Any episode with both Matt and Kitty HAS to be good. And this one was. They're held hostage by a crazy old old lady ( Bette Davis) and her three sons. Evidently Matt was responsible for arresting her husband six years ago. He was found guilty and hung. Now Ms Davis wants to return the favor on our Marshall. Plenty of drama and action here and and some heartfelt scene with Matt and Kitty. Good watch.
13 Reviews
Matt and Kitty
mrsjbtoomer14 February 2020
This is a remarkably suspenseful episode with a cast worthy of the matinee marquee.
But don't you think --after all Matt and Kitty went through in this high stakes life or death drama-- don't you think Matt could've put a ring on it? Miss Kitty was nothing short of heroic and deserves more.
But don't you think --after all Matt and Kitty went through in this high stakes life or death drama-- don't you think Matt could've put a ring on it? Miss Kitty was nothing short of heroic and deserves more.
What Ever Happened to Etta Stone?
grizzledgeezer19 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
It's difficult to decide whether this /really is/ a good episode -- or if it's worth of inclusion among "best TV episodes of all time". The same story has been told countless times (and that's just on "Gunsmoke"):
The psycho patriarch/matriarch/leader of a family/group-of-some-sort wants revenge on the series' Principal Character. His/her plans go awry when one or more members of the family/group "want no part a th' killin'", an' he'p the Principal Character. Along the way, the psycho patriarch/matriarch/leader kills at least one member of his/her family/group (sometimes more -- qv, "Matt Dillon Must Die!").
This episode is cut from that cloth, and is completely predictable (even to recruiting Bruce Dern to play his patented loony). The only thing that saves it (other than "Gunsmokes"'s general tendency to underplay even grisly stories) is the presence of La Davis herself. She is such a fine actress she can convey a crazy woman without ever having to "act" crazy. If it weren't for Davis's presence, this episode would rank no higher than a 7.
This episode makes it clear just about everyone in Dodge knows Kitty is "Matt's woman", making her vulnerable as a hostage. (So why didn't he marry her?) She must love Matt a lot, because she refuses to escape on her own, preferring (if necessary) to die with Matt.
I won't tell you who eventually guns down Bette -- but it's not Festus.
It's noteworthy that this episode ends with the final shootout. There is no "tie up the loose ends" scene to weaken the climax. And the musical score is unusual, making effective use of woodwinds and harpsichord.
The psycho patriarch/matriarch/leader of a family/group-of-some-sort wants revenge on the series' Principal Character. His/her plans go awry when one or more members of the family/group "want no part a th' killin'", an' he'p the Principal Character. Along the way, the psycho patriarch/matriarch/leader kills at least one member of his/her family/group (sometimes more -- qv, "Matt Dillon Must Die!").
This episode is cut from that cloth, and is completely predictable (even to recruiting Bruce Dern to play his patented loony). The only thing that saves it (other than "Gunsmokes"'s general tendency to underplay even grisly stories) is the presence of La Davis herself. She is such a fine actress she can convey a crazy woman without ever having to "act" crazy. If it weren't for Davis's presence, this episode would rank no higher than a 7.
This episode makes it clear just about everyone in Dodge knows Kitty is "Matt's woman", making her vulnerable as a hostage. (So why didn't he marry her?) She must love Matt a lot, because she refuses to escape on her own, preferring (if necessary) to die with Matt.
I won't tell you who eventually guns down Bette -- but it's not Festus.
It's noteworthy that this episode ends with the final shootout. There is no "tie up the loose ends" scene to weaken the climax. And the musical score is unusual, making effective use of woodwinds and harpsichord.
A Series Best Episode
martinxperry-1486811 April 2018
The cast in this episode is so very strong, and the camera work is a step above as well. The cast includes the series regulars but Betty Davis, Tom Skerit, and Bruce Dern. Almost any plot would soar with this talent in front of the camera, and the story is very well written. I found the camera shots of Amanda Blake to be very well done. The lighting is just perfect with the hint of softness that makes Amanda even more beautiful. The attention to detail by the director is splendid throughout the episode. This is an episode to save since it such a standout episode froman already outstanding series.
