This review is almost 55 years after this episode originally aired in December of 1964, but the message still resonates today. A man does not know what's inside him until he's been tested. Dan Collins had the label "hero" placed upon him, taking credit for killing four outlaws. He had no part in these heroics. He loved the notoriety at first and took the credit, but his conscience got the best of him. Now believing he was really a coward, he is tested again and this time sacrifices his life saving a couple who basically had little regard for him. Why did he do it? His inner person knew it was the right thing to do and that same person exibited the courage and the strength to get the job done while sacrificing his life in the process. As Matt Dillon said at the end looking at the deceased Dan Collins after his heroics, "When a man puts out his arm to help, he doesn't know how long it will extend." A great Gunsmoke episode that will be relevant 55 years from now.
6 Reviews
A strong script makes this an A+ show
kfo949430 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I can not say enough about this episode. A well written piece of drama that is just as strong today as if it happened in Kansas in the 1870's. One of the better shows I have seen in a long time.
It begins when Dan Collins is cooking supper for himself and his partner. A man comes into camp and steals all the food. Dan does nothing but watch the guy eat. When his friend returns he is mad because Dan did not stand up to the food thief. But Dan is not that type of guy.
Dan then goes alone to a stagecoach rest area waiting for a stage to Dodge. While there he gets friendly with the person running the station and drinks with him. It just so happens that four bandits are ready to take the station and wait for the coach to arrive. But because of conflict between the four bandits - it ends up the the manager of the station and all four bandits killing each other because of the conflict. Dan was passed out inside the station and had nothing to do with the shooting. When the stagecoach arrives they believe Dan saved them from a terrible fate and raise him up as a hero.
When Dan arrives in Dodge word has already arrive about his heroic feat. Dan can do no wrong. But when he meets a young woman named Lucy it will prove too much for him. Dan really loves the woman and wants her to be his wife. But Lucy wants little to do with him mainly because a land baron is trying to run her and her brother off the land.
But soon Dan will get the chance to really be a hero. Plus. We the viewer, will know why Lucy was cold to Dan's advances. It may not necessarily meet the viewers satisfaction.
A great story with a great cast. I was literally moved by the episode. A great show that was a pleasure to watch.
It begins when Dan Collins is cooking supper for himself and his partner. A man comes into camp and steals all the food. Dan does nothing but watch the guy eat. When his friend returns he is mad because Dan did not stand up to the food thief. But Dan is not that type of guy.
Dan then goes alone to a stagecoach rest area waiting for a stage to Dodge. While there he gets friendly with the person running the station and drinks with him. It just so happens that four bandits are ready to take the station and wait for the coach to arrive. But because of conflict between the four bandits - it ends up the the manager of the station and all four bandits killing each other because of the conflict. Dan was passed out inside the station and had nothing to do with the shooting. When the stagecoach arrives they believe Dan saved them from a terrible fate and raise him up as a hero.
When Dan arrives in Dodge word has already arrive about his heroic feat. Dan can do no wrong. But when he meets a young woman named Lucy it will prove too much for him. Dan really loves the woman and wants her to be his wife. But Lucy wants little to do with him mainly because a land baron is trying to run her and her brother off the land.
But soon Dan will get the chance to really be a hero. Plus. We the viewer, will know why Lucy was cold to Dan's advances. It may not necessarily meet the viewers satisfaction.
A great story with a great cast. I was literally moved by the episode. A great show that was a pleasure to watch.
The Magnificent One!
zardoz-1328 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Actor Glenn Corbett delivers a restrained but sympathetic performance as a cowardly cowboy in a 10th season episode of CBS-TV's "Gunsmoke" entitled "Chicken" with L.Q. Jones and Bob Steele. Corbett is mistaken by everybody as a deadly gunslinger after an unlikely gunfight at a stagecoach relay station. Veteran western movie director Andrew V. McLaglen, who helmed many episodes of both "Gunsmoke" and "Rawhide" as well as several John Wayne oaters, does a terrific job with veteran "Gunsmoke" writer John Meston teleplay. "Chicken" qualifies as one of the finest episodes from the 10 season because it is complicated enough to be interesting and packs a surprise or two with its "Magnificent Seven" style storyline.
