The big mystery of the episode is "why" MacGraw is coming to Dodge and what he is going to do. I guessed the former early on. How MacGraw executes his plan was less obvious. J.D. Cannon plays the role well, always in control, even in the surprise bushwhacking in Dodge. As usual, Matt's initial take on the situation was both fair and accurate.
5 Reviews
fear can be a powerful motivator
headhunter4618 October 2014
It's hard to believe one man with a reputation as a gun man can cause so much panic to a whole town of people who have no reason to fear him.
To be fair McGraw does show he is still fast and handy with the pistol when accosted by two would be robbers one his way into Dodge. He makes his entry into Dodge with two bodies slung over the saddles. What better way to strike terror into the hearts of the town folks? There is a great deal of mystery regarding McGraw and he does little to dispel the suspicions of the townspeople. His behavior only serves to fan the flames of fear and apprehension.
He takes to courting the love interest of a young man named Dave who may or may not be involved in criminal enterprise. Is McGraw truly interested in the girl or in Dave? And what could his motive truly be? The girl is very attractive so it is no stretch to think he may really be interested in her. That aspect is easy to believe. But where Dave is concerned the mystery deepens.
McGraw is straightforward, not the least bit sneaky or underhanded which only serves to make people even more suspicious of him. The whole town is guessing, "Who did he come here to kill?" "What is he up to?" There is a pretty convincing knock down drag em out fight and a great surprise ending.
Enjoy!
To be fair McGraw does show he is still fast and handy with the pistol when accosted by two would be robbers one his way into Dodge. He makes his entry into Dodge with two bodies slung over the saddles. What better way to strike terror into the hearts of the town folks? There is a great deal of mystery regarding McGraw and he does little to dispel the suspicions of the townspeople. His behavior only serves to fan the flames of fear and apprehension.
He takes to courting the love interest of a young man named Dave who may or may not be involved in criminal enterprise. Is McGraw truly interested in the girl or in Dave? And what could his motive truly be? The girl is very attractive so it is no stretch to think he may really be interested in her. That aspect is easy to believe. But where Dave is concerned the mystery deepens.
McGraw is straightforward, not the least bit sneaky or underhanded which only serves to make people even more suspicious of him. The whole town is guessing, "Who did he come here to kill?" "What is he up to?" There is a pretty convincing knock down drag em out fight and a great surprise ending.
Enjoy!
"They laughed when I sat down at the piano..."
grizzledgeezer3 August 2013
"...but when I spilled beer in a customer's lap..."
When recently released convict Jake MacGraw * arrives in Dodge with the corpses of two cell-mates he shot in self-defense, nobody believes him -- he's clearly up to no good. People are even more suspicious when he says he's in Dodge to apply for a job as piano player at the Long Branch. Matt, of course, urges everyone to take MacGraw at face value, until proved otherwise -- but who ever listens to Matt?
MacGraw is a competent pianist (having learned while in prison -- though whether from the U S School of Music's mail-order course isn't stated) -- whose playing has a catchy beat. Miss Kitty hires him.
Things go well the first night, until he "accidentally" spills beer on Dave Wilson, and starts courting Wilson's barmaid girlfriend, Ella Horton. Wilson is a saddle bum with a not-prepossessing CV who runs around with riffraff, and McGraw hardly misses an opportunity to harass him.
What makes this an engaging episode is the way it keeps the audience guessing about MacGraw's motives. J D Cannon does an excellent job convincing us he's sincere one moment, a no-goodnik the next.
* It's hard to believe the writers were unaware of the Frank Lovejoy PI series "Meet McGraw" when they named the character. Or perhaps this was their little wink.
When recently released convict Jake MacGraw * arrives in Dodge with the corpses of two cell-mates he shot in self-defense, nobody believes him -- he's clearly up to no good. People are even more suspicious when he says he's in Dodge to apply for a job as piano player at the Long Branch. Matt, of course, urges everyone to take MacGraw at face value, until proved otherwise -- but who ever listens to Matt?
MacGraw is a competent pianist (having learned while in prison -- though whether from the U S School of Music's mail-order course isn't stated) -- whose playing has a catchy beat. Miss Kitty hires him.
Things go well the first night, until he "accidentally" spills beer on Dave Wilson, and starts courting Wilson's barmaid girlfriend, Ella Horton. Wilson is a saddle bum with a not-prepossessing CV who runs around with riffraff, and McGraw hardly misses an opportunity to harass him.
What makes this an engaging episode is the way it keeps the audience guessing about MacGraw's motives. J D Cannon does an excellent job convincing us he's sincere one moment, a no-goodnik the next.
* It's hard to believe the writers were unaware of the Frank Lovejoy PI series "Meet McGraw" when they named the character. Or perhaps this was their little wink.
Mysterious Piano Player Has All of Dodge Worried
wdavidreynolds17 June 2021
When Jake MacGraw was a young man, he was given a long prison sentence. Now it is twenty years later, and he has been released. On his way to Dodge City, he encounters two men he had met in prison. They think MacGraw has a large sum of money. MacGraw kills the two men when they draw their guns on him.
