General Parsley Smith: Gunsmoke (July 2, 1955)

“General Parsley Smith” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast July 2, 1955. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Marshal Dillon returns to Dodge City to find a new bank has opened under the management of Drew Holt. General Parsley Smith, a former Union officer, confronts Dillon with serious accusations: he claims Holt is a thief and a Confederate spy who worked as a double agent during the war, and warns that Holt plans to steal depositors' money once the bank accumulates enough funds. Dillon must investigate whether Smith's claims are genuine or the ravings of a madman, while Holt pressures him to lock up the troublesome general.

Dodge City, Kansas, following the Civil War. The town has recently seen the opening of a new bank.

Characters: Matt Dillon, General Parsley Smith, Drew Holt, Chester, Ed Nash, Justin, Mr. Botkin

Listen for: General Smith's passionate warnings about Drew Holt's past; Holt's cool denials and his attempts to have Smith arrested; hints about Holt's mysterious background and his connection to a hired gunman named Ed Nash.

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.