As this suspenseful episode unfolds, Dan Collins (Glenn Corbertt of "Chism") is cooking supper for his partner Brady (L.Q. Jones of "The Wild Bunch") and himself when a stranger rides into their camp. The stranger threatens to kill Dan if he doesn't let him have all the food, and Dan obliges him because he doesn't want to die over a meal. Later, Brady shows up and chews Dan out. Not long afterward, Dan rides into a stagecoach relay station where he meets Rogers (Chubby Johnson), a lonely man whose wife has died and left him by himself to work the premises. Rogers is so lonely for company that he shares a jug of liquor with Dan, and both men drink so much that they pass out. Meanwhile, a quartet of killers rides up to the station. Coe (classic B-movie leading man Bob Steele) leads these killers, but he doesn't know that two of the four are plotting to kill him and his buddy. They plan to gun down the relay station attendant, and they do, but in the ensuing gunfight, everybody winds up killing everybody. Dan awakens from his drunken stupor and stumbles outside to wash his face. At about the same time that Dan is bathing his face, the stagecoach arrives and the passengers and driver are astonished to find Dan standing on a battlefield of sorts. They jump to the wrong conclusion that Dan knocked off all four outlaws and survived the ordeal. Dan doesn't' have a chance to dispute their conclusions, and word spreads like wildfire about his miraculous gun fighting skills. When he rides into Dodge City, everybody treats him with respect. One ignorant cowboy challenges Dan to a shoot-out in the street until he learns who Dan is. Dan confides in Brady that he doesn't know what to do and doesn't feel inclined to tell the truth.
The second half of the story concerns a farming couple who are having trouble with a rancher that owns all the property around them. Carl (John Lupton of "Cool Breeze") is crippled and uses crutches to walk. Carl's sister Lucy (Gigi Perreau) runs into Dan when she is buying supplies at the general store. Dan carries the merchandise that Lucy bought to her buckboard and makes a disparaging comment about Carl's reluctance to assist his sister until he spots the crutches. Dan apologizes to Carl. Dan is smitten with Lucy and repeatedly tries to talk to her with little success. She rebuffs every advance that he makes to her, but Dan is persistent. Meanwhile, the rancher wants to run them off their property by simply killing all their livestock. Eventually, Dan decides to relent and reveal his cowardice to Lucy. At the climax of the episode, the villainous rancher and three gunmen visit the farm with the goal of getting them to leave the ranch. Dan shows up, and a shoot-out ensues. The finale is inspirational and the outcome is tragic in the vein of "The Magnificent Seven."
This "Gunsmoke" episode is carefully plotted with an interesting surprise at the end.
As this suspenseful episode unfolds, Dan Collins (Glenn Corbertt of "Chism") is cooking supper for his partner Brady (L.Q. Jones of "The Wild Bunch") and himself when a stranger rides into their camp. The stranger threatens to kill Dan if he doesn't let him have all the food, and Dan obliges him because he doesn't want to die over a meal. Later, Brady shows up and chews Dan out. Not long afterward, Dan rides into a stagecoach relay station where he meets Rogers (Chubby Johnson), a lonely man whose wife has died and left him by himself to work the premises. Rogers is so lonely for company that he shares a jug of liquor with Dan, and both men drink so much that they pass out. Meanwhile, a quartet of killers rides up to the station. Coe (classic B-movie leading man Bob Steele) leads these killers, but he doesn't know that two of the four are plotting to kill him and his buddy. They plan to gun down the relay station attendant, and they do, but in the ensuing gunfight, everybody winds up killing everybody. Dan awakens from his drunken stupor and stumbles outside to wash his face. At about the same time that Dan is bathing his face, the stagecoach arrives and the passengers and driver are astonished to find Dan standing on a battlefield of sorts. They jump to the wrong conclusion that Dan knocked off all four outlaws and survived the ordeal. Dan doesn't' have a chance to dispute their conclusions, and word spreads like wildfire about his miraculous gun fighting skills. When he rides into Dodge City, everybody treats him with respect. One ignorant cowboy challenges Dan to a shoot-out in the street until he learns who Dan is. Dan confides in Brady that he doesn't know what to do and doesn't feel inclined to tell the truth.
The second half of the story concerns a farming couple who are having trouble with a rancher that owns all the property around them. Carl (John Lupton of "Cool Breeze") is crippled and uses crutches to walk. Carl's sister Lucy (Gigi Perreau) runs into Dan when she is buying supplies at the general store. Dan carries the merchandise that Lucy bought to her buckboard and makes a disparaging comment about Carl's reluctance to assist his sister until he spots the crutches. Dan apologizes to Carl. Dan is smitten with Lucy and repeatedly tries to talk to her with little success. She rebuffs every advance that he makes to her, but Dan is persistent. Meanwhile, the rancher wants to run them off their property by simply killing all their livestock. Eventually, Dan decides to relent and reveal his cowardice to Lucy. At the climax of the episode, the villainous rancher and three gunmen visit the farm with the goal of getting them to leave the ranch. Dan shows up, and a shoot-out ensues. The finale is inspirational and the outcome is tragic in the vein of "The Magnificent Seven."