Quality Episode, Full of Suspense...but Predictable
wdavidreynolds11 July 2019
It is easy to understand why this episode is considered one of the best television episodes of all time. Everything about this episode is high quality. One can easily imagine the entire crew considered the opportunity to work with Bette Davis and this cast special enough that they were going all out on making sure this episode would be top notch, and it is.
Bette Davis was not a stranger to television. She appeared on TV dramas such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Perry Mason -- to name only two examples. Gunsmoke had a reputation for being able to attract top talent, too. Many actors have stated in interviews they considered it an honor to be asked to appear on the show. The fact that Ms. Davis agreed to do this episode is not that surprising. The Etta Stone character is quite dynamic, too. It requires someone with the talent to properly convey the character's menacing demeanor.
The remaining guest cast is absolutely outstanding. Bruce Dern was usually great as a mean, nasty character, and he lives up to expectations here as Lou Stone. Zalman King, who appeared in several Gunsmoke episodes during this time period and who went on to a career in television and film production and direction (6 1/2 Weeks, Red Shoes Diaries), plays Jack Stone, the family member that schemes a little too much for their own good. Robert Sorrells, a Gunsmoke veteran and a very recognizable character actor, is another Stone son named Mike. Tom Skerritt was always memorable in his Gunsmoke appearances, and he does not disappoint as the younger son, Ben. Julie Sommars, yet another familiar face in Gunsmoke casts, shines in this portrayal of the timid wife of Lou.
Amanda Blake is especially good in this episode. Whenever she was given the opportunity to play a prominent role in Gunsmoke, she was usually up to the task. Blake mentioned in a later interview that this episode was one of her favorites.
My only (very mild) criticism of this episode is that everyone knows where the plot is going from the time Kitty Russell is kidnapped. Of course, the destination is rarely as interesting as the journey to arrive there. Despite the predictability of the story, the episode is so well done it is still quite enjoyable.
The Stone family is intriguing. Etta's hatred for Marshal Dillon is probably psychotic, but it is not difficult to believe her loathing of the Marshal would cause her to take the actions she does. It is more difficult to accept the Stone sons' eager willingness to go along with their mother's scheme. They are terrified of their mother's wrath. One can only imagine what their childhoods must have been like with a father that was an outlaw and a domineering mother that seems perfectly content ruling by fear.
Matt even tells Etta at one point that her sons will likely be arrested and executed for helping her carry out her plan, and she clearly does not care. Her white-hot contempt overwhelms everything.
Another reviewer alluded to the fact that the Season 20 episode, "Matt Dillon Must Die!" is very similar to this episode. It contains so many of the same elements as this episode that it could almost be considered a remake.
I think there are more clever stories in the Gunsmoke body of work, but you won't find many episodes done as well as this one.
Bette Davis was not a stranger to television. She appeared on TV dramas such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Perry Mason -- to name only two examples. Gunsmoke had a reputation for being able to attract top talent, too. Many actors have stated in interviews they considered it an honor to be asked to appear on the show. The fact that Ms. Davis agreed to do this episode is not that surprising. The Etta Stone character is quite dynamic, too. It requires someone with the talent to properly convey the character's menacing demeanor.
The remaining guest cast is absolutely outstanding. Bruce Dern was usually great as a mean, nasty character, and he lives up to expectations here as Lou Stone. Zalman King, who appeared in several Gunsmoke episodes during this time period and who went on to a career in television and film production and direction (6 1/2 Weeks, Red Shoes Diaries), plays Jack Stone, the family member that schemes a little too much for their own good. Robert Sorrells, a Gunsmoke veteran and a very recognizable character actor, is another Stone son named Mike. Tom Skerritt was always memorable in his Gunsmoke appearances, and he does not disappoint as the younger son, Ben. Julie Sommars, yet another familiar face in Gunsmoke casts, shines in this portrayal of the timid wife of Lou.
