 Around Dodge City and in the territory on West, there's just one way to handle the killers of 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, and the story of a man who moved with it. I'm that man, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal, the first man they look for and the last they want to meet. It's a chancey job, and it makes a man watchful, and a little lonely. I'm doing back here. See somebody coming? Hot out there in them rocks, Rack, I figured it'd take me a spell in the shade back here. Get on back and watch the road. I'm always watching, listen, Augie, we gotta keep ahead of the law and make it to the border, don't we? Sure, Rack. We gotta get us a horse that can move instead of that lame one, don't we? I know that. Yeah, you go on out there and keep looking. Somebody comes long riding single, you come fetch me, but till then you stay put, now get. Seems likely you ought to do some of the watching. Seems likely somebody has to do your thank you for you. Gone now. You got some more, Augie, in the middle? Down the road, a rider coming slow. You get down behind them rocks the way we planned it. I'll cover you from up here, and don't you start nothing till I say you hear? You keep still. More, Rack. Sure. Up now. Head smart, mister. Got the gun. Get off the horse and start walking, nice and easy like. Right back down the road. I'll wait a minute. I got him. I got him. Augie, you dying fool. Come on down and look at him, Rack. I told you not to make no move. I had to shoot him, Rack. You didn't do a very good job. He ain't dead. He's out, but he ain't dead. Let me finish him off, Rack. Just one shot. I want that badge. What are you talking about? What badge? What turned him over, Rack? He's a long-handed. U.S. Marshal. I always wanted me a badge like that. A Marshal. You shot a Marshal. The first man you ever take a shot at, and it's a U.S. Marshal. It ain't that funny, Rack. Now let me finish him off. Wait a minute. What makes you such a killer all at once? I told you. It's a badge. A man wearing a badge like that, folks think he amounts to something. I want to wear me one. Now go on, Rack. Stand back and let me finish him. Augie. Put it down. This is mine, Rack. I got a right to do the shooting. Ain't going to be no shooting. You just going to leave him lying there? Then let me get the badge on. Leave it, babe. I got me a better idea. You ain't ought to take him away from me, Rack. He's mine. I ain't going to take him away from you. I'm going to let you keep him. I'll give you a very own U.S. Marshal. I don't want him. I just want that old badge. Listen to me. We got a fur piece to go with that hold up money, don't we? You're going to need to keep telling me that. And it's likely that we'll run into some rough spots, ain't it? Well, sure. But we got us through so far. We've been lucky. But if we got us our own U.S. Marshal, ain't nobody going to stop us all the way. They ain't? No, they ain't. They heard us. They got to hurt him. And they ain't going to do that. He ain't going to let them. Maybe. What about the horse, Rack? This way we still need another horse. We can always get another horse. But it ain't likely we get another chance at a Marshal. We'll drag him up that broke down shack. See if we can fix him up. You know where the badge? Augie? I'll make you a bargain. How's that? We get across the border. And he's all yours. You can finish him off. And you can wear the badge. Come on, now take it. Thank you, Sam. Here's your beer, Doc. Oh, thank you, Chester. Yes. Mighty big of you didn't buy it this way. Well, I tell you, Doc, the way I figure it, a man has to do the buying once in a while. And there's a chance he'll be thought of as a cheap skit. Oh, you've noticed that, have you? How's that? I said, well, hello, Miss Kitty. Hello, Chester. Hello, Doc. Kitty, how are you? I don't see you in here very often in the morning, Doc. Well, Kitty, Chester's buying. And I figure I better accept his offer before he changes mine. Oh, now I've stood good for it any time, Doc. I assure you, Chester. You heard anything from that? Oh, no, Miss Kitty, I ain't. He was supposed to be back yesterday, wasn't he? Well, that's what I thought. Now, you can't never tell what he might have run into up there and line it. I can imagine. I remember one time we was up there. We liked to never got away. Oh, you had a hard time transacting your business. Well, no, it wasn't that exactly. It's just that folks in that saloon were so sociable. Yeah, well, I guess that way sometimes. Well, I hope Matt isn't having such a good time socializing that he forgets his way home. Oh, now you don't have to worry nothing about Miss Dylan. Bring him over here, okay? Set him down on this crate under the window. I don't know if he can walk. I can walk, all right. Well, now, Marshall, that's just fine. I'm glad to see you come out of it so good. Come on over here. What for? Well, you got a bullet in your shoulder, ain't you? Well, you ought to know. Now, I didn't do that to you, Marshall. I'll get there. Ain't that right, I'll get. Sure is. By right, you ought to be my prisoner, too. Bring him over here. Set out on there. And then turn your shoulder toward the window. Get a look at this. Hmm. Hand me a knife, August. Here. Huh? You're going to cut on me with that