Gunsmoke (TV Series) The New Society (1965) User Reviews

A town refuses to reveal a 12 year old secret.

[kfo9494 · 8/10 · 13 February 2013]

Matt rides into a town where 12 years earlier a Army-Sergeant paymaster had been killed and Sheriff Scanlon Sr had been paralyzed by a wanted brute named Felix Smith. However Smith had been shot and was dying and advised all of things about his past-however he advised that he never killed the paymaster or shot the sheriff. The army has asks Matt to see if he can find any more evidence from the 12 year old crime.

When Matt is riding into the town it is apparent that the citizens are harboring a secret. No one will talk with Matt and when they do they are always looking over their shoulder. Former Sheriff Scanlon (James Gregory) is still in the town and appears to give Matt all the information he can remember about that night. But the new sheriff, Scanlon's son named Tom, tells Matt to leave it along and leave town.

The town, with its secret, gets so scared that they try to lynch Matt. But before the hanging can occur, one man wants what is best for the town. One man tells Matt the entire story.

James Gregory is excellent in this episode playing the paralyzed former sheriff. A nice story and excellent camera work in the final scene. From beginning to end this show will keep the viewer interesting till the closing credits. Good watch.

Matt's "Bad Day at Black Rock"

[lrrap · 9/10 · 26 November 2021]

And like that classic Spencer Tracy film of '55, this episode is loaded with tension and a gnawing sense of danger, as Matt is entirely alone and facing the resentment and hostility of a strange town (with a secret, naturally).

Note the total absence of Doc, Festus and Kitty from this episode; hate to say it, but they weren't really missed, since the plot, character development/interaction, and action are so strong. As usual, the rich, moody B&W photography is really striking.

Well-scripted, a solid, engrossing story with a full cast of well-known actors: James Gregory, Jeremy Slate, Sandy Kenyon, Ian Wolfe, Richard X Slattery and a sympathetic, well-controlled performance by Jack Weston.

It's really remarkable to see Gunsmoke continue to uphold its tradition of excellent, compelling drama with such a high percentage of strong shows, especially as Season 10 nears its conclusion. If you haven't seen this one, try to catch it soon. LR.

Many plot twists

[maskers-87126 · 8/10 · 23 October 2018]

Very intriging plot twists in a well acted thriller.Excellent well known actors.

Town Without Pity

[Johnny_West · 10/10 · 19 January 2023]

What a nasty place to visit! Marshal Dillon is ordered to re-investigate the death of a payroll master at a fort that was later abandoned. The town that supplied the fort with goods had a shady history that Dillon wants to look into.

His friend, the former town sheriff is played by James Gregory. Gregory plays a complicated character who is afraid to go to prison, and is a victim of his own vigilante justice. The sheriff's son is played by Jeremy Slate, who delivers an earnest performance as a lawman divided by loyalties to his father and his town.

Jack Weston plays a central role as a town vagrant who has some mental issues and relies on the charity of the townspeople to survive. He makes some gutsy decisions by helping Dillon, but he also tries to help the old sheriff (Gregory) and the town. Weston does an excellent job with his divided loyalties.

Lots of dramatic conflicts between the good characters that have done bad things, and Matt Dillon. On the other side are some of the crudest and nastiest characters that ever appeared on Gunsmoke. They have no conflicts, they are willing to murder again for the sake of the town and its profits. Richard X. Slattery is the main crumb. He often appeared on TV shows of this era playing a racist, a bully, a thug, or some other low-class character. In this episode, he is the main one calling for the death of Matt Dillon, even before Dillon has actually investigated much.

One thing about this story is there is no gray area. It is kind of unrealistic how fast the townies are ready to kill as soon as Dillon has interviewed a couple of people. The rabidness of the townspeople is harsh.

I was really hoping that fast-draw Dillon would have taken out at least a couple of the nasty people that were attacking him in the livery stable the first time. Later on, Dillon gets beaten up again before the old sheriff arrives. I certainly would not visit that town. It was hard to believe that it was prospering (as they all claimed), considering how meanly they treated strangers.

One humorous note is that when the townies attack the sheriff's office and are pushing Jeremy Slate around, the notice board behind him falls off the wall. Slate and a couple of others keep pushing the board up, and holding it against the wall while they are fighting. When the camera angle changes, the board is back on the wall. It was the only funny thing in this dark episode.

Adhesive

[rmont-06383 · 10/10 · 27 November 2021]

Not a review, but a comment about someone's information about adhesive bandages. While adhesive bandages themselves were not invented until 1920, surgical adhesive tape was invented in 1845. The tape held cotton or cloth over the wound.

Detective Matt Dillon

[wdavidreynolds · 7/10 · 20 January 2021]

This is one of those episodes where Matt Dillon is away from Dodge City acting as a detective in his capacity as U.S. Marshal. The U.S. Army has asked Matt to go to a place called Ridge Town to investigate an incident that occurred 12 years earlier when a man named Felix Smith supposedly shot and killed an army major finance officer named Franklin and permanently wounded Sheriff John Scanlon of the town. Smith was tried and convicted, but he died recently. As he was dying he insisted he was not responsible for the shootings, which led to Marshal Dillon's investigation.

In Ridge Town, the Marshal encounters a citizenry that appears to be quite uninterested in discussing any of the events surrounding the shooting and extremely resistant to Dillon's efforts to reveal the facts. Matt has trouble understanding why no one wants to tell the truth about what happened on the night in question. The more Dillon uncovers, the more the mystery grows and the more anxious the people of the town become.

The situation escalates to the point where some of the townspeople frame Matt for assaulting a woman, beat him, and attempt to run him out of town.

This story is a great example of a situation where fear of the truth drives people to extremes they would likely never consider under less volatile circumstances.

Another great cast is featured in this episode. James Gregory plays the former sheriff, who is now confined to a wheelchair as a result of the shooting. Jeremy Slate makes another appearance on Gunsmoke as the former sheriff's son, Tom, who now serves as sheriff.

Jack Weston stands out as the mentally challenged character Wesley. Wesley vocalizes and portrays the fears of the townspeople in a very literal way.

Other familiar faces include Richard X. Slattery, Sandy Kenyon, Lew Brown, Ian Wolfe, and others.

This is the last of four episodes Calvin Clements wrote in Season 10. Clements would eventually write 43 episodes in the entire series. Joseph Sargent handles the director duties here. Sargent directed seven other episodes of Gunsmoke and enjoyed a long career directing television shows and television movies throughout the 1960s well into the 2000s.

Incorrect description

[LukeCoolHand · 4/10 · 17 March 2022]

I don't know why but for some reason, one of the TV stations I watch Gunsmoke on gets this episode mixed up with the next episode "He Who Steals". They show this title but the description is for "He Who steals" and then they show "The New society". I do not care too much for either episode but I had rather see " He Who steals" but from the incorrect description I think that is what is going to occur but it does not. This mix up has been going on for over a year now. Oh well.