Belle's Back: Gunsmoke (September 9, 1956)

“Belle's Back” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast September 9, 1956. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Belle Ainsley returns to Dodge City after three years away, claiming she was kidnapped by outlaw Jess Crider and wants to start fresh with her family. Marshal Dillon tries to help her rebuild her reputation in town, but her bitter younger sister Phyllis, unable to accept Belle's return, suddenly disappears from the boarding house with a mysterious man.

Dodge City and the surrounding territory in the West

Characters: Matt Dillon, Doc, Belle Ainsley, Chester, Bill Ainsley, Phyllis Ainsley, Jess Crider, Dovie

Listen for: The mystery of Phyllis's disappearance and the tension between Belle's claim of innocence and the town's suspicion about her past with the wanted outlaw Jess Crider.

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.