Latest / Gunsmoke | Old Time Radio / Gunsmoke - "Sweet and Sour" (Old Time Radio, 1956)
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Rena Decker arrives in Dodge City, Kansas, and the attention
- 0:03Speaker 1: she receives from local men soon turns contentious. Marshal Matt
- 0:08Speaker 1: Dillon tries to help the newcomer get established, but rivalry
- 0:12Speaker 1: and violence gather around her. CBS broadcast Gunsmoke, episode 226,
- 0:18Speaker 1: Sweet and Sour, on August 5th, 1956, for Chesterfield and
- 0:24Speaker 1: L & M, with William Conrad as Dylan, alongside Parley Bear,
- 0:28Speaker 1: Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, Lynn Allen, Lawrence Dobkin, and Harry Bartell.
- 0:35Speaker 1: John Meston wrote the script, and Norman MacDonald directed and produced.
- 0:41Speaker 1: The script later became a Gunsmoke television episode broadcast March 2nd, 1957. Now,
- 0:49Speaker 1: back to the golden age of radio.
- 1:02Speaker 2: Around Dodge City and in the Territory on West, there's
- 1:05Speaker 2: just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers,
- 1:08Speaker 2: and that's with a U.S. Marshal and the smell of
- 1:10Speaker 2: gun smoke. Gun smoke. Starring William Conrad. The transcribed story
- 1:35Speaker 2: of the violence that moved west with young America. And
- 1:38Speaker 2: the story of a man who moved with it.
- 1:41Speaker 3: I'm that man. Matt Dillon, United States Marshal. The first
- 1:46Speaker 3: man they look for and the last they want to meet.
- 1:49Speaker 3: It's a chancy job. And it makes a man watchful.
- 1:54Speaker 3: And a little lonely.
- 1:55Speaker 4: © transcript Emily Beynon.
- 2:24Speaker 5: I sure will be glad to get back to Dodge, Mr.
- 2:27Speaker 3: Dillon. Wichita's a nice town, Chester.
- 2:29Speaker 6: All right, you like it so much, next time you
- 2:32Speaker 6: can come along, I got no business here anyway.
- 2:35Speaker 3: It's almost over. The train leaves in about ten minutes.
- 2:38Speaker 5: I've been worried all morning we might miss it.
- 2:41Speaker 3: It's going to be a long ride. Why don't we
- 2:43Speaker 3: wait outside here till they yell all aboard, huh?
- 2:46Speaker 5: You sure do hate setting down, don't you?
- 2:49Speaker 3: Like fresh air, Chester. Bet you can go on if
- 2:51Speaker 3: you want.
- 2:52Speaker 5: No, no, I'll wait.
- 2:54Speaker 3: Well, you could be finding us a couple of seats.
- 2:56Speaker 7: Mr.
- 2:57Speaker 6: Dillon, the Santa Fe guarantees a seat to everybody who
- 3:01Speaker 6: buys a ticket.
- 3:02Speaker 3: I was only trying to give you an excuse to
- 3:04Speaker 3: get off your feet.
- 3:05Speaker 5: Well, I ain't starved all night. Hey, look what's coming.
- 3:10Speaker 7: What?
- 3:12Speaker 3: Oh. You're a pretty girl, aren't you?
- 3:15Speaker 5: Yes, she is now, ain't she? You suppose she's going
- 3:18Speaker 5: to Dodge, too?
- 3:19Speaker 3: Well, why don't you ask her?
- 3:21Speaker 5: Oh, my goodness, Mr. Dillon, I don't even know her.
- 3:25Speaker 3: It's not going to stop him. Who? That gentleman standing
- 3:29Speaker 3: by the car. He's seen her, too. Gentleman?
- 3:33Speaker 5: Looks more like a drunk rowdy to me.
- 3:37Speaker 3: Let's kind of walk over that way.
- 3:42Speaker 5: Say, maybe he does know her, Mr.
- 3:44Speaker 7: Dillon.
- 3:44Speaker 3: Yeah, maybe.
