Sam Beal is a cowboy who has decided being a cowboy no longer interests him. He aspires to become a town marshal, but his motivation is misguided. Beal thinks if he can become a lawman, he will gain the respect and admiration -- even fear -- of others. He sees Matt Dillon as a role model, not because he is a firm advocate of law and order, but because of the perceived power he holds over others.
Beal approaches Marshal Dillon about becoming a deputy. Beal is even willing to take the job for no pay. He just wants the experience. It doesn't take Matt long to discern Beal's wrong-headed motives, and he rejects Beal's proposal.
Jack Dakota is a famous former law enforcement person who has been performing in a Wild West show in recent years. He arrives in Dodge City in the hopes of rekindling an old romance with a woman named Sarah Carr and settling down.
Problems arise when Sam Beal views Dakota's arrival in Dodge as an opportunity to establish the reputation he so badly desires. Beal thinks if he can beat Dakota in a gunfight, he will earn the experience he needs to become a town marshal. (Beal's attitude further highlights his narcissism and just how unfit he is for law enforcement.)
The primary plot elements in this story are Dakota's attempts to romance Sarah Carr juxtaposed with Beal's naïve stalking of Dakota and his feeble, obnoxious attempts to lure Dakota into a gun fight.
This episode reminds me of the episode "Legends Don't Sleep" earlier in Season 9. "The Glory and the Mud" is told from a different perspective, of course. Jack Dakota is not an ex-con with a reputation for murder and theft, but he finds leaving his past behind just as difficult as Race Fallon does in the earlier story.
Kent Smith shines in the role of Jack Dakota. He conveys a certain stoic, resigned pragmatism. The episode gets its title from a line near the end when Dakota makes a tough decision. The immensely talented Marsha Hunt is Sarah Carr. Hunt's acting career was derailed in the 1950s when she was essentially (and unfairly) blacklisted as a "Red." Hunt was married for a short time to Jerry Hopper who directed this episode of Gunsmoke.
James Best is Sam Beal. Best appeared in many television shows over the years with a number remarkable performances is such shows as The Andy Griffith Show, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and any number of westerns. We last saw him on Gunsmoke in the very memorable Season 8 episode "With A Smile."
There are a few more notable performances in this episode. Robert Sorrells, who was a frequent Gunsmoke guest over the years, plays a simpleton named Cloudy. James Arness's daughter Jenny appears in a small role. This is one of the last few episodes to feature Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode.