Spoiler Alert: I like this episode. The ten or so robbers are shown to be merciless killers. Their total greed is well portrayed when they take over the blacksmith shop and work to melt down a huge gold bar. The best part is when they try to ride out of town in their soldier disguises, taking Matt, intending to kill him. The suspicious town folk, 20 or so, armed, ride slowly following. There's a big shootout--the villains have a gatling gun! Most of the robbers bite the dust, which they richly deserve. I like that the town people were shown as brave, armed, and ready to fight evil. Good episode.
5 Reviews
An interesting episode
kgreen-1780022 April 2020
I found this interesting. How the army tried to deal with payroll theft. How a group of thugs tried to outsmart the technique. Then, Festus, learning how to be an acting deputy marshal. The town's reaction. Good action sequence. Matt knocks a horse over...what more could you want?
Awesome!
gbutcherjr-362-5728826 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This is an exciting episode. It keeps one on the edge of your seat. Martin Landau sure did know how to play an evil, nasty, crooked crook! The soldiers guarding the blacksmith's shop, where they are melting the gold. Townsman Garvey, Woodrow Chambliss, comes to pick up some supplies and the guards beat him up and send him on his way in his buggy.
It's fun to see Denver Pyle back as Caleb Nash. Marshall Dillon takes a day off, outside fishing and relaxing with his old friend.
Caleb Nash starts selling the idea of life out in nature, free of the responsibilities of being Marshall of Dodge City. So will he hang up his badge and quit?
You'll also be rooting for Marshall Dillon to pull a miracle up his sleeve as it looks pretty hopeless. Gunsmoke excitement! Gotta love it. The next episode has Bette Davis!
It's fun to see Denver Pyle back as Caleb Nash. Marshall Dillon takes a day off, outside fishing and relaxing with his old friend.
Caleb Nash starts selling the idea of life out in nature, free of the responsibilities of being Marshall of Dodge City. So will he hang up his badge and quit?
You'll also be rooting for Marshall Dillon to pull a miracle up his sleeve as it looks pretty hopeless. Gunsmoke excitement! Gotta love it. The next episode has Bette Davis!
Too Many Holes In This Plot
wdavidreynolds10 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
A group of outlaws rob a U.S. Army gold shipment and kill the soldiers transporting the gold. (One of the soldiers is part of the outlaw gang and betrays the other soldiers in his outfit.) The thieves discover the gold has been mixed with lead for the purpose of transporting it and making it more difficult to be used if it is stolen. Since Dodge City is only about ten miles away, they decide to travel there, commandeer the blacksmith shop, and melt the huge bars of gold and lead to extract the gold. They exchange their clothing for the clothes the soldiers are wearing, and forge papers authorizing their actions under the guise of a top-secret military mission.
Matt Dillon has left town for an extremely rare couple of days away from his job. Festus Haggen and Thad Greenwood are left in charge. When the outlaws, now wearing Army uniforms, arrive and inform Thad and Festus of their intentions, Thad is suspicious, but Festus is more willing to accommodate them.
Jake Stuck, the new blacksmith in Dodge, doesn't take kindly to having his shop commandeered by the Army. (We learn that Sam keeps a huge mallet behind the bar for bonking unruly Long Branch customers in the head.) Soon many of the other citizens of Dodge begin resenting the presence of the "soldiers," especially after Jake is jailed by Festus, and a local resident is savagely beaten by a couple of the criminals.
The idea for this story is certainly intriguing, but the execution is full of holes.
Martin Landau is great in the role of the mastermind of the criminal gang. Unfortunately, the others in his gang are neither as intelligent nor patient. William Bramley, who normally plays a heavy, is good in the role of the loud-mouthed blacksmith.
Many Dodge City regulars appear, since so much of the story takes place in Dodge. Woody Chambliss, who frequently played a resident named Lathrop, appears in this story as a different character named Jim Garvey.
There are a couple of additional interesting elements to this story. There is a reference to the long-gone Quint Asper character in this episode, although Quint's name is not used. Denver Pyle, who plays a man named Caleb Nash in this episode, played an extremely similar character named Caleb Nash in an episode from Season 10 titled "The Violators." However, Caleb Nash was killed in "The Violators." Either this episode takes place prior to the Season 10 episode, Caleb was somehow resurrected, he was not really killed in the earlier episode, or this is a different person, which seems unlikely.
This is an entertaining episode with lots of twists and turns, but it requires the viewer not to think too much about how it all transpires.
Matt Dillon has left town for an extremely rare couple of days away from his job. Festus Haggen and Thad Greenwood are left in charge. When the outlaws, now wearing Army uniforms, arrive and inform Thad and Festus of their intentions, Thad is suspicious, but Festus is more willing to accommodate them.
