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A Boston whaling captain settles near Dodge because he says it's the farthest place in the US from the sea. He brawls, courts, regales children with sea tales, grows corn in poor soil, and l... Read allA Boston whaling captain settles near Dodge because he says it's the farthest place in the US from the sea. He brawls, courts, regales children with sea tales, grows corn in poor soil, and learns some lessons the hard way.A Boston whaling captain settles near Dodge because he says it's the farthest place in the US from the sea. He brawls, courts, regales children with sea tales, grows corn in poor soil, and learns some lessons the hard way.
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- Director
- Writers
- William Kelley
- Norman MacDonnell(uncredited)
- John Meston(uncredited)
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- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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Did you know
- TriviaWilliam Conrad, who directed this episode, played Marshal Dillon on CBS Radio from 1952- 1961.
Featured review
Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Stick?
The first Gunsmoke episode broadcast in 1971 features an Irish immigrant character, Captain Aron Sligo, who has recently sold his whaling ship and decided to settle in Kansas. The episode begins with a great little mini story where Captain Sligo stops on his journey to the Dodge City area in the town of Hoxie Station to feed and water his horses (and his pet buffalo) and have some repair work done on one of the horse's shoes. Sligo visits the saloon for a drink, but Sligo gets into an altercation with some unpleasant saloon patrons.
The would-be bullies quickly learn the captain is quite adept at fighting with a stick he carries. They are no match for his skills. After Sligo renders them all unconscious, he loads them on his wagon for the trip to Dodge where he turns them over to Matt Dillon.
Captain Sligo intends to live *exactly* on the 100th Meridian. (The 100th Meridian is an invisible line that was identified by American geologist John Wesley Powell in 1878. Powell contended it divided the more humid and fertile eastern United States from the drier, more arid western portion of the country. Powell contended the land west of the 100th Meridian required water and land-management considerations to address environmental constraints.)
Sligo is a stubborn, determined man, who is accustomed to giving orders and getting what he wants. He contends he intends to build his new dwelling as near as possible to the geographical center of the United States. (The captain is mistaken in his measurements. The geographical center of the United States in the late 1800s was located about three-and-one-half hours northeast of Dodge City. The addition of Alaska and Hawaii as states changed the location to where it is today in South Dakota.)
The location the captain has chosen is only a few steps from the dwelling of a widow named Josephine Burney and her two children, Anne and Tim. In fact, the widow's house sits right on the 100th Meridian, but she is not amenable to Sligo's suggestion that she move her house to accommodate him.
Most of the story involves Captain Sligo's attempts to develop a romantic relationship with Josephine, who is not so willing to be wooed by the overbearing former seaman. There is also a subplot dealing with Sligo's efforts at cattle ranching and farming that add more drama to the story.
Richard Basehart's Captain Sligo performance presents a character that is like the proverbial "bull in a China shop." He attempts to transfer his seafaring style to western ranching. One cannot help but wonder why someone who has spent his life at sea suddenly wants to live as a farmer and cattle rancher. This is all clearly supposed to be funny -- think The Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres where someone or some group finds themselves in a culture completely foreign to what they have previously known. Unfortunately, the attempts at humor are not particularly amusing. This performance represents Basehart's only Gunsmoke involvement.
Salome Jens portrays Josephine Burney in this story. This was a time in Jens's career when it was just beginning to build momentum. Although this was the first Gunsmoke episode for Jens, she would return in Season 18's "Talbot" where she co-starred with Anthony Zerbe.
The part of Captain Sligo's sidekick/bosun Watney is played by the great Royal Dano in the penultimate of his thirteen different Gunsmoke roles, which go all the way back to the first season's "Obie Tater" installment.
Watch for Robert Totten as the blacksmith in the town where Sligo first stops. Totten's Hollywood career was strongly associated with Gunsmoke, as he played parts in eight episodes, and directed twenty-five, including "Jenny," which was the episode originally broadcast immediately prior to "Captain Sligo." In this acting role, Totten is sporting his impressive full beard.
There are a few episodes of Gunsmoke that elicit wildly varying reviews and opinion. This is one of those episodes. It seems people either love it or hate it.
Comparisons to the "Sgt. Holly" story, which was broadcast only a couple of episodes prior to this story, are inevitable. Forrest Tucker's Sergeant Holly is replaced by Richard Basehart's Captain Sligo, and Amanda Blake's Kitty Russell is replaced with Salome Jens's Josephine Burney. Of course, the stories are not *exactly* the same, but there are similarities. William Kelley penned both episodes.
I do not absolutely love this episode, but I find it more entertaining than the awful "Sgt. Holly" story. Basehart's bullheaded Sligo at least knows what he wants and refuses to allow anything to stand in his way, whereas Tucker's Emmett Holly is an annoying, belligerent drunk. I have always thought this episode plays much like a pilot for a spinoff, but as far as I know there were no plans to develop a series based on these characters.