- 3:45Speaker 5: Oh, I doubt it, though. He's too mean and ugly looking.
- 3:50Speaker 3: I tell you now, miss, as long as we're going
- 3:52Speaker 3: to be traveling together, we should all at least get acquainted.
- 3:56Speaker 3: My name is Laster.
- 3:59Speaker 4: Ab.
- 3:59Speaker 3: Ab Laster.
- 4:01Speaker 8: How do you do?
- 4:03Speaker 3: I do. I'm meeting my partner in Dodge, Joe Garrett.
- 4:09Speaker 3: Have you known him?
- 4:10Speaker 8: I'm sorry, but I've never been in Dodge.
- 4:13Speaker 3: No? Well, you know what makes two of us. Well,
- 4:17Speaker 3: of course, at least we ain't going to be lonely,
- 4:19Speaker 3: are we?
- 4:21Speaker 7: Well, that depends.
- 4:22Speaker 3: Depends on what?
- 4:25Speaker 7: If you're a gentleman.
- 4:27Speaker 3: Oh, honey, sure I am. Yeah, I know. Now, I
- 4:33Speaker 3: got a bottle here. Why don't we get aboard and
- 4:36Speaker 3: we'll have us a little drink?
- 4:38Speaker 7: Please, Mr. Lasker.
- 4:39Speaker 3: Come on. No, look at that. Well, no, it's a
- 4:43Speaker 3: matter of you. Start out being real friendly, then you
- 4:46Speaker 3: freeze up. Come on, we're getting that train like that's saying,
- 4:51Speaker 3: I'll buy you a little drink.
- 4:52Speaker 8: Let me go!
- 4:54Speaker 3: Hey, mister. What do you want? Let the lady go.
- 5:04Speaker 3: You're looking for trouble, ain't you?
- 5:06Speaker 4: No.
- 5:06Speaker 7: No?
- 5:07Speaker 8: He tried to force me onto the train. He wanted
- 5:10Speaker 8: me to drink with him.
- 5:10Speaker 3: Now, don't you worry, miss. He won't bother you. He
- 5:12Speaker 3: won't mind in it, not till you bust it in.
- 5:15Speaker 3: Ab Laster, huh? How do you know my name? Well,
- 5:19Speaker 3: I heard you tell the lady. Real snoopy, ain't you? Sometimes.
- 5:25Speaker 3: Do you know what you're getting into, mister? No. Why
- 5:30Speaker 3: don't you tell me? I'll show you. You're packing a gun.
- 5:35Speaker 3: But I don't always use it.
- 5:40Speaker 8: You hit him.
- 5:42Speaker 3: This gun's safer with me. Here, Chester. Put his gun
- 5:47Speaker 3: in your belt. Yes, sir.
- 5:49Speaker 5: He's going to be awful mad, ain't he?
- 5:51Speaker 3: I'll kill him. I swear I'll kill him.
- 5:54Speaker 8: He's going to fight some more.
- 5:55Speaker 7: No, he isn't.
- 5:57Speaker 3: Get on the train, mister. You tricked me. Get aboard
- 6:00Speaker 3: while you can still walk. Mister, we get to dodge,
- 6:04Speaker 3: you're gonna wish you'd never seen me. I'm wishing that already.
- 6:08Speaker 3: Now move.
- 6:17Speaker 8: I'm... I'm sorry for all the trouble.
- 6:19Speaker 3: There's no trouble, miss.
- 6:22Speaker 8: I didn't mean to get you into a fight.
- 6:23Speaker 3: It wasn't your fault.
- 6:25Speaker 8: But I always feel that it is.
- 6:27Speaker 3: What?
- 6:29Speaker 7: Why.
- 6:31Speaker 8: Just my being a woman, I guess. You know.
- 6:35Speaker 3: Well, there won't be any more trouble, miss.
- 6:37Speaker 5: Not till we get to Dodge, anyway.
- 6:40Speaker 3: Come on. Let's get aboard, huh? Oh, what do you
- 7:10Speaker 3: think of Dodge, Rena?
