The schemes of a mother trying to control the lives of her son and daughter lead to tragic results.The schemes of a mother trying to control the lives of her son and daughter lead to tragic results.The schemes of a mother trying to control the lives of her son and daughter lead to tragic results.
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Amanda Blake
- Kitty
- (credit only)
Tom Leopold
- Chester Shepherd
- (as Thomas Leopold)
Robert Cole
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
Laura Gile
- Townswoman
- (uncredited)
Chester Hayes
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
Kathryn Janssen
- Townswoman
- (uncredited)
Tom McDonough
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Calvin Clements Sr.
- Norman MacDonnell(uncredited)
- John Meston(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSixth and final appearance of Louise Latham, various characters.
- GoofsWhen Mrs. Shepherd complains to her son about the girl he went to see in Garden City, she tells how the girl went there and opened up a saloon, but her lips say "brothel," not "saloon."
Featured review
A disturbing episode with a valuable moral lesson
This episode doesn't end well.
In fact, from the start to the finish, it is a disturbing episode, dealing with a widow mother's psychosis. She married her husband in a void of unhappiness lamenting a dream unfulfilled. Obsessed about her own supposed missed opportunity, she dominates her two children's lives until she chases her son away, and then ultimately tries the same overbearing, and often unprincipled manipulations, of her younger daughter.
The ultimate moral lesson presented is that if a mother destroys the dreams of her children, for whatever reason, the pain never subsides, and the parent is often left alone and distraught.
It was a painful lesson to watch in fictional drama, but the message was delivered in a starkly honest method. There was no happy ending in this episode. The ending was bitter.
While her daughter isn't driven completely away, the mother's ongoing efforts to manipulate the daughter's life continues unabated, despite the painful moral lessons that should have been learned from the previous destructive actions.
We are left in the final scene presenting a son filled with angst, torn between wanting to support his mother, but also knowing he needs to keep proper distance so that he can pursue his own dreams, as well as his knowledge that he must help prevent his mother from harming his sister's life in the same way his mother harmed his own.
This is another Gunsmoke episode unafraid to tell a stark story, presenting in realistic tones the negative outcomes of manipulation, especially manipulation of those you love the most.
In fact, from the start to the finish, it is a disturbing episode, dealing with a widow mother's psychosis. She married her husband in a void of unhappiness lamenting a dream unfulfilled. Obsessed about her own supposed missed opportunity, she dominates her two children's lives until she chases her son away, and then ultimately tries the same overbearing, and often unprincipled manipulations, of her younger daughter.
The ultimate moral lesson presented is that if a mother destroys the dreams of her children, for whatever reason, the pain never subsides, and the parent is often left alone and distraught.
It was a painful lesson to watch in fictional drama, but the message was delivered in a starkly honest method. There was no happy ending in this episode. The ending was bitter.
While her daughter isn't driven completely away, the mother's ongoing efforts to manipulate the daughter's life continues unabated, despite the painful moral lessons that should have been learned from the previous destructive actions.
We are left in the final scene presenting a son filled with angst, torn between wanting to support his mother, but also knowing he needs to keep proper distance so that he can pursue his own dreams, as well as his knowledge that he must help prevent his mother from harming his sister's life in the same way his mother harmed his own.
This is another Gunsmoke episode unafraid to tell a stark story, presenting in realistic tones the negative outcomes of manipulation, especially manipulation of those you love the most.
helpful•151
- kenstallings-65346
- Jun 30, 2018
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