William Conrad directs this episode. Conrad played the Matt Dillon character on the original radio series. Earlier in his career he played heavies in films. As television grew in popularity, his physical weight usually prevented him from being cast in leading roles, and he focused more on voice work and directing. He provided voiceovers for The Bullwinkle Show and was the narrator for The Fugitive. He had some success directing television. Later in his career, he played the character Frank Cannon in the popular detective series Cannon and the character Jason McCabe in Jake and the Fatman, while continuing a considerable amount of voice work.
The would-be bullies quickly learn the captain is quite adept at fighting with a stick he carries. They are no match for his skills. After Sligo renders them all unconscious, he loads them on his wagon for the trip to Dodge where he turns them over to Matt Dillon.
Captain Sligo intends to live *exactly* on the 100th Meridian. (The 100th Meridian is an invisible line that was identified by American geologist John Wesley Powell in 1878. Powell contended it divided the more humid and fertile eastern United States from the drier, more arid western portion of the country. Powell contended the land west of the 100th Meridian required water and land-management considerations to address environmental constraints.)
Sligo is a stubborn, determined man, who is accustomed to giving orders and getting what he wants. He contends he intends to build his new dwelling as near as possible to the geographical center of the United States. (The captain is mistaken in his measurements. The geographical center of the United States in the late 1800s was located about three-and-one-half hours northeast of Dodge City. The addition of Alaska and Hawaii as states changed the location to where it is today in South Dakota.)
The location the captain has chosen is only a few steps from the dwelling of a widow named Josephine Burney and her two children, Anne and Tim. In fact, the widow's house sits right on the 100th Meridian, but she is not amenable to Sligo's suggestion that she move her house to accommodate him.
Most of the story involves Captain Sligo's attempts to develop a romantic relationship with Josephine, who is not so willing to be wooed by the overbearing former seaman. There is also a subplot dealing with Sligo's efforts at cattle ranching and farming that add more drama to the story.
Richard Basehart's Captain Sligo performance presents a character that is like the proverbial "bull in a China shop." He attempts to transfer his seafaring style to western ranching. One cannot help but wonder why someone who has spent his life at sea suddenly wants to live as a farmer and cattle rancher. This is all clearly supposed to be funny -- think The Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres where someone or some group finds themselves in a culture completely foreign to what they have previously known. Unfortunately, the attempts at humor are not particularly amusing. This performance represents Basehart's only Gunsmoke involvement.
Salome Jens portrays Josephine Burney in this story. This was a time in Jens's career when it was just beginning to build momentum. Although this was the first Gunsmoke episode for Jens, she would return in Season 18's "Talbot" where she co-starred with Anthony Zerbe.
The part of Captain Sligo's sidekick/bosun Watney is played by the great Royal Dano in the penultimate of his thirteen different Gunsmoke roles, which go all the way back to the first season's "Obie Tater" installment.
Watch for Robert Totten as the blacksmith in the town where Sligo first stops. Totten's Hollywood career was strongly associated with Gunsmoke, as he played parts in eight episodes, and directed twenty-five, including "Jenny," which was the episode originally broadcast immediately prior to "Captain Sligo." In this acting role, Totten is sporting his impressive full beard.
There are a few episodes of Gunsmoke that elicit wildly varying reviews and opinion. This is one of those episodes. It seems people either love it or hate it.
Comparisons to the "Sgt. Holly" story, which was broadcast only a couple of episodes prior to this story, are inevitable. Forrest Tucker's Sergeant Holly is replaced by Richard Basehart's Captain Sligo, and Amanda Blake's Kitty Russell is replaced with Salome Jens's Josephine Burney. Of course, the stories are not *exactly* the same, but there are similarities. William Kelley penned both episodes.
I do not absolutely love this episode, but I find it more entertaining than the awful "Sgt. Holly" story. Basehart's bullheaded Sligo at least knows what he wants and refuses to allow anything to stand in his way, whereas Tucker's Emmett Holly is an annoying, belligerent drunk. I have always thought this episode plays much like a pilot for a spinoff, but as far as I know there were no plans to develop a series based on these characters.
William Conrad directs this episode. Conrad played the Matt Dillon character on the original radio series. Earlier in his career he played heavies in films. As television grew in popularity, his physical weight usually prevented him from being cast in leading roles, and he focused more on voice work and directing. He provided voiceovers for The Bullwinkle Show and was the narrator for The Fugitive. He had some success directing television. Later in his career, he played the character Frank Cannon in the popular detective series Cannon and the character Jason McCabe in Jake and the Fatman, while continuing a considerable amount of voice work.
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- Jul 21, 2021
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![James Arness, Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone, and Dennis Weaver in Gunsmoke (1955)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTcxMDcxODk2MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTM3MDU1MQ@@._V1_QL75_UY133_CR2,0,90,133_.jpg)