Fall Semester: Gunsmoke (May 30, 1953)

“Fall Semester” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast May 30, 1953. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

A drunken Lee Dargan accuses his ranch hand Jim Soldier of stealing his cattle. When Lee sobers up, he asks Marshal Dillon to investigate the disappearance of over 300 branded cattle that haven't turned up despite his inquiries. Dillon agrees to visit the ranch to help uncover what's happening to Lee's herd.

Dodge City and Lee Dargan's cattle ranch in the territory out West

Characters: Marshal Matt Dillon, Chester, Lee Dargan, Jim Soldier, Kitty, Mr. Peters

Listen for: The mystery of the missing cattle and whether Jim Soldier is genuinely stealing from Lee or if something else entirely is responsible for the disappearances.

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.