When MacGraw arrives in Dodge with the two dead men laying across their horses in tow, the townspeople begin fretting over MacGraw's presence and his reason for coming to the town. When MacGraw was sentenced to prison, he made several threats, and some of the people in Dodge -- including Matt Dillon -- were present at the time.
MacGraw approaches Kitty Russell about a job playing the piano at the Long Branch Saloon. When Kitty allows him to audition, she discovers he is an accomplished piano player -- a talent he developed in prison.
The piano-playing ex-con seems to enjoy keeping the Dodge citizens guessing why he has settled in the town. He begins paying special attention to a young man in town named Dave Wilson and Wilson's girlfriend, Ella Horton. Wilson is involved with some cattle rustlers, because he wants to marry Ella and is not content to live life as a ranch hand.
As the story progresses, Jake's intentions become more evident, but the full truth is not known until late in the episode.
J. D. Cannon is excellent as the mysterious Jake MacGraw. The character possesses an air of confidence and purpose, and that only frustrates everyone worried that he is in Dodge City. Cannon's only other Gunsmoke role was as the character Pike Beechum in Season 10's "Big Man, Big Target" episode.
Michael Larraine makes his only Gunsmoke appearance as Dave Wilson. Larraine appeared in several television shows during his short acting career. Today he is a published poet.
Diane Ewing is Ella Horton in her single participation in a Gunsmoke episode. Like Larraine, her acting career was short.
Watch for actor Ned Wertimer as the character Jed Douglas, who is convinced MacGraw is in town to kill him because he was on the jury that convicted MacGraw years earlier. Wertimer would later play Ralph the doorman in a recurring role on The Jeffersons television series.
Sid Haig and Allen Jaffe, two frequent Gunsmoke heavies, make brief appearances as the two outlaws that confront MacGraw at the beginning of the story.
While the "mysterious stranger in town" is not a completely unique story idea, it is handled well with a few nice twists here. I especially enjoyed the way the multi-layered story reveals the mystery by peeling back the layers one-by-one. Long-time fans of the show will remember a time in the show's history when this story would have been given a much darker treatment.
When MacGraw arrives in Dodge with the two dead men laying across their horses in tow, the townspeople begin fretting over MacGraw's presence and his reason for coming to the town. When MacGraw was sentenced to prison, he made several threats, and some of the people in Dodge -- including Matt Dillon -- were present at the time.
MacGraw approaches Kitty Russell about a job playing the piano at the Long Branch Saloon. When Kitty allows him to audition, she discovers he is an accomplished piano player -- a talent he developed in prison.
The piano-playing ex-con seems to enjoy keeping the Dodge citizens guessing why he has settled in the town. He begins paying special attention to a young man in town named Dave Wilson and Wilson's girlfriend, Ella Horton. Wilson is involved with some cattle rustlers, because he wants to marry Ella and is not content to live life as a ranch hand.
As the story progresses, Jake's intentions become more evident, but the full truth is not known until late in the episode.
J. D. Cannon is excellent as the mysterious Jake MacGraw. The character possesses an air of confidence and purpose, and that only frustrates everyone worried that he is in Dodge City. Cannon's only other Gunsmoke role was as the character Pike Beechum in Season 10's "Big Man, Big Target" episode.
Michael Larraine makes his only Gunsmoke appearance as Dave Wilson. Larraine appeared in several television shows during his short acting career. Today he is a published poet.
Diane Ewing is Ella Horton in her single participation in a Gunsmoke episode. Like Larraine, her acting career was short.
Watch for actor Ned Wertimer as the character Jed Douglas, who is convinced MacGraw is in town to kill him because he was on the jury that convicted MacGraw years earlier. Wertimer would later play Ralph the doorman in a recurring role on The Jeffersons television series.
Sid Haig and Allen Jaffe, two frequent Gunsmoke heavies, make brief appearances as the two outlaws that confront MacGraw at the beginning of the story.
While the "mysterious stranger in town" is not a completely unique story idea, it is handled well with a few nice twists here. I especially enjoyed the way the multi-layered story reveals the mystery by peeling back the layers one-by-one. Long-time fans of the show will remember a time in the show's history when this story would have been given a much darker treatment.
After twenty years in prison Jake MacGraw rides into Dodge
kfo949430 October 2012
Sam MacGraw, a gunfighter, has been in jail for twenty years and has just been released. On his way to Dodge City he is met by two men that knew in prison. During the meeting the two men ask MacGraw where the money is hidden. Instead of answering them, MacGraw shoots and kills the two men. He continues into Dodge where he gets a job at the Lone Branch playing the piano. But the viewer can tell that the reason he came to Dodge was not for a job.
Jake MacGraw becomes interesting with a young saloon girl named Ella Norton that is dating a young man named Dave Wilson. MacGraw, for some reason, has some kind of disdain for Dave Wilson. During the ending we find the real reason that MacGraw is so interested in the young man and woman.
Nice acting in this episode that keeps the viewer interested the entire time. Nice Watch.
Jake MacGraw becomes interesting with a young saloon girl named Ella Norton that is dating a young man named Dave Wilson. MacGraw, for some reason, has some kind of disdain for Dave Wilson. During the ending we find the real reason that MacGraw is so interested in the young man and woman.
Nice acting in this episode that keeps the viewer interested the entire time. Nice Watch.
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