After tracking outlaw brothers into Mexico, Marshal Dillon kills the notorious bandit Jurato and others. His actions start a deadly chain reaction while a 13-year-old boy named Paco and his ... Read allAfter tracking outlaw brothers into Mexico, Marshal Dillon kills the notorious bandit Jurato and others. His actions start a deadly chain reaction while a 13-year-old boy named Paco and his mother try to keep the wounded marshal around.After tracking outlaw brothers into Mexico, Marshal Dillon kills the notorious bandit Jurato and others. His actions start a deadly chain reaction while a 13-year-old boy named Paco and his mother try to keep the wounded marshal around.
Milburn Stone
- Doc
- (credit only)
Amanda Blake
- Kitty
- (credit only)
Ken Curtis
- Festus
- (credit only)
Jonathan Goldsmith
- Alex Rawlins
- (as Jonathan Lippe)
Eumenio Blanco
- Bartender
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Paul Savage
- Norman MacDonnell(uncredited)
- John Meston(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaManuel Padilla Jr., who played Paco, and Miriam Colon were both in Scarface (1983). Ms. Colon played Al Pacino's mother and Manuel Padilla, Jr was "kid number 2". Ms. Colon was only four years older than Mr. Pacino.
Featured review
A Unique Kind of Love Story
This is one of those stories where Matt Dillon is away from Dodge City in pursuit of outlaws. In this case, Marshal Dillon is traveling into Mexico in pursuit of a criminal named Ben Rawlins. We never learn what Rawlins and his gang did to warrant being chased into Mexico, but it must have been serious.
I have always thought it strange that a U. S. Marshal from Kansas would have to spend as much time in Mexico as Matt Dillon did. After the show went to the hour-long format, there seemed to be some incident at least once each season that required the Marshal to travel to Mexico. Marshal Dillon has a pursuit warrant authorizing him to pursue Rawlins into Mexico, otherwise his pursuit would have been illegal.
Matt has tracked Rawlins to the town of Zavala. This is an interesting plot element, because there are at least two villages named Zavala in Mexico. One is in the state of Yucatán in the northern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. The other is in the state of Sinaloa in Northwestern Mexico. The village in Sinaloa would have been closer to Dodge City, but it is still over 1300 miles away. In either case, we are not talking about a town just over the border. Either town is well inside the country. (Of course, the town in this story could just as well have been fictional.)
Dillon enters a cantina in Zavala and finds the place occupied by a few dubious characters, one of which happens to be Alex Rawlins, the brother of Ben, along with a few more members of the Rawlins gang. When Alex draws and shoots Matt, the Marshal returns fire and kills Alex. It does not take long for the news of Alex's death to reach brother Ben, and the pursued becomes the pursuer, as Ben heads to Zavala to find Dillon and avenge his brother's death.
Paco Avila and his mother, Amelita, live near Zavala. Paco's father was killed sometime earlier for resisting the banditos that rule the village. A bandito named Jurato has forced his way into the Avila home where he abuses Amelita and Paco and forces them to do whatever he wants.
Paco discovers the injured Matt Dillon attempting to tend to his wounded side. He invites the Marshal back to his home so his mother can help him, but Paco has ulterior motives in hoping the Marshal will rid he and his mother of Jurato. In Matt, Paco finds the father figure he has been missing. Unlike the Rawlins gang and the other banditos that dominate the local people, Dillon is kind, courteous, and, of course, fast with a gun and tough as nails.
The highlight of the story is watching the developing relationship between Paco and Matt, and to a lesser degree Amelita. This is a different kind of love story -- not romantic -- but one of deep care and respect between people.
That is not to say there is no confrontation in this story. Jurato is not happy to see an intruder in his stolen home. The showdown with Ben Rawlins and his gang is inevitable, as is the outcome.
Manuel Padilla, Jr. Provides an endearing performance in the role of Paco. It is difficult to imagine anyone watching this story and not falling in love with the kid. This is the first of four different episodes where Padilla was guest.
Miriam Colon is Paco's mother, Ameita. Colon guested in a total of eight different Gunsmoke episodes. She frequented several television shows and films over her lengthy career. Better Call Saul fans might recognize an older Miriam Colon playing Tuco Salamanca's Abuelita in two 2015 episodes of that Breaking Bad spinoff. It is also worth noting that Padilla and Colon both appeared in Brian DePalma's 1983 film Scarface.
The Rawlins Gang is comprised of a number of veteran Gunsmoke bad guys. Jim Davis is Ben Rawlins, who was always convincing as a tough character. Jonathan Lippe (later Goldsmith), another frequent Gunsmoke villain, is Ben's brother, Alex. Other familiar sinister types include Rex Holman, Robert Sorrells, and Warren Vanders.