Amanda Blake is especially good in this episode. Whenever she was given the opportunity to play a prominent role in Gunsmoke, she was usually up to the task. Blake mentioned in a later interview that this episode was one of her favorites.
My only (very mild) criticism of this episode is that everyone knows where the plot is going from the time Kitty Russell is kidnapped. Of course, the destination is rarely as interesting as the journey to arrive there. Despite the predictability of the story, the episode is so well done it is still quite enjoyable.
The Stone family is intriguing. Etta's hatred for Marshal Dillon is probably psychotic, but it is not difficult to believe her loathing of the Marshal would cause her to take the actions she does. It is more difficult to accept the Stone sons' eager willingness to go along with their mother's scheme. They are terrified of their mother's wrath. One can only imagine what their childhoods must have been like with a father that was an outlaw and a domineering mother that seems perfectly content ruling by fear.
Matt even tells Etta at one point that her sons will likely be arrested and executed for helping her carry out her plan, and she clearly does not care. Her white-hot contempt overwhelms everything.
Another reviewer alluded to the fact that the Season 20 episode, "Matt Dillon Must Die!" is very similar to this episode. It contains so many of the same elements as this episode that it could almost be considered a remake.
I think there are more clever stories in the Gunsmoke body of work, but you won't find many episodes done as well as this one.
There's a new witch in town and her name is Betty Davis
kfo949427 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Miss Betty Davis performance in this episode is by far one of the better acting jobs in the entire series of the show. Even if you are young and never heard of Betty Davis, when you see this episode you will talk about the woman that was the head of the family in that Gunsmoke show.
Betty Davis plays Etta Stone the matriarch of a family with four sons. Some six years ago her husband had been sent to the gallows and she blames Marshal Dillon for his death. So for six years she has been planning how to get back at the Marshal.
She must first lure him out to the farm so they kidnap Kitty. When Marshal is told of her whereabouts he goes to the farm house and is placed in a storage building just like a jail cell. Now Matt is going to go through exactly what Etta's husband went through as they will hang Matt in two days. And Kitty will play the part of Etta has she watches Matt final days before the hanging.
Again Betty is excellent as the woman with so much built in hatred that she even kills one of her sons when the mood hits. She even tops Amanda Blake when she witch slaps her a few times for talking with her son. But Amanda Blake has a trump card that she will use near the end of the show that brings everything back to harmony. An already good show made excellent by Betty Davis.
Betty Davis plays Etta Stone the matriarch of a family with four sons. Some six years ago her husband had been sent to the gallows and she blames Marshal Dillon for his death. So for six years she has been planning how to get back at the Marshal.
She must first lure him out to the farm so they kidnap Kitty. When Marshal is told of her whereabouts he goes to the farm house and is placed in a storage building just like a jail cell. Now Matt is going to go through exactly what Etta's husband went through as they will hang Matt in two days. And Kitty will play the part of Etta has she watches Matt final days before the hanging.
Again Betty is excellent as the woman with so much built in hatred that she even kills one of her sons when the mood hits. She even tops Amanda Blake when she witch slaps her a few times for talking with her son. But Amanda Blake has a trump card that she will use near the end of the show that brings everything back to harmony. An already good show made excellent by Betty Davis.
My All Time Favorite Gunsmoke Episode!
clck20014 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Maybe it is just my TV, but in the scene where we see Bette Davis at the grave, the rocks on the grave seem to "glow". But, again, maybe it's just my TV (it probably is). Bruce Dern is the most influental, besides his ma, in that villain-ish family. But, he is the badguy, which he always has and always will play very good. Even in SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF, as a total dimwit, he plays the badguy role to perfection. He should have known better than to go up against Matt Dillon or James Garner, because Matt could probably outdraw/outfight him, and Garner, as Jason McCullough, could probably con him out of all his money, time, and the small amount of brains that he has in his head. But, alas, in SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF, we only get to see him outsmart Bruce Dern/Joe Danby. But maybe this episode should have had a prologue to it, showing what happened six years before, when Bette Davis' husband was hanged, and her remembering everything that lead up to the hanging, during it, and afterwards. Or at least some flashbacks every now and then? But I am content with the way it is. GUNSMOKE IS #1!
