Overland Express: Gunsmoke (October 31, 1952)

“Overland Express” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast October 31, 1952. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Marshal Matt Dillon pursues a stranger named Joe Baudry who killed a man in Dodge City and fled northwest. After capturing him at the Smoky Hill River, Dillon transports Baudry back to Dodge for trial, catching a ride on the Overland Express stage headed to Fort Donner. During the journey, tensions rise among the passengers and crew, and Baudry reveals a mysterious piece of information about one of the other travelers.

The frontier west of Dodge City, including the Smoky Hill River region, the Overland Express stage route, and a way station near Fort Donner.

Characters: Matt Dillon, Chester, Joe Baudry, Zimmer, Phil, Hank, Barry

Listen for: The revelation about Zimmer's true identity and what it might mean for the journey; the tensions building among the stage passengers and whether Baudry might cause trouble despite his apparent surrender.

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.