The Promise: Gunsmoke (September 6, 1954)

“The Promise” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast September 6, 1954. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

A deputy from Mingo arrives in Dodge City with a warrant for Hank Springer, a fugitive accused of murder. Marshal Matt Dillon intervenes to prevent bloodshed, convincing Springer to surrender peacefully by promising he won't be placed in handcuffs if he's truly innocent. Doc Adams treats Springer's bullet wound while Dillon makes clear he will oversee the prisoner's care and departure.

Dodge City, Kansas; the Dodge House hotel and surrounding streets

Characters: Matt Dillon, Chester Proudfoot, Break Marshall, Hank Springer, Doc Adams

Listen for: The tense standoff between the deputy and the fugitive, Dillon's negotiation to avoid violence, and his firm promise about the handcuffs that becomes a point of conflict

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.