- 7:11Speaker 8: I can't tell much from the depot, Marshal.
- 7:13Speaker 3: Oh, we'll show you the rest. Uh, Chester, go get
- 7:17Speaker 3: our baggage, will you? Well, I.
- 7:21Speaker 3: Yes, sir.
- 7:24Speaker 8: Dodge kind of frightens me, Marshal.
- 7:26Speaker 7: Oh, why?
- 7:27Speaker 3: Well, I can't tell you.
- 7:29Speaker 8: I'm only a woman, and I've heard so much about
- 7:32Speaker 8: the terrible things that go on here.
- 7:34Speaker 3: Now, don't you worry, Rena. Nothing will happen to you.
- 7:37Speaker 8: I do feel safer when you're around.
- 7:38Speaker 3: Marshal! Oh, uh, excuse me a minute, Rena.
- 7:44Speaker 8: It's that same man.
- 7:44Speaker 3: Yeah, what do you want, Lester? Now, tell me that
- 7:53Speaker 3: you're Marshal Dillon. Well... And now there's two of us, Marshal.
- 8:00Speaker 3: Here's my partner, Joe Garrett. Lester says you made things
- 8:05Speaker 3: bad for him in Wichita, Marshal. How's that, son? He
- 8:09Speaker 3: says you stole his gun, too. He can pick it
- 8:12Speaker 3: up at my office sometime. I just don't like what
- 8:15Speaker 3: you did, Dylan. Well, I didn't do it for you, Lester.
- 8:21Speaker 3: All right. I'll be taking some horses up north in
- 8:24Speaker 3: a few days. And then we'll be back. I'll be here.
- 8:30Speaker 3: I'll be here every day.
- 8:36Speaker 8: What did those men want, Marshal?
- 8:38Speaker 3: Nothing, Raina. Nothing important.
- 8:40Speaker 8: I'll bet there's going to be more trouble over me.
- 8:42Speaker 7: Isn't there?
- 8:42Speaker 3: Now, don't you worry about it. We'll find you a room,
- 8:45Speaker 3: and then I'll take you over to the Long Branch
- 8:47Speaker 3: and introduce you to Kitty Russell. She's half owner of
- 8:49Speaker 3: the place. Oh, come on. Chester's waiting.
- 8:58Speaker 4: Well, there he is.
- 9:16Speaker 3: He is.
- 9:18Speaker 7: Come on in, Matt.
- 9:19Speaker 3: It's your office.
- 9:20Speaker 6: Hey.
- 9:20Speaker 3: How have you been, Doc?
- 9:22Speaker 7: Oh, fine, fine.
- 9:24Speaker 2: Chester's been telling me about this little new girl, Rena Decker.
- 9:29Speaker 3: Sounds like a mighty sweet little apple. Is that what
- 9:33Speaker 3: Chester said?
- 9:34Speaker 5: No, I didn't say that at all.
- 9:35Speaker 7: That's what you meant, Chester.
- 9:37Speaker 5: But is it true, man?
- 9:38Speaker 3: Well, you can go see for yourself, Doc. I think
- 9:40Speaker 3: she'll be working at the Long Branch tonight. Oh, Kitty Hyder. Well,
- 9:45Speaker 3: I left them talking together about an hour ago.
- 9:47Speaker 1: Good.
- 9:47Speaker 7: I'll drop by that night if I have time.
- 9:50Speaker 5: Oh, you'll find time, Doc.
- 9:51Speaker 1: Well, I will if some idiot doesn't fall off his
- 9:53Speaker 1: horse and jump out of a window or something or
- 9:55Speaker 1: go get himself shot.
- 9:57Speaker 3: Leave him die. It'll be worth it. Leave him. Leave
- 10:00Speaker 3: him down.
- 10:02Speaker 7: It's a good thing nobody has to depend on a
- 10:04Speaker 7: sybarite like.
- 10:05Speaker 3: You, Chester.
- 10:07Speaker 5: I don't know what that means, but it sure don't
- 10:09Speaker 5: sound nice.
