Gunsmoke (TV Series) Captain Sligo (1971) User Reviews

A fun romp

[kenstallings-65346 · 7/10 · 31 March 2018]

Apparently, some people think every episode of this series has to be drama! Some forget that things can be fun also.

This episode is a pure romp. It's not intended to be serious, and those who are disappointed that it's not missed the whole point of the episode.

Moreover, a few of the statements made in previous reviews miss salient truths.

The character Captain Sligo built his home as a ship near his neighbor's home precisely because, as he told her, it was the only point of his property that was intersected by the West 100 degree longitude line. So, for the previous reviewer to claim it wasn't "exactly clear," is only explained because the reviewer failed to note it plainly stated in the episode's dialogue!

Moreover, the courtship was the central part of the fun. The banter between the old salt and the widowed mother was the fun of seeing two cantankerous characters butting heads and ending up with more affinity for each other each time.

The plot shows that even if the captain is a bit short on the lay of the land, he's a quick study, and not one to be trifled with. Armed with a stick that's encrusted with years of sea brine, he is quite adept at handling even a large group of cowboys, with his wits as well as his brawn, as proven in the climatic scenes with the drovers who tried to swindle him.

And, he's also adept at winning the hearts of two children, who do know how to plant corn, and as was made clear, perfectly willing to use that knowledge to help make the captain part of their family!

Ultimately, what we are left with is the message that if Marshal Matt Dillon was a sea captain, his name would have been Captain Aron Sligo!

Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Stick?

[wdavidreynolds · 5/10 · 22 July 2021]

The first Gunsmoke episode broadcast in 1971 features an Irish immigrant character, Captain Aron Sligo, who has recently sold his whaling ship and decided to settle in Kansas. The episode begins with a great little mini story where Captain Sligo stops on his journey to the Dodge City area in the town of Hoxie Station to feed and water his horses (and his pet buffalo) and have some repair work done on one of the horse's shoes. Sligo visits the saloon for a drink, but Sligo gets into an altercation with some unpleasant saloon patrons.

The would-be bullies quickly learn the captain is quite adept at fighting with a stick he carries. They are no match for his skills. After Sligo renders them all unconscious, he loads them on his wagon for the trip to Dodge where he turns them over to Matt Dillon.

Captain Sligo intends to live *exactly* on the 100th Meridian. (The 100th Meridian is an invisible line that was identified by American geologist John Wesley Powell in 1878. Powell contended it divided the more humid and fertile eastern United States from the drier, more arid western portion of the country. Powell contended the land west of the 100th Meridian required water and land-management considerations to address environmental constraints.)

Sligo is a stubborn, determined man, who is accustomed to giving orders and getting what he wants. He contends he intends to build his new dwelling as near as possible to the geographical center of the United States. (The captain is mistaken in his measurements. The geographical center of the United States in the late 1800s was located about three-and-one-half hours northeast of Dodge City. The addition of Alaska and Hawaii as states changed the location to where it is today in South Dakota.)

The location the captain has chosen is only a few steps from the dwelling of a widow named Josephine Burney and her two children, Anne and Tim. In fact, the widow's house sits right on the 100th Meridian, but she is not amenable to Sligo's suggestion that she move her house to accommodate him.

Most of the story involves Captain Sligo's attempts to develop a romantic relationship with Josephine, who is not so willing to be wooed by the overbearing former seaman. There is also a subplot dealing with Sligo's efforts at cattle ranching and farming that add more drama to the story.

Richard Basehart's Captain Sligo performance presents a character that is like the proverbial "bull in a China shop." He attempts to transfer his seafaring style to western ranching. One cannot help but wonder why someone who has spent his life at sea suddenly wants to live as a farmer and cattle rancher. This is all clearly supposed to be funny -- think The Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres where someone or some group finds themselves in a culture completely foreign to what they have previously known. Unfortunately, the attempts at humor are not particularly amusing. This performance represents Basehart's only Gunsmoke involvement.

