 The brown-dark city entered the territory on West. There's just one way to handle the killers in the spoilers. And that's with the U.S. Marshal and the smell of gun smoke. Gun smoke, starring William Conrad. The story of the violence that moved West with young America. The story of a man who moved with it. Matt Dillon, United States Marshal. Good morning, Mr. Barney. Oh, oh, Marshal. Good morning, Mr. Dillon. Good morning, Sam. Is, uh, kitty around? Oh, don't know she's up yet, but if she is, she ought to be down soon. I'll wait. Nippy this morning. Oh, feels good. It's a nice time of year, huh? Ah, I don't know. I kind of like spring myself. Sam, you better wash that glass over, huh? Oh, oh, yeah. Thanks. Uh, can I get you something? Beer, maybe? Got any coffee? Sure, just made up of it. Oh, that'll be fine. That's pretty, man. You got a pretty boy. Oh, good enough for calling the hogs, I guess. You just get up? Well, go. Why? Oh, it distracts me. I haven't seen you close to early like this. No, no, you look fine. I mean, I mean that you. You better quit by your head. Yeah, I guess. Where's Sam? Oh, he's bringing in coffee. Oh, Sam, come for me, please. Sure, Miss Kitty. What's occasion, Matt? Uh, Kitty, there's a party tomorrow night, a dance. It's a benefit for the new school down at the hall, you know? And, uh, ever forced to bring a girl, you know? It happens at dances. Go on. Well, uh, when I'm trying to, where do you go with me? I'd kind of like to, Matt, but no thanks. Well, I got to work here, you know that. Besides, well, you ought to be able to get off. Well, even if I could, ladies might not take kindly to it, Matt. Not rightly polite society. What do you care about? Well, thanks anyway, Matt. Ah, that smells wonderful. Sammy, I think I'll marry you. Me? Shoxy. Me? Oh, shox. But listen, Kitty, about the dance, I've already bought the tickets. You're sweet, Matt. And I thank you kindly for thinking of me. But you better ask someone else. Well, it isn't a kid. Sam, will you go and polish up your glasses, please? Hmm? Oh, sure, Mr. Dillon. Sure. Now look, Kitty, I'm asking you to go with me. Well, it's important to me that you go. Are you making love to me, Matt? This hour in the morning? No, no, I mean it. I want you to go to the dance. You want to be embarrassed. You want everyone to stare at us. You know what they'll say? My, my, the Marshall really should have better sense than to bring that woman here. It ain't decent. It ain't proper. Well, it's true. I'm a hostess at the Texas Trail, a saloon. You know what they think about me? Well, will you go, Kitty? No. I'll call by for you at 7. Well, drink a bottle of whiskey and clout some old bitty on the head. Then you'll be sorry. Oh, Kitty. I haven't got anything to wear, Matt. I can't wear my working clothes. You look just fine like you are, Kitty. Just fine, just like you are. Marshall. Yeah. I shouldn't, but I guess I'll go to the dance with you. I'll be ready at 7. How do you talk about a woman like Kitty? The color of her hair, eyes, the shape of her leg, the way she spoke, thought. Well, that's a picture you had to get by looking and hearing. Otherwise, you'd never know it. And I felt real good about taking Kitty to the party the first time we'd really be out in company. And I liked the idea. Good morning, Mr. Dillon. Good morning, Chester. Nice day. What is that? That, Mr. Dillon? Yeah, all over my desk, that ink. Yes, sir, I know. I was just cleaning it up, Mr. Dillon. Seems like a big blue bottle fly. Last of his kind this fall, I guess. Big and full blue bottle fly was a setting on your desk, Mr. Dillon. Oh, you're swapping it all over the floor, Chester. Yes, sir, I see it. That lazy full blue bottle fly was a stomping all over your desk, Mr. Dillon. And I took a flack out of him with a paper I happened to have in my hand, and I got him. Well, thanks a lot. Well, that's all right, Mr. Dillon. If there's anything in this world I hate, it's a big, maggoty blue bottle fly. