MovieChat Forums > Gunsmoke (1955) Discussion > Sure seems as if it would be easy to bus...

Sure seems as if it would be easy to bushwhack Matt Dillon


Think about it...if there's one thing Dillon has done it's make enemies. Although most of them end up in Boot Hill, some still survived and others would have had lotsa relatives. This means Dillon is ripe for ambush.

And how easy would that be, you ask? Pretty easy, I answer. Dillon seems to be a man with a regular routine.

- He's the biggest dude in town. As one man said to Cheyenne: "It ain't easy to miss a big fella like you."
- He has very little armed backup in a town of nearly 1000 citizens. Many many times he's by himself.
- He "goes on his rounds" every night. No problems hiding in the dark and waiting.
- He eats regularly at (what seems to be) the only restaurant in town, Delmonico's. No problems hiding and waiting for him to emerge.
- He never seems too concerned about sitting with his back to the door...ever.
- The jail doesn't appear to be heavily fortified, the windows don't even have covers.
- He routinely escorts prisoners to Hayes City. No problems hiding and waiting along the route.
- He's occasionally shown sleeping in the office. Again, easy to shoot through the windows with no covers.

And the unmentionable:
Someone would have to guard the outhouse when Dillon occupies the seat.

I would guess there are more...

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[deleted]

Let me ask you a question - would you take a potshot at a guy who has killed as many people as Matt Dillon?
Well, people tend to do this regularly in the series. And since it's James Arness' show we all know how that's gonna turn out.

In this thread I'm speaking hypothetically and most importantly, pragmatically. I love the series (that much should be evident), but one has to really suspend their disbelief when considering a lone lawman surviving as long as Matt Dillon in a frontier town.

And that's my point, Dillon doesn't seem to be concerned that he's a target. And a really *big* target at that. 2 or 3 guys with a vendetta could take advantage of any one of the situations I cited. Multiple gunmen could hide and take him out easily at point blank range, although it would only take one.

But since it's a TV show...again, we know how it'll end.

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Men did not generally serve as sheriff or marshal for more than two or three years. Matt's 20-year reign has no obvious real-life parallel.

There are few pot-shot attempts on Matt. Those who want to take him down want to acquire a reputation for having done so in a "fair" call-out. Potential killers might also have thought twice about killing someone who's a Federal employee.

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I started thinking about this while watching Rio Bravo last weekend. The jail in that film was more of what I imagine a marshal's office would be like during that era...it was heavily fortified, with thick covers over the windows that could be closed and locked.

Dillon's office has only curtains on the windows, and the lock on the door is two small eyelet screws with a bolt through them...which isn't really that secure.

So Geezer...you have the MAD Magazine CD...check out 1955, #20 (looks like a composition book), the piece called "COWBOY" where they compare the movie cowboy to the real deal. After the fight, our hero John Smurd (back then they'd hang anyone with a name like Lance Sterling) bushwhacks his nemesis!

"On the other hand, the end of John Smurd's fight would've ended with old John still oh-you-tee and a month later, old John would've snuck up on the villain and blow'd his head off!"

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I've never gone through the complete set, and this is one I missed. Very funny.

If you can find a copy, grab it. It'll run on W7, no adjustments needed.

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What I've noticed is that he never shackles guys he arrests. He just walks them to jail, uncuffed, usually without even having his gun drawn. I just saw "With a Smile", and he escorts a murderer to Hays City to be hanged, just riding a horse without any restraints. Any one of these guys could have jumped him or bolted.

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The American Frontier Western genre of movies were ridiculous. It was only in the 70s or possibly the late 60's when there were even any attempts at something even trying to autheniticity. That's what makes the movie The Hateful Eight so good. It showed there was no morality or rule of law outside of public view, and often right in public view.

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