Young Man with a Gun: Gunsmoke (August 23, 1954)

“Young Man with a Gun” is an episode of Gunsmoke, the old-time radio show, first broadcast August 23, 1954. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Marshal Matt Dillon confronts Sam Kircher, a notorious gunman from Arizona who has come to Dodge City and deliberately cheated young Chester out of money to get the marshal's attention. Kircher challenges Dillon to a showdown at sundown, claiming he came to Dodge specifically to test himself against the famous lawman. Dillon must now decide whether to face the killer in the plaza or find another way to handle the threat.

Dodge City, Kansas

Characters: Matt Dillon, Chester, Sam Kircher

Listen for: The tense confrontation between Marshal Dillon and the cocky gunman Sam Kircher, and Dillon's internal struggle with the burden of facing killers who seek him out for reputation.

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.