Don't share here often & when i do it's just a comment. Like now. Guess i can admit that Roger Ewing wasn't exactly my favorite actor on Gunsmoke but when 100% of the (2) reviews here are so unfavorable towards Mr Ewing it caused me to do a 180! Geez! If my calculations are correct, Roger was around 24 yrs old for this filming. Literally a KID! While i'm certainly nothing close to being an expert - much UNlike my (2) fellow reviewers - maybe i'd say that Mr Ewing's acting may have been a little "wooden". Still, (especially considering that the episode revolved around Thad, a 24yr old kid) i felt that Roger did a pretty damn good job. GREAT even! I feel a little better that those other (2) reviewers didn't stop at trashing Roger Ewing. We were also schooled on subjects such as plot & poor writing & issues that Gunsmoke episodes often stumbled over ETC .. o yes, at least one (of the 2) reviewers mentioned that basically William Shatner is not a good actor. At least that opinion was spot on! .. well, except for the fact that even now at 91yrs old he's still in demand as an actor & author & director & musician & producer .. hmn .. maybe NOT such a poor actor? Kinda obvious that more than a few ppl like him - why else would he still be around?! .. anyhoo. I know. Not everyone is going to love every episode. We all have our own opinions & have the right to express them! Yes! I'm in! .. it's just that, when i read reviews like those (2) aforementioned - i just felt like they both stopped in & pooped on the entire episode. Again - opinions - everyone entitled - except when you give the impression that you not only disliked this episode but not even overly impressed with the entire Gunsmoke series .. well why on earth are you even here?! .. ok, i'm sorry - lol probably getting way too emotional about some ancient Gunsmoke episodes but after perusing such (2) rotten & disappointing reviews i felt absolutely compelled to drop in & stick up for one of my favorite go to warm fuzzies programs that i still watch daily whenever possible! GUNSMOKE RULES! 🤘🏻🤠
4 Reviews
Interesting Premise with Too Many Plot Elements
wdavidreynolds22 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Roger Ewing's Clayton Thaddeus "Thad" Greenwood is the central regular character in this episode. Thad is on his way back to Dodge City after delivering some horses when he happens upon a Deputy Sheriff named Kester. Kester has been shot and is dying. He tells Thad he was shot with his own gun by an outlaw he was transporting to Elkader named Fred Bateman. Kester deputizes Thad with his dying breath.
Thad quickly finds Bateman, played by William Shatner. Unfortunately, Bateman proves to be more than the inexperienced Thad can handle. The two scuffle repeatedly. At one point Thad is badly injured. For some reason, Bateman chooses to help Thad rather than take the opportunity to get away. (One would think an outlaw that shot a Deputy Sheriff and left him to die would be unlikely to help another person. This is just one of the puzzling aspects of the story.)
Once Thad has recovered somewhat, he and Bateman struggle again. This time, a group of Quakers come upon the fighting pair. Both men claim the other to be the outlaw. The Quakers decide to take them both back to their settlement until they can decide what to do.
Meanwhile, we suddenly learn there are three mysterious fellows pursuing Bateman. Bateman knows where a large amount of money has been hidden, and these three guys want to know where it is. But, like the Quakers, these three do not know Fred Bateman, either.
As if all of this wasn't enough for a one-hour plot, Thad and one of the Quaker women fall in love. The Quakers tend to think Thad is Bateman, because the real Bateman is a smooth talking son-of-a-gun, and the Quakers are rather gullible.
Back in Dodge City, the man for which Thad was delivering the horses wants his money, and Matt is worried. Matt and Festus head out to see what happened to the long overdue Thad.
All of these plot elements surprisingly converge into a fairly unsurprising ending.
Roger Ewing's acting career was relatively short, as was his two seasons on Gunsmoke. This episode gives us a pretty good clue why. Ewing simply lacks the charisma or acting ability to carry an episode.
Otherwise, the cast here is solid, as was true of most Gunsmoke episodes. Shatner is good, especially considering his tendency to overact at times. The great character actor Ben Johnson and the Gunsmoke veteran Tom Reese both play heavies here.
The Gunsmoke writers had a tendency to introduce too many plot elements at times, and this is the case with this episode. Who were the mystery men? Where did they come from? They obviously want to know where Bateman hid the money, but they cannot even identify Bateman. They also seem to know a lot about Bateman, other than his appearance. What is the purpose of introducing the romantic element between Thad and the Quaker girl? Did they just need to pad the episode? Why did Bateman choose to help Thad rather than using the opportunity to get away?
