Gunsmoke (TV Series) Hawk (1969) User Reviews

Good Episode, Good Acting

[OutOfTheAshes · 7/10 · 21 May 2009]

This is a good episode of 'Gunsmoke.' Louise Latham does her usual good job playing a woman who was abducted by Indians when she was 16 and had a child as a result of multiple rapes.

The child she abandoned when she was rescued--Hawk, played by the able Brendon Boone--finally seeks to speak with her after having observed her on 3 secret previous visits to her farm. She rejects him, but through a series of logical dramatic turns they end up in danger together and she ends up embracing him with regret and love.

There is a really good, and truthful, moment at the end when Hawk leaves Dodge to return to his job as an Indian policeman and rides by his mother who does not publicly acknowledge him but watches him leave with longing in her eyes. Latham and Boone are really good as is the actress who plays her daughter and his half sister.

sometimes life is just too hard to deal with.

[headhunter46 · 9/10 · 15 October 2014]

This episode dealt with a good deal of the things that can make life frustrating and difficult. Some folks are able to put hardship behind but others just cannot let go. The ones that can't let go often suffer badly and too often sabotage their lives because of the anger that burns within. That poisons their personality and hardens them so they are cheated out of the love and closeness they could experience.

This episode occurs soon after the native people were displaced and so there was a great deal of violence on both sides which could explain some of the hostility. But even today, I hear people speak negatively about "other" people who have done them no harm. I fear there is still a bit of "tribal mentality" in some people which causes the enmity to continue between people of different colors and nationalities.

This episode is based about the year 1875-1880. Hawk is the product of a white woman captured and raped by Apaches. We will learn he was only one year old when his mother was rescued by whites. She did not want anyone to know she had been raped so she left the boy behind and never mentioned him to anyone. Until he showed up hoping she might recognize him. We never learn how it was that he knew her name and where to find her but the whole story hinges on his interaction with his estranged mother and her reaction to him.

As much as she hates the Apaches she cannot send her son out to face a certain death when the house is surrounded by renegade Apaches who want to kill Hawk because he is an Apache policeman. In the meantime Hawk learns he is liked and respected by his half sister and half brother who are the children of his now married mother. So he has a bit of connection but as he leaves town his birth mother cannot bring herself to tell others of his real situation and he rides away knowing he will never have the close relationship with his mother that he craves.

That doesn't give us the happy ending we would like to have but it does show us a bit of what real life can be like. I think we should give the writers credit for being willing to tackle a difficult subject that can make some folks uncomfortable.

The acting was good. I never for one moment got the impression anyone was "acting", they made it seem pretty real. That's why I gave it a "9".

A Unique, Thought-Provoking Story

[wdavidreynolds · 9/10 · 9 June 2021]

Sergeant Hawk is a U. S. Calvary officer on the trail of some Apache renegades. His pursuit takes him near the Clifford ranch where Dave and Phoebe Clifford live with their two children, Rachel and Amos.

Phoebe Clifford has been harboring a secret for many years. When she was 16 years old, Apaches attacked the home where she lived with her parents. They brutally murdered her parents while she watched, and they took Phoebe into captivity where she was apparently raped and enslaved for two years. She bore a child during this time, and that child is the man known as Hawk.

Hawk stops at the Clifford ranch to see the mother he has never known, but Phoebe understandably wants nothing to do with the young man she has tried to completely forget.

Hawk rides on to Dodge City where he meets with Matt Dillon and Festus Haggen to inform them of his pursuit of the renegades. The Marshal asks Festus to assist Hawk. Once the pair manages to get close to the Apaches, a fight ensues, and Hawk is shot.

The injury is serious enough that Festus cannot take Hawk back to Dodge. He leaves Hawk at the Clifford farm. When Mrs. Clifford discovers the wounded man is in her house, she is extremely upset. When the house is surrounded by the renegades demanding Hawk be turned over to them, the situation becomes desperate.

Louise Latham portrays the Phoebe Clifford character. Latham appeared in a total of six different Gunsmoke episodes. In fact, her Phoebe Clifford character is remarkably similar to the Polly Cade character she played in Season 14's "Waco" episode. Latham's big acting break came when she was cast in Alfred Hitchcock's 1964 film Marnie. Latham often played caustic, unlikeable characters, but here it is easy to sympathize with her situation.

Brendon Boone appears only once in a Gunsmoke episode in this story as Sergeant Hawk. He is clearly a talented actor. It is surprising that his entire career has been relegated to smaller roles in television and films. His portrayal of Hawk in this story is excellent.

Robert Brubaker guest starred in various Gunsmoke roles about as much as any other actor over the years -- a total of 29 times. He only appears briefly in this episode as Dave Clifford. Familiar television actors Hilarie Thompson and Michael-James Wixted play the two Clifford children. Wixted was later a member of the cast for the short-lived television show The Smith Family, which starred Henry Fonda and Ron Howard.

