Gunsmoke (TV Series) The Deserter (1960) User Reviews

Home Sweet Home

[dougdoepke · 3 January 2013]

A cavalry detachment carrying payroll is waylaid, and in the ensuing mêlée one of the troopers rides off with the money. The cavalry at Fort Dodge calls in Matt to help out since civilians might be involved. Matt's investigation leads him to a farmhouse where the decidedly unfriendly owner (Bartell) shoots Chester and holds Matt at gunpoint. What's going on with the unusual hospitality and what do the homesteaders have to do with the army deserter.

The story really revolves around the owner Jed's wife Maddie (Inness). A prairie-worn, middle- aged woman, she gradually becomes the central character. The plot's fairly unpredictable and generates some suspense as we wonder what mean old Jed's going to do and how Maddie will react. I may be mistaken, but this is one of the few episodes where Matt fades somewhat into the background in both story focus and subdued manner. All in all, it's an excellent showcase for a no-name supporting player, the unglamorous kind that carry Hollywood on their back.

Seen It Coming

[darbski · 10/10 · 19 October 2017]

**SPOILERS** Don't take no genius to see what was gonna happen to the main scurve, does it? Hard to figure out just WHY Jed's so mad at everything, unless you figure that when Lurie ran away, he left Jed and Maddie without any help around the place. Still, they looked like they were doing really well, a snug, Log (?) ranch house and very nice furnishings.

Anyway, no matter what else happens, it's pretty obvious that Jed's gonna get Lurie killed by not listening to reason, and trying to hide him without even letting his own mother look after him. When Radin (scurve creep) shows up and he turns his back on Maddie, it's a done deal. The only thing left is for Matt to track down Jed and Lurie's body, and hopefully not hurt Maddie too much. What I didn't get is WHY Matt didn't tell Jed what the whole story was? Like "There are two patrols right now out looking for your no-good thievin rat son, and everyone in Dodge, along with the Army knows where you live. How long before you throw everything you've worked so hard for is in the outhouse for this mistake?" Good acting, and I liked it when Maddie took care of business.

A nice story that seem to lack personal appeal

[kfo9494 · 6/10 · 15 September 2013]

This episode, even though nicely performed, just did not have the interest power that most of the other shows have offered. It was just to ho-hum in the presentation and what was suppose to be very suspenseful turned out to be just a bump in the road. The episode never captured the audience's willingness to be a part of the story as it just seemed too bland in the outcome.

It begins when a Cavalry Corporal, Lurie Janice, is with a team carrying the army payroll to Fort Dodge. Along the way someone fires from the brush and during the confusion Janice runs off with the money.

Matt later learns that there was a boy named Lurie that use to live with his folks outside Dodge. Matt goes to investigate only to get Chester wounded and then held hostage by the family members. But when the partner to the theft comes for the money it will put a new spin to the story.

There is nothing wrong with the story or the actors- but for some reason the show, which was well written, just did not hold the interest of the viewer. Perhaps there was too much material to cover in the thirty minute format but it just did not have the charisma that other episodes obtain.

Choppy & Frustrating Story

[Johnny_West · 3/10 · 10 April 2020]

The cast is very good, but most of them are only on for a minute or less. Henry Brandon was an excellent actor, and he plays the commanding officer at Fort Dodge. He is in one scene, for about thirty seconds. He made two appearances on Gunsmoke. Charles Fredericks played the Sergeant guarding the payroll. He appeared on Gunsmoke seven times, but was on this show for about thirty seconds. He got shot off his horse, and managed to put a slug in Lurie, as he rode away with the army payroll.

The villains are played by Rudy Solari as Lurie, the Army soldier who steals the payroll along with an accomplice who shoots several of the cavalry soldiers. Solari was on Gunsmoke only one time. Joseph V. Perry was the accomplice who killed the cavalry soldiers and he was in two scenes for a total of about two minutes. He was on Gunsmoke five times. X-Finity/Comcast always shows a photo of Joe Perry the guitarist for Aerosmith when Joseph V. Perry is in the cast.

Harry Bartell was on Gunsmoke ten times, and he plays inbred Jed, the father of Lurie. Jed gets the drop on Dillon when Dillon has apprehended Lurie. Then Chester comes along, not paying attention, and gets shot by Jed. At that point Jed and Dillon were having a loud discussion when Chester limps in. Of course, in addition to not having a clue as to what was going on, Chester is not armed either, totally useless. Matt Dillon would have been better off with a German Shepherd instead of Chester. At least the dog might bite someone.

The story then focuses on the recovery of Chester at the home of Jed and his wife, Maddie (played by Jean Inness). Dillon should have just rolled Chester into a ditch and let him die. Give up on the useless sidekick and wait for Quint Asper to come in a couple of years. As often happened on Gunsmoke, the wife of the knuckle-dragging hillbilly turns out to be a really sweet lady. She helps Dillon take care of Chester.

Meanwhile the more interesting story of Jed taking Lurie off to hide from the Army was left to the imagination. It would have been nice if a couple of minutes of "Chester recovery time" had been deleted, and Dillon had caught up to hillbilly Jed and popped a few bullets into his guts as payback. Buried Jed and Lurie (father and son) in unmarked graves out on the harsh prairie.