This "Gunsmoke" episode is carefully plotted with an interesting surprise at the end.
A (nearly) Flawless Script
lrrap31 May 2021
And the few flaws, in my opinion, are enough to knock this otherwise excellent show down a notch.
There are two major, important points in the script that are just too "easy", too slick, too formulaic...where a bit more thought and realism was needed. First is the discovery of the shoot-out carnage at the station (where every bad guy killed the other bad guy), where the stage coach guys make a major leap in logic TOO QUICKLY; the drama needed just another 8-10 seconds of hesitation, uncertainty..and THEN the big conclusion that Dan was a master gun-fighter. This would have been much more convincing. The Second came near the very end, when Carl has his big epiphany about "pride." It was good...but it just needed a bit less of a facile, "Scripted" feel... like "Let's tie this all together, since we're short on time." Also, I wish Carl and Lucy didn't just stand there during the final melee; she should have made a break to get his shotgun, etc..to add to the confusion and excitement.
Still, the final scene with Glenn Corbett and his horse scaling the fence with guns-a-blazing was mighty thrilling.
BIG cast of men in this one, with a welcome good-guy role for L. Q. Jones, who is very cool. Glenn Corbett was one of those "almost" actors...who did a decent job onscreen, as long as he wasn't called on to do too much dynamic emoting. A lot of his Route 66 episodes were very good...some less so...depending on how the script was tailored to his strengths. "Chicken" must have been written specifically for him, since it fits him very well, and the empathy he draws form the viewer is immediate and strong.
The script is full of "compromised" characters, whose personal stories weave a fascinating web: a decent, non-aggressive guy who, through a freakish, one-in-a-million occurrence is thrust into the role of heroic crime-fighter, a lame brother and his beautiful babe-of-a-sister (and their personal, guarded secret) who are targeted by the biggest, greediest rancher in the area (and whose personality changes radically from the 1st scene where we meet him). And then there's L. Q, who serves as the slightly bemused observer to his buddy's situation. And let's not forget the amusing scene with rough-and-tough Richard Reeves as the drunk who challenges Dan to a gunfight (odd that Reeves gets no screen credit).
When all is said and done, this episode will keep you engaged from beginning to end.
The music score is credited to Fred Steiner..though again with Herschel Gilbert as "supervisor" (not that Steiner needs any supervision). I suspect that the score was essentially an assemblage of Steiner cues that Gilbert cobbled together...and again, the music is a bit overblown and almost garish in its effect; it's often too loud and OBVIOUS--- the harmonica/guitar for the opening campfire, the big Hollywood-ish romantic theme, Steiner's quaint "Minnie" cue when Doc Adams walks down his office stairs (as if to say: "and here comes that crotchety old duffer, Doc Adams himself!"). Again, this new approach to Gunsmoke's music often defeats the subtleties of the onscreen drama.
ALSO...is that Chubby Johnson's REAL beard?? He almost always wore one, but this one is HUGE! And, as expected, the Chub-ster bites the dust fairly early on.
Despite the flaws, a very fine Episode. LR.
There are two major, important points in the script that are just too "easy", too slick, too formulaic...where a bit more thought and realism was needed. First is the discovery of the shoot-out carnage at the station (where every bad guy killed the other bad guy), where the stage coach guys make a major leap in logic TOO QUICKLY; the drama needed just another 8-10 seconds of hesitation, uncertainty..and THEN the big conclusion that Dan was a master gun-fighter. This would have been much more convincing. The Second came near the very end, when Carl has his big epiphany about "pride." It was good...but it just needed a bit less of a facile, "Scripted" feel... like "Let's tie this all together, since we're short on time." Also, I wish Carl and Lucy didn't just stand there during the final melee; she should have made a break to get his shotgun, etc..to add to the confusion and excitement.
Still, the final scene with Glenn Corbett and his horse scaling the fence with guns-a-blazing was mighty thrilling.
BIG cast of men in this one, with a welcome good-guy role for L. Q. Jones, who is very cool. Glenn Corbett was one of those "almost" actors...who did a decent job onscreen, as long as he wasn't called on to do too much dynamic emoting. A lot of his Route 66 episodes were very good...some less so...depending on how the script was tailored to his strengths. "Chicken" must have been written specifically for him, since it fits him very well, and the empathy he draws form the viewer is immediate and strong.
