Gunsmoke (TV Series) Cody's Code (1962) User Reviews

Anthony Caruso provides us with a terrific performance

[kfo9494 · 7/10 · 16 November 2012]

Anthony Caruso does a great job of playing Cody Durham in this episode that has the viewer feeling for for the situation that Cody has been placed.

Cody is a well respected man about town that is building a house right in Dodge for the purpose of marring his sweetheart Rose Loring. At the present time Rose is working at the Long Branch during the evening while Cody is finishing the house.

One evening this guy named Sam Dukes is roughing Rose around. A stranger named Brack Tracy comes to the aid of Rose and Matt has to step in before a fight breaks out. Later while Brack is leaving the saloon, Sam Dukes is standing in the shadows and making threats. Brack believes that Dukes is going for a gun and kills him. The problem was that Dukes was unarmed. The townsfolk begin looking for Brack and one even puts a slug into his shoulder before Brack finds refuge at Cody Durham's house.

Thought creative writing, Rose finds out that Cody is helping Brack. All of the sudden Rose turns her love from Cody to Brack. She agrees to meet Brack by the train station and both will leave together. Cody becomes aware of the plan and goes to the train station to see it for himself. He cannot believe that all he has worked for maybe leaving on the next train.

From the beginning of the show, we the viewer are pulling for Cody and his thoughts of a happy life. This is why we watch such shows in hoping for a happy ending. But at times, like this time, it always does not go as planned. Good show.

It Could have been Chester

[Johnny_West · 7/10 · 10 May 2020]

This story seems to be tailor-made for Chester. The lovable loser whose girl leaves him for another guy is something Chester has done many times before. Instead, Anthony Caruso plays that role, as Cody Durham. Caruso appeared on Gunsmoke fourteen times. He was usually a gunslinger, bandit, highwayman.

Cody has been building a home for a while. He is a nice guy, but he seems a bit slow and trusting of strangers. Cody is engaged to a saloon girl who is much younger than him, Rose Loring. Rose is played by Gloria Talbott, who had a long history as a hussy and temptress in many Western TV shows. Talbott was fifteen years younger than Cody/ Caruso. She appeared on Gunsmoke three times.

Why a beautiful woman like Rose/Talbott would want to be with a poor, fat, middle-aged dim-wit like Cody is never explained. There is really no backstory, even though this is an hour-long episode. She just happens to be engaged to Cody, but she is entertaining men at the Longbranch Saloon. Cody is a carpenter who is building their home. When it is finished, they are going to get married.

Along comes Wayne Rogers, as Brack. Rogers is seventeen years younger than Anthony Caruso. Rogers gets into a fight with Sam Dukes (Robert Knapp). Knapp was on Gunsmoke seven times.

Dukes sees Rose when he gets off the stage, and decides that he is going to force himself on her, one way or another. Knapp buys Rose a couple of drinks, and gets fresh and nasty. Brack is drinking at the bar, and sees Knapp abusing Rose, so he stops Knapp. A few seconds later, Marhal Dillon stops them from having a gunfight, and takes away Dukes' gun.

Later Dukes attacks Brack in a dark alley, and Brack shoots him, not realizing that Dukes is unarmed. The town folks and Dillon chase Brack around when he goes on the run, and a local cowpoke shoots Brack in the shoulder.

Brack finds Caruso's home by accident, and Caruso gives him a place to hide, and tends to his gunshot wound. Rogers does a really good job of playing a nice guy, and so does Caruso. They are both convincing as nice guys who become friends thanks to the Brack getting shot.

Gloria Talbott starts hanging around Brack when her boyfriend Cody is working. She wants to help out, but like any true Western hussy, she gets the hots for Wayne Rogers. Like any young, red-blooded American, Brack falls for Rose too. A sad end to what could have been a nice story.

This typically tragic Gunsmoke ending goes against the character of Cody/Caruso. Why build him up as a good, peace-loving carpenter, just to knock him down at the end? It would have been a better story if Cody just let them leave, and then Marshal Dillon ruined it by gunning down Brack. At least Cody would have stayed in character.

Rose Just Wasn't Convincing

[janet-conant · 4/10 · 6 December 2023]

The problem with this script was we never see Rose at all while Cody is nursing Brack Tracy back to health. We have a perfect father and son relationship with these two, one caring for the other and one appreciating the help. He even hides Brack in the attic when Chester comes looking.

All of a sudden this Rose drops in to Cody's house after many days and sees Brack. Even a mediocre actress could pull off a love at second sight but not Gloria. She's not convincing showing us she's now in love? With this young stud. Granted she appreciated how he defended her from Dukes but her acting was weak and not believable. Brack really would have been honorable to resist this harlot since she's spoken for but it's not the case. The guy, Koger, friend of Dukes had no real purpose and just filler to take up time, trying to find Brack first and kill him. I believe Dillon takes guns away from 3 men in this one. Dukes drank so much whiskey I'm surprised he could talk. Funny how no one ever got sick after too much drink in Dodge.

Caruso was good as Cody but as another reviewer said how did Cody and Rose get together? What was the attraction? A new house? We never learned why she was going to marry him. A better actress might have won me over but not enough time was given for her to fall for Brack.

Not one of my favorite episodes but an actress like say Patricia Barry or Joanna Moore might have brought Rose to life.