When his uncle kills his father in cold blood, Buck Henry vows to avenge his death, no matter what the cost.When his uncle kills his father in cold blood, Buck Henry vows to avenge his death, no matter what the cost.When his uncle kills his father in cold blood, Buck Henry vows to avenge his death, no matter what the cost.
Photos
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsIt's very windy in the town where Rance is gambling, but the saloon curtains aren't moving, the swinging doors aren't swinging, and the dirt and leaves blowing around right outside the door don't blow in.
Featured review
"Matt peek-a-boo cameo" episode explanation
A well-respected reviewer, Kfo9494, whose Gunsmoke reviews many of us have enjoyed over the years, mentioned one thing in his/her review of this episode that I feel needs some commentary. In the last paragraph of the review, kfo referred to the episode as a "Matt-lite" episode. I have heard other reviewers mention the fact that in a lot of the later seasons of Gunsmoke, James Arness (Matt) is noticeably absent from many of the episodes, often just showing up for the very last shoot-out, or as in this episode, popping in at the last scene to speak a few lines. As a long-time Gunsmoke fan, I thought I would share some background that I myself was not aware of until reading about it very recently.
Most of us are aware that Matt Dillon was the only character who appeared in every episode of Gunsmoke's 20-season run. But there are facts that many of us, including kfo, may not be aware of.
James Arness was drafted into the US Army during the middle of World War II. In 1944, his right lower leg and foot were badly injured by machine gun fire during the US invasion of Anzio, Italy. After staying in the hospital for almost a year, undergoing multiple surgeries, he was left with his famous limp for the rest of his life. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronz star. His rehabilitation was lengthy and arduous, but Arness fully recovered. However, the injuries plagued him for the rest of his life, limiting his ability to walk for any length of time. Gunsmoke had to schedule his walking scenes early in the day throughout his career with the show.
In part due to his height (he was 6'7"), arness contracted arthritis in the latter part of Gunsmoke's run. The pain became so bad that Arness could no longer deal with multi-day shoots, so the producers allowed him to film all of his scenes for an episode in a day. The arthritis made riding horseback excruciatingly painful.
Between the old war injury affecting his walking, and the arthritis impacting his ability to ride and participate in fist-fights that had comprised to much of his screen time in the earlier seasons, he was forced to reduce his time spent in action scenes, although we do still see him show his stuff occasionally in some of the late episodes.
Some may feel that, given the amount pain Arness experienced when shooting scenes involving leaping onto horses, galloping through over rocky crags, chasing down villains by foot, or engaging in prolonged fist fights in the last seasons, he perhaps should have just walked off the show entirely, rather than only showing in "cameo" appearances in many of the late episodes, one of which this episode seems to have been. In my own opinion, however, it wouldn't be Gunsmoke without Matt Dillon. Even a short scene in which he appears really has an impact on the episode, given his strong screen presence. I myself just appreciate even more those episodes late in the series in which he is still featured, now that I know what he was going through, every moment of the shooting.
Most of us are aware that Matt Dillon was the only character who appeared in every episode of Gunsmoke's 20-season run. But there are facts that many of us, including kfo, may not be aware of.
James Arness was drafted into the US Army during the middle of World War II. In 1944, his right lower leg and foot were badly injured by machine gun fire during the US invasion of Anzio, Italy. After staying in the hospital for almost a year, undergoing multiple surgeries, he was left with his famous limp for the rest of his life. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronz star. His rehabilitation was lengthy and arduous, but Arness fully recovered. However, the injuries plagued him for the rest of his life, limiting his ability to walk for any length of time. Gunsmoke had to schedule his walking scenes early in the day throughout his career with the show.
In part due to his height (he was 6'7"), arness contracted arthritis in the latter part of Gunsmoke's run. The pain became so bad that Arness could no longer deal with multi-day shoots, so the producers allowed him to film all of his scenes for an episode in a day. The arthritis made riding horseback excruciatingly painful.
Between the old war injury affecting his walking, and the arthritis impacting his ability to ride and participate in fist-fights that had comprised to much of his screen time in the earlier seasons, he was forced to reduce his time spent in action scenes, although we do still see him show his stuff occasionally in some of the late episodes.
Some may feel that, given the amount pain Arness experienced when shooting scenes involving leaping onto horses, galloping through over rocky crags, chasing down villains by foot, or engaging in prolonged fist fights in the last seasons, he perhaps should have just walked off the show entirely, rather than only showing in "cameo" appearances in many of the late episodes, one of which this episode seems to have been. In my own opinion, however, it wouldn't be Gunsmoke without Matt Dillon. Even a short scene in which he appears really has an impact on the episode, given his strong screen presence. I myself just appreciate even more those episodes late in the series in which he is still featured, now that I know what he was going through, every moment of the shooting.
helpful•10
- rrrozsa-55134
- Feb 1, 2024
Details
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content