The Trial: Gunsmoke (March 22, 1959)

“The Trial” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast March 22, 1959. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Marshal Dillon deals with a petty theft complaint against Homer Tisdale, a starving homesteader who stole potatoes from a new merchant in Dodge City. Before Dillon can resolve the matter, the stage office is robbed and a man is killed by a masked gunman, and the witnesses identify the killer as Homer Tisdale.

Dodge City, Kansas Territory

Characters: Matt Dillon, Doc, Homer Tisdale, Walcott, Chester, Jay Buford, Charlie Reynolds, Sam Noonan

Listen for: The transition from a minor complaint about stolen potatoes to a serious murder investigation, and Homer's whereabouts during the robbery.

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.