An Arapaho teen named Yorky is shot in the leg while trying to steal a horse from a Dodge City rancher named Abe Brandt late one night. Brandt and his son Tom are awakened by a makeshift alarm Yorky tripped while trying to escape. Abe shoots the boy in the leg, but he still manages to get away.
Yorky is found by a local farmer named Seldon. The farmer quickly sees Yorky is a Caucasian and not an Arapaho. Seldon tries to treat Yorky's gunshot wound, but the boy resists any attempts to provide help and threatens Mr. Seldon. Yorky's condition grows continually worse. Mr. Seldon rides into Dodge and informs Matt Dillon of the situation. Doc Adams is out of town, so the Marshal rides to the Seldon farm to try to help the boy.
Matt removes the bullet and treats the leg, which saves Yorky's life. The Marshal takes the boy back to Dodge City. He gets the boy a job at Moss Grimmick's stables and gives him a job sweeping the Marshal's office.
Yorky starts to adapt to life in Dodge. He says he does not know who his real parents were and only knows life as an Arapaho. He begins to doubt whether to return to the tribe or not once he has fully healed.
Abe Brandt arrives in Dodge to sell horses to the army. He tells Matt about the incident where he shot Yorky. Brandt does not realize Yorky is sweeping in the back of the jail and hears the conversation. The Marshal now realizes Yorky is the boy Brandt shot. Yorky then tells Matt some things no one knows about Brandt.
Young actor Jeffrey Silver portrays Yorky in this story, which is his only Gunsmoke role. Silver's acting is the weakest aspect of an otherwise solid story. Like many younger actors, he quit acting once he grew out of his teenage years.
Howard Petrie also makes his only Gunsmoke appearance as the big rancher Abe Brandt. He was a familiar face in many westerns throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s.
Dennis Cross was a more familiar Gunsmoke guest, as he appeared in thirteen different installments of the series over the years. He fills the role of Tom Brandt, Abe's son, in this story.
Malcolm Atterbury previously appeared in the series debut episode, "Matt Gets It." He is included in this story as the character Seldon. He would make six more appearances in the series. His wife is played in this story by Mary Gregory, who was just beginning what would be an extensive career playing small parts mostly in television series.
"Yorky" is another Sam Peckinpah screenplay based on a John Meston story. As such it contains a few subtle Peckinpah touches. While Chester Goode is caring for Yorky during his recuperation, he repeatedly refers to Yorky as "Injun," although Yorky is a white man. He also encourages Yorky to abandon the Arapaho and "live more civilized." Later, Abe Brandt literally talks down to Chester (the Brandt character is sitting on a horse, while Chester is standing on the ground) and repeatedly calls him "boy," which Chester clearly resents.
Every time we (the viewers) think we know what is going on in this story, a new surprise is revealed, all the way to the end.
In that scene between the Brandt and Chester characters, Chester is seen standing in front of the General Store. The sign overhead reads "Wilbur Jonas, Prop." This is the first mention in the series of Mr. Jonas, although the character is not seen. John Patrick plays Jonas in the "Tap Day for Kitty" episode. Dabbs Greer would begin appearing as Wilbur Jonas several episodes later in the first season of the series.
Longtime Gunsmoke fans know Matt Dillon rode a buckskin horse (Festus Haggen even calls him "Buck" in a much later episode). This episode reveals what may be the origins of that horse.
Yorky is found by a local farmer named Seldon. The farmer quickly sees Yorky is a Caucasian and not an Arapaho. Seldon tries to treat Yorky's gunshot wound, but the boy resists any attempts to provide help and threatens Mr. Seldon. Yorky's condition grows continually worse. Mr. Seldon rides into Dodge and informs Matt Dillon of the situation. Doc Adams is out of town, so the Marshal rides to the Seldon farm to try to help the boy.
Matt removes the bullet and treats the leg, which saves Yorky's life. The Marshal takes the boy back to Dodge City. He gets the boy a job at Moss Grimmick's stables and gives him a job sweeping the Marshal's office.
Yorky starts to adapt to life in Dodge. He says he does not know who his real parents were and only knows life as an Arapaho. He begins to doubt whether to return to the tribe or not once he has fully healed.
Abe Brandt arrives in Dodge to sell horses to the army. He tells Matt about the incident where he shot Yorky. Brandt does not realize Yorky is sweeping in the back of the jail and hears the conversation. The Marshal now realizes Yorky is the boy Brandt shot. Yorky then tells Matt some things no one knows about Brandt.
Young actor Jeffrey Silver portrays Yorky in this story, which is his only Gunsmoke role. Silver's acting is the weakest aspect of an otherwise solid story. Like many younger actors, he quit acting once he grew out of his teenage years.
Howard Petrie also makes his only Gunsmoke appearance as the big rancher Abe Brandt. He was a familiar face in many westerns throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s.
Dennis Cross was a more familiar Gunsmoke guest, as he appeared in thirteen different installments of the series over the years. He fills the role of Tom Brandt, Abe's son, in this story.
Malcolm Atterbury previously appeared in the series debut episode, "Matt Gets It." He is included in this story as the character Seldon. He would make six more appearances in the series. His wife is played in this story by Mary Gregory, who was just beginning what would be an extensive career playing small parts mostly in television series.
"Yorky" is another Sam Peckinpah screenplay based on a John Meston story. As such it contains a few subtle Peckinpah touches. While Chester Goode is caring for Yorky during his recuperation, he repeatedly refers to Yorky as "Injun," although Yorky is a white man. He also encourages Yorky to abandon the Arapaho and "live more civilized." Later, Abe Brandt literally talks down to Chester (the Brandt character is sitting on a horse, while Chester is standing on the ground) and repeatedly calls him "boy," which Chester clearly resents.
Every time we (the viewers) think we know what is going on in this story, a new surprise is revealed, all the way to the end.
In that scene between the Brandt and Chester characters, Chester is seen standing in front of the General Store. The sign overhead reads "Wilbur Jonas, Prop." This is the first mention in the series of Mr. Jonas, although the character is not seen. John Patrick plays Jonas in the "Tap Day for Kitty" episode. Dabbs Greer would begin appearing as Wilbur Jonas several episodes later in the first season of the series.
Longtime Gunsmoke fans know Matt Dillon rode a buckskin horse (Festus Haggen even calls him "Buck" in a much later episode). This episode reveals what may be the origins of that horse.
