Nellie Watson's Boy: Have Gun, Will Travel (September 18, 1960)

“Nellie Watson's Boy” is an episode of Have Gun, Will Travel, the old-time radio show, first broadcast September 18, 1960. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Johnny, the young son of Paladin's deceased friend Nellie Watson, appears at Paladin's hotel asking for help and revealing he has run away from his stepfather George. Paladin convinces Johnny to return to the ranch, believing the boy belongs with his legal guardian, and accompanies him to see the situation for himself. Upon arrival, Paladin witnesses George's harsh treatment of both the boy and animals, and must now decide what role he should play in Johnny's troubled home life.

San Francisco in 1875, then a remote ranch in the countryside.

Characters: Paladin, Johnny (Nellie Watson's boy), George (stepfather), Hey Boy (Paladin's servant)

Listen for: Paladin's philosophy about running from problems and the revelation of George's cruel nature; the tension between what Johnny claims and what Paladin observes firsthand.

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.