The Night Riders (24 Feb. 1969)
"Gunsmoke" The Night Riders (original title)

The Civil War isn't over -- not nearly -- for Judge Proctor, a respected Missouri man who was on the losing side and had his home devastated by a guerrilla band led by a Kansas man. Now the... See full summary »

Director:

Irving J. Moore

Writer:

Calvin Clements Sr.

Stars:

James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake

Cast

Episode cast overview:
James Arness	...	Matt Dillon
Milburn Stone	...	Dr. Galen 'Doc' Adams
Amanda Blake	...	Kitty Russell (credit only)
Ken Curtis	...	Festus Haggen
Jeff Corey	...	Judge Procter
Robert Pine	...	Eliot Procter
Robert Random	...	Jay Procter
Warren Vanders	...	Williams
Robert Karnes	...	Ross
Norman Alden	...	Berber
Ed Bakey	...	Farmer
Scott Hale	...	Scotty Bernaby
James Nusser	...	Louie Pheeters
Glenn Strange	...	Sam Noonan
Ted Jordan	...	Nathan Burke

Storyline

The Civil War isn't over -- not nearly -- for Judge Proctor, a respected Missouri man who was on the losing side and had his home devastated by a guerrilla band led by a Kansas man. Now the judge has formed a gang of his own and sweeps through Kansas seeking the guerrilla leader. A tip-off tells the group that the man is in or near Dodge, but the judge can't locate his exact whereabouts and sets fire to a wheat field as a warning to the local citizenry. When that fails to produce the man, the judge threatens to burn all of Dodge City.

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 1969 (USA)

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In this show the viewer learns that the bartender Sam, had two brothers die in the Civil War. One fighting on each side of the conflict.

User Reviews

Festus has his hands full when a gang enters town

A man named Judge Proctor (Jeff Corey) was a victim of land theft in Missouri when he was off fighting for the rebels in the civil war. He and a gang of ex-rebel vets, have been searching for many years a man named Talbot that was responsible for crimes against the Procter family. Now their travels have found them in Dodge.

The Judge and his gang, which includes two of his sons, feel like people around Dodge are not cooperating with them so they set fire to a large wheat field. Inside the town of Dodge, with Matt away, Festus is in charge. When they cause trouble at the Long Branch, Festus has to lock up one of the Judge's son until Matt returns. But the Judge advises that they will be leaving at midnight and will return for his son.

To make matters worse the son in jail has been sick for sometime but with the Judge on the path of Talbot he refuses to stop. While in jail his son dies causing even more trouble for Festus when the Judge tells his gang to burn Dodge to the ground.

A better episode than expected after reading the plot. The regular were excellent in this show. Ken Curtis, Milburn Stone and James Nusser made a great team with the Marshal away. Perhaps not the best story but one that held my interest till the very end.

Note- We also learn in this episode that the bartender Sam, had two brothers die in the civil war. One fighting for each side.