Gunsmoke (TV Series) The Colonel (1974) User Reviews

An aging retired Colonel wants one last command

[kfo9494 · 7/10 · 4 April 2013]

At times this episode has some very slow periods with very little action and lots of dialog, but by the episode's end it had played well enough to make a nice show. Had a nice plot and was well acted that also help the show make for an entertaining program.

It begins with retired Colonel Josiah Johnson remembering his days as leader of a Union Army during the war. Colonel Johnson is now digressed to telling about his olden ways while drinking the day away at the Long Branch. Carl, the owner of the general store, ask the Colonel to watch his store while he goes and picks up his sweetheart so they can marry. While the Colonel is minding the store, he accidentally starts a fire that burns a large portion of the back. When Carl returns, needless to say he is very upset and wishes he had never got the drunk Colonel to help him out.

But there also is another situation, the woman that Carl wants to marry is the Colonel's daughter. The problem here is that the Colonel plans on moving on since he does not want to embarrass his daughter as an old washed-up father that only side job is getting drunk.

But when he overhears that a group of bandits are planning on breaking a friend out of jail and robbing the local bank, the Colonel has a chance to once again ride to battle with the same prestige that he had so many years ago.

Even with some parts of the episode lackluster, it still had enough interest to make a nice show. Lee J Cobb was excellent as the aging Colonel which wanted to make his daughter proud. The ending of this episode is worthy of a watch on its own merit.

A Former Union Army Colonel Refuses to Let Go of His Past

[wdavidreynolds · 7/10 · 8 November 2021]

Former Union Army Colonel Josiah Johnson lives in Dodge City where he spends his days drinking and reminiscing about his time in the military. Festus Haggens is one of the people in the town that has befriended the Colonel, as has several of the boys in the town that like to hear Johnson's old war stories and enjoy pretending to be soldiers under his command.

Carl owns a store in the town. He needs to leave to meet his fiancé Anne Ludley and bring her back to Dodge where they plan to marry. Carl asks Colonel Johnson to mind his store while he is away. The Colonel reluctantly agrees initially, but when the time comes for Carl to leave, the Colonel tries to back out of the agreement. Carl is anxious to meet Anne, and he insists on the Colonel fulfilling the duties.

A fire badly damages a portion of the store when the Colonel is distracted and leaves the door to the stove open. Once Carl returns with his bride-to-be, he learns of the damage and becomes understandably angry at Colonel Johnson and his negligence. While Carl's anger is not surprising, it is worth noting that he insisted on the Colonel minding the store over the Colonel's protests.

Carl does not know that Anne is Colonel Johnson's estranged daughter. She is happy to be reunited with her father, but the Colonel decides it would be better if he left town before Anne and Carl are married in a couple of days. He is ashamed of what he has become and does not want to be an embarrassment to his daughter.

Meanwhile, Matt Dillon has apprehended Bill Higgins, who is part of a gang led by his brother Jeff. The Marshal has Bill locked in the Dodge City jail. Matt knows there is a decent chance the rest of the gang is somewhere nearby.

After the Colonel gets drunk and causes a mild disturbance at the Long Branch Saloon, Matt puts him in a jail cell for the night. Bill Higgins has a visitor at the jail window, and they talk about an ongoing plot to lure Marshal Dillon out of town so Jeff and the rest of the gang can come into the town, rob the bank, and rescue Bill. They plan their actions around the wedding of Carl and Anne.

The two outlaws mistakenly think Colonel Johnson is too drunk and does not hear the conversation. The next day, the Colonel begins to recall the conversation and chooses to enact his own plan to stop the criminals.

Lee J. Cobb stars in this episode as Colonel Josiah Johnson. Cobb was twice nominated for Best Supporting Actor by the Motion Picture Academy for his roles in the films On the Waterfront and The Brothers Karamazov. His career included many other notable film roles, including a part in the film How the West Was Won, which later formed the basis of a post-Gunsmoke series starring James Arness.

