Flashback: Gunsmoke (June 27, 1953)

“Flashback” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast June 27, 1953. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Marshal Dillon deals with a volatile situation when Colonel Beck and his son Brian arrive in Dodge City. The Colonel, a gunslinger of fading reputation, seeks a confrontation with Stark, a range boss at the Lazy Bee bar. Brian fears his father is no longer quick enough to survive such a fight and appeals to the Marshal for help, but Dillon warns the boy to stay out of it and tries to prevent bloodshed by confronting both men.

Dodge City, Kansas during a particularly hot and dry summer; the Marshal's office, the Long Branch Saloon, and surrounding town.

Characters: Matt Dillon, Chester Proudfoot, Brian Beck, Colonel Beck, Stark, Miss Kitty, Cottonmouth

Listen for: Tension builds as the Marshal attempts to prevent a gunfight between Colonel Beck and the range boss Stark, while young Brian struggles with his loyalty to his father and his fear of the consequences.

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.