User Reviews

In this episode Ms Kitty is riding alone in the outback when she is taken hostage by an escaped Indian named Gregorio. Gregorio, played by Richard Anderson, escaped from a train guarded by Sgt. Holly of the US Cavalry. Sgt Holly, played by Forrest Tucker, is only two days away from retirement and has yet to have an escape during his long service with the Cavalry. So with two days remaining in his service, Sgt. Holly attempts to recapture Gregorio before his retirement take effect.

Amanda Blake does an excellent job of being the middle person in the conflict between the Indian and the Cavalry. And it also goes to prove that Ms Blake is still willing to give all toward the show as we see her being dragged along the path with Gregorio plus taking abuse from Sgt Holly. Her acting makes this episode better than expected.

Even though this plot is seen many times in westerns, the writers do an good job of ending the story in an unusual way. And with Ms Blake and Mr Tucker leading the scenes- this episode is a good watch no matter which side of the conflict that is taken.

With all due respect to grizzledgeezer's fine attempt at a review the fact is that he missed the point of the whole episode.. it WAS written as a comedy and performed as such.. with a nice touch of concern and compassion for the plight of the American Natives written well and displayed well by Forrest Tucker's grand performance(maybe his best performance IMHO) you WILL get a good laugh out of Sgt. Holly, and Kitty does a great job as well as Richard Anderson playing a wounded Apache whom Sgt. Holly roots for deep down. But this is definitely one of the better Gunsmokes maybe top 10 or 20 at least. the same goes for the sequel episode titled Sgt Holly which is even MORE hilarious to me!!

The opening part of this episode consisted of a train full of savages and other prisoners. Richard Anderson -- as Gregorio -- had spoken to his dying friend about escaping from the train. Forest Tucker -- as Sergeant Holly -- was thinking of only himself. The older Indian eventually died in the boxcar portion of the train. The only recourse: escape from the train. Gregorio struggled with a calvary soldier to wrestle away the shotgun in the attempt to escape from a possible ambush. He managed to reach about forty to fifty yards from the calvary only to become shot in the arm. Gregorio struggled to eventual freedom from Sergeant Holly's ruthless crew at the end of the opening part of the show.

Gregorio eventually found a horse to use for riding -- to some extent -- in the episode. He encountered a rendezvous (although an unexpected one at that point) with Miss Kitty Russell. Miss Kitty Russell was reluctant to comply with protecting Gregorio from further attacks by Sergeant Holly and his men. As darkness approached (and eventual light) later in the episode, Gregorio told Miss Kitty that she was free to leave him. She eventually protected and -- eventually -- allowed Gregorio to escape death from the likes of Sergeant Holly's outfit. The end result: A 10!!

After watching over 500 episodes of GS and seeing the same actors playing completely different parts over & over - and succeeding brilliantly - it is a microcosm of what acting is about. In this ep - Forrest Tucker dusts off his F-Troop character with an interesting re-positioning - and Richard Anderson as a Native American was amazing. We did not know it was him until the closing credits and then we had to double check it on IMDB.

An Apache named Gregorio is injured but manages to escape from the U. S. Calvary. A Calvary Sergeant named Emmet Holly is pursuing Gregorio, primarily as a matter of personal pride. Kitty Russell, who is traveling from Owl Flats to Dodge City by buckboard, has the misfortune of running across Gregorio during his flight, and Gregorio takes her and her horse captive.

Sgt. Holly eventually catches up to the pair. He drinks constantly. He is bigoted toward Gregorio and abusive toward Kitty.

Forrest Tucker plays Sgt. Holly. Anyone that has seen Tucker in the series F-Troop is going to find Tucker's Sgt. Holly a slightly more sinister, less funny, alcoholic version of his Sgt. O'Rourke character from that series. Tucker was a fine actor who could play a wide range of character types. I am sure he delivered what the writer and director wanted here, but it is unpleasant.

I have no idea why Richard Anderson was cast in the role of Gregorio. Anderson was an excellent character actor, and he appeared in all manner of television shows and films in a lengthy career that spanned from the 1950s well into the 1990s. He is horribly miscast in this story. He is not at all convincing as an Apache warrior.

John Crawford, who had just appeared in the "Ring of Darkness" episode a few installments earlier in the season, plays Amos Strange.

This is the first Gunsmoke episode in some time where the Kitty Russell character is prominently featured. Unfortunately, Amanda Blake is asked to play the same outraged captive she has played countless times over the course of the series.

I am frankly surprised at some of the positive reviews for this episode. There is nothing about this episode to make it worth recommending. Tucker's character is extremely unlikable. A loudmouth, obnoxious, abusive drunk is not my idea of a funny or endearing character. The casting of Anderson as an Apache is a big mistake. The entire story is poorly written and uninteresting. Even the story resolution is a bit perplexing. This easily ranks as one of the worst episodes of the series.

I'm surprised when consecutive episodes of any TV series (especially dramas) are similar thematically, or in tone. (You'd think the producer would try to separate them.) Yet this is true of "The War Priest" and the preceding "The Sisters", both of which feature loud, blustering males confronting religious leaders. You might wish to compare and contrast my reviews of them.

Writer William Kelley must have thought Forrest Tucker's popular "F Troop" character Sergeant O'Rourke would make an easy transition to "Gunsmoke". Think again. Introducing Tucker's blustery comic persona into a series built around restraint and subtlety of characterization (Chester and Festus being the only exceptions), is (as a reviewer said in condemning this episode's sequel ("Sergeant Holly")) like putting whipped cream on a steak.

This problem might have been avoided (as it was in "The Sisters") by making Holly a generally serious and unsympathetic character. But then... why write a script for Forrest Tucker? Kelley goes all-out to support Tucker, giving him at least a third of the lines. And what lines! It's rare to hear such smart and sassy writing in a theatrical film, let alone a TV series.

Of course, Sergeant Holly isn't the whole story. There's also Gregorio, an escaped Apache (played by Richard Anderson -- Richard Anderson!!!). Holly feels obliged to capture Gregorio (as he escaped on Holly's watch). Holly has only one day of service left before he can honorably retire, and Holly's commander warns him that he'd better be on the troop train the following day at noon -- with or without Gregorio -- if he expects an honorable discharge.

The rest of the story is a mess, with Gregorio capturing Miss Kitty (complaining that she'd be a better woman if she kept her mouth shut); Holly capturing both of them (then letting the Apache go -- whom we never see again). It ends up in the Long Branch, with Holly giving Kitty a bunch of flowers he gathered from Boot Hill -- and threatening to return to woo her. It appears he didn't get back in time to avoid a charge of desertion, but this is never resolved. (It is apparently ignored in the sequel.)

"The War Priest" is a fine example of why writers should pay attention to Aristotle's dictum that a play should be about /one thing/. Here you have a least two stories, one serious, one comic, that have little logical connection, and neither of which is well-developed. If you want to see how /not/ to write a screenplay, this is a fine example.

PS: In case you're wondering... I like Forrest Tucker very much. I saw him in the road production of "The Music Man", and much preferred him to Robert Preston. But had he noticed the script's problems (few actors do) and restrained himself a bit, "The War Priest" might have been a bit better. His earlier "Gunsmoke" appearances showed that he could handle serious roles well.