I enjoyed this episode but it seemed the voice of the boy was dubbed and I wondered why. His voice almost sounded like a female actor dubbed it. The last scene is wonderful when Matt says goodbye to the boy and gives him a special gift. I always loved Jim Arness and I got to know him and was honored to be in his autobiography. He played the final goodbye wonderfully. One other note, watch carefully when the final gunfight takes place with Matt and Mando. Mando draws first and you hear Matt gets him first BUT Matt's gun does not go off or show it has been fired when the camera is on it. I think that was a goof on filming.
5 Reviews
An interesting story that could have used more action
kfo949428 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
For some reason US Marshal Matt Dillon rides down to Mexico, which has to be at least a 25 day ride from Dodge, on the trail of Mando Hidalgo. However Matt is wounded by Mando from a gunshot. Matt falls down a large hill and is found by a small boy and brought to his grandfather's house as they nurse Matt back to health.
But when Mando's men are unable to find Matt's body they think he has escaped. This causes Mando to think someone is sheltering the Marshal and he bound to find him.
One of Mando's girlfriends is Lucero who also is related to the grandfather sheltering Matt. She does not want to see anything happen to the old man and the boy so she agrees to give Matt a horse and a gun to get him out of their house. However, Mando finds out that Lucero is readying a horse and beats her up. He then knows that Matt is being sheltered by the old man and the boy and vows that both of them will pay.
The small boy manages to sneak out and get Matt a horse telling him to ride north. But as regular Matt is not leaving until he catches up with his wanted man. And Matt rides into where Mando is living to go face to face with Mando.
For me the story was good and the acting was excellent. The only problem was that in the middle of the show it began to lose interest. Between the time Matt gets wounded to when the boy brings the horse, the story seemed very long. Not to say it was a bad show but one that needed some action in the middle to stop the dialog. Even with that said, it was still an interesting watch.
But when Mando's men are unable to find Matt's body they think he has escaped. This causes Mando to think someone is sheltering the Marshal and he bound to find him.
One of Mando's girlfriends is Lucero who also is related to the grandfather sheltering Matt. She does not want to see anything happen to the old man and the boy so she agrees to give Matt a horse and a gun to get him out of their house. However, Mando finds out that Lucero is readying a horse and beats her up. He then knows that Matt is being sheltered by the old man and the boy and vows that both of them will pay.
The small boy manages to sneak out and get Matt a horse telling him to ride north. But as regular Matt is not leaving until he catches up with his wanted man. And Matt rides into where Mando is living to go face to face with Mando.
For me the story was good and the acting was excellent. The only problem was that in the middle of the show it began to lose interest. Between the time Matt gets wounded to when the boy brings the horse, the story seemed very long. Not to say it was a bad show but one that needed some action in the middle to stop the dialog. Even with that said, it was still an interesting watch.
Hidalgo is no Three Amigos
belalugosihouse28 May 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This is a good episode of Gunsmoke....but we've seen it before... Matt is chasing a criminal (lol, as another poster said, he has to ride 25 days to Mexico) but, as all TV shows go (especially Gunsmoke...which I am a big fan of BTW), we must suspend our disbelief. When the bandito leaves Matt for dead, a grandfather and his grandson nurse him back to health, with the help of the bad guy's beautiful girlfriend. A touching story, really. But absolutely no similarity to Three Amigos in plot, as another reviewer suggested....there is about a minute when the 3 Mexican bad guys are together and it's a little funny, but that's all, except the actor that plays El Guapo in 3 Amigos is in this playing the notorious bandit. As usual, everything turns out alright in the end, Matt rides into the sunset, and a few tears are shed (by me) and the young boy.
Three Amigos original concept
shari7425 November 2007
I was watching Gunsmoke one Sunday afternoon, and here came El Guapo himself, and it was the same storyline as my absolute favorite movie of all time, Three Amigos. This is where Alfanso Arau gets the idea for the movie. It's fun to watch. We all cracked up. We still watch Three Amigos about once a month. We've been doing that since it first came out on tape and DVD. And I was at the original screening in Tucson! I was living in Tucson while they filmed it. I was working at a store and had gone home for lunch, and the main characters came in to buy something, and when I got back, my friends told me they had been in the store. "EEETS a Sweaterrrr!" As far as I'm concerned, that's right up there with Frankly Scarlet, I don't give a hoot and Play it again Sam. EEETS a Sweatter! lol
Predictable, Derivative, Poorly Written Story Wastes a Strong Cast
wdavidreynolds20 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Matt Dillon rides into the Mexican state of Chihuahua in pursuit of an outlaw named Mando Hildago. Unfortunately for the Marshal, Mando rules the area where Matt has arrived. Marshal Dillon rides into what amounts to an ambush. He attempts to shoot it out with Mando and his compatriots, but he is no match. The Marshal is shot, falls down a large hill, and lands on some rocks below.
Sometime later, a boy named Lucho finds the gravely injured Marshal. He runs back to the house he shares with his grandfather. Lucho and his grandfather return with a wagon. They manage to transport Matt back to their home.
Agustin, the grandfather, tells Lucho they have no medicine to treat Matt, and he is likely to die as a result. Lucho knows his sister in the nearby town of Merced can help, but Agustin has disowned his granddaughter because she has become Mando's woman. Agustin forbids Lucho from asking his sister for help.
