Much great dramatic TV here...an episode that seems like a real epic, packed into 50 minutes. Excellent direction and cinematography, and the CAST is one of the biggest and most entertaining in Gunsmoke history. I wish the two good guys that George rounds up in the final saloon scenes had received screen credit, as well as the guy that Scott Marlowe insults and fights in the earlier scenes.
I hate to be too picky, but I also wish the make-up dept. Could come up with fake mustaches that aren't so obviously fake (Harold Stone and Robert Culp).
BUT those are minor issues; the episode is VERY impressive..hard-hitting, gritty, unyielding in its portrayal of the dark, dangerous, sinister men that surround Matt Dillon on a daily basis. And after his harrowing encounter with the gang of thugs, Matt arrives in the town (is it Hays City?) and meets a charming, curious little busy-body named George..a friend in need who helps Matt deal with his desperate situation. Elisha Cook, Jr really delivers in this role; he's really quite amazing to watch..a real old pro.
BUT...the pace and tension slacken in these final scenes; there's too much time spent with Matt, George and their hard-boiled eggs...very whimsical, I realize (complete with the chirpy music cues that seem WAY out of place in this dark drama)...but the PACE suffers, as we watch too-lengthy scenes with Culp, Goober, and Conrad sitting around the saloon drinking and laughing, etc. I kept WAITING for something to happen to maintain the story's great pace and tension, which slackens up JUST when the script really needs to tighten the screws (eg: it took FOREVER for the cavalry officer outside to walk into the saloon to see what was happening, RIGHT at the moment when we were losing the intensity of the final encounter; bad editing decision..but then, there wasn't much of interest going on INSIDE the saloon.
The final action was OK (a too-obvious stunt double for Culp; I bet he could have done the fight himself), and a "what-ever-happened-to-Sgt. Ed Asner?" finale (I would have liked to have seen a reconciliation of sorts between him and Matt) definitely detract from the effectiveness of the ending.
I also would liked to have seen a much stronger resolution with the two guys that George brought in..they were the ones who REALLY saved the day, by pushing back against Asner and allowing Matt to make his case to the witnesses.
These crucial final scenes needed more thought and some re-writing, and they really affect the overall show in a negative way. Too bad, since the rest of the episode is so strong. LR.