The Weakest is Most Courageous
janet-conant6 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I enjoyed reading all the reviews so well written. I can't compete with them but wanted to express my take on the episode.
The character of Sarah, a repressed, yielding woman who was a servant to Ma Stone and just a complacent wife to Lou was so much more. When Dern asks Ma if she needs her anymore tonight so he can take his wife to bed after 6 years in prison I thought what's worse than this life. Why did that poor suffering woman wait around for her loathsome husband to return?
The intimacy between Kitty (who was really fetching in this) and Matt was central but I found the love Sarah had for Ben, a sensitive soul who loved her, was stronger than Ma's hatred for everyone including her sons. Jack Stone played by the one and only Zalman King, who later played the title role of Muley in his own GS episode, was personable albeit not too bright plotting with Kitty over a bottle to help her escape for a price. He finds out the hard way that Mama means business.
I thought Ben and Sarah orchestrated the gun on the tray but it was Sarah's doing, not wanting to spend another night with that pig. Ben found the courage to defy Ma because of Sarah's strength and knew Lou would draw on him.
Imagine the two weakest people have the ability to make things happen and save lives. Very intense ending when Kitty takes matters into her own hands to save Matt. Performances were top notch from Davis to King. You know you have no recourse when your own mother kills her own.
The character of Sarah, a repressed, yielding woman who was a servant to Ma Stone and just a complacent wife to Lou was so much more. When Dern asks Ma if she needs her anymore tonight so he can take his wife to bed after 6 years in prison I thought what's worse than this life. Why did that poor suffering woman wait around for her loathsome husband to return?
The intimacy between Kitty (who was really fetching in this) and Matt was central but I found the love Sarah had for Ben, a sensitive soul who loved her, was stronger than Ma's hatred for everyone including her sons. Jack Stone played by the one and only Zalman King, who later played the title role of Muley in his own GS episode, was personable albeit not too bright plotting with Kitty over a bottle to help her escape for a price. He finds out the hard way that Mama means business.
I thought Ben and Sarah orchestrated the gun on the tray but it was Sarah's doing, not wanting to spend another night with that pig. Ben found the courage to defy Ma because of Sarah's strength and knew Lou would draw on him.
Imagine the two weakest people have the ability to make things happen and save lives. Very intense ending when Kitty takes matters into her own hands to save Matt. Performances were top notch from Davis to King. You know you have no recourse when your own mother kills her own.
One of Matt's most memorable lines
mctirpak8 January 2022
I'm not going to agree or disagree with any of the reviewers here. They run quite a gamut of opinions!
I wouldn't call myself a big Bette Davis fan but her appearance certainly made this episode memorable. But what I've remembered through the years most, from the time I first saw this episode almost 40 years ago, is something Matt said to Kitty shortly before he is to be hung and all hope seems lost: "Kitty--an awful lot can happen in only two hours.". That may not be exactly word for word, but I can still hear him saying it. It could be a lot of good, or a lot of bad, or just downright surprising--but it's something that each one of us should try to bear in mind.
I wouldn't call myself a big Bette Davis fan but her appearance certainly made this episode memorable. But what I've remembered through the years most, from the time I first saw this episode almost 40 years ago, is something Matt said to Kitty shortly before he is to be hung and all hope seems lost: "Kitty--an awful lot can happen in only two hours.". That may not be exactly word for word, but I can still hear him saying it. It could be a lot of good, or a lot of bad, or just downright surprising--but it's something that each one of us should try to bear in mind.
