Wild West: Gunsmoke (July 18, 1953)

“Wild West” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast July 18, 1953. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Marshall Dillon encounters a boy named Yorkie whose father has been taken by men who stole their horses. The boy's story is unclear, but Dillon sets out to investigate and rescue Yorkie's father from somewhere in the territory, while the boy rides to Dodge for fresh horses and reinforcements.

The Kansas Territory near Dodge City, beginning at the Pawnee River and moving to the Kelly ranch.

Characters: Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshall, Yorkie Kelly, a young boy, Hattie Kelly, Yorkie's stepmother, Chester, the deputy in Dodge

Listen for: A mystery develops as Dillon tries to determine what really happened to Yorkie's father and whether the boy's account of kidnapping is accurate or imagination.

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.