 Around Dodge City and in the territory on West, there's just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with a 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 chancy job, and it makes a man watchful, and a little lonely. Well, there ought to be some way to lay the dust along the plaza here. Hello, Matt Briscoe. What is it done once a week, Chester? Sure, and they've mud up your knees for two days, and dust all the rest of the time. Well, I guess that's the price of civilization. What is? Dust. What civilization got to do with dust? Well, dust is growing, Chester. More people coming West all the time. Maybe we ought to move on West ourselves. Oh, where to? Oh, I don't know. Colorado Territory, maybe? Yeah, looky there. What? Well, that sign there, that story there. Laughing gas show tonight. Phenomenon. That's phenomenon, Chester. Well, Stafford Laughing Gas Show, amazing, hilarious admission, 25 cents. It looks like Dodge is getting some entertainment. You see, I told you it was getting civilized. If I could get me the loan of 25 cents, I sure would be there tonight. Yeah, and you'd probably enjoy it, too. Well, there ain't nothing wrong with them shows. No. 25 cents. That ain't a whole lot of money. Oh, you're right. And I could pay back whoever loaned it comes handy. Sure. For a senior pity to miss that show. Oh, all right, Chester, here. Here. Here's your money. 25 cents a quarter. Oh, no, no, no, no. I wasn't hinting or nothing like that. Well, thank you, Mr. Dumb. Thank you. Yes, sir. Chilly and I began to think you weren't coming. Sit down. Thank you. Sam, bring over another picture of beer, will you? Right away, Miss Pity. It's nice to know the laws on its appointed rounds, even if it means friends that kept wasting. Oh, it's dark mad because he had to buy the first picture of beer. He's told Sam to put it on your belt. You know, I believe it. Here you are, Miss Pity. Thanks, Sam. Say, Doc, you know what we just seen down the street? A circus? No. A sign saying there's going to be a laughing-gas show here tonight. That's the same thing. No, Doc. There's nothing wrong with a laughing-gas show. A bunch of darn fools getting up and showing off in front of a bunch of darn fools. I ain't ever been to one. I met Mr. and Mrs. Stafford earlier today. They're the people that put the show on. They seem real nice. There's no reason why they shouldn't be. Mrs. Stafford's a pretty little thing. You see, Doc? Oh, pretty enough. I don't want to talk about it. What is it that bothers you, Doc? Have you ever been to a laughing-gas show? No. Did you ever take gas yourself? I did, you? Yes, in medical school. It's nitrous oxide and anesthetic. It's also an intoxicant. Miss Kitty, you're going to be a show? I don't think so, Chester. How about you, Miss Jones? I guess I might as well, Chester. You'll make life miserable for me if I don't. Good. I just can't hardly wait. Chester? Oh, Miss Chichilly. I never last to mention all my born days. They had Lord and Teeters up there on the stage and they'd give him his gas and sniff, you know, out of that contraption of all him bottles and burners and things. He got drunk as a Lord. Lord and Teeters? Yeah, he sang and he danced. He laughed and cried all at one time. He's kind of old to be carrying on like that, isn't he? Well, I'm just as glad he ain't going to be shaving me tomorrow. And, oh, the next volunteer is Mr. Cloud Marsh. Here's your dollar for volunteering. Now, sit down right there. Good. Now, just put this nozzle in your mouth and breathe, baby. That's it. Keep breathing in, out, in, out. That's right. It's all right, folks. It won't hurt him. Cloud Marsh ain't so bad when he's asleep. You come to in a minute. See, Mr. Young, when they come out of that gas, there's no telling what they'll do. But if Cloud Marsh comes out his real self, it might be quite a ruckus. It was a favor, Mr. Keep that fully under forever. Where is it? I'm going to smash you for this. Take it easy, Mr. Who wants to fight? I'll fight anybody in the place. Oh, for Cloud! You don't like me. You don't like any of us. But me and my brother will fight you anytime. And we'll get you. We'll get you good. Maybe you better go. I ain't going nowhere. I'll show you. You better help me here. The guys just made him a little argument. Come on, Chester. Let's get out of here. I've got some more apparatus in the back room. The show will continue in just a moment. Well, that dog gone cloud Marsh starting a ruckus like that. Well, Stafford said you become your natural self. And he sure did. Them Marsh boys just want to fight all the time, don't they? There could be trouble from this, Chester. Oh, why? My gracious, he's the one that started everything. But a man like Cloud Marsh can't take being laughed at. He'll make trouble, sure. You know what it says? This is old Fulpert. And I got a simple exercise for them what simply cannot keep in shape, you know? It is called the toe toucher. Here's what you do. You stand with your feet at shoulder width. I mean, don't put your feet on your shoulders because it's impossible. It's not worth the time you're going to waste, you know? Just stand with your feet at shoulder width and your hands over your head, see? Like it was a stick up. Now, keep your knees