Child Labor: Gunsmoke (September 15, 1957)

“Child Labor” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast September 15, 1957. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Two orphaned boys from Texas arrive in Dodge City hungry and desperate. Matt Dillon and Kitty help them find work at the livery stable, but the mysterious rancher Orrin Seibert offers them better pay to break horses on his ranch. The boys accept the job, hoping to earn enough money to survive.

Dodge City and Orrin Seibert's ranch, 1957

Characters: Matt Dillon, Chester, Kitty, Doc, Cybert, Orrin Seibert, Bust Chaney, Howie Chaney

Listen for: The tension between Cybert's dishonest dealings and the Marshal's disapproval; the boys' desperation and gratitude; Seibert's sudden appearance and suspicious job offer.

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.