This is a unique story with some excellent performances. It is one of the highlight episodes of Season 15. For a more detailed, historical perspective of the events in this episode, I highly recommend checking out the review written by kenstallings-65346.

Hawk's Trial By Fire!!

[ellisel · 10/10 · 24 August 2010]

The opening clip of "Hawk" had the character's appearance prevalent in a remote area of the country. Amos Clifford introduced himself to Sergeant Hawk. Rachel Clifford told Amos Clifford to be ready to take his father -- Dave Clifford -- to Dodge City in order to catch the stage to Omaha for his business excursion. Phoebe Clifford was surprised and shocked at Sergeant Hawk's appearance at their house. She had no idea that his presence caused outrage and bitterness.

Phoebe Clifford went to the Dodge House and had a conversation with Sergeant Hawk in his room. She did not want him to ever set foot at the Clifford home again in his lifetime. Sergeant Hawk was doing his best to erase the horrific memories between the Apache Tribe and his early relationship with Phoebe Clifford. He was telling her that forgiveness and resolution were necessary to erase the stigma within his early life. Phoebe Clifford would want no part of his forgiveness ... especially after she spent two years of misery in the Apache Reservation.

Festus Haggen and Sergeant Hawk were starting their trail to find the presence of renegades outside Dodge City. They first stopped at the Clifford home; Rachel and Amos Clifford invited them for breakfast. Phoebe Clifford told Festus Haggen he would have to return on another day for breakfast ... because they did not have enough food to serve company. Her ulterior motive: Phoebe Clifford did not want Sergeant Hawk at their home. Her hatred and her resentment towards Sergeant Hawk indicated that discussion with the person was not to be brought up in the home. Rachel Clifford had tried to convince her mother that the bitter memories between her and Sergeant Hawk were to be forgotten entirely. She could not have cared less as to whether or not she had any emotional reciprocity or any known link to Sergeant Hawk. Case Closed -- Or So It Seemed!!

Sergeant Hawk had then observed the presence of the bow and arrow ... and then the tree limb on the trail. He would eventually be caught into the booby trap and be wounded in an apparent attempt of an ambush. Festus Haggen had to carry Sergeant Hawk to the Clifford home. Rachel Clifford observed Sergeant Hawk being bushwhacked in the battle involving Renegade Indians. Rachel Clifford had to clean his wounds alone -- because Phoebe Clifford was frightened to help him. The presence of Renegade Indians near their home indicated disaster for the Clifford Family. Phoebe Clifford -- with heavy reluctance -- and her two children had to fight off their intruders by using their guns to fend the intruders. Sergeant Hawk's recollection of his early life during the ordeal was his remembrance of Phoebe Clifford's face on the reservation. Sam Clifford would eventually be grabbed from his bedroom ... as a power grab to have Sergeant Hawk surrendering himself in order to free Sam Clifford.

Sergeant Hawk recovered from his wounds well. Dr. Adams told him he was ready to leave for Arizona immediately. Sergeant Hawk said good bye to Rachel and Sam Clifford after he left Dodge City for good. Phoebe Clifford was eventually relieved to see Sergeant Hawk out of their lives. A Useful 10!! This episode dealt with friction and conflict to a large extent between a normal person and a member of the Indian Tribe on "Gunsmoke" from the 1969-1970 Television Season. Highly Recommended!!

A good show with a sad and unfortunate ending

[kfo9494 · 10/10 · 22 October 2012]

In a rather unhappy tale, we get an episode that features an Indian Reservation Police Office named Sgt. Hawk. He is tracking three renegades Indians that happen to be around Dodge that committed crimes. He takes a break to visit the Clifford's house that is in the area. And the first few minutes of the show, we know that there is some connection between Sgt. Hawk and the woman of the house, Phoebe Clifford.

As Mr Clifford sets off on a business trip, Sgt Hawk rides up to the Clifford's house and begins talking to Ms Clifford. Through the conversation we learn that Phoebe Clifford is the mother of half Indian, Sgt Hawk. And later we learn that Phoebe had been captured by the Indians as a teenager and sexually assaulted for two years. She had given birth to Hawk before finally being rescued by US Cavalry members.

It is apparent that Phoebe wants nothing to do with Sgt Hawk. In fact she tells him that she never wants to see him again and not to return to the house. Even though Sgt Hawk appears to be heart-broken, he agrees never to return.

Back on the track of the renegades, Sgt Hawk gets injured by a trap set by the Indians. Losing much blood Festus takes Sgt Hawk to the only house in the area - and yes, it happens to be the Clifford house. With regret Phoebe takes Hawk into the house while Festus goes for help. The problem is that the renegades have followed Hawk back to the house and now threaten to kill Dave, the Clifford's young son, if they do not turn over Sgt Hawk. Will Festus make it back in time to help defend the Clifford's house.

