail by an ornery rancher named Miller and his two sons. One of the sons bought a saddle from Sullivan in another town, and the supposedly silver saddle started to rust after it was exposed to rain the first time. Miller and his sons exact their revenge on Sullivan, and then some, by burning his wagon and mercilessly beating the drummer.
A widow named Lorna Wright who lives on a neighboring ranch with her three children happens upon the scene where the punishment is being dispensed. Mrs. Wright stops the beating by threatening Miller and the boys with a shotgun. Mrs. Wright then takes Sullivan back to her farm where she tends to his wounds.
Sullivan is a con man by chosen profession, so he is quickly able to endear himself to the Wright family. (Side note: in this story we have yet another example of a woman living alone out on the prairie with kids and managing a farm/ranch with no additional help.) Mrs. Wright wants to raise cattle on her ranch, but the only water source is on Miller's ranch, and he is not willing to divert any of the water to the Wright ranch. Miller has designs on the Wright land, and he does not want to do anything to encourage the Wrights to flourish there.
As the drummer assesses the situation, he naturally concocts a scheme where he can benefit by conning both Mrs. Wright and Miller. Nettie Wright is one of Mrs. Wright's children, and she has some sort of terminal illness. Sullivan did not factor this development into his scheme.
This is one of those rare "dud" Gunsmoke episodes. The idea behind the story is intriguing enough, but the execution is awful.
Don Chastain is so effective in the role of the sneaky, deceitful Bob Sullivan, the performance is unpleasant. Mrs. Wright and her kids believe everything he says, and everyone but the family can see they should be staying as far away from Sullivan as possible. To make matters worse, THEY NEVER LEARN THEIR LESSON.
Sandra Smith plays Lorna Wright. Smith last appeared in Season 13's "Mr. Sam'l" episode, and she would appear again in a Season 18 story. Lisa Gerritsen, who is probably most remembered for playing Phyllis Lindstrom's daughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff series Phyllis, is Nettie Wright. This is Gerritsen's first Gunsmoke involvement. She would appear later in Season 14's "The Twisted Heritage," and twice more in Season 16.
William Brantley makes another of his many Gunsmoke appearances as Miller. Brantley usually played the same type of villainous character. Joseph Walsh and Bruce Watson play his sons, but they do not have much to do in this story.
This story takes place mostly away from Dodge City, and most of the regular cast members are either absent or have short scenes. Matt Dillon is once again away from town, and Festus Haggen is the acting law enforcement. I think of Festus as acting on the viewer's behalf in this story, as he continually warns Mrs. Wright not to trust Sullivan, but she refuses to listen. Of course, we do get the requisite Marshal Dillon involvement late in the story.
Watch for a brief appearance by Christopher Knight in this episode. Knight would go on to star in The Brady Bunch as Peter Brady.
This episode is a candidate for the worst of Season 14 and is easily among the ten or so worst episodes of the entire series. The scheming Bob Sullivan character is so unlikeable, I found myself hoping he would get what he deserved at many points in the story. His whole "miracles are possible if you just believe" schtick quickly grows tired and annoying. The gullibility of Mrs. Wright is astounding. The syrupy sweet turn in the story can be seen coming from early in the tale. In the end, this is a predictable and unpleasant story for diehard Gunsmoke fans only.
A widow named Lorna Wright who lives on a neighboring ranch with her three children happens upon the scene where the punishment is being dispensed. Mrs. Wright stops the beating by threatening Miller and the boys with a shotgun. Mrs. Wright then takes Sullivan back to her farm where she tends to his wounds.
Sullivan is a con man by chosen profession, so he is quickly able to endear himself to the Wright family. (Side note: in this story we have yet another example of a woman living alone out on the prairie with kids and managing a farm/ranch with no additional help.) Mrs. Wright wants to raise cattle on her ranch, but the only water source is on Miller's ranch, and he is not willing to divert any of the water to the Wright ranch. Miller has designs on the Wright land, and he does not want to do anything to encourage the Wrights to flourish there.
As the drummer assesses the situation, he naturally concocts a scheme where he can benefit by conning both Mrs. Wright and Miller. Nettie Wright is one of Mrs. Wright's children, and she has some sort of terminal illness. Sullivan did not factor this development into his scheme.
This is one of those rare "dud" Gunsmoke episodes. The idea behind the story is intriguing enough, but the execution is awful.
Don Chastain is so effective in the role of the sneaky, deceitful Bob Sullivan, the performance is unpleasant. Mrs. Wright and her kids believe everything he says, and everyone but the family can see they should be staying as far away from Sullivan as possible. To make matters worse, THEY NEVER LEARN THEIR LESSON.
Sandra Smith plays Lorna Wright. Smith last appeared in Season 13's "Mr. Sam'l" episode, and she would appear again in a Season 18 story. Lisa Gerritsen, who is probably most remembered for playing Phyllis Lindstrom's daughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff series Phyllis, is Nettie Wright. This is Gerritsen's first Gunsmoke involvement. She would appear later in Season 14's "The Twisted Heritage," and twice more in Season 16.
William Brantley makes another of his many Gunsmoke appearances as Miller. Brantley usually played the same type of villainous character. Joseph Walsh and Bruce Watson play his sons, but they do not have much to do in this story.
This story takes place mostly away from Dodge City, and most of the regular cast members are either absent or have short scenes. Matt Dillon is once again away from town, and Festus Haggen is the acting law enforcement. I think of Festus as acting on the viewer's behalf in this story, as he continually warns Mrs. Wright not to trust Sullivan, but she refuses to listen. Of course, we do get the requisite Marshal Dillon involvement late in the story.
Watch for a brief appearance by Christopher Knight in this episode. Knight would go on to star in The Brady Bunch as Peter Brady.
This episode is a candidate for the worst of Season 14 and is easily among the ten or so worst episodes of the entire series. The scheming Bob Sullivan character is so unlikeable, I found myself hoping he would get what he deserved at many points in the story. His whole "miracles are possible if you just believe" schtick quickly grows tired and annoying. The gullibility of Mrs. Wright is astounding. The syrupy sweet turn in the story can be seen coming from early in the tale. In the end, this is a predictable and unpleasant story for diehard Gunsmoke fans only.
helpful•41
- wdavidreynolds
- May 15, 2021
Details
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 4:3
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content