Big Girl Lost: Gunsmoke (September 21, 1958)

“Big Girl Lost” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast September 21, 1958. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Philip Locke arrives in Dodge City looking for Laura Simmons, a young woman who fled Philadelphia after his family disapproved of her father's humble origins as a riverboat captain. Marshal Dillon discovers Laura is now working as a saloon girl at the Long Branch, and when Locke finds her, he offers to take her back and marry her if she agrees to keep her past a secret. Laura refuses his conditional acceptance and chooses to stay in Dodge, leading to a violent confrontation.

Dodge City, Kansas - the Long Branch Saloon and Marshal's office

Characters: Marshal Matt Dillon, Laura Simmons, Philip Locke, Kitty, Sam, Doc, Chester

Listen for: A tale of social prejudice and personal dignity set against the backdrop of the Old West, exploring whether love can overcome class differences and shame.

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.