The script is full of "compromised" characters, whose personal stories weave a fascinating web: a decent, non-aggressive guy who, through a freakish, one-in-a-million occurrence is thrust into the role of heroic crime-fighter, a lame brother and his beautiful babe-of-a-sister (and their personal, guarded secret) who are targeted by the biggest, greediest rancher in the area (and whose personality changes radically from the 1st scene where we meet him). And then there's L. Q, who serves as the slightly bemused observer to his buddy's situation. And let's not forget the amusing scene with rough-and-tough Richard Reeves as the drunk who challenges Dan to a gunfight (odd that Reeves gets no screen credit).
When all is said and done, this episode will keep you engaged from beginning to end.
The music score is credited to Fred Steiner..though again with Herschel Gilbert as "supervisor" (not that Steiner needs any supervision). I suspect that the score was essentially an assemblage of Steiner cues that Gilbert cobbled together...and again, the music is a bit overblown and almost garish in its effect; it's often too loud and OBVIOUS--- the harmonica/guitar for the opening campfire, the big Hollywood-ish romantic theme, Steiner's quaint "Minnie" cue when Doc Adams walks down his office stairs (as if to say: "and here comes that crotchety old duffer, Doc Adams himself!"). Again, this new approach to Gunsmoke's music often defeats the subtleties of the onscreen drama.
ALSO...is that Chubby Johnson's REAL beard?? He almost always wore one, but this one is HUGE! And, as expected, the Chub-ster bites the dust fairly early on.
Despite the flaws, a very fine Episode. LR.
Excellent... with a Surprise Ending
Johnny_Hing11 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
There are already some detailed, superb reviews here so I will keep this rather short.
No Chester or Festus here, although there is a scene with Quint. There are a few Long Branch scenes, but no Sam the Bartender.
Great plot, great actors...always love to see LQ make a guest appearance.
Okay....so the key storyline, or one of them, is why Lucy keeps refusing Dan's advances. She won't say. Top secret. Apparently, only Doc knows, which seems to provide a hint. I made a few wild guesses...maybe she can't have kids? Maybe she was raped and is scarred for life? Maybe this, maybe that.
I had a "duh" moment when the secret was finally revealed. But of course! She's married to the crippled guy claiming to be her brother! Poor Dan though... he died before finding out. But he died a hero. He wasn't a coward after all.
Gunsmoke often has a tragic ending, and this is no different. Matt arrives on the scene to wrap things up and impart some words of wisdom.
A very pleasant hour to spend when you don't feel like watching Netflix or any of the other streaming channels.
No Chester or Festus here, although there is a scene with Quint. There are a few Long Branch scenes, but no Sam the Bartender.
Great plot, great actors...always love to see LQ make a guest appearance.
Okay....so the key storyline, or one of them, is why Lucy keeps refusing Dan's advances. She won't say. Top secret. Apparently, only Doc knows, which seems to provide a hint. I made a few wild guesses...maybe she can't have kids? Maybe she was raped and is scarred for life? Maybe this, maybe that.
I had a "duh" moment when the secret was finally revealed. But of course! She's married to the crippled guy claiming to be her brother! Poor Dan though... he died before finding out. But he died a hero. He wasn't a coward after all.
Gunsmoke often has a tragic ending, and this is no different. Matt arrives on the scene to wrap things up and impart some words of wisdom.
A very pleasant hour to spend when you don't feel like watching Netflix or any of the other streaming channels.
Too high a price
gary-6465922 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Glenn Corbett, formerly of the "Route 66" series and about to go into James Stewart's "Shenandoah" movie (1965) in a big supporting role, gives one of his best performances here as a mild-mannered, peaceable type who is mistakenly hailed as a ruthless gunfighting hero and decides to play along to escape his rut as a put-upon nobody. He ends up paying the ultimate price by sacrificing his life needlessly to prove himself not a coward -- saving the woman he impulsively loves (Gigi Perreau), who is secretly married to a farming homesteader (John Lupton). Posing as brother and sister for the sake of the disabled farmer's "pride", this respectable but deceitful couple survives while the drifter is expendable: another of Gunsmoke's valuable life lessons. With credit too to L. Q. Jones as Collins' much smarter partner who fails to talk him out of his romanticism. The support acting is otherwise not the most convincing.
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