Doc helps Matt escort a wounded man to Dodge to stand trial for murder, but Matt gets word by telegram that the man's gang plans to storm the train on which the lawman and his prisoner are t... Read allDoc helps Matt escort a wounded man to Dodge to stand trial for murder, but Matt gets word by telegram that the man's gang plans to storm the train on which the lawman and his prisoner are traveling.Doc helps Matt escort a wounded man to Dodge to stand trial for murder, but Matt gets word by telegram that the man's gang plans to storm the train on which the lawman and his prisoner are traveling.
Photos
Amanda Blake
- Kitty
- (credit only)
Ken Curtis
- Festus
- (credit only)
Lee de Broux
- Tim
- (as Lee De Broux)
Harry Harvey
- Dispatcher
- (as Harry Harvey Sr.)
Bobby Clark
- Barstow
- (as Bobby E. Clark)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaNinth and final appearance of Harry Lauter, all credited parts as various characters.
- GoofsMatt, Doc, and the prisoner eat sandwiches that are obviously made with modern, factory-baked-and-cut bread.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #19.72 (2002)
Featured review
Too Many Questionable Plot Elements
Matt Dillon is inexplicably transporting a man named Johnny August to Dodge City via a private train car to stand trial for murder. Doc Adams is traveling with them because August was shot in the leg. Presumably, the Marshal needed Doc to provide assurance that August was well enough to travel.
(This entire situation is perplexing. Dillon does not normally transport prisoners via train. Was there no doctor in the place where the Marshal took custody of August? Who did August murder that warranted such special transportation accommodations?)
It is no surprise to learn that August has "friends" who want to see him freed and Marshal Dillon eliminated. Their goal is to keep Matt from achieving his goal of making it back to Dodge with prisoner in tow.
Soon after the story begins, the train makes a scheduled stop and several passengers are allowed to board, much to Marshal Dillon's chagrin. The stage line is not able to run because of a burned bridge, and the unexpected passengers have been diverted to the train from the stagecoach on which they were scheduled. (Once again, this is a curious development. If the private train car was added specifically to transport the prisoner, why is it suddenly acceptable for the train to take on the additional passengers? There is another train scheduled later; why not make them wait for it?)
To add to the Marshal's misery, among the passengers is a woman named Elizabeth Devon. Mrs. Devon is traveling westward to meet her husband who has been appointed a territorial governor. In Chicago, Mrs. Devon did some work in prison reform. She has seen the deplorable conditions in prisons, and -- for some reason -- immediately decides August is being mistreated by the Marshal.
The crux of this story involves Marshal Dillon's challenges ensuring Johnny August arrives in Dodge City while minimizing any trouble along the way.
The cast in this episode is up to the usual Gunsmoke standards of excellence. Joanne Linville is Elizabeth Devon. Linville was a familiar face in television from the 1950s through the 1980s. Linville had a knack for playing strong, often stubborn female characters. She was married to Mark Rydell who directed several Gunsmoke episodes in the mid-1960s. Every time I see Linville, I am reminded of her role as a Romulan commander in a Star Trek episode where she attempts to romance Mr. Spock. This is Linville's last of three Gunsmoke appearances.
Todd Armstrong plays Johnny August in his second and final Gunsmoke episode. He had previously played John Eagle Wing in the late Season 13 episode "The First People." His Johnny August character is smooth and charismatic, which feeds into Mrs. Devon's compassion for his situation.
Watch for Robert Emhardt in the role of the train conductor. Emhardt was a prolific actor. He appeared in seemingly countless television shows and films. His participation is especially interesting in this episode, because the title, "9:12 to Dodge" is an obvious nod toward the 1957 Western film 3:12 to Yuma, in which Emhardt also appeared.
Frank Marth, Johnny Haymer, Harry Lauter, Fred Coby, Lee de Broux, Tom Waters, and Link Wyler are all familiar character actors that show up at some point in this story.
Preston Wood authored this story. He would later contribute Season 16's two-part "Snow Train" episode, which also finds Matt and Doc, along with Festus, riding a train that encounters challenges. Wood wrote for many television shows during his career, and not all of them involved trains.
This is the first of three different Gunsmoke episodes directed by Emmy award-winning director Marvin J. Chomsky.
Despite the strong cast, this story contains too many questionable plot elements to consider it among the better Gunsmoke episodes. If you avoid thinking about it too much, it does provide some measure of entertainment.
(This entire situation is perplexing. Dillon does not normally transport prisoners via train. Was there no doctor in the place where the Marshal took custody of August? Who did August murder that warranted such special transportation accommodations?)
It is no surprise to learn that August has "friends" who want to see him freed and Marshal Dillon eliminated. Their goal is to keep Matt from achieving his goal of making it back to Dodge with prisoner in tow.
Soon after the story begins, the train makes a scheduled stop and several passengers are allowed to board, much to Marshal Dillon's chagrin. The stage line is not able to run because of a burned bridge, and the unexpected passengers have been diverted to the train from the stagecoach on which they were scheduled. (Once again, this is a curious development. If the private train car was added specifically to transport the prisoner, why is it suddenly acceptable for the train to take on the additional passengers? There is another train scheduled later; why not make them wait for it?)
To add to the Marshal's misery, among the passengers is a woman named Elizabeth Devon. Mrs. Devon is traveling westward to meet her husband who has been appointed a territorial governor. In Chicago, Mrs. Devon did some work in prison reform. She has seen the deplorable conditions in prisons, and -- for some reason -- immediately decides August is being mistreated by the Marshal.
The crux of this story involves Marshal Dillon's challenges ensuring Johnny August arrives in Dodge City while minimizing any trouble along the way.
The cast in this episode is up to the usual Gunsmoke standards of excellence. Joanne Linville is Elizabeth Devon. Linville was a familiar face in television from the 1950s through the 1980s. Linville had a knack for playing strong, often stubborn female characters. She was married to Mark Rydell who directed several Gunsmoke episodes in the mid-1960s. Every time I see Linville, I am reminded of her role as a Romulan commander in a Star Trek episode where she attempts to romance Mr. Spock. This is Linville's last of three Gunsmoke appearances.
Todd Armstrong plays Johnny August in his second and final Gunsmoke episode. He had previously played John Eagle Wing in the late Season 13 episode "The First People." His Johnny August character is smooth and charismatic, which feeds into Mrs. Devon's compassion for his situation.
Watch for Robert Emhardt in the role of the train conductor. Emhardt was a prolific actor. He appeared in seemingly countless television shows and films. His participation is especially interesting in this episode, because the title, "9:12 to Dodge" is an obvious nod toward the 1957 Western film 3:12 to Yuma, in which Emhardt also appeared.
Frank Marth, Johnny Haymer, Harry Lauter, Fred Coby, Lee de Broux, Tom Waters, and Link Wyler are all familiar character actors that show up at some point in this story.
Preston Wood authored this story. He would later contribute Season 16's two-part "Snow Train" episode, which also finds Matt and Doc, along with Festus, riding a train that encounters challenges. Wood wrote for many television shows during his career, and not all of them involved trains.
This is the first of three different Gunsmoke episodes directed by Emmy award-winning director Marvin J. Chomsky.
Despite the strong cast, this story contains too many questionable plot elements to consider it among the better Gunsmoke episodes. If you avoid thinking about it too much, it does provide some measure of entertainment.
helpful•121
- wdavidreynolds
- May 12, 2021
Details
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 4:3
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