- 10:10Speaker 7: Then don't ever let me catch you saying it. Oh,
- 10:13Speaker 7: it's Kitty. Come on in, Kitty. Join the fun. I'm
- 10:16Speaker 7: afraid I'm going to spoil the fun, Doc.
- 10:19Speaker 3: Oh, what's the trouble, Kitty?
- 10:20Speaker 7: I thought I'd better come tell you before you hear
- 10:23Speaker 7: it from.
- 10:23Speaker 3: Her, Matt.
- 10:24Speaker 7: What? Rena Decker isn't going to be working at the
- 10:27Speaker 7: Long Branch.
- 10:29Speaker 3: Oh? Well, why not?
- 10:31Speaker 7: I didn't hire her.
- 10:32Speaker 5: You didn't hire her forevermore. I.
- 10:36Speaker 7: Oh, I... Well, I'm not saying she isn't pretty and
- 10:38Speaker 7: all that, Chester, but I've seen her kind too often.
- 10:42Speaker 7: They mean nothing but trouble.
- 10:43Speaker 3: Well, I don't understand, Kitty. She seems like a nice
- 10:46Speaker 3: little girl.
- 10:48Speaker 7: You men are all alike. Pretty face throws you every time.
- 10:51Speaker 3: Now, Kitty, I have no interest in her beyond trying
- 10:53Speaker 3: to help her the way I'd help anybody.
- 10:56Speaker 7: Who started that fight in Wichita, Matt?
- 10:59Speaker 3: I had Lester. He was annoying her.
- 11:02Speaker 7: She didn't lead him on, huh?
- 11:03Speaker 3: Oh, now, Kitty, you're being unfair. That girl's here all alone,
- 11:06Speaker 3: she doesn't know anybody, and she needs a job.
- 11:08Speaker 7: Sure, and when I had to leave her at the
- 11:09Speaker 7: bar a few minutes after you brought her in, she
- 11:11Speaker 7: almost got another fight started.
- 11:13Speaker 3: Now, why would she do that?
- 11:16Speaker 7: Some women like men fighting over them.
- 11:20Speaker 3: I see. Kitty. What really is it that you don't
- 11:27Speaker 3: like about her?
- 11:30Speaker 7: Doc hasn't seen her yet, huh?
- 11:32Speaker 2: No, no, no, but I'm sure interested now, Kitty.
- 11:35Speaker 7: You'll be just as stupid as they are.
- 11:37Speaker 3: Now, Kitty. All right.
- 11:39Speaker 7: Just to show you, I'll hire her. But don't blame
- 11:42Speaker 7: me when somebody gets killed, because it's bound to happen.
- 12:03Speaker 3: Mr.
- 12:04Speaker 6: Dillon?
- 12:04Speaker 3: Yeah, what, Joseph?
- 12:05Speaker 6: Looks like Miss Kitty was wrong, don't it?
- 12:08Speaker 3: It's been two days, but she didn't put any time
- 12:11Speaker 3: limit on it.
- 12:13Speaker 5: What do you think it is she's got against Rena, anyway?
- 12:16Speaker 3: Sometimes a woman takes a dislike to another woman and
- 12:18Speaker 3: nobody ever knows exactly why.
- 12:20Speaker 6: They're sure hard to track, ain't they?
- 12:24Speaker 3: They got their ways, I guess. But then so have we.
- 12:29Speaker 5: That's right.
- 12:30Speaker 6: We ain't always so plain and simple, are we? Where
- 12:34Speaker 6: are you going?
- 12:35Speaker 3: Those men in front of the lawn branch.
- 12:40Speaker 5: They're going to fight, Mr.
- 12:40Speaker 3: Dillon. Look at them.
- 12:41Speaker 5: They're about to draw.
- 12:42Speaker 3: Hold it, you men!
- 12:47Speaker 5: They're both down.
- 12:48Speaker 3: Go get Doc, Chester.
- 12:49Speaker 5: They look dead to me.
- 12:50Speaker 3: Get him anyway. I'll see if I can find out
- 12:52Speaker 3: what this is all about.