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, Chester. The mail coming in. Yes, a couple of minutes ago, it's right over there. Oh, OK. There, I think that should do it, Mr. Dillon. All right, Chester. Anything likely in the mail, Mr. Dillon? No, no. Look, Chester, we better get these government circulars posted there. Would you know that for me? Yes, sir, I'll do that. Say, Mr. Dillon? Yeah, what is it, Chester? About the dance tomorrow. Now, what about it? Well, you're going, aren't you, sir? Doc's going. He's taking Ms. Mcnish. I'm going. Everybody's going. You are going, aren't you, Mr. Dillon? Yeah, I'm going. Don't seem right, man. You're standing out to go to a big social like we're. You are? Yes. Well, that's fine. Just fine. Doc and me, we were talking, and it just didn't seem right to us that a man like you didn't have no real nice, sweet girl to escort to a big social. I got one, Chester, a real nice, sweet girl. I'm taking Kitty. Ms. Kitty? I asked her before I came to honor that she accepted. Well, that's good, Ms. Kitty. That's right, Chester. I got a couple of letters off to Washington. Chester, you want to go and see about posting those circulars, huh? Yes, Mr. Dillon. Ah, fine. Mr. Dillon? Oh, what is it, Chester? Well, Mr. Dillon, it ain't none of my business, and I did not have no right to say it. Say what? Well, sir, I, I, yeah. I was wondering if I might borrow one of them fancy ties off you for the party? That's not your business. That's what you haven't got any right to say. Yes, you know, that's right. You're a liar, Chester. But you can borrow a tie. I think you're kind of what you're doing. You work for a long time with a man, and you share a lot of life and a lot of death. And after a while, you, you know, I'm even better than yourself. Well, that's the way it is with Chester and with me. Now, he had something on his mind, and I figured after a while, he'd get it off. Well, the morning went, and it was almost known when Chester came back. Going to go have some dinner, Mr. Dillon? Yeah, I think I will. How about you? Hungry, the raggle bone possum. Did you get the posters up? Yes, sir. Well, OK, let's go. Mr. Dillon? Yeah. I guess there's something you ought to know, sir. There's talk. All right, Chester, come on, get it out. It's all over town. About you taking Miss Kitty to the dance tomorrow night. What do you mean, all over town? I only asked her this morning. Yes, sir, I know. Best I can figure, Sam, over at the Texas Trail must herd you and let it slip. There's been a mighty fierce mess of gum clobbering up and down. All over. Thanks for telling me, Chester. It ain't none of my business. Yeah, I know, you said that before. Yes, sir. I surely did. Well, let's go get something to eat. It's hard to tell about people. Maybe it's hard to tell about yourself because you come under that same heading, people. When they're mean and small, there's not an animal to touch them. Chester and I walked down the street, and it didn't take long to hear and see what was going on. Some of the drifters leaning against the wall on the corner came right out with it. Morning, Marshal. To understand, there's a gallant times got herself a new boat. What did you say? Maybe you ought to look into it, Marshal. Folks are being downright rude. Mr, you're going to ought to haul them in, every one. Yeah. What are you going to charge them with? Pestilence, Mr. Dillon, just plain pestilence. I knew better what Kitty had meant about the ladies of the town when a couple came out of Olivet's dry good store. It didn't see me until it was too late. Plain to the dance committee. It's indecent, that's what it is, why she's common. Nothing but a common, saloon woman. What's this city common to when a United States Marshal? Morning, Miss Sprinkle. Uh. When a man's born, they say he's blessed or cursed with a lot of things already in him. Take pride, for instance. Sometimes pride can be a curse. Now, maybe I had more in my share. Maybe it would have been a sight kinder if I'd not taken Kitty to the dance. But I did. We will return for the second act of gun smoke in just a moment. First, this hint for weekend driving. Whatever you do, be moderate. Be obedient to all traffic laws. Be careful. Use your head, and don't take chances. Now, for the second act of gun smoke. I picked up Kitty at the Texas Trail at 7 the next evening. She was waiting by the side door. And when I saw her, she kind of moved back in the shadows almost as though she was ashamed for me to see her. Hi. Hello, ma'am. Are you all set? All right, yes, ma'am. Matt, are you sure? Hey, Kitty, you look fine. You look just fine. Do you