The Sod-Buster
from Gunsmoke: Old West Stories
Originally Aired: May 28, 1961 Gunsmoke #477, "The Sod-Buster," presents a comedic case of mistaken identity that threatens to turn serious. When Marshal Matt Dillon rides out of Dodge to track down a wanted killer named Cliff Meadows, he leaves Chester in charge of watching over the cantankerous Doc Adams. Into town rolls Sedge Wilker, an ornery sodbuster with a chip on his shoulder, along with his eager daughter Bessie May. After a contentious first meeting on the porch outside the Dodge House, Chester manages to smooth things over by posing as Dodge's marshal, and the Wilkers mistake his temporary authority for the real thing. The situation grows more complicated when Matt returns with his dangerous prisoner Meadows in tow, and Bessie May takes a romantic interest in Chester, insisting he take her on buggy rides while he's trying to guard the jail. Chester finds himself caught between maintaining his accidental deception to the persistent Wilkers and managing his actual duties as deputy. With a killer locked up in the jail and Bessie May refusing to take no for an answer, Chester's white lie threatens to unravel at the worst possible time.
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