Salome Jens portrays Josephine Burney in this story. This was a time in Jens's career when it was just beginning to build momentum. Although this was the first Gunsmoke episode for Jens, she would return in Season 18's "Talbot" where she co-starred with Anthony Zerbe.

The part of Captain Sligo's sidekick/bosun Watney is played by the great Royal Dano in the penultimate of his thirteen different Gunsmoke roles, which go all the way back to the first season's "Obie Tater" installment.

Watch for Robert Totten as the blacksmith in the town where Sligo first stops. Totten's Hollywood career was strongly associated with Gunsmoke, as he played parts in eight episodes, and directed twenty-five, including "Jenny," which was the episode originally broadcast immediately prior to "Captain Sligo." In this acting role, Totten is sporting his impressive full beard.

There are a few episodes of Gunsmoke that elicit wildly varying reviews and opinion. This is one of those episodes. It seems people either love it or hate it.

Comparisons to the "Sgt. Holly" story, which was broadcast only a couple of episodes prior to this story, are inevitable. Forrest Tucker's Sergeant Holly is replaced by Richard Basehart's Captain Sligo, and Amanda Blake's Kitty Russell is replaced with Salome Jens's Josephine Burney. Of course, the stories are not *exactly* the same, but there are similarities. William Kelley penned both episodes.

I do not absolutely love this episode, but I find it more entertaining than the awful "Sgt. Holly" story. Basehart's bullheaded Sligo at least knows what he wants and refuses to allow anything to stand in his way, whereas Tucker's Emmett Holly is an annoying, belligerent drunk. I have always thought this episode plays much like a pilot for a spinoff, but as far as I know there were no plans to develop a series based on these characters.

William Conrad directs this episode. Conrad played the Matt Dillon character on the original radio series. Earlier in his career he played heavies in films. As television grew in popularity, his physical weight usually prevented him from being cast in leading roles, and he focused more on voice work and directing. He provided voiceovers for The Bullwinkle Show and was the narrator for The Fugitive. He had some success directing television. Later in his career, he played the character Frank Cannon in the popular detective series Cannon and the character Jason McCabe in Jake and the Fatman, while continuing a considerable amount of voice work.

most... annoying... episode... ever

[grizzledgeezer · 1/10 · 9 September 2013]

If you detested the Captain Holly episodes, you're likely to despise this one.

Richard Basehart has never been a favorite actor (even at his worst, Forest Tucker still exudes /some/ charm), and here he blusters and yells his way through Captain Sligo's confrontation with the world. For most of the show, you feel you're being audibly assaulted.

The story isn't helped by the sense that about five minutes of script seem to have been lost somewhere. That Sligo wants to set up a ranch on the 100th meridian ("equally far from both oceans") is stated outright, but how he comes to be Josephine Burney's neighbor -- and right in her front yard! -- and why he should want to court her (other than that she's fairly good-looking and a fellow Gael) aren't exactly clear.

The general confusion probably explains why the IMDb summary gets the corn-growing subplot backwards. Sligo doesn't know you can't grow corn from seeded cobs.

There are two semi-irritating children who try to get Burney and Sligo married. Burney is played by a nearly unrecognizable (and largely wasted) Salome Jens. And Royal Dano is /utterly/ wasted as Sligo's assistant.

A dismal and largely pointless episode.

Richard Basehart shines as a dry docked Whaling Captain

[teach9734 · 10/10 · 23 September 2018]

This episode was a rareity. The whole episode was turned over to it's guest star and the regular cast only briefly appeared, mostly at the beginning and end. This was all Richard Basehart's show. He turned in a wonderful and fun performance as a salty old Captain from a Whaling ship, Captain Aaron Sligo who decides to retire in the center of North America which just happens to be near Dodge City in the state of Kansas. His first mate and closest friend Mr. Watley, has arrived before him and has everything set up including a lookouts mast attached to the house. Mr. Watley is played by Royal Dano, who also appeared in the 1956 feature film "Moby Dick" as Elijah who foretold the ill fate of the Piquad, the ship that Richard Basehart as Ishmael was about to sign up and sail not knowing he would be the sole survivor of its ill fated voyage.

