John Drew Barrymore--son of John Barrymore, nephew of Lionel and Ethel Barrymore, and father of Drew Barrymore--provides a memorable, standout performance in this intriguing episode.
Barrymore plays a bounty hunter named Anderson. Anderson arrives in Dodge City slightly injured and seeking consultation with Marshal Dillon. A visit to Doc Adams takes care of his injury, and he makes his way to the Long Branch Saloon to wait for Matt's return from a trip out of town.
Anderson is a charismatic fellow, and he tends to endear himself to everyone he meets. By the time the Marshal returns to Dodge, Anderson has spent time at the Long Branch buying drinks for others and spinning yarns. When two cowboys make trouble in the saloon, Anderson runs them off.
Upon meeting with Anderson, Dillon learns he and his partner have tracked a notorious outlaw named Gabe Sturney to an area in Kansas north of Dodge City. Sturney has a $5,000 bounty on his head. Anderson's problem is that Sturney is in an area where there may be other members of his gang present, and there may be some resistance to arresting Sturney. Anderson asks Matt to accompany him to find and presumably arrest Sturney. Matt agrees, but it is clear he does not trust Anderson.
As Matt--and the viewer--will learn, the situation is not quite as clear as Anderson has led everyone to believe. As Anderson will learn, it does not pay to deceive Matt Dillon.
Barrymore's story is somewhat legendary in Hollywood. As a member of the Barrymore family, he began his career as a highly regarded actor with a promising future. His mother, actress Delores Costello, tried to prevent the young Barrymore from becoming involved in performing, but Barrymore had other ideas. Unfortunately, his rebellious nature led to a number of spectacular failures involving various acting projects.
Like his father, Barrymore experienced substance abuse problems throughout much of his life. Those problems led to numerous arrests for various offenses. As he aged, Barrymore became increasingly reclusive. Despite some compelling performances, his acting career floundered. His acting prowess is evident in his performance in this episode. He would appear once more in a Gunsmoke episode in the first installment of Season 11.
Dennis Hopper appears in this episode as the impetuous Billy Kimbro. Hopper certainly had his own troubled acting career history, but was ultimately more successful than Barrymore. While his time on screen in this episode is limited, his talent shines through.
This episode is also notable because it was directed by Joseph H. Lewis, who is often regarded as one of the more underrated, overlooked directors in Hollywood history. Although many of his films were low-budget affairs, he had a distinctive, innovative style. A number of more famous, prominent directors have praised his work, including Martin Scorsese. Most of Lewis's film work was done before 1960. After experiencing some health issues, he deliberately slowed his pace and took on several television directorial jobs. While he only directed two episodes of Gunsmoke (Lewis also directed another Season 10 episode, "Thursday's Child," which starred Jean Arthur), he directed over 50 episodes of The Rifleman.
Barrymore plays a bounty hunter named Anderson. Anderson arrives in Dodge City slightly injured and seeking consultation with Marshal Dillon. A visit to Doc Adams takes care of his injury, and he makes his way to the Long Branch Saloon to wait for Matt's return from a trip out of town.
Anderson is a charismatic fellow, and he tends to endear himself to everyone he meets. By the time the Marshal returns to Dodge, Anderson has spent time at the Long Branch buying drinks for others and spinning yarns. When two cowboys make trouble in the saloon, Anderson runs them off.
Upon meeting with Anderson, Dillon learns he and his partner have tracked a notorious outlaw named Gabe Sturney to an area in Kansas north of Dodge City. Sturney has a $5,000 bounty on his head. Anderson's problem is that Sturney is in an area where there may be other members of his gang present, and there may be some resistance to arresting Sturney. Anderson asks Matt to accompany him to find and presumably arrest Sturney. Matt agrees, but it is clear he does not trust Anderson.
As Matt--and the viewer--will learn, the situation is not quite as clear as Anderson has led everyone to believe. As Anderson will learn, it does not pay to deceive Matt Dillon.
Barrymore's story is somewhat legendary in Hollywood. As a member of the Barrymore family, he began his career as a highly regarded actor with a promising future. His mother, actress Delores Costello, tried to prevent the young Barrymore from becoming involved in performing, but Barrymore had other ideas. Unfortunately, his rebellious nature led to a number of spectacular failures involving various acting projects.
Like his father, Barrymore experienced substance abuse problems throughout much of his life. Those problems led to numerous arrests for various offenses. As he aged, Barrymore became increasingly reclusive. Despite some compelling performances, his acting career floundered. His acting prowess is evident in his performance in this episode. He would appear once more in a Gunsmoke episode in the first installment of Season 11.
Dennis Hopper appears in this episode as the impetuous Billy Kimbro. Hopper certainly had his own troubled acting career history, but was ultimately more successful than Barrymore. While his time on screen in this episode is limited, his talent shines through.
This episode is also notable because it was directed by Joseph H. Lewis, who is often regarded as one of the more underrated, overlooked directors in Hollywood history. Although many of his films were low-budget affairs, he had a distinctive, innovative style. A number of more famous, prominent directors have praised his work, including Martin Scorsese. Most of Lewis's film work was done before 1960. After experiencing some health issues, he deliberately slowed his pace and took on several television directorial jobs. While he only directed two episodes of Gunsmoke (Lewis also directed another Season 10 episode, "Thursday's Child," which starred Jean Arthur), he directed over 50 episodes of The Rifleman.