In the 1960s, Cobb began appearing in television roles. He played Judge Henry Garth in The Virginian and attorney David Barrett in the series The Young Lawyers. This episode is clearly designed to be a vehicle to highlight Cobb's talent. This performance took place only a few months before Cobb suffered a heart attack and passed away. This part as an aging military man who spends most of his time reliving his past exploits is perfect for the actor. This is Cobb's only Gunsmoke appearance.

Cobb's daughter in the story, the character Anne Ludley, was also his daughter in real life. Julie Cobb makes her second and final Gunsmoke appearance in this episode. Being Lee J. Cobb's daughter is not Julie's only connection with the show. She was married to frequent Gunsmoke actor and Season 20 director Victor French for a fleeting period. Shortly after she and French divorced, she married Christopher Morgan, who is Harry Morgan's son. Harry Morgan was no stranger to the Gunsmoke series, either, as he starred in several episodes.

Actor Roy Jenson (credited as Roy Jensen) makes his seventh and final Gunsmoke appearance in this episode where he plays the Jeff Higgins character. Richard Ely portrays Jeff's younger brother Bill in this story, which is his only Gunsmoke role. Randolph Roberts fills the role of a character named Obie, who is part of the Higgins gang. His other Gunsmoke appearance was as a gunfighter named Kid Chama in Season 19's "Widowmaker."

Child actor Todd Lookinland makes his third and final Gunsmoke appearance as Jimmy Clancy, one of the kids that idolizes Colonel Johnson. Todd is Mike Lookinland's brother. Mike is best known for his role as Bobby Brady on The Brady Bunch.

Daniel J. Travanti (credited as Dan Travanty) appears for the second and final time in this episode. He plays Carl, the store owner and Anne's future husband. Travanti was a frequent guest on various television shows prior to his notable role as Captain Frank Furillo on the series Hill Street Blues.

The series regulars all make at least brief appearances in this episode, with Ken Curtis getting the most screen time, but the story is built around Cobb's character.

This story is familiar as a variation on the theme of an older, former law enforcement official who has struggled with life outside their former profession and turned to alcohol as a respite of sorts. Colonel Johnson is not a former sheriff or marshal, or course, but it is the same sort of concept. The Colonel seizes an opportunity to use some of his shrewd talent to recapture some of his past glory days.

In that regard, this story lacks originality. It also relies heavily on sentiment and dialogue. There is a scene where Colonel Johnson "promotes" young Jimmy Clancy to "take over the troops" as the Colonel plans to leave Dodge that is obviously designed to push the viewers' emotional buttons. The ending of the story also ventures dangerously close to hokeyness.

Despite the weaknesses of the writing, the episode is worth viewing at least for Lee J. Cobb's performance.

Lots of Talk

[Johnny_West · 4/10 · 30 January 2023]

Lee J. Cobb and his daughter, Julie Cobb, are together in this episode. He plays an old drunken veteran. Julie does not acknowledge that he is her father because she is about to get married to Daniel Travanti (famous for Hill Street Blues), the town shop-owner.

Travanti regularly employs Lee J. Cobb as a stock-boy and constantly verbally abuses him because he is an old drunk. Cobb spends some nights in jail when he is drunk, and hears the plans of the local Higgins gang to break young brother Billy out of jail.

80% of this episode is just family drama between Julie Cobb, her real-life Dad, and her fiance Daniel Travanti. The next ten percent is Festus walking around giving people advice and being the town busybody.

Eventually, in the last three minutes there is some gunfighting, and Matt Dillon shows up. The end is kind of lame, as Daniel Travanti realizes that he has been abusing his father-in-law, but he still maintains his annoying attitude of superiority. I did not get the point of this episode. Lee J. Cobb got to be important one last time?

Considering that Festus is usually never actually guarding the jail, it should be as easy to get out of the Dodge jail as it is for Otis to check out of the Mayberry jail (Andy Griffith Show with Barney Fife). It always seemed to me that the character of Festus started as a cowboy / wolfer / hill person and gradually got some Barney Fife written into Festus.

Keeping track of the prisoners is usually an afterthought for Festus, after he gets done wandering all over town, gossiping, drinking beer, whistling tunes, and arguing with random characters.