Jake Stuck, the new blacksmith in Dodge, doesn't take kindly to having his shop commandeered by the Army. (We learn that Sam keeps a huge mallet behind the bar for bonking unruly Long Branch customers in the head.) Soon many of the other citizens of Dodge begin resenting the presence of the "soldiers," especially after Jake is jailed by Festus, and a local resident is savagely beaten by a couple of the criminals.
The idea for this story is certainly intriguing, but the execution is full of holes.
- The outlaws left a bunch of dead bodies 10 miles from Dodge, but no one finds them.
- The soldiers obviously did not arrive at their intended destination as expected, but no one seems to be concerned.
- The dead soldiers' uniforms fit the outlaws perfectly, and there were enough uniforms for the entire gang!
- The stolen uniforms should be bloody and full of bullet holes, which one would think would instantly arouse suspicion.
- The outlaws somehow created the forged authorization documents while traveling into Dodge City.
- The subplot with Matt leaving to fish, hang out, and discuss old times with Caleb Nash does not seem to have any point, other than to kill time.
- Festus, despite lacking education, is normally a fairly shrewd guy, but here he acts like a gullible fool.
- The outlaws think they are simply going to finish their work and ride out of Dodge City. As daring as their whole scheme is, it is bound to have every military outpost and law enforcement official in the area after them. It is difficult to imagine there is any scenario where they get away with their crimes.
Martin Landau is great in the role of the mastermind of the criminal gang. Unfortunately, the others in his gang are neither as intelligent nor patient. William Bramley, who normally plays a heavy, is good in the role of the loud-mouthed blacksmith.
Many Dodge City regulars appear, since so much of the story takes place in Dodge. Woody Chambliss, who frequently played a resident named Lathrop, appears in this story as a different character named Jim Garvey.
There are a couple of additional interesting elements to this story. There is a reference to the long-gone Quint Asper character in this episode, although Quint's name is not used. Denver Pyle, who plays a man named Caleb Nash in this episode, played an extremely similar character named Caleb Nash in an episode from Season 10 titled "The Violators." However, Caleb Nash was killed in "The Violators." Either this episode takes place prior to the Season 10 episode, Caleb was somehow resurrected, he was not really killed in the earlier episode, or this is a different person, which seems unlikely.
This is an entertaining episode with lots of twists and turns, but it requires the viewer not to think too much about how it all transpires.
Not one of the better offerings
kfo949418 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This episode did not have the general interest or the usual flair that earlier episode seem to capture. It appeared that they were trying to do too much in this show and it took away from the main conflict that involved the gold bandits. Instead of Matt just going off and serving papers or to Hay City to pick up a prisoner, they made him go out and frolic with an old friend, Caleb from a 1964 episode, that had nothing to do with the story. Why they needed Denver Pyle in this show is puzzling? It was a wasteful use of time and film.
The story begins in the usual western way when a gang of bandits, led by Martin Landau, intercepts a gold shipment by army officers and steals the loot. The bandits kill off the soldiers then they realize that the gold had been mixed with other metals in anticipation of such an event. So now the bandits dress up like soldiers and ride into Dodge to melt the bar down and separate the gold.
In town the soldiers take over the blacksmith shop and advise Festus and Thad that they have special orders that cannot be revealed. This all happens when Matt is out-of-town reminiscing with Caleb about old times. But when things get even more suspicious, Thad rides out to get Matt.
When Matt arrives he is also suspicious about the army's action. When smoke rises from the blacksmith shop, Matt is determined to find out what exactly is going on. This could prove dangerous.
There was just something about this episode that just was not appealing. Perhaps if they had spent more time inside Dodge with the fake soldiers then the show may have had more interest. Since that did not happen we are left with an episode that was lacking in entertainment value. Not one of the better shows.
The story begins in the usual western way when a gang of bandits, led by Martin Landau, intercepts a gold shipment by army officers and steals the loot. The bandits kill off the soldiers then they realize that the gold had been mixed with other metals in anticipation of such an event. So now the bandits dress up like soldiers and ride into Dodge to melt the bar down and separate the gold.
In town the soldiers take over the blacksmith shop and advise Festus and Thad that they have special orders that cannot be revealed. This all happens when Matt is out-of-town reminiscing with Caleb about old times. But when things get even more suspicious, Thad rides out to get Matt.
When Matt arrives he is also suspicious about the army's action. When smoke rises from the blacksmith shop, Matt is determined to find out what exactly is going on. This could prove dangerous.
There was just something about this episode that just was not appealing. Perhaps if they had spent more time inside Dodge with the fake soldiers then the show may have had more interest. Since that did not happen we are left with an episode that was lacking in entertainment value. Not one of the better shows.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