Overwrought
maskers-8712624 August 2018
Too Many Stars, not enough intensity
gary-6465911 September 2019
Don't know whether Hal Sitowicz, a New York writer unfamiliar to this follower of "Gunsmoke", was brought in especially to ensure "Miss Bette Davis" (billed in gigantic capital letters compared to everyone else) got her propers, but the overall effect is something of a letdown on my second or third viewing of this generally admired episode. Can't help but think much of its massive reputation and rating is due to the very presence of an all-time movie superstar. In an episode where Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty got much more than her usual share of screen time too, and at the same time trying to do justice to guest stars Julie Sommars, Tom Skerritt, Bruce Dern and Zalman King, the story was spread mighty thin. This meant Arness wasn't really effective either in his few bit showings, mostly comforting Miss Kitty. Doc, Festus, Thad, and Sam were restricted in this to a whole two minutes among them simply working themselves up to raising a posse, and were never seen again -- obviously to make more room for Bette (who still didn't give of her best in screen time or intensity of performance). This story, not very well handled as it was, maybe would have been better spread over two episodes.
Legend hams it up
gclarkbloom3 December 2022
This episode was much-touted in TV "sneek peek" promos at the time on CBS..."Gunsmoke" being the network's long haul cash cow...consistently earning sky-high Nielsen ratings and, thereby commanding the highest per minute advertising fees of any program up to that time...
...it was also packed with stars and a supporting cast most film producers would envy...led by the indomitable ( and out of work) Bette Davis, who per usual, plays her strong-willed self...making her bitter arch rival Joan Crawford look like a Girl Scout...
...Bruce Dern is brilliant in his demented role of the eldest son, Luke...and Julie Sommars and Tom Skerrett shine as the humane, yet terrrified youngest son and daughter-in-law...
...the primary plot motivation in this episode highlights the strong, yet unacknowledged partnership between Matt and Kitty... a topic which generated thousands of fan letters sent to Paramount each month...
...Jim Arness, Ananda Blake and the cast and crew of "Gunsmoke" were riding the wave of the series' continuing dominance...and provided Paramount with more than enough cash to pay Davis's ouylanfish acting fees...
...it was also packed with stars and a supporting cast most film producers would envy...led by the indomitable ( and out of work) Bette Davis, who per usual, plays her strong-willed self...making her bitter arch rival Joan Crawford look like a Girl Scout...
...Bruce Dern is brilliant in his demented role of the eldest son, Luke...and Julie Sommars and Tom Skerrett shine as the humane, yet terrrified youngest son and daughter-in-law...
...the primary plot motivation in this episode highlights the strong, yet unacknowledged partnership between Matt and Kitty... a topic which generated thousands of fan letters sent to Paramount each month...
...Jim Arness, Ananda Blake and the cast and crew of "Gunsmoke" were riding the wave of the series' continuing dominance...and provided Paramount with more than enough cash to pay Davis's ouylanfish acting fees...
Sorry
darbski14 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILERS** Okay, Bette Davis is a great actress; blah, blah, I just have never been able to cook up much use for her, even if she DID lower her standards to play on a cowboy T.V. show. It's a pretty good show, but NOT as good as the episode "Kitty Caught". I stand by my evaluation there, too.
Now, something has to be said about Kitty and Matt. The reason (as I see it) that they couldn't be officially or unofficially hitched is twofold. ONE she was a bargirl first, and obviously of limited, not to say ill, repute. We all love Kitty, but this was the 1950-60s, after all. TWO, in any T.V. western, right after the main guy gets married, or even has a steady squeeze, she's bumped off. The show owners and producers knew enough NOT to do that. One problem I have is Kitty holding and firing a Colt Peacemaker is that she was not experienced, and she shoulda used TWO hands. Loved the result, though.
Now, something has to be said about Kitty and Matt. The reason (as I see it) that they couldn't be officially or unofficially hitched is twofold. ONE she was a bargirl first, and obviously of limited, not to say ill, repute. We all love Kitty, but this was the 1950-60s, after all. TWO, in any T.V. western, right after the main guy gets married, or even has a steady squeeze, she's bumped off. The show owners and producers knew enough NOT to do that. One problem I have is Kitty holding and firing a Colt Peacemaker is that she was not experienced, and she shoulda used TWO hands. Loved the result, though.
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