Marryin' Bertha: Gunsmoke (May 22, 1960)

“Marryin' Bertha” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast May 22, 1960. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Chester Prodfoot has been writing letters to lonely women he found advertised in St. Louis newspapers, and one of them—the formidable Mrs. Corinne Gaceley—has arrived in Dodge City expecting to marry him. When Matt discovers Chester sent her his picture by mistake, Mrs. Gaceley mistakes Matt for Chester and demands he make good on his romantic promises.

Dodge City, Kansas; the Marshal's office and saloon

Characters: Matt Dillon, Chester Proudfoot, Kitty, Doc, Mrs. Corinne Gaceley

Listen for: Chester's excuse about beaver dams and spring fever; Mrs. Gaceley's stern expectations; Doc's teasing about the impending wedding.

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.