False Witness: Gunsmoke (September 14, 1958)

“False Witness” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast September 14, 1958. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Tom Morris has been convicted of murder, with witness Romy Hawkins testifying that he saw Tom commit the killing. As Marshal Dillon prepares to transport the young, recently ill prisoner to Hays City for execution, doubts begin to surface about whether Hawkins truly witnessed the crime or is simply enjoying his newfound importance as the key witness.

Dodge City, Kansas - the jail, saloon, and streets

Characters: Matt Dillon, Tom Morris, Doc Adams, Kitty, Romy Hawkins, Chester

Listen for: Questions about Romy Hawkins' credibility as a witness and whether he actually saw the shooting he testified to in court.

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.