Of course, Lucho defies his grandfather and goes to Lucero, anyway. Lucero despises Mando, but he provides her money and goods she would not have otherwise, and she knows Lucho and her stubborn, unyielding grandfather are safe if she is with Mando. She gives Lucho some money and tells him where he can get the medicine he needs.
When Mando's men return to the place where they left Marshal Dillon's body, they find the body is no longer there. Mando realizes someone has helped Matt, and the law man is probably still with them.
The story becomes a race between the Marshal's efforts to obtain a horse and a gun, while Mando and his men try to find Matt and any local people who might be helping him.
Thomas Gomez was best known for his work on Broadway, he enjoyed a substantial career appearing in films and television in supporting roles. In this story, he plays the part of Agustin, the grandfather. This is his only Gunsmoke appearance, and it is the last acting role for Gomez. During much of his life, Gomez frequented some of the best restaurants in New York and Los Angeles. He was a large man most of his life. In this episode, he had been engaging in some serious dieting and lost a considerable amount of weight. Gomez was involved in a fatal traffic accident shortly after filming this episode.
The role of Lucero is played by Linda Marsh. Marsh was a former Golden Globe nominated actress. She stopped acting in the late 1970s and moved into television production. She was the producer and executive producer for several episodes of the series The Facts of Life and supervising producer for the series Valerie.
The role of the Lucho character was performed by an actor named Fabian Gregory. His acting career was limited to only a few years.
Alfonso Arau appears in his only Gunsmoke role as Mando Hildago, the villain of the episode. Arau has performed sporadically in films and television during his career, but he is best known for his work behind the camera as a talented director, writer, and producer of Latino films.
This episode is fraught with issues. It is essentially a remake of the Season 14 episode "Zavala" with a few minor differences. A U. S. Marshal would have no authority in Mexico, but that is never addressed in this story. (At least in "Zavala" the issue is explained by having Matt obtain special permission to pursue the criminals.) Matt so doggedly pursues his subject that he foolishly rides into an ambush. After recovering slightly from the earlier encounter with Mando and his men, Dillon can barely stand or sit in the saddle, but he stubbornly, unwisely rides into Merced to confront Mando.
The inevitable showdown scene between Matt and Mando is laughable. In fact, it insults the viewers' intelligence. The ending of the story is predictable, sentimental slop.
This story is derivative and predictable. Superior variations have been done numerous times in other series, including in earlier seasons of Gunsmoke. A familiar story can still be compelling if it is written well, but the script for this episode is a failure.
Sometime later, a boy named Lucho finds the gravely injured Marshal. He runs back to the house he shares with his grandfather. Lucho and his grandfather return with a wagon. They manage to transport Matt back to their home.
Agustin, the grandfather, tells Lucho they have no medicine to treat Matt, and he is likely to die as a result. Lucho knows his sister in the nearby town of Merced can help, but Agustin has disowned his granddaughter because she has become Mando's woman. Agustin forbids Lucho from asking his sister for help.
Of course, Lucho defies his grandfather and goes to Lucero, anyway. Lucero despises Mando, but he provides her money and goods she would not have otherwise, and she knows Lucho and her stubborn, unyielding grandfather are safe if she is with Mando. She gives Lucho some money and tells him where he can get the medicine he needs.
When Mando's men return to the place where they left Marshal Dillon's body, they find the body is no longer there. Mando realizes someone has helped Matt, and the law man is probably still with them.
The story becomes a race between the Marshal's efforts to obtain a horse and a gun, while Mando and his men try to find Matt and any local people who might be helping him.
Thomas Gomez was best known for his work on Broadway, he enjoyed a substantial career appearing in films and television in supporting roles. In this story, he plays the part of Agustin, the grandfather. This is his only Gunsmoke appearance, and it is the last acting role for Gomez. During much of his life, Gomez frequented some of the best restaurants in New York and Los Angeles. He was a large man most of his life. In this episode, he had been engaging in some serious dieting and lost a considerable amount of weight. Gomez was involved in a fatal traffic accident shortly after filming this episode.
The role of Lucero is played by Linda Marsh. Marsh was a former Golden Globe nominated actress. She stopped acting in the late 1970s and moved into television production. She was the producer and executive producer for several episodes of the series The Facts of Life and supervising producer for the series Valerie.
The role of the Lucho character was performed by an actor named Fabian Gregory. His acting career was limited to only a few years.
Alfonso Arau appears in his only Gunsmoke role as Mando Hildago, the villain of the episode. Arau has performed sporadically in films and television during his career, but he is best known for his work behind the camera as a talented director, writer, and producer of Latino films.
This episode is fraught with issues. It is essentially a remake of the Season 14 episode "Zavala" with a few minor differences. A U. S. Marshal would have no authority in Mexico, but that is never addressed in this story. (At least in "Zavala" the issue is explained by having Matt obtain special permission to pursue the criminals.) Matt so doggedly pursues his subject that he foolishly rides into an ambush. After recovering slightly from the earlier encounter with Mando and his men, Dillon can barely stand or sit in the saddle, but he stubbornly, unwisely rides into Merced to confront Mando.
The inevitable showdown scene between Matt and Mando is laughable. In fact, it insults the viewers' intelligence. The ending of the story is predictable, sentimental slop.
This story is derivative and predictable. Superior variations have been done numerous times in other series, including in earlier seasons of Gunsmoke. A familiar story can still be compelling if it is written well, but the script for this episode is a failure.
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