like it? Yeah. Yeah, I like it. We walked along the street down to the hall, and I kept looking at her like I say. You had to know this, Kitty, to understand what I mean. And even then, you get a surprise. She was like a 17-year-old on her first date. And she was like all the women you'd ever known and loved, soft and innocent. And something else, something that's female, and you can't figure out what. Something that makes you drunk without a drink inside you. It was snowing a little, and the flakes caught in her hair and melted into the black of her velvet cloak. And just before we went in, I looked at her again. And I didn't care. I was proud she was with me. Evening, Marshal Dillon. Evening, Ms. Murphin. You know Ms. Russell? I do. You have your tickets, Marshal Dillon? Oh, yeah, yeah. Here we are. Fine. Go right in, won't you? Oh, sure. Oh, excuse me, Mrs. Murphin. Is there somewhere I can put my coke? Oh, yes, yes, of course. The lady's reception room is right from there. I didn't catch the name. Catherine Russell, ma'am. Excuse me, ma'am. Yeah, sure. I'll wait for you. Thanks. You're better. I could see them through the big open doors in the hall. They were all there. Faces flushed, smiling, happy, dancing. All the women seemed pretty and the men handsome. And Chester was up on the platform calling the dance, and Doc was fiddling. And I was waiting for my dancing partner, Ms. Kitty Russell. How to skirmish with one of the gentile females in there? Oh, I'm sorry. Marshal, is she? You know, I get the idea, and I'm not welcome around here. Let's go in and get some punch, huh? Sure. How are you, John? Oh, that's a nice dress, Kitty. I haven't worn it since a few years back in New Orleans. Hey, Marshal! Oh, Ms. Kitty! Let's talk. Hey, hi! Oh, Doc. I say, we got a bottle of whiskey outside. You care to join it? Oh, this punch. Eww, boo. Oh, not right now. Thank you, Doc. Oh! Hey, Ms. Kitty. I saw you come in. Best-looking woman in here. Yeah! Oh, there's lots of scratchin' goin' on. Thank you, Doc. If you see Mrs. Magnish, don't tell her where I am, will you? Man gets kinda dry, Fiddlin'. Oh, I haven't been so long. So long, Doc. Hi, Marshal Goodman. Uh, Kitty? I guess so. Uh, Mr. Sprinkle, have you met Ms. Catherine Russell? No, no, I'm afraid I haven't. You got a short memory, Mr. Sprinkle. Huh? I could have saw her with you in the Texas trail a couple of weeks back. Drunk in a hoot-owl. Don't you remember I had to slap your face? I think... Edward? I... Edward? Yes, dear? You let somebody else take care of the punch. I want you to come with me. Oh, well, I mean, I promised. I'm on the committee, even, Ms. Sprinkle. I have no wish to speak to you, Marshal Dillon, or this woman you've brought with you. I will not have my husband servein' such people. Aren't you being a trifle bad-mannered, Ms. Sprinkle? How dare you say that? Well, aren't you? I suggest that you leave, Marshal. You're not wanted here. Not with that woman you've seen fit to bring. Come on, Matt, I want to go. No. This is a public dance, Ms. Sprinkle. Right now, you're trying to make it private. If you can't behave like a lady, I'll thank you to leave this lady's presence. See, here, Marshal, you can't talk like that to my wife. Hey, Kitty! What do you say, Kitty? Matt, please. I want to go. We're not going anywhere. We're stayin'. How about some music? All right now, folks. It'll be a wall this time. Thanks for the punch, Mr. Sprinkle. Come on, Kitty. I warned you, ma'am. Now, please, will you take me out of here before something happens? Nothing's gonna happen, Kitty. You and me are gonna dance. Have a good time. You're acting like a kid. Matt, it won't work. I've seen this kind of thing before. May I have this dance, Ms. Kitty? Please, Matt. You'll be implicated and you'll know it. Let's get out. You're refusing me, Ms. Kitty? Oh, Matt. We danced. But it wasn't what I hoped it would be. Kitty closed her eyes. I guess she was trying to blot it out. But I could see the other couples looking, whispering. And one by one, dropping away over into a small group that got larger. And there were only about six of us left when the wall sent it. That's when the stranger and a couple of his pals walked out onto the floor. They were drifters. Probably been in town for a week. And they were having their fun