Between Ewing's uninspired acting and the introduction of too many different plot elements, this episode is not up to par with the best of the series.
Thad quickly finds Bateman, played by William Shatner. Unfortunately, Bateman proves to be more than the inexperienced Thad can handle. The two scuffle repeatedly. At one point Thad is badly injured. For some reason, Bateman chooses to help Thad rather than take the opportunity to get away. (One would think an outlaw that shot a Deputy Sheriff and left him to die would be unlikely to help another person. This is just one of the puzzling aspects of the story.)
Once Thad has recovered somewhat, he and Bateman struggle again. This time, a group of Quakers come upon the fighting pair. Both men claim the other to be the outlaw. The Quakers decide to take them both back to their settlement until they can decide what to do.
Meanwhile, we suddenly learn there are three mysterious fellows pursuing Bateman. Bateman knows where a large amount of money has been hidden, and these three guys want to know where it is. But, like the Quakers, these three do not know Fred Bateman, either.
As if all of this wasn't enough for a one-hour plot, Thad and one of the Quaker women fall in love. The Quakers tend to think Thad is Bateman, because the real Bateman is a smooth talking son-of-a-gun, and the Quakers are rather gullible.
Back in Dodge City, the man for which Thad was delivering the horses wants his money, and Matt is worried. Matt and Festus head out to see what happened to the long overdue Thad.
All of these plot elements surprisingly converge into a fairly unsurprising ending.
Roger Ewing's acting career was relatively short, as was his two seasons on Gunsmoke. This episode gives us a pretty good clue why. Ewing simply lacks the charisma or acting ability to carry an episode.
Otherwise, the cast here is solid, as was true of most Gunsmoke episodes. Shatner is good, especially considering his tendency to overact at times. The great character actor Ben Johnson and the Gunsmoke veteran Tom Reese both play heavies here.
The Gunsmoke writers had a tendency to introduce too many plot elements at times, and this is the case with this episode. Who were the mystery men? Where did they come from? They obviously want to know where Bateman hid the money, but they cannot even identify Bateman. They also seem to know a lot about Bateman, other than his appearance. What is the purpose of introducing the romantic element between Thad and the Quaker girl? Did they just need to pad the episode? Why did Bateman choose to help Thad rather than using the opportunity to get away?
Between Ewing's uninspired acting and the introduction of too many different plot elements, this episode is not up to par with the best of the series.
Shatner the Joker
Johnny_West30 November 2022
This episode is from December 10, 1966. The first Star Trek episode was aired on September 8, 1966. Also in this episode was Liam Sullivan who appeared on Star Trek in season 3 episode "Plato's Stepchildren," and Anna Karen, who appeared in the season 3 episode "All Our Yeserdays."
Besides the Star Trek connection, this episode also features Western legend Ben Johnson as a villain, along with career thugs Tom Reese and Timothy Carey. They join the episode towards the end, when they attack the Quaker town, looking for Shatner and his money. They beat up some Quakers and vandalize the village. Eventually they pick the wrong guy to torture (Ewing) in order to locate the cash. The Quakers were convinced Thad was the evil killer, because Shatner was so charming and so nice.
The quirky acting of William Shatner is the real star. He kills a sheriff, has a large amount of stolen money hidden, he alternates between being evil, being kind to everyone, and laughing at Roger Ewing like he is crazy. The Quakers find Shatner & Ewing in bad shape, and Shatner persuades them that Ewing is the bad guy.
This was done on Gunsmoke before, when Matt Dillon and Robert Wilke are found unconscious by a nester family, and Wilke persudes them he is the Marshal (season 9 "The Bassops").
In this version Roger Ewing is the deputy, and besides having no personality, Shatner steals every scene with Ewing. Shatner's talent blows everyone away. When Shatner is laughing, being a nice guy, getting angry, threatening Ewing, etc., Ewing just stands there with his mouth open, like he is thinking "that was not in the script I read." The truth is that Shatner puts so much pizzazz into his role that it really makes an average Gunsmoke story very memorable.
This episode really highlights that Shatner could really improvise his acting, and turn his character on a dime. I had seen this before on Star Trek, but seeing him evolve a standard Gunsmoke villain into a complicated, devious, somehwhat insane character was impressive.
