Bob Johnson is a super fast gunman looking for revenge against the men who paralyzed his foster father and killed his foster brother, when they were attempting to steal a calf.Bob Johnson is a super fast gunman looking for revenge against the men who paralyzed his foster father and killed his foster brother, when they were attempting to steal a calf.Bob Johnson is a super fast gunman looking for revenge against the men who paralyzed his foster father and killed his foster brother, when they were attempting to steal a calf.
- Floyd Binnes
- (as Sandy Kevin)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaKim Darby (Angel) and James Stacy (Bob) met while filming this episode. They married on 3/20/68 but divorced shortly after, on-6/26/69. They had one child, a daughter.
- Quotes
Kitty: [at the social] How about some punch, Louie?
Louie Pheeters: Thank you, Miss Kitty.
[drinks]
Louie Pheeters: PUNCH?
Kitty: Yes, fruit punch.
Louie Pheeters: I thought it was punch punch.
Kitty: Wait a minute.
[pours some whiskey in the cup]
Kitty: Here's some punch punch, Louie.
The nearest town is Dodge City, of course, and Bob and Zack Johnson make their way there where Doc Adams begins treating Zack's injuries. Bob meets a young woman named Angel, and a romance begins to blossom between them.
The younger Johnson has some unique, distinct ideas about life. Although he relates the earlier events to Matt Dillon, when they ride to the town Parker runs, Bob denies having seen Parker and his men before. Later, Bob tells the ailing Zack he plans to "make Parker pay" for killing Floyd and hurting Zack, but he clearly wants to do it his way with no regard for the role of law enforcement.
Any review of this episode requires addressing the presence of James Stacy as the character around which the story revolves. At the time this episode was filmed, Stacy was an up-and-coming Hollywood talent. Although he had appeared in some films, he made his name in television. Shortly after this episode of Gunsmoke was filmed, he began playing the character Johnny Lancer in the television series Lancer.
Stacy, who chose the name James because of James Dean (his birth name was Maurice William Elias), led a turbulent life. His first marriage to Connie Stevens ended in divorce. He met co-star Kim Darby while filming this episode of Gunsmoke, and they were married briefly and had a child together. He lost his left arm and leg when a drunk driver hit him and his girlfriend when they were riding a motorcycle. The accident killed his girlfriend. He was able to return to acting after a long recuperation and won Emmy awards for a couple of his post-accident performances. He retired from acting in the early 1990s. He was later arrested multiple times for prowling the homes of underage girls. After he was arrested for molesting an 11-year-old girl, he fled to Hawaii where he attempted suicide. He was subsequently convicted and served a prison sentence.
Even Stacy's death was odd. He was administered an antibiotic injection in 2016, experienced a severe reaction, and died of anaphylactic shock.
The actor Tim Olyphant portrayed Stacy in Quentin Tarantino's film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Stacy's performance is the highlight of this quality, two-part episode. He perfectly portrays the somewhat dark Rob Johnson character who certainly insists on living his life on his own terms and refuses to listen to others.
But Stacy's performance is not the only notable aspect of this story. Clearly, the producers went all out when casting the characters. Kim Darby plays the brooding, meek Angel character. She had appeared in the Season 12 episode "The Lure." John Ireland is his usual, nasty self as Parker. Morgan Woodard is Zack Johnson. Paul Fix plays Sheriff Sloan, whose sense of law and order begins and ends with whatever Parker says. Buck Taylor makes his first Gunsmoke appearance as Parker's impetuous son, Leonard. Of course, Taylor would join the cast as Newly O'Brien before the end of the season.
Richard C. Sarafian directs the episode. Soon after this episode was filmed, he directed the classic film Vanishing Point.
Another reviewer mentioned Part 1 could easily stand on its own, and I agree. Although the first part of the story definitely lays the groundwork for what is to come, it is unusual for the first part of a two-part episode to be contained so concisely.
- wdavidreynolds
- Apr 7, 2021