Doc's Reward: Gunsmoke (April 29, 1956)

“Doc's Reward” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast April 29, 1956. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Doc Adams is lured away from Dodge City on a false emergency call to attend a supposedly injured patient. When he refuses to turn back, a stranger shoots his horse. Doc returns fire in self-defense, killing the man. Back in town, Doc discovers the dead stranger bears a striking resemblance to someone, and a mysterious man who looks similar has been watching him since his return.

Dodge City and the surrounding territory in Kansas

Characters: Matt Dillon, Doc Adams, Chester

Listen for: Doc's struggle with the aftermath of the shooting and Matt's public support for him; the mystery of the stranger's identity and his resemblance to another man

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.