The Bottle Man: Gunsmoke (January 1, 1955)

“The Bottle Man” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast January 1, 1955. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Marshal Dillon returns to Dodge after failing to capture outlaw Big Jim Kelly. He finds trouble brewing between a mild-mannered drunk named Cassidy and Bill Clell, a gambler who recently arrived with a young woman named Flora. Cassidy has twice attacked Clell—first with a bottle, now with a gun—though Clell claims they've never met before, leaving the marshal suspicious about what's really driving the conflict.

Dodge City, Kansas

Characters: Matt Dillon, Chester, Doc, Big Jim Kelly, Cassidy, Bill Clell, Flora, Kitty

Listen for: The mystery of why the peaceful Cassidy keeps attacking the stranger Clell, and what connection Clell might have to Cassidy's past.

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.