John Henry Jordan is a thief who does not mind committing murder to eliminate any witnesses. At the beginning of the story, Jordan is on trial in Dodge City for robbing a stagecoach and one of the passengers, Mr. Botkin, the Dodge bank president. Two other passengers on the stage, Mr. And Mrs. Bowen, lie when called to testify. Both contend Jordan was not the person that held up the stage.
The jury acquits Jordan of the charges, primarily due to the testimony of the Bowens. Matt Dillon is convinced Jordan is guilty and will repeat the crimes when given the opportunity.
Jordan has established a reputation as a thief that only robs wealthy people. He is a charismatic individual. As a result, people tend to be sympathetic to Jordan. Even Doc Adams, Chester Goode, and Kitty Russell express doubts about Jordan's guilt.
(The episode gets its name from a scene in the Marshal's office where Chester awkwardly compares Jordan to Robin Hood, who Chester describes as a "green Indian," which causes Doc Adams to laugh.)
Jordan spends freely around town, especially at the Long Branch Saloon where he frequently buys drinks for the house, which helps endear him even more to the Dodge locals. He soon exhausts all of his funds, and, as Matt tells Chester, "...it isn't his habit to stay broke for long."
(This scene where Chester informs Matt that Jordan is broke includes a device that would be often repeated over the course of the seasons where the Chester Goode character is included. Chester often serves as Matt's source of information as to what is happening in Dodge. After Chester's departure, the Festus Haggen character would sometimes provide the same service.)
As expected, another area resident -- in this case a poor farmer named Pete Fisher, is found mercilessly pistol whipped to death and robbed. Matt is sure Jordan is the culprit but lacks any evidence to charge him.
These circumstances lead the Marshal to concoct a scheme to try to catch Jordan in the act of a crime. He convinces reformed gambler and card shark Vince Butler to engage Jordan in a card game. When Butler takes all of Jordan's money, Jordan will be forced to find another victim, and Marshal Dillon plans to catch him red-handed.
(A curious situation arises from Matt's scheme. After "winning" all of Jordan's money, Vince Butler shows up at Doc's office badly injured. Marshal Dillon should have anticipated this happening under the circumstances. He knows Jordan begins looking for a victim any time he is broke, and Jordan knows Butler just won $2,200. It is also curious that Jordan left Butler alive, as that seems to be contrary to Jordan's normal behavior.)
William Hopper plays John Henry Jordan in the first of two Gunsmoke appearances, both which occur in Season 1. Hopper, who is most remembered for playing Paul Drake on the Perry Mason series, was not a great actor, which is evident here. It is easy to buy into him being a friendly character that most people are drawn to, but when he tries to shift into villain role, it falls a bit flat.
Barry Atwater and Nora Marlowe make their initial Gunsmoke appearances as the naïve Bowens in this story. Both actors would go on to appear in several additional episodes in the series. Atwater appeared four more times, and Marlowe appeared five more times.
Actor James McCallion portrays the former gambler Vince Butler in the first of three Gunsmoke guest roles. Interestingly, McCallion would not make another series appearance until Season 14. It should also be noted that McCallion and Nora Marlowe were married in real life.
Actor S. John Launer plays the judge during the trial portion of this episode. This is noteworthy, because he often played judges and other people of some authority. He could frequently be seen playing a judge in the series Perry Mason.
Wilfred "Budd" Knapp appears again as Mr. Botkin, and Bert Rumsey has a few lines again as Sam the bartender (although Rumsey's part is not credited).
This episode is entertaining, although it is predictable, and the acting falls short of the usual Gunsmoke ambitious standards. It is interesting that so many of the Dodge citizens do not seem to mind Jordan's chosen profession if they think he is only robbing people they consider wealthy. Jordan never even makes any claims that he is anything other than a thief, but foolish people like the Bowens welcome the crook into their home. It is worth noting that Jordan could not continue to do what he does if not for the people who enable him.
The jury acquits Jordan of the charges, primarily due to the testimony of the Bowens. Matt Dillon is convinced Jordan is guilty and will repeat the crimes when given the opportunity.
Jordan has established a reputation as a thief that only robs wealthy people. He is a charismatic individual. As a result, people tend to be sympathetic to Jordan. Even Doc Adams, Chester Goode, and Kitty Russell express doubts about Jordan's guilt.
(The episode gets its name from a scene in the Marshal's office where Chester awkwardly compares Jordan to Robin Hood, who Chester describes as a "green Indian," which causes Doc Adams to laugh.)
Jordan spends freely around town, especially at the Long Branch Saloon where he frequently buys drinks for the house, which helps endear him even more to the Dodge locals. He soon exhausts all of his funds, and, as Matt tells Chester, "...it isn't his habit to stay broke for long."
(This scene where Chester informs Matt that Jordan is broke includes a device that would be often repeated over the course of the seasons where the Chester Goode character is included. Chester often serves as Matt's source of information as to what is happening in Dodge. After Chester's departure, the Festus Haggen character would sometimes provide the same service.)
As expected, another area resident -- in this case a poor farmer named Pete Fisher, is found mercilessly pistol whipped to death and robbed. Matt is sure Jordan is the culprit but lacks any evidence to charge him.
These circumstances lead the Marshal to concoct a scheme to try to catch Jordan in the act of a crime. He convinces reformed gambler and card shark Vince Butler to engage Jordan in a card game. When Butler takes all of Jordan's money, Jordan will be forced to find another victim, and Marshal Dillon plans to catch him red-handed.
(A curious situation arises from Matt's scheme. After "winning" all of Jordan's money, Vince Butler shows up at Doc's office badly injured. Marshal Dillon should have anticipated this happening under the circumstances. He knows Jordan begins looking for a victim any time he is broke, and Jordan knows Butler just won $2,200. It is also curious that Jordan left Butler alive, as that seems to be contrary to Jordan's normal behavior.)
William Hopper plays John Henry Jordan in the first of two Gunsmoke appearances, both which occur in Season 1. Hopper, who is most remembered for playing Paul Drake on the Perry Mason series, was not a great actor, which is evident here. It is easy to buy into him being a friendly character that most people are drawn to, but when he tries to shift into villain role, it falls a bit flat.
Barry Atwater and Nora Marlowe make their initial Gunsmoke appearances as the naïve Bowens in this story. Both actors would go on to appear in several additional episodes in the series. Atwater appeared four more times, and Marlowe appeared five more times.
Actor James McCallion portrays the former gambler Vince Butler in the first of three Gunsmoke guest roles. Interestingly, McCallion would not make another series appearance until Season 14. It should also be noted that McCallion and Nora Marlowe were married in real life.
Actor S. John Launer plays the judge during the trial portion of this episode. This is noteworthy, because he often played judges and other people of some authority. He could frequently be seen playing a judge in the series Perry Mason.
Wilfred "Budd" Knapp appears again as Mr. Botkin, and Bert Rumsey has a few lines again as Sam the bartender (although Rumsey's part is not credited).
This episode is entertaining, although it is predictable, and the acting falls short of the usual Gunsmoke ambitious standards. It is interesting that so many of the Dodge citizens do not seem to mind Jordan's chosen profession if they think he is only robbing people they consider wealthy. Jordan never even makes any claims that he is anything other than a thief, but foolish people like the Bowens welcome the crook into their home. It is worth noting that Jordan could not continue to do what he does if not for the people who enable him.
