Gunsmoke (TV Series) Land Deal (1958) User Reviews

The Grass is always Greener

[darbski · 9/10 · 1 September 2017]

Pretty good show with dabs Greer being backed into his own store by Kitty over the high price of European shoes. Next thing is a guy trying to buy a badge from Matt, Matt and Chester riding out to an Immigrant camp and stopping a knife fight over a sexpot wife who obviously liked to start trouble. Throw in the guy who wanted a badge being a land crook who was also stealing little miss troublemaker, and you've got a pretty good episode. Not perfect, but who is?

The land deal the title refers to involves adjoining acreages that the railroad was selling cheap. Matt knew they didn't do it that way, and when Chester wanted to raise money so he could buy into part of the deal, he told Matt. Land shark is in for it. This kind of deal could take place, and as matter of fact there was a lot of crooked, and almost legal deals that could ruin people who weren't real careful. Read "Centennial" by James Mitchener for a little better picture of it.

Dillon Don't Sell Badges

[jamdifo · 8/10 · 13 August 2013]

Nice episode with some great co stars about a guy ripping off people by selling them land that isn't the railroads. Dennis Patrick plays Trumbell, the guy ripping the people off. He did a great job in his only Gunsmoke appearance. I love how he tried to get Dillon to sell him a badge, but Dillon tells him sternly "I Don't sell Badges!".

Murray Hamilton (the mayor in Jaws) and Ross Martin make their final appearances on Gunsmoke as friends who almost have a woman come between them. Also, its about time someone was hitting on Doc. I always found it odd that a single Doctor out on the plains didn't have women throwing themselves at him. Women always love doctors and it was nice seeing someone trying to get Doc to have Sunday dinner with them.

I also loved the ending, the way Murray Hamilton treated his wife when finding out she was going to leave him for another guy. Classic! Also, Dillon gets his 68th confirmed kill on the show.

Worth watching

[dpc69 · 8/10 · 10 June 2020]

Just to see Murray Hamilton and Ross Martin in a knife fight is priceless! These episodes are my favorite era of the long running vehicle for Jim Arness. The half-hour format is tight, compact and every nuance has to be blatant and conveyed none too subtly. Close blocking and and tight aspects show facial conveyance of motive and emotion to excellent advantage. So many times the hour-long format added nothing to the development of the episode. The actors and play are not overshadowed by the scenery. These examples are the basis for establishing the characters of all the Dodge denizens and wonderfully illustrated in this episode.

Good Premise, Spotty Results

[dougdoepke · 2 May 2012]

Fine cast of familiar faces in an entry that, for me, just doesn't gel. Land dealer Trumbell tries to bribe Matt, so the marshal rides out to the land parcels to check up. There he finds two purchasers fighting over the wife of one. Something's not right about what's going on, but what?

Despite the many familiar TV faces— Hamilton, Martin, Patrick, and Talbot— the story's not very convincing, especially the relationship between the "two best friends" Danny and Calhoun. Nonetheless, there's the presence of the inimitable Nita Talbot, a little less arch than usual, but still an eye-catcher. To me, however, the motivation is spottier than usual.

Weird knife fight

[LukeCoolHand · 7/10 · 3 February 2022]

Others have given good reviews so I will only talk about a few weird things in this episode. I've seen a lot of movies and shows with all kinds of gunfight, fist fights , and knife fights. But I have never seen 2 men tie themselves together by one hand and have a knife fight with the other hand, but that is exactly what happens on this episode. Weird. Why oh why would they even agree to fighting like that. Also it seems they had had a rule you couldn't try to cut each others arms. A rule in a fist fight. WHAT ?? Another thing is Matt and Chester come up on the fight and just stand there a few seconds before intervening, Seems like Matt arrives late to a lot of fights including gunfights and a lot of times just stands there watching until someone gets shot. And almost every other episode has a scene where someone gets shot and Matt arrives too late to stop it. This episode did have a lot of familiar faces but as others have said, the plot was a little weak and vague. Anyway it was a fair episode and I always like watching Nita Talbot, who is not a classic beauty but is very intriguing looking.

Too much fluff and Too little substance

[kfo9494 · 5/10 · 18 July 2013]

This episode had a good premise but really did not come across the screen as well as expected. While watching it seemed that little time was spent with the main part of the story and the show drifted into Kitty upset at the price of shoes or Doc being courted with some food. There was precious little time spent on the main concept of the show.

The episode begins with a man, Trimbell, coming into Dodge and asking if he could obtain a deputy badge since he was expecting some trouble from a group of settlers outside town. Well Marshal rides out to the settlement only to find two men, Cal and Danny, in a knife fight. Seems that Cal is accusing Danny of seeing his wife.

When Marshal puts a halt to the matter he finds out that Trimbell is obtained by the settlers to find them land that is centered between the railroad and the river. But there is more to Trimbell than meets the eye.

A nice cast of actors that had little time in front of the screen. The episode wondered into territory that diminished the interesting plot. Just too much fluff and too little substance.

Harum-Scarum

[StrictlyConfidential · 5/10 · 16 April 2021]

(*Marshal Dillon quote*) - "Well, now, Kitty, it's not as bad as all that."

To avoid any trouble Jess Trumble asks Marshal Dillon to make him a deputy so that he can sort out the problems between the immigrants who are planning to settle on land just outside Dodge.

The only problem is, this promised land is owned by the government who plans to use it for the construction of the railroad.