Johnny Red: Gunsmoke (September 13, 1959)

“Johnny Red” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast September 13, 1959. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

A man claiming to be Billy Crayle, the long-lost son of a rancher near Dodge City, arrives and reunites with his mother. Matt Dillon discovers that the man is actually wanted under the alias Johnny Red for bank robbery and other crimes, forcing the marshal to confront a difficult situation involving an elderly woman's hopes and a dangerous criminal.

Dodge City and surrounding territory, including the Crayle ranch five miles east of town

Characters: Matt Dillon, Kitty, Chester, Miss Crayle, Billy Crayle / Johnny Red, Nate Barker

Listen for: The revelation of the visitor's true identity and criminal past, and how Matt Dillon handles the truth about who the man really is.

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.