“Defunding” Marshal Dillon

[Robert Urbanek]

On February 19, while channel surfing, I ran across an old episode of Gunsmoke. After Marshal Dillon jails some violent cowboys, a trail boss threatens to organize a boycott of Dodge City if Dillon doesn’t go easy on his rowdy men. He refuses.

The city council strips Dillon of his powers in the city and appoints an unarmed constable (portrayed by Strother Martin) to police the town.

When the cattlemen return, the constable cannot stop a fight with words alone. The cowboys fill him with liquor then stuff him in a barrel and roll him down the street. A murder is committed and when a stray bullet kills a relative of one of the councilmen, the politicians apologize to Dillon and plead with him to restore order, which he does.

Some bad ideas just won’t go away.

 

[1srelluc]

In fact Gunsmoke was toned down a lot due to complaints about violence. Marshall Dillon was keeping the Dodge City undertaker in business all by himself in it's early years.

‘Gunsmoke’: James Arness and the Cast Had to ‘Cut Down’ Violence Due to Network Demands

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

In fact Gunsmoke was toned down a lot due to complaints about violence. Marshall Dillon was keeping the Dodge City undertaker in business all by himself in it's early years.

‘Gunsmoke’: James Arness and the Cast Had to ‘Cut Down’ Violence Due to Network Demands

Did he kill anybody that didn't need killing?