thing? You want that bullet out, don't you, Marshall? You're going to use that dirty blade. You might as well leave it in. Well, now, I sure do beg your pardon, Marshall. I sure wouldn't want to dirty you up, man. Here, I'll wipe it off real nice. Tell me off the piece of your shirt, August. Doggone is right. Before. How's that, Marshall? Get on with it. All right, then. I've waited a long time to work on the likes of you. I want to be sure of things that are just right. Yeah, I'll bet. Hold still now. Little rough, Marshall. Well, I'm sure sorry to hear that. You want me to hold him, Rick? You don't have to hold me. Why, Shucks, no. I'll do it, Marshall's a brave man. Marshall. Get it, Martin. Fast out. Just getting to enjoy it. Hold him up here. We'll get it out, man. Here. You want to keep the bullet, August? I don't want no bullet. I don't want to hear no more talk about that badge. Come on now. Help me lay him down over here now. Think he's going to man? Give him a day or two and see. He ain't no good to us unless he can ride. Rack, hmm? Just while he's lying there, can't I wear it? I told you to shut up. Now don't you start hitting me again, Rack. Don't stop my head to hurting me again. You'll be hurting from now on if you don't keep your mouth shut. Give another piece of shirt. I want to bandage that shoulder. Sociable, up to date, debonair. What's this? A new word game? No, I'm just mentioning the qualities that people admire and other people. Oh, I see. If you're sociable, up to date. And what was that other word, debonair? Yes, debonair. But listen to it this way. Sociable, up to date. Notice how many of your friends are serving Pesticola these days. It's the up-to-date refreshment. Be sociable, sir. I'm awful dry. Rack and his. Is there anything wrong with you getting me some water? Rack says we need you to ride with us. Had men better if he'd been easier with that knife. Rack likes to cut. Yeah. Where'd he go? You went to get another horse that shouldn't be safe. Don't worry, Augie. I'm not exactly able to go after him. Rack don't like me to talk. You always do what he says. This time you ought to be glad I done what he said, Marshal. How's that? I was all for finishing you off. I was the one that shot you. I should have had the badge. The badge? Oh, my badge? Rack didn't have no right to take it. He figured it'd help him get close enough to get a horse. But I was the one sure to worry. Well, what would you do with it? Well, just wear it around some. Feel like somebody. Folks think you're important when you wear a badge. I'm smart. I'm not always. How's that? Oh, never mind. Augie, how come you let Rack get away with taking it away from you? Now, Rack does the thinking around here. Uh-huh. He beats you up pretty good too, doesn't he? I ain't said nothing about that. Those marks on your face, they didn't just grow there, did they? I wanted the badge. Well, you can't get it if you're scared, Augie. You ain't all that, Marge. Old Rack says I ain't smart enough to wear it. You were smart enough to shoot me, take me prisoner. Yeah. Yeah, I was. I wasn't sure you were. I think you're smart, Augie. I think you're a lot smarter than Rack gives you credit for. We never gonna stop to eat Rack. My belly's hurting empty. You gotta taste the prayer of grass and snakeweed. You go right ahead and stop. You ain't even seen a rabbit for miles. Seems like we ought to have some grub left. Seems like you ain't your way through as much as anybody. Put your belly aching. Marshall ain't belly aching. How are you, Marshall? Everything's fine, just fine. You ain't in no position to talk smart. You won't be either if you don't find some food pretty soon. Two days a long time to ride hungry. He ain't lying, Rack. You shut your mouth, I'll knock both your eyes into one socket. I know where you can pick up some food. Dodge city jail. Now, do you want me to tell you or not, Mr. I want him to tell you. Shut up, Augie. Go ahead. All right, there's a dirt farm just over the next rise. They'll have some. I suppose you want to ride up and get it for us. Yeah, I could do that. I'll bet you could. They're good friends of yours, I suppose. Be glad to help you out with food, guns, anything you need. That about it, Marshall? I know folks. I don't know them. They don't know me. But you figure they'd be glad to help the Marshall out. I might. Well, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to do you a big favor, Marshall. I'm going to find out for you what them folks think of the law. Yeah, I figured you might. What you going to do, Rick? How you going to do that? Well, I'm just going in there myself. Wearing the Marshalls. Bad, of course. Now, listen here, Rick. It's my turn. I'll ride up there just as polite as you please and ask for a little grub. They're good, law-faring folks. They'll see those bads and they'll give it to me. I'll come back and tell you all about it, Marshall. Thanks. It ain't right you should wear it this time, too, Rick. Let me wear it. Let me ride in there. I'll get the food for you, Rick. I'll bring it back to you. I'll get down off that horse. Come here. Why don't you leave him alone? You ain't got enough sense even to be let alone, Marshall. Now, Rick. I ain't going to listen to much more mule than about that badge I'll give you here. I've