- 12:53Speaker 4: Yes, sir.
- 13:01Speaker 3: Anybody know these men? Hell, I didn't see you here, Kitty.
- 13:09Speaker 7: Hello, man.
- 13:10Speaker 3: Maybe you know these men, huh?
- 13:12Speaker 7: Just a couple of riders. I don't even know their names.
- 13:15Speaker 3: Well, what started it?
- 13:16Speaker 7: You wouldn't believe me if I told you.
- 13:18Speaker 3: What do you mean?
- 13:20Speaker 7: Talk to her about it.
- 13:21Speaker 3: Who? Oh.
- 13:25Speaker 7: I'll go with you.
- 13:26Speaker 3: All right.
- 13:33Speaker 7: Marshal, wasn't it terrible? I was so scared.
- 13:35Speaker 3: Rena, have you any idea what started this?
- 13:40Speaker 8: I don't know, Marshal. I was talking to them at
- 13:42Speaker 8: the bar and they suddenly got mad at each other
- 13:45Speaker 8: and they came out here.
- 13:46Speaker 7: That's all I know. What were you talking about, Rena? Nothing.
- 13:50Speaker 8: Just talking.
- 13:51Speaker 7: Then why'd they get mad? You know how men are. Yeah,
- 13:56Speaker 7: I know. I know how some of them are. See
- 13:59Speaker 7: you later, Matt.
- 14:00Speaker 3: Yeah, sure, Kitty. Marshal. What, Rena?
- 14:06Speaker 8: Sometimes it's It's an awful burden being a woman. You understand,
- 14:12Speaker 8: don't you?
- 14:13Speaker 3: I don't know, Rayna. I'm not sure what I think.
- 14:40Speaker 4: My goodness, Mr.
- 14:48Speaker 5: Dillon, I sure would hate to be buried that way.
- 14:50Speaker 5: Like them two fellas.
- 14:52Speaker 6: Nobody not knowing who you are. Not even a marker
- 14:56Speaker 6: on your grave.
- 14:58Speaker 5: It's a sad, poor way to end them.
- 15:01Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 15:02Speaker 5: It's been troubling you too, ain't it?
- 15:05Speaker 3: Some have.
- 15:07Speaker 5: You've been awful quiet since yesterday.
- 15:09Speaker 3: I've been thinking, Chester. Oh, I'm going to the Long
- 15:14Speaker 3: Branch here.
- 15:15Speaker 1: You want to come?
- 15:16Speaker 3: Sure I do.
- 15:24Speaker 5: Pretty busy, ain't they?
- 15:26Speaker 3: Uh-huh. Come on, Matt.
- 15:30Speaker 7: Chester.
- 15:30Speaker 5: Oh, he's giddy.
- 15:31Speaker 3: You weren't at the burying, kiddo.
- 15:33Speaker 7: No. No.
- 15:35Speaker 3: Uh, is Rena around?
- 15:39Speaker 7: Right over there at the bar, with two men, as usual.
- 15:42Speaker 4: Oh.
- 15:43Speaker 3: What's she doing?
- 15:45Speaker 5: Look, it's Ab Laster and that Garrett fella.
- 15:48Speaker 3: Yeah.
- 15:49Speaker 5: I didn't know they was back in town.
- 15:50Speaker 7: That didn't take Rena long to find out.
- 15:52Speaker 3: What do you mean?
- 15:54Speaker 7: She brought him in with her when she came to work.
- 15:56Speaker 7: But then, of course, she and Laster are old friends
- 16:00Speaker 7: by now.
- 16:01Speaker 3: Not kidding.
- 16:02Speaker 7: Why don't you go over to the bar there, Matt?
- 16:04Speaker 7: Have a drink on the house.
- 16:06Speaker 3: Why?
- 16:08Speaker 7: Eavesdrop a few minutes. You might learn something.
- 16:12Speaker 3: All right, Kitty, I will.
- 16:18Speaker 2: Are you really going to take me to dinner, Mr.
- 16:26Speaker 7: Laster?
