Gunsmoke (TV Series) Island in the Desert: Part 2 (1974) User Reviews

One of the better episodes in the entire Gunsmoke collection!

[kfo9494 · 10/10 · 4 September 2012]

This perhaps has some of the best acting in the entire collection of 'Gunsmoke'. Strother Martin, Williams Watson and Ken Curtis bring part two of this episode to the height of entertainment. And as a person that is not impressed when we there is a two part episode, I found this show to be one of the best I have ever seen. The acting and script was the reason for this show being enjoyable.

Ben Snow (Strother Martin) a hermit in the desert, has been living in the wilderness for many years. During his time he was able to find a nice amount of gold but has been unable to get the gold back to town. Festus will be his pack-mule for the trip as Snow makes him carry the water and the gold. Their trip is to a gold-rush town called Ten Strike.

Along the way they run into Gard Dixon, the one that tried to kill Festus in part one, in the desert nearly dead. Festus refuses to leave him for dead and wants him brought back for a trial. This will prove to be a bad move when Gard steals Ben's gun and breaks all the water jars. But because of Ben's planning- Gard will not make it but just a few steps until he falls dead. Ben and Festus now set off to Ten Strike with no water.

At last when they make Ten Strike- the town is abandon. The town is a ghost town that was abandon years ago after the gold ran out. However, Ben sees a different town. Either by exhaustion or being delirious he sees a town full of people. When he finally comes to his senses he realizes that that all the time he spend in the desert is useless. His gold is worth nothing in a ghost town. All his time in the desert will not impress his foe that he left many years ago.

This is a very strong episode. Strother Martin along with Ken Curtis are excellent in this episode. Watched many 'Gunsmoke' shows but have never rated one as high as this. For the last season, this one is good as any in the entire twenty seasons.

NOTE- since James Arness only worked a couple of days a week on the last season, you will notice that when the water pots are shot and broken and later Matt and Newly come riding up- it has a different background. Perhaps filmed days later when James Arness did all his shots in one day.

Festus and the Deranged Desert Hermit: Part 2

[wdavidreynolds · 8/10 · 8 November 2021]

Note: This episode is officially listed as "Island in the Desert: Part 2," but the title in the broadcast version is "Island in the Desert Conclusion."

Festus Haggen is being treated as a human pack mule by a deranged hermit named Ben Snow. Snow found Festus after the man Festus was chasing, Gard Dixon, shot him and left him for dead. Snow has been living alone in the desert for many years. Although he nursed Festus back to health, he has taken Festus prisoner and is forcing him to carry his gold and a supply of water across the desert to the town of Ten Strike.

Matt Dillon learned that Dixon killed the sheriff in Cottonwood and escaped. He knows Festus went after Dixon, but he also knows Dixon is ruthless and will not be easily captured. The Marshal and Newly O'Brien leave Dodge City with the intention of finding Festus and Dixon.

As the second part of the story begins, Matt and Newly are continuing their mission to find Festus and, hopefully, Gard Dixon, while Festus and Ben Snow continue making their way slowly to the town of Ten Strike.

Festus and Ben soon find the horse Dixon was riding dying in the desert. They follow the tracks from the horse to discover Dixon, who is barely alive from dehydration. Festus insists on tending to Dixon, but Ben tells the Deputy that any water he gives Dixon must come from Festus's share.

Once Dixon is somewhat recovered, he presents an additional threat, as he has little to lose in trying to gain the upper hand. The three weary travelers are now fighting the desert as well as one another.

Can Matt and Newly find the three men before they either die from thirst or kill one another? The second part of the story is as tense as the first, but it is a more concentrated storyline.

There are a few questionable aspects to this story:

• In the first part of the story, Festus states that Cottonwood is about three day's ride southeast of where Ben Snow found him. Snow says Ten Strike is eighty miles due north of Cottonwood. These facts would indicate Festus and Ben are walking northeast. Dixon was supposedly on his way to Mexico, which would have been in a southern direction. It makes no sense that Festus and Ben would have encountered Dixon again. They should have been heading in opposite directions.

• Festus, Snow, and Dixon are on foot, carrying a heavy load, and moving slowly. Matt and Newly are on horseback. Why does it take the Marshal and his Deputy so long to catch up with the three men?

• With extraordinarily little water and no definite knowledge of the remaining distance to Ten Strike, why does Festus insist on taking on an unnecessary, difficult physical task?

