Little Bird | Gunsmoke (05-11-58)

Gunsmoke | OTRWesterns.com

This episode of Gunsmoke follows U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon as he investigates a suspicious couple in Dodge City, uncovering a story of abduction and

Key takeaways

• Matt Dillon investigates Bo/Bull Taggart after Kitty notes his wife Maria appears terrified in the saloon.
• Don Marco Velasquez travels from Chihuahua, Mexico, to Dodge City searching for his abducted wife.

Main topics

• Frontier justice vs. personal honor
• Abduction and marital conflict

Notable quotes

"Down Dodge City and in the Territory on West, there's just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with a U.S. Marshal and the smell of gun smoke."

Conclusion

The episode delivers a tightly paced Western morality play where forma

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) For many of us, going further isn't a choice. It's a feeling we can't ignore because ambition has a way of outgrowing where it began. Speaker 1 (0:11) Turning dreams into direction. Speaker 1 (0:17) Every journey brings us closer to the life we imagine. Speaker 1 (0:23) So, where will your journey take you? Etihad. Beyond borders. Speaker 3 (0:44) Welcome to the Old Time Radio Westerns. I'm your host, Andrew Rines, and I'm excited to bring you another episode absolutely free. This episode is one of many released every month, totaling over 80 episodes so far. Each one is meticulously digitally restored and stored in the cloud for your convenience, a process that incurs costs. To help cover these expenses, you might hear some advertisements throughout the episode. While we do retain the original commercials for historical authenticity, you may also encounter modern ads, which help keep the lights on. If you prefer an ad-free experience, we offer a couple options. You can listen to the episodes on YouTube. You can also support us by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For more information, go to otrwesterns.com slash donate. Again, otrwesterns.com slash donate. I do want to emphasize that we are committed to providing this content to you for free, but also we have to be transparent about the financial realities to bringing this to you. Now, let's get into this episode. This episode is going to be Gunsmoke. Original air date is May 11th, 1958, and the title is Little Bird. Hope you enjoy. Speaker 7 (2:11) Down Dodge City and in the Territory on West, there's just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with a U.S. Marshal and the smell of gun smoke. Speaker 1 (2:21) For many of us, going further isn't a choice. It's a feeling we can't ignore because ambition has a way of outgrowing where it began. Speaker 1 (2:32) Turning dreams into direction. Speaker 1 (2:38) Every journey brings us closer to the life we imagine. Speaker 1 (2:44) So, where will your journey take you? Etihad. Beyond Borders. Speaker 7 (3:10) Starring William Conrad. Speaker 7 (3:16) © Speaker 6 (3:17) BF-WATCH TV 2021 Speaker 6 (3:20) Matt Dillon, United States Marshal. The first man they look for and the last they want to meet. It's a chancy job, and it makes a man watchful. and a little lonely. Speaker 5 (3:48) Mr. Dillon, you reckon this cussed town will ever amount to anything? Speaker 6 (3:53) Dodge City? I don't know, Chester. It might. Why? Speaker 5 (3:57) I look around the way things are here. I sure do wonder sometimes. All it Speaker 6 (4:02) needs is a better climate, good water supply, and a few decent people. Speaker 5 (4:07) Texas would be a good place if they had all that. Speaker 6 (4:10) Then maybe they'll both amount to something someday. Speaker 5 (4:13) Maybe they... Speaker 5 (4:16) Miss Kitty looks kindly Speaker 2 (4:17) upset about something. Matt, Speaker 6 (4:19) wait Speaker 2 (4:19) a minute. Speaker 6 (4:20) What's the matter, Kitty? Speaker 2 (4:21) Oh, nothing with me. The fellow over there in the long bench. Speaker 6 (4:24) Causing trouble? Speaker 2 (4:25) Not exactly, but there's something wrong. I know there is. He's got a woman with him. His wife, he says. Speaker 6 (4:31) Men don't bring their wives into saloons, Kitty. Speaker 2 (4:34) Yeah, I know, but it's more than that. He says she's Indian, but I don't think she is. And she's scared, Matt. She's scared to death. Speaker 6 (4:42) Scared of what? Speaker 2 (4:43) Of him, I think. He's a big brute and mean as sin and twice as ugly. Speaker 6 (4:48) Well, if he's mistreating her, what... Well, Speaker 2 (4:50) he hasn't hit her yet, but he keeps threatening to. Oh, Matt, there they are. They're leaving. Speaker 5 (4:57) this way. My gracious, he sure is big and mean-looking. Well, he must weigh close to 280 pounds. Speaker 6 (5:09) Hey, mister. Speaker 6 (5:11) I'd like to talk to you. Speaker 6 (5:15) My name is Dillon. I'm a U.S. Marshal here. You know him, Tom? I've been here three days, if that's new. What's your name? Speaker 6 (5:28) This lady your wife? Is that any business of yours, Marshal? That's what I'm trying to find out. Do you speak English, ma'am? Speaker 1 (5:37) Pues si, senor. A little bit. Shut up. Speaker 6 (5:41) Why don't you want her to talk, fool? Because she's a born liar. Speaker 6 (5:47) Not many Indians in this part of the country speak Spanish. She ain't from around here. She's from down in the border country. The Mexicans taught her in mission school. Is that right, ma'am? Speaker 2 (5:55) Senor, I... Speaker 6 (5:56) I warned you, didn't I? You know what'll happen if you start lying. Speaker 1 (6:00) Please, no. Speaker 6 (6:02) All right, go ahead. Answer the marshal. Speaker 1 (6:05) It's true, senor. I learned in mission school. Speaker 6 (6:09) Are you this man's wife? Speaker 1 (6:12) I am his wife. Speaker 6 (6:14) You satisfied, Marshal? Speaker 6