Larry D. Mann plays the lurking, sleazy Bakman, who first spots Marshal Dillon in Zavala and warns Alex Rawlins of his arrival. Mann appeared in and did voice work in an incredible number of shows and films during his career. He provided the voice of the character Yukon Cornelius in the Christmas classic TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Mann shows up again in Season 19's "Women for Sale: Part 1" episode of Gunsmoke.
This is definitely a "Matt Dillon episode," as the only place any other members of the regular cast are seen is in the opening credits.
"Zavala" is one of the must-see episodes from Season 14. While the overall theme is familiar, the execution is first-rate. Highly recommended.
I have always thought it strange that a U. S. Marshal from Kansas would have to spend as much time in Mexico as Matt Dillon did. After the show went to the hour-long format, there seemed to be some incident at least once each season that required the Marshal to travel to Mexico. Marshal Dillon has a pursuit warrant authorizing him to pursue Rawlins into Mexico, otherwise his pursuit would have been illegal.
Matt has tracked Rawlins to the town of Zavala. This is an interesting plot element, because there are at least two villages named Zavala in Mexico. One is in the state of Yucatán in the northern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. The other is in the state of Sinaloa in Northwestern Mexico. The village in Sinaloa would have been closer to Dodge City, but it is still over 1300 miles away. In either case, we are not talking about a town just over the border. Either town is well inside the country. (Of course, the town in this story could just as well have been fictional.)
Dillon enters a cantina in Zavala and finds the place occupied by a few dubious characters, one of which happens to be Alex Rawlins, the brother of Ben, along with a few more members of the Rawlins gang. When Alex draws and shoots Matt, the Marshal returns fire and kills Alex. It does not take long for the news of Alex's death to reach brother Ben, and the pursued becomes the pursuer, as Ben heads to Zavala to find Dillon and avenge his brother's death.
Paco Avila and his mother, Amelita, live near Zavala. Paco's father was killed sometime earlier for resisting the banditos that rule the village. A bandito named Jurato has forced his way into the Avila home where he abuses Amelita and Paco and forces them to do whatever he wants.
Paco discovers the injured Matt Dillon attempting to tend to his wounded side. He invites the Marshal back to his home so his mother can help him, but Paco has ulterior motives in hoping the Marshal will rid he and his mother of Jurato. In Matt, Paco finds the father figure he has been missing. Unlike the Rawlins gang and the other banditos that dominate the local people, Dillon is kind, courteous, and, of course, fast with a gun and tough as nails.
The highlight of the story is watching the developing relationship between Paco and Matt, and to a lesser degree Amelita. This is a different kind of love story -- not romantic -- but one of deep care and respect between people.
That is not to say there is no confrontation in this story. Jurato is not happy to see an intruder in his stolen home. The showdown with Ben Rawlins and his gang is inevitable, as is the outcome.
Manuel Padilla, Jr. Provides an endearing performance in the role of Paco. It is difficult to imagine anyone watching this story and not falling in love with the kid. This is the first of four different episodes where Padilla was guest.
Miriam Colon is Paco's mother, Ameita. Colon guested in a total of eight different Gunsmoke episodes. She frequented several television shows and films over her lengthy career. Better Call Saul fans might recognize an older Miriam Colon playing Tuco Salamanca's Abuelita in two 2015 episodes of that Breaking Bad spinoff. It is also worth noting that Padilla and Colon both appeared in Brian DePalma's 1983 film Scarface.
The Rawlins Gang is comprised of a number of veteran Gunsmoke bad guys. Jim Davis is Ben Rawlins, who was always convincing as a tough character. Jonathan Lippe (later Goldsmith), another frequent Gunsmoke villain, is Ben's brother, Alex. Other familiar sinister types include Rex Holman, Robert Sorrells, and Warren Vanders.
Larry D. Mann plays the lurking, sleazy Bakman, who first spots Marshal Dillon in Zavala and warns Alex Rawlins of his arrival. Mann appeared in and did voice work in an incredible number of shows and films during his career. He provided the voice of the character Yukon Cornelius in the Christmas classic TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Mann shows up again in Season 19's "Women for Sale: Part 1" episode of Gunsmoke.
This is definitely a "Matt Dillon episode," as the only place any other members of the regular cast are seen is in the opening credits.
"Zavala" is one of the must-see episodes from Season 14. While the overall theme is familiar, the execution is first-rate. Highly recommended.
helpful•110
- wdavidreynolds
- May 7, 2021
Details
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 4:3
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