It would have been easy to allow the second part of the story to drag and include a lot of filler as everyone is struggling across the desert, but this taut Jim Byrnes script continually provides interesting twists and turns. The small cast includes outstanding performances all around.

Ken Curtis's performance is especially worth a mention, as he plays the Festus Haggen character with more restraint than usual. In fact, Martin's performance is significantly more the excessive of the two performances.

There are several excellent episodes in Season 20, and this story counts among them.

Note: This is the final multi-part episode in the series.

Festus Haggen's Life Hung In The Balance!!

[ellisel · 10/10 · 13 November 2008]

The conclusion of "Island In The Desert" had Festus Haggen being forced to carry four totes of water like a pack mule. Ben Snow -- in an embarrassing attempt to reach Ten Strike -- jabbed and prodded Festus Haggen at will with his stick. He held and maintained his share of the gold during this futile journey ... when all the while he was doing his best to find an animal named Gard Dixon back to Cottonwood for his hanging. The only problem: Gard Dixon was about two days away from reaching Mexico. By the same token, Festus Haggen was about at the end of his rope with Ben Snow. Ben Snow was more interested in reaching Ten Strike in order to claim his money.

Meanwhile, Matt Dillon and Newly O'Brien were retracing the trail of Festus Haggen's whereabouts after Gard Dixon grazed him with his own rifle. The blood stains, then Ben Snow's cave, and finally the water oasis were the only signs visible for about ninety miles out of Cottonwood. They knew Festus Haggen was still on the trail -- but not knowing for how much longer they could survive in the dangerous trek.

The turning point came towards the end of the two-part episode. Both Ben Snow and Festus Haggen found Gard Dixon and his horse on the trail. They knew that water was the one component they needed to survive a dangerous journey. Next, Gard Dixon was about to reach Mexico. He first had to fight off Ben Snow and Festus Haggen. He would steal Ben Snow's gold; then destroy the water jugs with his gun; and eventually finish the both of them. Little did Gard Dixon knew that Homer was a rattlesnake hidden inside Ben Snow's bag. The snake bit to his neck proved fatal to a killer named Gard Dixon. Festus Haggen would bury Gard Dixon in a remote area of the desert.

Ben Snow had reached Ten Strike. The problem: the town became a desolate area. Not one sign of life was prevalent in Ten Strike: not a bar; not a silver mine; not a bank; and not a school. By then, Ben Snow acted angrily about the town being dead and gone about ten years after the fact. Brilliant Episode!! A 19 Out Of 10!!

'Hot and Gold'

[DerekLostEverything · 10/10 · 3 May 2023]

(Reviewing both parts together) this is without doubt one of the best stories to come out of the later seasons. Strother Martin, normally playing demure, meek characters when guest staring on Gunsmoke, here embodies the role of a desperate and lonely man with PTSD. This man who's mind leaves him a little more each day, due to his terrible predicament. An actors showcase of a part; "partnered" up with Ken Curtis's Festus, as they both go-about trying to solve their conflicting problems. The script and direction are on point, handling the story's scope and more intimate moments with ease. Well paced, while allowing some needed breathing room for the character beats. Adding up to a thoughtful, empathetically human and tense adventure in the Bad Lands.

Sam??

[darbski · 9/10 · 17 July 2018]

***SPOILERS** Yup, I knowed there was something fishy here. It is this. Festue says (when he and Ben Snow are looking at the grave of Sam Bristow) that although sam was dead and buried in 1859, it was now 1873. 1873?? Well, now, that's interesting, isn't it? See, the handguns that Matt, and just about everyone else carrys are all 1873 Single Action Army Colt's revolvers. S.A.A.s were first issued to the U.S. Army cavalry on the plains, and then later released to the general public. Later than the date that Festus stated.

Yeah, I know; it's simple nitpicking, but this is a good series. 20 years into a highly successful run as the premier western T.V. drama, it is an issue that should have been in the forefront of writer's minds; keeping the presentations as accurate as possible. I also know that Hollywood is never really concerned with history (just profits), but I LIKE this show, and a small point can make a big difference. The acting, and everything else (almost) is terrific. The other point, and I believe I've made it before is water. When Matt and Newley are riding after Festus, they each appear to carry ONE canteen. what do the horses drink? Dust? No one seems to think that the animals are any more than machines in these shows, and it is a sad point carried through in so many westerns of all kinds. this is a 9.