straight and bend down and touch your left toe with your right hand. Now, your right toe with your left hand back to hands over your head. This is a stick up, remember? It's all there is to it. Of course, I don't care if I never do it again. Some of you guys may have a little trouble with this exercise. Especially you individuals who cannot see your toes when you look down. But a few weeks of exercises like this and one called pushing yourself away from the groaning board or the table, as the Probean folks say. And you'll not only see your toes, you may even see your knees. And they're kind of pretty, ain't they? All it takes is like, you know, 15 minutes a day. So don't wait, un-wait. Get the slogan. I want to tell you something, boy. Madison Avenue lost a great mind when I was in the Army. So get your surface pamphlet on physical fitness today. And move it. One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two. Hello, Matt. Morning, Doc. There's some coffee on the stove. Help yourself. How was the show last night? I got there late so I didn't see it all. But Chester said I was fine. I suppose Chester got up on the stage and made a fool of himself. He probably would have, but he didn't get the chance. Cloud Marsh took some of the gas and wanted to fight everybody in the place. Then he started crying and busted up all the equipment. It's a good thing those only brothers of his were down at the long branch instead of at the show. They'd have busted up the whole store. Yeah. You know, Matt, nitrous oxides are a dangerous thing to mess with. Too much can be fatal. I remember this boy in medical school who took this... Hey, Doc. Doc, I've been looking all over for you. What's the matter, Chester? Mr. Stafford, he'd been hurt bad. Well, Mr. Stafford didn't say just that he got beat up and she needed to dock down to the store right quick. Take me a minute to run up and get my bag and I'll meet you out in front. All right, Doc. What happened, Chester? When? Oh, I don't know, but it couldn't have been too long ago. Miss Stafford said her husband was out back in the store with a wagon and she heard a ruckus and run out and she's seen all three of them running off. All three who? Yeah, Cloud Marsh and them two brothers of his. He just ought to be tarred and feathered. Mr. Dill and all of them could. Yeah. What in the world was they after beating Mr. Stafford near to death? Well, I told you last night that some men can't stand being laughed at. Come on, Ed. Let's go. Chester, you better come along, too. There's nothing to do now, but let him rest, Mr. Stafford. How long is he going to be like that, Doc? Unconscious, I mean. He's had a bad concussion. Sometimes it takes only an hour or so. Sometimes days. He'd have to wait and see. But isn't there something I can do for him? Just let him rest. Miss Stafford, are you ready to swear out a complaint against the Marsh brothers? Earl and me don't want no trouble, Marshal. Yeah, but they almost killed your husband. We signed a complaint now and the Marshes had really come after us. Earl wasn't always a man to run from trouble. What? I know who Earl really is. Miss Stafford, I've known her since you first came to town. But how? He's earned his stubble field, isn't he? That's all behind us, Marshal. He's forgot about being earned his stubble field. Matt, what's this all about? Earl Stafford's real name is stubble field, Doc. He had quite a reputation up on the Red River. Four killings. And he did some time for the last one. Marshal, after Earl got out of prison, he come to me in Missouri. He was sick with his self. Sick with all the fighting and killing. He pleaded with me to marry him so we could start over. And when I found out he really meant it, we got married. As Mr. and Mrs. Stafford, huh? As long as he was earning stubble field, there'd be no peace. Huh? Does he still have his gun? He keeps it in a trunk, but he's changed. He'd never use it. Not no more. I see. No, you don't. If he ever used that gun to kill another man, even in self-defense, the whole terrible business would start all over again. So he ain't gonna use it. Never. Sure. Second, you're not gonna sign a complaint then, huh? Marshal, I ain't gonna sign nothing. All right, ma'am. And I'm still gonna throw Cloud Marsh in jail until you leave town. But I'll tell you, I was right there in Pottawater, McCarty, in our city. Andrew, they're Marsh boys. They don't like that kind of talk. Well, John Brown come down to Creek and murdered all fire settlers. Now, you ask what over there? He ought to know. That's what he was named for, Pottawater, McCarty. Hey, come to think of it, old man Marsh named the other two boys to the county's day. He was born in two. Oh, Sage and Cloud. You know who you talk to for. You're gonna get in trouble, Andrew. We've been sitting listening to you, old man. You sure feel you're liquor, don't you? Well, I didn't mean nothing against you and your brother's Cloud. No, you didn't mean nothing, but you do like to drink, don't you? Well, I guess there's one or two to get started in the morning. I don't think it one or two is enough for an old man. So I'll just give you this whole bottle. Hold him, Warren. Hold him, Warren. Let go of him. Let go of him. We ain't doing nothing, Marsh. We're