When three nuns come into Dodge looking for the father of two small children, they are surprised when the father turns out to be an ornery self-centered old mountain man.When three nuns come into Dodge looking for the father of two small children, they are surprised when the father turns out to be an ornery self-centered old mountain man.When three nuns come into Dodge looking for the father of two small children, they are surprised when the father turns out to be an ornery self-centered old mountain man.
Photos
Buck Taylor
- Newly
- (credit only)
Cece Whitney
- Ivy Landers
- (as CeCe Whitney)
Craig Huxley
- Toby
- (as Chris Hundley)
Rudy Doucette
- Barfly
- (uncredited)
Bert Madrid
- Barfly
- (uncredited)
Phil Schumacher
- Barfly
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- Quotes
Festus Haggen: [Talking about a smelly mountain man] Matthew, that Pack Landers is the type of feller you gotta walk upwind of even if th' ain't no breeze a-blowin'.
Featured review
The Final Episode of the 1960s
The final Gunsmoke episode that originally aired in 1969 features three nuns who have escorted two children to Dodge City with the intention of finding their father. They met their mother, a woman named Ivy Landers, on a freight train. The mother was seriously ill and died during the trip. Before she passed, she told Mother Tabitha her husband is a man named Pack Landers that lives near Dodge.
When the women and children arrive in Dodge, Festus Haggen greets them. Festus clearly has a soft spot for people of faith, because every time a nun, priest, or other person of the cloth reaches Dodge, Festus "gloms on" to them.
The nuns inform Festus of their goal to unite the children with their father. Festus is hesitant to say much about Pack Landers, but he does admit he knows the man. He makes arrangements for a wagon to transport the children and the nuns the several miles to the place where Landers is known to reside.
Festus and his guests arrive at the ramshackle dwelling and find it in disarray. Festus is not sure Landers still lives in the shack, but they find evidence that someone has been there recently.
After Festus gets the women and children settled, he goes back to Dodge. Pack Landers soon arrives at the shack, drunk, belligerent, and surprised to find people in his dwelling.
Once Landers sobers and learns the reason the people are there, he begins to scheme how he might be able to use this situation to his advantage. The remainder of the episode involves the nuns trying to protect the children while determining what will be best for their future contrasted with their father's exploration of different possibilities for profiting from the circumstances.
Jack Elam's over-the-top portrayal of the Pack Landers character is the central focus of this episode. It is interesting to contrast Elam's character in this episode and his Titus Spangler character in Season 17's "P. S. Murry Christmas." Both episodes feature Elam's relationship with children, but his character in the latter episode is an opposite to the character Elam portrays here.
Lynn Hamilton makes her second and final Gunsmoke appearances as Mother Tabitha. Hamilton was a familiar face in many different television shows in the 1970s and 1980s. She may be best remembered for her recurring roles on Sanford and Son and The Waltons. She is convincing as the leader of the three nuns in this story.
The two Sisters are played by Gloria Calomee and Susan Batson. This is the only participation in Gunsmoke for both women. Batson is better known today for her work as an acting coach.
Ken Curtis's performance in this episode is noteworthy. The Festus Haggen character is often polarizing for long-time fans of Gunsmoke. Some people find his character endearing, while others find him annoying. This episode strikes the right balance of highlighting the Festus character without making him more of a caricature, as was sometimes the case (and is the case with Jack Elam's character in this story). It is funny that the writers and producers always had the Festus character interact closely with any religious characters on the show.
In the end, this episode suffers from a lack of originality. We have seen all of these characters before in other Gunsmoke episodes (see Season 12's "Ladies from St. Louis" for one example). It is also a bit confusing, because Elam's performance is so exaggerated the viewer never really knows whether he is supposed to be funny or menacing. The episode is certainly entertaining and worth viewing, but it does not rank as one of the better episodes of the series.
When the women and children arrive in Dodge, Festus Haggen greets them. Festus clearly has a soft spot for people of faith, because every time a nun, priest, or other person of the cloth reaches Dodge, Festus "gloms on" to them.
The nuns inform Festus of their goal to unite the children with their father. Festus is hesitant to say much about Pack Landers, but he does admit he knows the man. He makes arrangements for a wagon to transport the children and the nuns the several miles to the place where Landers is known to reside.
Festus and his guests arrive at the ramshackle dwelling and find it in disarray. Festus is not sure Landers still lives in the shack, but they find evidence that someone has been there recently.
After Festus gets the women and children settled, he goes back to Dodge. Pack Landers soon arrives at the shack, drunk, belligerent, and surprised to find people in his dwelling.
Once Landers sobers and learns the reason the people are there, he begins to scheme how he might be able to use this situation to his advantage. The remainder of the episode involves the nuns trying to protect the children while determining what will be best for their future contrasted with their father's exploration of different possibilities for profiting from the circumstances.
Jack Elam's over-the-top portrayal of the Pack Landers character is the central focus of this episode. It is interesting to contrast Elam's character in this episode and his Titus Spangler character in Season 17's "P. S. Murry Christmas." Both episodes feature Elam's relationship with children, but his character in the latter episode is an opposite to the character Elam portrays here.
Lynn Hamilton makes her second and final Gunsmoke appearances as Mother Tabitha. Hamilton was a familiar face in many different television shows in the 1970s and 1980s. She may be best remembered for her recurring roles on Sanford and Son and The Waltons. She is convincing as the leader of the three nuns in this story.
The two Sisters are played by Gloria Calomee and Susan Batson. This is the only participation in Gunsmoke for both women. Batson is better known today for her work as an acting coach.
Ken Curtis's performance in this episode is noteworthy. The Festus Haggen character is often polarizing for long-time fans of Gunsmoke. Some people find his character endearing, while others find him annoying. This episode strikes the right balance of highlighting the Festus character without making him more of a caricature, as was sometimes the case (and is the case with Jack Elam's character in this story). It is funny that the writers and producers always had the Festus character interact closely with any religious characters on the show.
In the end, this episode suffers from a lack of originality. We have seen all of these characters before in other Gunsmoke episodes (see Season 12's "Ladies from St. Louis" for one example). It is also a bit confusing, because Elam's performance is so exaggerated the viewer never really knows whether he is supposed to be funny or menacing. The episode is certainly entertaining and worth viewing, but it does not rank as one of the better episodes of the series.
helpful•90
- wdavidreynolds
- Jun 20, 2021
Details
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 4:3
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