Jesse: Gunsmoke (August 29, 1953)

“Jesse” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast August 29, 1953. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

A young man named Jesse arrives in Dodge City, determined to find and kill the man responsible for his father's death. A drifter has been teaching Jesse to shoot, showing him how easy it is to kill by murdering an innocent buffalo hunter. Jesse practices his draw around town, catching the attention of Marshal Dillon, who warns him that killing is against the law.

Dodge City and the surrounding prairie in Kansas

Characters: Jesse, Marshal Dillon, Doc, Kitty, Chester, Sam, The drifter

Listen for: Jesse's obsession with revenge and his dangerous partnership with the drifter who is hardening him to violence; Marshal Dillon's attempts to reason with the angry young 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.