Gunsmoke (TV Series) The Hanging (1966) User Reviews

Low ratings based on poor observations

[netflixnkill · 8/10 · 2 August 2022]

All 3 current reviews on this episode has flaws to them due to misinformation which kinda frustrated me when I came to read them after viewing the episode.

-LukeCoolHand

So yea the noose wasn't around the guy's neck when he was testing it, like not at all... he was holding on to it with the end of the loop in front of him. Idk maybe this reviewer has the DVD'S and was watching an alternate version of the scene. Or maybe they're so use to the black and white episodes that the color is messing with their eyes.

-kf9494

Only one random person wanted to kill in revenge and he was quickly dealt with, the rest of the gang were all torn between the exact same dilemma... not fighting for different causes.

-wdavidreynolds

"Even though their fate is pretty much a forgone conclusion" errr don't all the episodes end with Matt getting the bad guys? So what makes this one so different and anti climatic?

Hmm I will agree that there were alot of characters in this one, but it wasn't that hard to follow if you are paying attention throughout this enjoyable episode.

Promising Story Falls Short

[wdavidreynolds · 6/10 · 19 March 2021]

Matt Dillon, Festus Haggen, and Thad Greenwood apprehend convicted killer Billy Boles. They take Boles to Dodge City where a crowd of people have gathered for a celebration, among other things. Boles has already been sentenced to death by hanging.

The Marshal assumes he will need to transport Boles to Hays City for execution, but he receives word that Boles is to be hung as soon as possible in Dodge City. This presents additional problems for Matt, as now he must hire a hangman and prepare for the hanging.

To complicate matters, there are several people among the crowd of strangers in Dodge that have an interest in the fate of Billy Boles.

• A man named Preston from Hays City wants revenge because Boles killed his wife.
• A man named Oro is desperate for work so he can care for his hungry family. After being refused by a few places in Dodge, he agrees to act as the hangman for the Boles execution.
• A woman named Ivy is pretending to be the wife of Boles, although she is actually part of the Boles gang. The entire gang is torn between either freeing the outlaw or killing him to prevent him from revealing their identities.

The tension builds as the time for the hanging draws near. Maria, Oro's wife, is troubled by her husband's newfound profession, and Oro questions his own participation in the hanging.

There is a larger-than-normal cast for this episode. Tom Stern and Kit Smythe, a couple of lesser-known actors, play Billy Boles and Ivy, respectively. This is Smythe's only Gunsmoke appearance. Other character actors play surprisingly small roles. Edmund Hashim, Robert Knapp, Morgan Woodward, and Richard Bakalyan are all part of the Boles gang.

Henry Darrow, who was a well-known actor from television and theater -- probably best remembered as Manolito Montoya on The High Chaparral, plays the part of Oro. Anna Navarro plays his wife, Maria.

Since much of this story takes place within Dodge City, we get to see many of the Dodge regulars, including the familiar cast of uncredited actors that appeared in so many Gunsmoke episodes.

This is one of two episodes of Gunsmoke directed by Bernard L. Kowalski, with the other episode being "Quaker Girl" earlier in Season 12. Kowalski played a prominent role as director of many different television shows during his long career.

The teleplay for this episode was written by Calvin Clements, Sr. from a story written by his son, Calvin Clements, Jr.

This promising story ultimately falls far short of greatness. Despite the strong supporting cast, there is too much discussion and fretting as the different parties plot their actions. The outlaw gang never seems particularly threatening. Even though their fate is pretty much a foregone conclusion from the beginning, the outcome is decidedly anti-climactic.

A crowded cast with a crowded plot

[kfo9494 · 5/10 · 13 July 2012]

This episode begins in a violent manner as we see a man break into this home and shoot down the man and wife right before dinner. The man, Billy Boles, is an escaped murderer and is being pursued by Matt, Festus and Thad. The shots alert the three law-men and before long Billy Boles is in custody and being taking back to Dodge City.

Upon arriving back in Dodge, Matt gets a telegraph from the district judge advising that the hanging for Mr Boles will happen in Dodge City at the earliest convenience. Thus Dodge City gets ready for a hanging.

The only problem with this scenario is that the town has been invaded by people on both sides of the Billy Boles case. There are people that want Billy Boles dead ASAP due to the heartache he has caused in other places. Plus you have some people that have come to Dodge to spring the criminal out of jail before the hanging. And thus the plot of the episode as which side may succeed in their part of the bargain.

This really is not a bad plot idea - but seemed a bit crowded. There were some good actors that got very limited screen time due to the many characters in the show. The plot was interesting but had too many people fighting for different causes that makes the entire show seem slow. And with all of this, they sped through a nice sub-plot concerning the person that was the 'hangman' which would have been a good show by itself.

Too many characters with too many ideas.

Color episodes of Gunsmoke go downhill

[LukeCoolHand · 5/10 · 19 March 2021]

In my opinion, Gunsmoke really took a downhill turn right when the color episodes started. I suspect it was a change in writers. Also this episode had some really weird scenes - a man walking in the street on the tallest stilts I've ever seen. Henry Darrow of The High Chaparral fame testing the gallows by dropping down with his hands holding the rope around his neck keeping himself from dying, which would not have worked. because the drop would have probably wrenched his hands from the rope killing him. Too weird. I won't get into the plot of this ep because it is very rambling and wierd. This is the 4th or 5th color ep I've seen lately and wont' watch them anymore.