How to Die for Nothing | Gunsmoke (05-10-58)

Old Time Radio Westerns

This episode of Gunsmoke follows U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon as he arrests a drunken cowboy, Zach Taylor, for making violent threats in Dodge C

Key takeaways

Marshal Matt Dillon arrests Zach Taylor for public drunkenness and threats, defying local pressure to release him immediately.
A group of eighteen armed Texans led by Jackson arrives in Dodge City demanding the prisoner be turned over for a back-alley execution.

Main topics

frontier law enforcement
mob violence and intimidation

Notable quotes

"You have to wait till he does it to wait for nothing."

Conclusion

The episode delivers a tense, character-driven Western narrative that

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (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 2 (0:11) Turning dreams into direction. Speaker 2 (0:17) Every journey brings us closer to the life we imagine. Speaker 2 (0:23) So, where will your journey take you? Etihad. Beyond borders. Speaker 1 (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 dates May 10th, 1958, and the title is How to Die for Nothing. Let's get into it. Speaker 3 (2:16) That's where the U.S. Marshal and the Smell-O-Matic... Speaker 2 (2:20) 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 2 (2:31) Turning dreams into direction. Speaker 2 (2:37) Every journey brings us closer to the life we imagine. Speaker 2 (2:43) So, where will your journey take you? Etihad. Beyond borders. Speaker 3 (4:05) bartender. Speaker 3 (4:07) and by tomorrow you'll wish you were back trailing. Speaker 3 (4:13) Turn that bottle. Maybe there won't be no dogs. is torn at a plumber's part. Speaker 3 (4:53) Come here, boy. Speaker 3 (4:59) but don't get any notions about shooting up this town. Who are you, anyway? I'm a U.S. Marshal. I'll take your gun until you're sober enough to carry it. Nobody takes my gun. Speaker 3 (5:11) Better ride right back to camp. Speaker 3 (5:14) Zach? He won't. Mister, I'm staying. Me and my gun. You can be Marshall for breakfast if you try to stop me. Speaker 1 (5:25) I warned you. Speaker 1 (5:29) I'm going to Speaker 3 (5:29) kill you for doing that, Dave. Speaker 3 (5:41) Another drunken cowboy with more fire... Now you had to kill him. Yeah. Speaker 3 (5:51) Don't shoot me now. No, no. Nobody ain't gonna shoot you, Mr. Taylor. Come on. Get on your feet. Come on.