just giving old Andrew his morning bottle. Let go of him. You're coming with me, Cloud. Where? In jail. Well, what for? Disturbing the peace, breaking up the show last night. How do you want a walk or you want to be carried? Okay, I'll go with you, Marshall. But I'll tell you something. You ain't gonna keep me in jail long. Warren J. Bennett again with another little-known item of American military history. The general wished he'd said it, and the reporters gave him credit in the headlines. But it was somebody else who made the greatest ad lib of the First World War. Lafayette, we are here. It happened when the First American expeditionary forces reached Paris, and the French-ass General John J. Blackjack Pershing to deliver an address commemorating the event at the tomb of the military hero Lafayette. Pershing, however, designated Colonel Charles Stanton to handle the oratory, and the Colonel Dooley delivered and concluded his speech. We pledge our hearts and our honor in carrying this war to successful issue. Then, remembering the Frenchman's great help and friendship for America in revolutionary days, he saluted the tomb and called out, Lafayette, we are here. General Pershing was persuaded to speak briefly after that, and somehow the newspaper men put the famous line into his remarks. But the general himself later wrote, I have often wished it could have been mine, but those words were spoken by Colonel Stanton and to him must go the credit. Incidentally, Lafayette is buried in American soil that he brought back to France after the Revolutionary War. Pershing was right, he didn't stay in jail long. Within an hour, Watt and Osage walked into the office with a writ from Judge Bent. They paid his bail, and I had to turn him loose, there was nothing I could do. I had hoped to hold him in jail till the Stafford's got out of town, but since I couldn't, I told Chester to keep an eye on him. Well, nothing happened all that day, and that evening I was sitting over coffee with Doc and Kitty at Delmonico. Well, nothing like a good dinner to cheer you up, even if it is a little greasy. You always see the bright side, don't you, Doc? Of course. How's Mr. Stafford tonight, Doc? I guess he's coming a little alright. He opened his eyes for a couple of minutes late this afternoon, and then he dropped off again. His wife hopes they can leave town tomorrow. Mr. Dillon? Yeah, what is it, Chester? I've been looking all over for you. I thought maybe you'd be over at the long branch, but you wasn't. Well, you don't mind if Matt buys me a dinner now and then, do you? Oh, my goodness, no, but I sure did waste a lot of time trying to find him, and they already left the Texas Trail 10-15 minutes ago. Who was that? Them Marsh Boys, all three of them. Were they drunk? Yes. And he was talking about giving somebody some of that gas a dose of his own medicine, they said. Stafford. Matt, that could kill him in his condition. Now, come on, Doc. Chester, let's go. Yesterday I put on a show for you, and you're gonna put on a show for us, Mr. Stafford. Please. You may sing, you may dance, you may make the fool of yourself. I ain't not even calling him laying down conscious in the back room like he is. He ain't about to help you. Can you do this, please? You little mighty thoughtful, leave all the equipment out here on the table, Mr. Stafford. Now, sit down. Sit, and you take this mouthpiece. No. Please, little. No. That's it. Breathe in, breathe out. No. That's like that. You need a little more gas to put on a good show for you. Let me go. Why, you just ain't nowhere near happy yet, Mr. Stafford. Give him another whiff. All right. Turn around, Cloud. Well, looky there. Old man Stafford got up out of bed. You filthy pigs. Now, that ain't no way to talk. Can I go with my wife? Cloud, he's got a gun. Earl, don't shoot. Don't worry. He ain't going to... Don't shoot. He ain't got the strength. Stand away from her. Not likely. Don't you forget I got a gun in her back. All right, hold it, all of you. I'll handle this, Stafford. Can you stay out of it, Marshal? Put up your guns, both of you. There's three of us, Marshal. There'll be a fool, Cloud. Now, turn her loose. All right. Now, turn her loose. Your aim was off, Stafford. I'm afraid of hitting your wife, I guess. Thank you. All right, you two. What, old sage? You find your horses and you get out of town. Now, you keep on riding. Yeah. You'd better get Earl back to bed. Yes. Did you see the look on Miss Stafford's face when she found out Earl missed Cloud that he didn't kill him? I'd admire to have a picture of that. That was a nice thing you did, Matt. What thing? What do you mean, Doc? Chester, Matt's bullet hit Cloud Marsh in the hand. The shot that killed him came from the other direction. You were aiming for his gun hand, Matt, and you know it. It was Earl Stafford that killed Cloud Marsh. Well, we dug up. Yes. It's a mighty nice thing you did for both of them. Directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshall. Featured in the cast were Parley Bear as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Kitty. George Walsh speaking. Join us again next week for a special transcribed story on gun smoke. The United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.