As I watched this episode recently, and saw Shatner alternating from good guy to villain, it occurred to me that he could have been a good Joker, as a villain for Batman. While Cesar Romero made the role famous on the Batman TV series, I think Shatner could have been a classic version of the Joker character. His acting was inspired.
Besides the Star Trek connection, this episode also features Western legend Ben Johnson as a villain, along with career thugs Tom Reese and Timothy Carey. They join the episode towards the end, when they attack the Quaker town, looking for Shatner and his money. They beat up some Quakers and vandalize the village. Eventually they pick the wrong guy to torture (Ewing) in order to locate the cash. The Quakers were convinced Thad was the evil killer, because Shatner was so charming and so nice.
The quirky acting of William Shatner is the real star. He kills a sheriff, has a large amount of stolen money hidden, he alternates between being evil, being kind to everyone, and laughing at Roger Ewing like he is crazy. The Quakers find Shatner & Ewing in bad shape, and Shatner persuades them that Ewing is the bad guy.
This was done on Gunsmoke before, when Matt Dillon and Robert Wilke are found unconscious by a nester family, and Wilke persudes them he is the Marshal (season 9 "The Bassops").
In this version Roger Ewing is the deputy, and besides having no personality, Shatner steals every scene with Ewing. Shatner's talent blows everyone away. When Shatner is laughing, being a nice guy, getting angry, threatening Ewing, etc., Ewing just stands there with his mouth open, like he is thinking "that was not in the script I read." The truth is that Shatner puts so much pizzazz into his role that it really makes an average Gunsmoke story very memorable.
This episode really highlights that Shatner could really improvise his acting, and turn his character on a dime. I had seen this before on Star Trek, but seeing him evolve a standard Gunsmoke villain into a complicated, devious, somehwhat insane character was impressive.
As I watched this episode recently, and saw Shatner alternating from good guy to villain, it occurred to me that he could have been a good Joker, as a villain for Batman. While Cesar Romero made the role famous on the Batman TV series, I think Shatner could have been a classic version of the Joker character. His acting was inspired.
William Shatner is fine but not much else
kfo949412 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Thad (Roger Ewing) is the main character in this episode when he comes across a dying deputy that was shot by the notorious con-artist Fred Bateman played by William Shatner. The deputy gets Thad to swear that he will bring Fred Bateman to justice and kill him.
When Thad comes up on Fred a big fist fight breaks out. It is broken up by some local Quakers (that do not believe in violence) and both men claim the other is Fred Bateman. The Quakers are confused and take both men back to their village till the true criminal is exposed.
During the next 45 minutes we get a rather uninteresting double plot of a not-so-bad criminal Fred Bateman trying to escape and Thad falling in love with a young Quaker. It all comes to a head when another gang of ranchers, which has been searching for Fred Bateman, stumble onto the village to take their revenge. And now Fred has the cross roads of telling the gang that he is the true criminal or causing violence onto the village.
The main appeal of this episode is seeing William Shatner portraying a dandy criminal. Which he does a good job. But other than that this episode is unremarkable.
Roger Ewing has some good moments but seems awkward and out-of-place when he has to hold up the entire show. Thad is fine back in Dodge when given two or three lines in a scene but having to dominate the entire episode seems not to be his strong point.
Not one of the strongest episodes of the series.
When Thad comes up on Fred a big fist fight breaks out. It is broken up by some local Quakers (that do not believe in violence) and both men claim the other is Fred Bateman. The Quakers are confused and take both men back to their village till the true criminal is exposed.
During the next 45 minutes we get a rather uninteresting double plot of a not-so-bad criminal Fred Bateman trying to escape and Thad falling in love with a young Quaker. It all comes to a head when another gang of ranchers, which has been searching for Fred Bateman, stumble onto the village to take their revenge. And now Fred has the cross roads of telling the gang that he is the true criminal or causing violence onto the village.
The main appeal of this episode is seeing William Shatner portraying a dandy criminal. Which he does a good job. But other than that this episode is unremarkable.
Roger Ewing has some good moments but seems awkward and out-of-place when he has to hold up the entire show. Thad is fine back in Dodge when given two or three lines in a scene but having to dominate the entire episode seems not to be his strong point.
Not one of the strongest episodes of the series.
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