SPOILER ALERT WARNING--

> With most shows we know, and also hope, for a happy ending. Here the writers leave us with conditions of true life. The final scene where we are all hoping for a reunion of mother and child never comes. Instead we are left with an sad and unfortunate ending to a good show. As Phoebe welcomes the return of her husband from the trip, we see Sgt Hawk riding off in the distance. The viewer knows that the two will never see each other again. And so the show ends, and the world continues.

Ever Notice?

[darbski · 10/10 · 16 February 2018]

***SPOILERS*** Well, do you ever notice how priorities change? In this one there is a glaring change in values. The Half-Breed Apache, "Hawk", (cool name, by the way) is in town, getting help from Matt. He gets to stay over in the Dodge House. WHAT?? Yup. In any other episode, that would never happen. Priorities.

How about this? Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, but the casting department did a great job with Hawk and Rachel - did anyone else notice how much alike they looked?

I'm surprised that ANY of the renegades made it to the train back to Arizona. NO WAY would I have trusted them not to break out from custody. They's have to be D.R.T. I know it sounds tough, but these were individuals that were as murderous as could be; too bad, fellas.

Now, I just reviewed another drama in which the other reviewers and I berated the client of a well-known attorney for being, well, less than intelligent. How about Festus, and before him, Chester? ANY time either one of them is in charge, everything goes south in a hurry. Don't get me wrong, now; I like both characters, but sometimes their essential dumbness just kinda grates on me.

I'm not gonna comment on the drama, here, the other reviewers have done an excellent job of expressing reasonable doubt, regret, and one thing that I do harp on - mostly in the criticisms of the other program is this. Life does now and then give us a "happy ending". This ending is much more real.

The acting in this episode was to be highly prized. Story was tight, and moved quickly, I'm all in... a 10.

One of the most poignant episodes of the Gunsmoke series

[kenstallings-65346 · 9/10 · 16 February 2018]

Hawk is a very poignant airing of the many emotional social issues that arose from the great culture clash between white European settlers entering the southwestern United States and the dominant Native American tribes that for generations had established their own hegemonic in that same region.

Only a frightful few white settlers understood any of the cultural mores of these Native American tribes, much less the generational warfare that caused some tribes to become extinct while others were reduced to lesser status. The dominant tribes such as the many who constituted the Apache Nation used tactics of warfare that were barbaric and crude, but ruthlessly effective at securing dominion over an arid portion of America that remains challenging to life to this day.

Obviously, the moral lesson in this episode is how an individual cannot morally nor logically be connected to the actions of his forefathers. The seeds of bitter generational warfare are given birth through such dubious linkages. Nevertheless, the painful experiences such as faced by the characters in this episode are given proper treatment. These experiences are by no means trivial, and can understandably last a lifetime and form attitudes and decisions that upon first glance seem bizarre, and even amoral.

In terms of the details of how that story is told in this episode, for those who haven't watched it, stop now and return to this review after seeing it!

How can a mother abandon a child? The answer is both understandable and supportable once one realizes the child is the product of violent capture by a hostile and alien race, and the 16-year old daughter watches her parents massacred and is then subjected to brutal gang rape! As the matriarch in this episode said in response that the father of Hawk was a good man, "I don't even know who your father was! So, how could you!"

Violence and subjugation were both integral parts of Apache code. They were carried out on other Native American tribes in a long running war to establish the Apache as the dominant force in the modern day Arizona and northwestern Mexican region. Other tribes were either defeated and driven away, or stayed away from encroachment on Apache land.

The European-American settlers entered that area knowing the risks, but entered anyway, and ultimately the same clash of cultures resulted. The only difference is that the Apache finally met a force that would ultimately be powerful enough to defeat them.

Hawk blends nicely into a one-hour expose of many aspects of Apache culture that is both brutal and admirable. On a personal level it is a child of this violence wanting to connect with his mother for all the right reasons, even as he must carry out the dangerous law enforcement duty that brought him back into his mother's life.

As with so many Gunsmoke episodes, the entertainment value is solid, but so is the social commentary that surrounds the drama.

Very good acting

[gary-64659 · 7/10 · 5 January 2020]

Yes, Louise Latham, Brendon Boone, and young Hilarie Thompson all give very creditable and convincing performances here with the script and direction they're given. The neat winding-up of everything grated, though, and we are left with an unbelievably sentimental scene at the end when the central character (played by Latham), two years a slave, ignores the embrace of her returning devoted husband with whom she has made her life for many years, to direct a glistening, moist gaze of longing to her son whom she deserted (understandably in the circumstances) a quarter century before. The half-sister (Hilarie Thompson) of Sergeant Hawk (admirably played with restraint and unemotionality by Boone throughout), who has been fully informed of the brutalised circumstances of her mother, then approaches him like a modern miss congeniality, inviting Hawk back to town, maybe to share the good old days with her father -- until now blessedly ignorant of the trauma his wife went through.