got sense. Get some while you're still alive. Now, listen to me. You take the Marshall back there off the road and watch him till I get back. Don't hit me no more, then. You watch him close, I'll get him. I'll hit you permanent. Gone now. Leave his horse back in the rocks. All right, Rick. You have yourself. I may bring you back some of that grub. That doesn't seem like you convinced him yet, are you? What do you mean? That you're smart enough to do your own thinking? You know, reasoning in the world, I couldn't have rode off after that pose. That sure isn't. With a war that badge just as straight, too. Women. These horses coming down the road. Yeah. Yeah, see ya. Get down off your horse. Rick didn't talk none about nobody coming. That's all right, Argy. You can handle it. Sure, I can. Look, uh, why don't you lay low here and I'll edge out and see who they are. Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea. Now, you just let me do the movement. There's no use you bothering. You go right out there, and then... What happened? Now, you just hold on there. Oh, what's the matter, Argy? Come back here. Well, I told you I was just gonna look out. I got a gun on you, Marshal. You come back. Now, get down. You be quiet. I almost got away with it, Marshal. You almost fooled me. Well, I should have known better than to try it. I was smart enough then, wasn't I, Marshal? It's smart enough to keep you from tricking your way out to get help. Yeah. I guess Rick couldn't have done no better, could he? No, you did the job, Argy. I guess I'm smart enough to wear a badge, all right. Yeah, Argy, I guess you are. Just by getting to wonder if I am. Me like you was mighty glad to get off that horse, Marshal. You ain't getting too tired now, Argy. Never mind that. Great to see a strong man like you puny up, especially the way I've been docking you. Well, if a doctrine didn't kill me, nothing's gone through. Well, I wouldn't count on that if I was you. I've been thinking, though, once I get me across the border, I might take up doctrine. Anybody you'll work on will hang here for sure. Including you? Yeah. If I get the chance. Well, now that ain't very grateful. Rick. What? I gotta tell you about the horses. What about? Well, I was watering them, like you said, and that bay is... What about the bay? Well, he just watered down a creek someplace, Rick. Did you go get it? No, I figured I better come tell you. No sense to water the horse. Don't hit me no more, Rick. I'll go after him. I'll go after him myself. You wouldn't find him if he was standing on your foot. You see how Marshal's gonna wander off to do now? He ain't got no call to beat me all the time. Well, he hasn't, Argie. He's hitting me in the head, and I can't think good. Nobody could think good to get the head beat all the time. Argie. He ain't got no call to go beatin' on me. Argie, why don't you work out on him? I ain't never thought of that, Marshal. Rick wouldn't let me. You wouldn't have to ask him. You better without those beatins, wouldn't you? Sure. You got the sense of your own, Argie. Yeah, that's right. You said I was smart yourself. Sure, you're smart enough, Argie. I'll help you. Help me? Now listen, you just see that my feet are untied tonight after we bet down, huh? And I'll help you get away. I don't know. I'll see that you got the badge, Argie. The badge? Can I wear it? Right here on my shirt? Sure, you can wear it. You got as much right to it as Rick has. Yeah. Yeah. All right, Marshal. I'll walk out on him. I'll walk out on him wearing the badge. Come to loose your feet. Yeah, just be quiet. Ah, there. Good. Don't forget to get the badge. No, I won't forget. What's going on? What have you done over there, Argie? He's just getting the badge for me, Rack. That's all. You let him loose? Don't you come over here beating on me, Rack? You ain't never had a beating like the one you're going to get. Marshal, you said you stopped me using guns. That's why you... You shot me. I'm hurt, too. Yeah, Argie. That's why I sold you. You shot Rack? I had to. You beat me. You beat me bad. No, Argie. He won't beat you not anymore. He's dead. Am I going to die too, Marshal? No, I don't think so. I think he'll heal up all right. Then I can walk out. Just like you said. Oh, not quite, Argie. I'm going to have to take you back to Dodd City with me first. You've got a bank hold up to answer for it. Oh, yeah. I forgot about that for a year. I almost slipped my mind a couple of times, too. A bit. Marshal? Yeah. The badge. You promised if I'd help you, I'd get to wear the badge. Yeah, Argie, I promised. And you can wear it. All the way back to Dodge. For use and directed by Norman McDonnell, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal. The story was specially written for Gunsmoke by Marion Clark with editorial supervision by John Messon. Featured in the cast were Vic Perrin as Argie and Harry Bartel as Rack. Farley Bear is Chester, Howard McNeer is Doc, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty. This is George Walsh inviting you to join us again next week for another story of the Western Frontier, when Matt Dillon, Chester Proggfoot, Doc, and Kitty, together with all the other hard-living citizens of Dodge, will be with you once more. It's America growing West in the 1870s. It's Gunsmoke.