- 16:27Speaker 3: Oh, why, sure. What about me? Ain't I invited?
- 16:33Speaker 7: Well....
- 16:36Speaker 8: I guess that depends on Mr.
- 16:38Speaker 7: Laster.
- 16:39Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, some other time, Garrett. This here's going to
- 16:44Speaker 3: be my night tonight.
- 16:46Speaker 8: Well, you make it sound like Mr.
- 16:49Speaker 7: Garrett's not wanted. Well, he ain't.
- 16:54Speaker 8: You don't have to treat him like he's a dog.
- 16:58Speaker 3: Well, I ain't treating him like he's no dog.
- 17:03Speaker 7: Am I, Garrett?
- 17:04Speaker 3: Garrett?
- 17:05Speaker 7: Well.
- 17:05Speaker 3: Of.
- 17:06Speaker 8: Course you are. No man's going to put up with that,
- 17:09Speaker 8: is he, Mr.
- 17:10Speaker 7: Garrett?
- 17:12Speaker 2: Well, no.
- 17:13Speaker 7: No real man is.
- 17:16Speaker 3: No, by golly. Now, you take it back, Lester.
- 17:19Speaker 7: What?
- 17:20Speaker 3: Oh, go on, Garrett. Go on. Leave us alone. I
- 17:23Speaker 3: ain't taking no more. Get your gun out, Lester. All right, Garrett.
- 17:30Speaker 3: That's how you want it.
- 17:38Speaker 8: You killed him.
- 17:39Speaker 7: You killed him, Ab.
- 17:40Speaker 3: Give me your gun, Lester.
- 17:42Speaker 4: No.
- 17:43Speaker 3: Give it to me. How do you expect to take
- 17:46Speaker 3: a man's gun when he's already got it in his hand, Marshal?
- 17:48Speaker 3: Don't be a fool.
- 17:49Speaker 7: He killed him, Marshal. Don't let him get away with it.
- 17:51Speaker 3: Shut up, Reno. Don't back away now, Marshal. You stay
- 17:54Speaker 3: where you are. Rena's tricked you into two fights already, Lester.
- 18:01Speaker 3: You gonna let her do it again? Stand still. She
- 18:04Speaker 3: likes men fighting over her. Don't you see that, do you?
- 18:08Speaker 3: Get her out of this. Now stand still. You put
- 18:13Speaker 3: up your gun, Lester. No.
- 18:29Speaker 8: Oh, Marshall, I was so worried. I thought, sure, he'd
- 18:33Speaker 8: kill you. Oh, I was so scared.
- 18:36Speaker 3: Raina, four men have died because I wouldn't believe Kitty
- 18:43Speaker 3: about you.
- 18:45Speaker 7: What?
- 18:47Speaker 3: Now you get out of Dodge. Now. And don't ever
- 18:52Speaker 3: come back.
- 18:57Speaker 5: What did she say?
- 19:00Speaker 3: Well, Kitty.
- 19:01Speaker 4: It's not your fault, Matt.
- 19:03Speaker 3: Yes, it is, Kitty.
- 19:06Speaker 7: And I hope you never let me forget it.
- 19:44Speaker 2: Gunsmoke, produced and directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad
- 19:48Speaker 2: as Matt Dillon, U.S.
- 19:49Speaker 7: Marshal.
- 19:51Speaker 2: Our story was specially written for Gunsmoke by John Meston,
- 19:54Speaker 2: with music composed by Rex Corey. Sound patterns by Tom
- 19:58Speaker 2: Hanley and Bill James. Featured in the cast were Lynn Allen,
- 20:02Speaker 2: Lawrence Dobkin, and Harry Bartell. Harley Bear as Chester, Howard
- 20:06Speaker 2: McNair as Doc, and Georgia.
- 20:08Speaker 3: Ellis as Kitty.
- 20:09Speaker 1: Music Our time in Dodge City ends with Gunsmoke, sweet
- 20:20Speaker 1: and sour. Follow Gunsmoke for more classic broadcasts.