Word of Honor: Gunsmoke (January 10, 1953)

“Word of Honor” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast January 10, 1953. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Doc returns to Dodge City after a two-day absence and reluctantly reveals he was summoned to treat a young man shot in the back. Though Doc managed to remove the bullet lodged in the man's spine, the patient died from the shock of the surgery. The gunmen who brought Doc to the remote location force him to swear on his word of honor never to reveal their identities or location, threatening to kill him if he breaks his promise.

Dodge City and a remote location past Fort Dodge in Kansas Territory

Characters: Matt Dillon, Doc, Chester, Kitty

Listen for: Doc's moral struggle between his promise of honor and his duty as a marshal's friend; the gunmen's threats and their concern about a $20,000 sum; Matt and Chester's frustration at being unable to solve the murder without Doc's help.

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.