An obnoxious, overbearing Irishman drifter named Leary O'Qullian shoots and kills Curt Tynan in Spearville. The shooting, which occurred during a card game in which both men were cheating, was determined to be justifiable homicide. After his acquittal, O'Quillian leaves Spearville and travels to Dodge City.
In Dodge, the Irishman offends most everyone he meets. He is a know-it-all, and he enjoys drinking and arguing with anyone that will engage him. He starts a brawl inside the Long Branch Saloon. He encourages the girls working at the Long Branch to demand higher wages from Kitty Russell. He accuses Doc Adams of overcharging his patients.
Eventually, Matt Dillon arrests O'Quillian for running afoul of liquor laws. Even in jail, O'Quillian proves to be a handful.
When Curt Tynan's brother Clay learns of Curt's death. He travels to Dodge to find O'Quillian and avenge his brother's death. Naturally, Matt Dillon finds himself and the town in the middle of the situation.
The well-known character actor John McLiam fills the role of Leary O'Quillian. His appearance here follows closely behind his much more serious role as the doomed Herbert Clutter, patriarch of the murdered Clutter family in the film In Cold Blood. McLiam was a fine actor, but his character here is extremely unlikeable.
Victor French plays Clay Tynan. One of his gang members, a man known only as "Chickenfoot," is played by Anthony James. Regular viewers will recall that French and James played the characters Roland Daniel and Elbert Moses just two episodes earlier in "Uncle Finney." It is not unusual for actors to appear several times as different characters in various Gunsmoke episodes, but it is unusual for two actors to play prominent roles in two episodes shown this close together.
Lou Antonio plays Curt Tynan, although his name does not appear in the credits. Antonio was married to actress Lane Bradbury, who played the character Merry Florene in the "Uncle Finney" episode. Antonio would return alongside Bradbury and Anthony James later in Season 14's "Gold Town." Antonio plays Cousin Smiley to the Merry Florene and Elbert Moses characters in that episode.
Look for the actor Iron Eyes Cody in the role of a Native American in this episode. The most interesting aspect of this actor's career is that he played Native American roles his entire career, although he was of Italian descent. He married a Native American woman, and they adopted two Native American boys. Many people will remember him for his role in a "Keep America Beautiful" anti-pollution ad that ran for many years on television where he is seen shedding a tear because of the pollution he sees. This is his only Gunsmoke appearance.
Thematically, this story is remarkably similar to the previous episode, "Slocum." A man acting in self-defense is pursued by relatives of the dead man. The O'Quillian character is nothing like Slocum, the mountain man, however. One almost wishes for Clay Tynan to successfully solve everyone's problem by getting rid of O'Quillian. The annoying nature of the O'Quillan character affects the likeability of this story.
In Dodge, the Irishman offends most everyone he meets. He is a know-it-all, and he enjoys drinking and arguing with anyone that will engage him. He starts a brawl inside the Long Branch Saloon. He encourages the girls working at the Long Branch to demand higher wages from Kitty Russell. He accuses Doc Adams of overcharging his patients.
Eventually, Matt Dillon arrests O'Quillian for running afoul of liquor laws. Even in jail, O'Quillian proves to be a handful.
When Curt Tynan's brother Clay learns of Curt's death. He travels to Dodge to find O'Quillian and avenge his brother's death. Naturally, Matt Dillon finds himself and the town in the middle of the situation.
The well-known character actor John McLiam fills the role of Leary O'Quillian. His appearance here follows closely behind his much more serious role as the doomed Herbert Clutter, patriarch of the murdered Clutter family in the film In Cold Blood. McLiam was a fine actor, but his character here is extremely unlikeable.
Victor French plays Clay Tynan. One of his gang members, a man known only as "Chickenfoot," is played by Anthony James. Regular viewers will recall that French and James played the characters Roland Daniel and Elbert Moses just two episodes earlier in "Uncle Finney." It is not unusual for actors to appear several times as different characters in various Gunsmoke episodes, but it is unusual for two actors to play prominent roles in two episodes shown this close together.
Lou Antonio plays Curt Tynan, although his name does not appear in the credits. Antonio was married to actress Lane Bradbury, who played the character Merry Florene in the "Uncle Finney" episode. Antonio would return alongside Bradbury and Anthony James later in Season 14's "Gold Town." Antonio plays Cousin Smiley to the Merry Florene and Elbert Moses characters in that episode.
Look for the actor Iron Eyes Cody in the role of a Native American in this episode. The most interesting aspect of this actor's career is that he played Native American roles his entire career, although he was of Italian descent. He married a Native American woman, and they adopted two Native American boys. Many people will remember him for his role in a "Keep America Beautiful" anti-pollution ad that ran for many years on television where he is seen shedding a tear because of the pollution he sees. This is his only Gunsmoke appearance.
Thematically, this story is remarkably similar to the previous episode, "Slocum." A man acting in self-defense is pursued by relatives of the dead man. The O'Quillian character is nothing like Slocum, the mountain man, however. One almost wishes for Clay Tynan to successfully solve everyone's problem by getting rid of O'Quillian. The annoying nature of the O'Quillan character affects the likeability of this story.
