Joke's on Us: Gunsmoke (January 9, 1954)

“Joke's on Us” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast January 9, 1954. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Marshal Dillon investigates the lynching of a man named Tillman, who was hanged by local ranchers for stealing horses. After Tillman's death, a witness comes forward claiming Tillman was innocent and had actually been rounding up the stolen horses to return them. Now members of the lynch mob are being killed one by one, and the Marshal must determine who is taking revenge.

Dodge City and the surrounding prairie

Characters: Matt Dillon, Jake Kaiser, Clabe Tillman, Mrs. Tillman, Doc, Kitty, Duvall, Benson

Listen for: The story of vigilante justice gone wrong and revenge that follows, with the Marshal seeking to uncover who is killing the men responsible for an innocent man's death.

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.