before they moved on. My sure. I got a painful duty. Yeah? Folks in this town seem real upset about you bringing that woman in here. What's your name? I'm just a fella. I kind of made myself my friends here. A committee of three, seeing how everything is done by committees here. And we figured it would be best if you take your... friend home. Mr. I'm the Marshal. Matt, I'm leaving. You're staying here, Kitty. She's smarter than you, Marshal. Everything's fine, Chester. This ain't a matter of law, you know, Marshal. It's decency and what's right beyond Marshal. This ain't right. Mr. I'm taking this badge off. Chester, you stay here with Kitty. Matt, don't you do it. You. We're going to talk some more about this out there. Ah, it's cold outside. Now, you be a good fella and get out of where you ain't wanted. You know, I won't hit you in here, don't you? Were you thinking of doing that, Marshal? Now, that ain't lawful. I ain't done nothing. Kitty. Kitty, wait! Now, there's a gal with sin. All right, Mr. Now, I'm telling you, when you do, you better start high-tailing it out of dodge before I catch up with you. We'll think of that. We sure will. Marshal. Just three no-good drifters. Hating the law. Finding pleasure and trouble. Kitty had gone and I went out into the street. It had stopped snowing. Just cold. Much colder. I went up to the Texas Trail. There's only two people in there. Some guy, dead drunk on a table and someone else standing at the bar looking into the mirror at me. Well, you haven't, Mr. Dillon? Nothing, sir. Yeah. I got some things to do in the back. Give me a call if anyone comes in, will you? Yeah. I'm sorry, Kitty. Shut up! I'm sorry. Sure. I could... I should have known better. No, it was me, not you. No, I wasn't that either. It was all those polite ladies and gentlemen. Give me a crutch of this. Yeah. Here. Been a long time since I cried. Yeah, sure. It wasn't so much for me. For you. I wanted... I wanted to cry right there in the hall, watching you and knowing there was nothing you could do. Nice mess of people we got from Dodge. No, it's not them, man. It's me. I've run into this before. The only difference was I didn't have you around. I wanted it to be right tonight because of you. A lot of narrow-minded prayers, spoutin'. Yeah. They hurt your pride, didn't they? No. No, I... It wasn't that. No? I wanted you to go with me. That made me real happy. But maybe we're different, Matt. You and me figure life different to them. That's not their fault. There's a lot of folks there I know. I smile at them on the street. They talk to me. But tonight, well, that was different. I made them uncomfortable. Yeah? Well, I didn't do a bad job with you. Well, you can't look at it that way. And you can't go fight in the whole town, either. There's three fellas going to get hurt. No, I don't want you to do that, Matt. Just... Let it go. Let it go, Matt. They don't mean nothing. You know what means something to me? What? That you asked me to go to the dance with you. I knew what was going to happen, but it was worth the chance. I thank you for it, Matt. But you sure showed them up, those women. The way you look. I'm glad. You know, you look pretty fine yourself. Sam? Yeah? You got any champagne, Sam? What? Have I got any what? Champagne. Well, yeah. I guess maybe. A bottle or two? Yeah, maybe. Well, break it out. I think the next dance is mine. Oh, Matt. I'd be real pleased, Mr. Dillon. Gunsmoke. Under the direction of Norman MacDonald stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal. Tonight's story was specially written for Gunsmoke by Anthony Ellis with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey. Feature in the cast were John Daener, Vivi Janus, Bob Sweeney, Lawrence Dubkin, and Mary Lansing. The only bear is Chester, Howard McNair is Doc, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty. Gunsmoke is heard by our troops overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. Join us again next week as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal, fights to bring law and order out of the wild violence of the West in Gunsmoke. Don't miss Robert Crowden his timely roundup of World News tomorrow on most of the same CBS Radio station. Roy Rowan speaking. And remember, Amos and Andy are here every Sunday on the CBS Radio Network.