Captain Sligo shows up with a bison pulling his wagon when he spots his new neighbor, the widow Burney with her two youngsters and the beginnings of a rocky courtship for the two. The widow invites the Captain for dinner. He regaled the youngsters and the widow Burney with some of his rollicking sea tales. He then proceeds to let her know that he is set on marrying her and she challenges him that if he can grow corn on the rocky piece of land he purchased, that when the corn is shoe top high, that she will marry him. Salome Jens played the role of the widow Burney. The banter between Basehart and Jens is fun to be sure.

This episode got rave reviews and the critics especially applauded Richard Basehart's performance. This was far different from his stolid role as Admiral Harriman Nelson during the four year run of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode of Gunsmoke. The performance of Richard Basehart and the supporting cast made this a truly entertaining hour. This episode originally aired in January 1971 just a few days after New Years Day. I try to catch this episode on a couple of the nostalgia cable TV channels when ever it's on.

Another Mentally Defective Character

[Johnny_West · 1/10 · 16 June 2022]

In the last years of Gunsmoke, Festus was turned into a character that was a buffoon. What was once a tough hardcore cowboy became the town clown, singing and whistling to himself as he went to the saloon to tell the other characters stories that emphasized how ignorant he was.

Another trend was to find bizarre characters and make them the star of any given episode. I guess they gave up on the traditional Western? Captain Sligo is like some kind of legendary sea-faring character who comes from a life as a whaling captain. Sligo decides to live on a farm that is supposed to be his land-ship, with a mast in the front yard, and other ship knick-knacks around his home. He is always shouting lots of annoying remarks about life on the sea to his first mate, played by Royal Dano. Like usual, Dano plays his character like some kind of a half-wit.

Richard Basehart works a thick Irish accent. He also spends most of the episode trying to seduce a lonely neighbor widow by berating her character, and otherwise verbally abusing her into loving him, as often happened on Gunsmoke. Men who were crude, obnoxious, and stupid were often shown to be a real catch for the frontier women of Kansas, back in the days of Gunsmoke.

In spite of many of the townies hating Sligo, he punches his way to earning the love and respect of his neighbors. Like all guest characters who become good friends with Dillon, Festus, Miss Kitty, and Doc Adams, he is never seen again on Gunsmoke.

True romp

[karing1213 · 10/10 · 16 June 2020]

I will not write a blow by blow take on the show but to say Basehart is wonderful in his performance, his courtship of a widow who is his equal in every way is a delight. His old salt of a 1st mate and her two kids much charmed and on the captain's side found out this mostly guest star driven episode. A lot of good humor but not silly this show is an excellent watch.

From hopeful beginnings this episode took a plunge south

[kfo9494 · 1/10 · 11 December 2012]

Captain Sligo is an old whale ship captain that is retiring and wants to move as far from the ocean as possible. He chooses the 100th meridian of Longitude which happens to be near Dodge. One of his former first mates, Watney, has gone ahead and built a house complete with a crows nest on what is considered the Longitude spot. There is a problem, a house sits right next to the Captain's place that is occupied by a widow Josephine Burney with her two children.

Here is when the program makes a left turn from interest into a dull prolonged depth into a relationship between Captain and Josephine. The two by themselves may have been a good story but the two together on the screen have no chemistry. When the Captain was telling a story to the children at the kitchen table, Josephine says "What a lovely story, Wasn't that a lovely story children?". Both children turn their heads at the same time and smiled nodding their heads- I like to have thrown-up. They looked uncomfortable together which was obvious to all the viewers. The story lost any form of entertainment even when it tried to return to a cattle deal where Captain made a poor investment.

From then on nothing could save this show. From the children whining about wanting their mother to marry, to watching corn grow- this episode was the 'Enola Gay' it delivered a bomb

Of all the episodes I have seen and commented on, this is by far my least favorite in the entire collection.

Behold: the worst episode of the entire 20 years

[rerunwatcher · 1/10 · 22 July 2021]

Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you the single worst episode of Gunsmoke of the entire 20 year run. If you ever happen upon this episode I advise to turn the channel. Trust me on this one.