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Reviews
Gunsmoke: The Wiving (1974)
Some one for almost everyone
This was a more light hearted episode than Gunsmoke usually has. I think this one was for Fran. Since Amanda Blake had left the show & she stepped in to own the Longbranch, perhaps it was to show us her strengths and to put her in the limelight. It moved too fast for me. I realize that in those days it wasn't every day that a saloon girl got a man to ask her to marry him, but this was a pretty quick love affair for all 3 women to fall in love. Perhaps they thought this was their one big chance to get married, but it did not come off that way, just that they all fell head over heels in love in a matter of a couple of days. Harry Morgan could always pull off a serious guy or a real doofus. It also took the whole idea of Gunsmoke away.
Gunsmoke: To Ride a Yeller Horse (1974)
You can't live your children's life.
Louise Latham usually plays the part of a dissatisfied woman. Either with her husband or as in this case her own life. She often feels sorry for herself. Here she is trying to live her life through her children in a very overbearing way. She wants each one of them to be wealthy as she never was. The only way she can do this is to try to match her daughter up with a boy from a wealthy family. This doesn't work because that is not what she wants for herself. Her son has seen what his Mother does & he has pulled away from her to some extent. It is hard for the girl to do her Mother that way even though she wants to rule her own life. Louise has not lived her life like she wanted. Somewhere back down the way, she wanted a young man that was from a wealthy family and that did not work out & she has let it eat at her all of her life. The son seemed like he was very sad she was this way, but I wished they had explained more about his feelings in the story. His part did not have a very defined story line.
Gunsmoke: The Schoolmarm (1974)
A young boys gets a new Mom
This story not only has a good ending, which is what we all want, but it teaches a lesson. Charlotte Stewart plays the schoolmarm (Sarah) who has been raped by a hooligan and becomes pregnant. She finds this out from Doc Adams & doesn't know what she is going to do. Lin McCarthy plays farmer Carl Pruitt who has lost his wife 3 years earlier and has become sweet on Miss Merkle. She has taken a shine to Carl's son & he to her. As the story goes on, the man who raped the school teacher is confronted by the farmer & ends up falling to his death & the farmer gets the blame. Carl will not tell Matt why he was in the hotel room of the man because as we all know one question answered calls for another question & he did not want anyone to know about Sarah's plight. Those were the days that having babies out of wedlock was a big no no. The women got a bad name forever. Sarah ends up telling the truth to Matt & clearing his name with the town the law & his son. He asks her to marry him & he will take on the responsibility of folks thinking it was his & raising it as his own. I am sure that more of that went on than we know of in those days, of the "Wild West".
Gunsmoke: The Town Tamers (1974)
Alls well that ends well
Jim Davis usually plays the rough tough guy. This episode has him as not only a lawman, but a family man. It shows a "good" man takes on the responsibility of a ready made family. It takes a special kind of person to be a lawman & a special kind of woman to be a lawman's wife. I don't think I have ever seen Jim Davis play a part that he backs down from anyone. At first I wish they had not had the young boy get mad & think he was a coward but when I thought about it & put myself in the mind of a small boy, this is more than likely the reaction a child might have. In the days of the West I am sure there were a lot of women that were left alone with a family to raise and they were very lucky to have a man take that on. Although, there have been other episodes that a man took on a ready made family and they were mean to them & I know this happened in real life.
Gunsmoke: The Foundling (1974)
Good writing
I enjoyed "The Foundling" because it was a different story line than usual. Not only did it show "Kitty" in a different light, it showed us what could have happened in those days if this situation had come about. It showed the compassion for our fellow man (woman). This was not only the best way to go for the situation but the only way to go for the series. If "Kitty" had kept the baby so many of the story lines after this one would have to change. The Longbranch would have to be owned by someone else. Matt would not see Kitty as much because she would not be in the thick of things he would have to go to see her and that too would have to be another story line.