This Golden Land (5 Mar. 1973)
"Gunsmoke" This Golden Land (original title)

In a highly-honored episode dealing with religious belief, Russian-Jewish farmer Moshe and his family come to Kansas to try to take advantage of the land. However, their traditions are ... See full summary »

Director:

Gunnar Hellström

Writer:

Hal Sitowitz

Stars:

Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Ken Curtis

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Milburn Stone	...	Dr. Galen 'Doc' Adams
Amanda Blake	...	Kitty Russell
Ken Curtis	...	Festus Haggen
Buck Taylor	...	Newly O'Brien
James Arness	...	Matt Dillon
Paul Stevens	...	Moshe Gorofsky
Victor French	...	Rouse Ruxton
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Gearshon Gorofsky
Kevin Coughlin	...	Calvin Ruxton
Joseph Hindy	...	Laibel Gorofsky
Bettye Ackerman	...	Zisha Gorofsky
Wayne McLaren	...	Homer Ruxton
Scott Selles	...	Semel Gorofsky
Robert Nichols	...	Willie

Storyline

In a highly-honored episode dealing with religious belief, Russian-Jewish farmer Moshe and his family come to Kansas to try to take advantage of the land. However, their traditions are mocked by the cowboys around, notably a neighboring farm family. One night, one of Moshe's sons and the neighbors get into a fight, and the son is found dead of a broken neck soon afterward. Moshe witnessed the start of the fight but not the actual killing. Under the Mosaic law he treasured, he cannot testify and without his word the farm family is set free. Moshe's second son buys a shotgun and threatens the neighbors with it to compel them to confess, but wastes his powder firing at imaginary targets and is run off the farm. The neighbors then invade Moshe's farm in an attempt to drive him off for good.

---

Genres:

Drama | Western

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 March 1973 (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

This episode won the Mass Media Award from The National Conference of Christians and Jews.

User Reviews

A slow pace episode that was not very entertaining

I understood that this episode won an award from 'The National Conference of Christians and Jews', after viewing the show, I am not sure how many of those in the Conference actually watched the episode. The show was slow, long and not very entertaining.

When a Russian/Jewish family has their youngest son killed by a group of rough-neck brothers, it will lead to problems in the household. The father, Moshe Gorofsky, states Mosaic Law and refuses to prosecute the three men responsible for his son's death.

When one of Moshe's son turns his back on the Mosaic Law, he goes gets a gun to protect himself and take the brothers to Marshal Dillon. However, the son does not know exactly how to use the gun and he is taken back to Moshe and dumped in the floor. One of the rough neck brothers, Rouse Ruxton (Victor French), tells the family to leave their house and never return. But Moshe refuses.

Through some kind words, Moshe is able to convince the roughs that they were wrong and the best thing they can do is confess. Now the brothers feel remorse for the death and may even go to Matt to tell him of the story.

To me this story was at such a slow pace that it became uninteresting very quickly. With a promising beginning it slipped into a dialog driven show that was not entertaining in the least. Perhaps a nice moral story but that was about all this offered.