User Reviews

This is the best Episode in Season One. Hack Prine was initially intended as the Pilot Episode for "Gunsmoke," but was pushed way back to the 26th episode in the first season. The series and the props (Matt's office furniture and layout, Matt's handgun configuration, the Long Branch saloon, the Dodge House hotel, and the town's layout) were not fully structured when this episode was filmed. You can read about the changes made immediately after this episode by viewing the Trivia section on this IMDB page. There are significant changes to the props and characters during the first 25 episodes, but everything stabilizes with episode 27, and remains that way through most of the series. Remember that Episode 26 was actually intended as the first (Pilot) episode.

The story is not complicated. A small group of corrupt businessmen in Dodge wants to eliminate Marshal Dillon, and they hire the gunfighter Hack Prine (Leo Gordon) to do the job. Hack is an old friend of Matt Dillon, but is still willing to shoot the Marshal down. Matt is not as inclined to kill Hack (he saved Matt's life years before) but considers his obligations to enforce the law as a US Marshal more significant than any perceived loyalty to an old friend.

Leo Gordon was one of the few actors capable of presenting a menacing character against the 6-foot/7-inch Marshal Dillon. The episode ends with a great gunfight that is staged in a realistic and exciting action sequence. This is certainly one of the very best Gunsmoke" episodes. It is a great "Pilot that did not end up as the Pilot."

Marshal Matt Dillon apprehends an outlaw named Lee Timble a long distance from Dodge City. Matt successfully brings Timble to Dodge. Lee's brother, Dolph Timble, is waiting when the stagecoach arrives with the Marshal and Lee Timble on board. Dolph insists Marshal Dillon is mistaken for arresting Lee.

Chester Goode is also waiting for the stage. He tells Matt there is someone waiting for him at the Marshal's office. When Matt walks in the office, he is surprised to see his old friend Hack Prine. Prine is a gunfighter, but he saved Matt's life years earlier.

Trouble arises when Dolph Timble and a group of men in Dodge hire Prine to kill the Marshal. Even though he is the Marshal's friend, he needs the money and agrees to engage the Marshal in a gunfight.

Perennial tough guy Leo Gordon takes on the role of Hack Prine in this story. Although the Prine character is a gunfighter, he does adhere to an ethical code. This is one of five different appearances Gordon would make in Gunsmoke episodes. His last appearance in the series was in Season 19. Gordon appeared in nearly 200 films and television shows, and wrote episodes for series such as Cheyenne, Bat Masterson, Bonanza, Maverick, and Adam-12.

Veteran actor George Wallace appears as Dolph Timble. Wallace's acting career spanned decades, and he remained active in the profession will into his eighties. This appearance is the first of three Wallace made in the Gunsmoke series.

Actor Hal Baylor is a familiar face to westerns fans. He plays the Lee Timble character in this story. He would eventually appear in a total of seven episodes in the series. Baylor is one of the few actors that were not part of the regular cast that appeared in both the first and last seasons of Gunsmoke.

It is well known "Hack Prine" was the pilot episode of Gunsmoke. According to Ben Costello's book "Gunsmoke An American Institution: Celebrating 50 Years of Television's Best Western," Charles Marquis Warren made the decision to air the second episode filmed, "Matt Gets It," as the first episode in the series. "Hack Prine" was aired as the twenty-sixth episode in the series. Warren thought "Matt Gets It" was more dramatic and would better set the tone for the series. In the foreword to the book, "Blood, Bullets and Buckskin" James Arness said, "I always thought we should have aired 'Hack Prine' first. I still feel it was a better show."

I agree with Arness, although there is no way to know how it would have affected the series if "Hack Prine" had been aired first. Obviously, "Matt Gets It" features a shrewder, more vulnerable Matt Dillon character than "Hack Prine." "Hack Prine," on the other hand, features more of the attributes viewers would see from the Matt Dillon character in later episodes.

One major difference between the two episodes is the Kitty Russell character's involvement. "Matt Gets It" is a far better vehicle for Amanda Blake's talent. She only appears in one scene in "Hack Prine." It is an inconsequential scene, and Blake does not look comfortable in the role.

The setting for "Hack Prine" is much different than the familiar Dodge City places viewers would see in other episodes. The Marshal's office, the Long Branch Saloon, and the Dodge House all have a unique look.

Taken on its own merits, this is an excellent episode. There would be many episodes in the coming seasons that would use some of the same themes used here: a brother determined to free his sibling from jail and nearly certain execution; a gunfighter with a reputation who is a threat to Marshal Dillon; and even Matt bringing a prisoner from far away back to Dodge under extreme circumstances (although the thirty-minute episode limits the amount of time devoted to this part of the story).

Note: This is the last episode broadcast that was directed by Charles Marquis Warren. The last episode produced that was directed by Warren was the "Reunion '78" episode.

Leo Gordon was an actor depending on his role you either liked or disliked him in his role. In this episode he plays both. Any movie and TV series he had roles in you need to watch his facial expressions. This is what made him a great character actor.

In this episode and others for many years of Gunsmoke many of the not listed actors played in many western films or TV series from the 1930's and on. You have to be a western fan to know many of them.

Marshal Dillon has a tough time bringing in a fugitive, Lee Timblem but nevertheless finally makes it back to Dodge with the wanted man. Right when he gets off the stage Matt and his prisoner are met by Dolph Timble who is Lee's brother. Dolph vows to make sure Matt pays for arresting his brother.

Meanwhile at the Marshal's office there an old friend of Matt's named Hack Prine that is waiting to be seen. Hack saved Matt's life a good time back and they have not seen each other for years. Hack is surprised to see that Matt has taken up law enforcement and Matt knows that Hack has not changed his ways from a gunslinger for hire. But both are glad to see each other after so many years apart.

Little does Matt know but Dolph Timble has hired Hack to kill the Marshal. Now two friends may have to face each other on Front Street if something is not done. Both men have reservations, but also both men have a job.

This is a plot that will be repeated a few times during the shows twenty year run but it does not take away from being an entertaining episode. Leo Gordon, who is usually cast as as a heavy, is again great in the part of Hack Prine. We even get a glimpse of James Arness as Matt shows a small amount of emotion which is rare in any episode. This is just an all-out kind of western that is enjoyable to watch.

Premise is one that would appear in many guises over the years. The variation here is a thoughtful one that generates some interesting ambiguities. An old friend Hack Prine (the redoubtable Leo Gordon) from Matt's roistering days turns up in Dodge. The two have a friendly talk in Matt's office. But that night Hack gives Matt a malevolent stare when Hack shows up at Kitty's with a man who has sworn vengeance on the marshal for jailing his brother. Now, it looks like the two old friends will have a showdown.

The plot generates some suspense from the conflict between the two expert gunmen. Prine may be a killer, but he does have a sense of ethics as Matt knows. The moral high point comes when Matt has to make a decision now that he knows all the facts. It's a stern decision and one I'm guessing most would not agree with. The action climax itself is suitably ambiguous, leaving Matt with deeply mixed feelings as he walks away. On a minor note-- Amanda Blake's poorly performed single scene is one of her very few over a span of many years.