Custer: Gunsmoke (November 21, 1953)

“Custer” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast November 21, 1953. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Marshal Dillon and Chester are riding back to Dodge when they discover a man herding old Grandpa's horses down a dry wash. The man claims the horses got ahead of him, but Dillon suspects foul play. When the stranger refuses to help return the animals and tries to ride away, Dillon forces him at gunpoint to come meet Grandpa and account for his actions.

The Kansas territory near Dodge City, on the prairie with a dry wash where Grandpa's horses are being driven

Characters: Matt Dillon, Chester, Grandpa, Mysterious cowboy

Listen for: The tense confrontation between Dillon and the suspicious stranger, and what Grandpa will say when he learns his horses have been taken

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.