Moo Moo Raid: Gunsmoke (January 19, 1958)

“Moo Moo Raid” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast January 19, 1958. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Marshal Matt Dillon is pressed by cattleman Tush Hanover to find his missing lead cow, which has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. The animal is crucial for driving Hanover's herd across the river ahead of a competing trail boss, and its disappearance threatens his profits. Dillon agrees to investigate in the morning, but complications arise when rival cattleman Work Collins is spotted in town.

Dodge City and the surrounding Kansas territory, with cattle operations preparing to drive herds across a river

Characters: Matt Dillon, Chester, Tush Hanover, Kitty, Doc, Work Collins

Listen for: A discussion of how lead cattle are essential for herding across water, and hints that foul play may have been involved in the cow's disappearance

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.