User Reviews

Jeff Sutro is one of those old-school buffalo hunters that refuses to accept the changing times. Sutro lives by his own moral code. He does not recognize land or animal ownership, and he thinks he has a right to go wherever he wants and kill any animal he finds on the prairie. He resents the ranchers that are using the prairie land for cattle.

A young cowboy named Billy Waters works for a rancher named Jim Donner. Waters, Donner, and some of the other men that work for Donner are rounding up some stray cattle. Billy discovers Sutro camped on Donner's land, and sees that Sutro has killed a calf that belongs to Donner. Waters and Sutro quickly develop a friendship. Waters admires Sutro and his general outlook about life, freedom, and property ownership.

When Donner and the others in his party confront Sutro, the buffalo hunter shoots and kills one of the men. Sutro contends he shot in self defense, and a jury in Dodge City agrees. Donner thinks Sutro's actions constituted murder.

When Billy congratulates Sutro for the acquittal, Donner is not pleased and fires Waters. Billy finds Sutro and decides to partner with him in a freight business.

When Sutro and Waters are camping one night, Sutro's Appaloosa is stolen. The pair begin tracking the thief, which leads them to a cowboy named Sid Perce camped on the prairie. Sutro accuses Perce of stealing the horse, but the cowboy explains he bought the horse from another man earlier that morning. Sutro refuses to believe Perce, hangs him, and uses berry juice to make a "Horse Thief" sign to attach to him. The viewer knows Perce was telling the truth, because we saw the actual thief sell the horse to the cowboy in an earlier scene.

The hanging does not sit well with Billy. He begins to realize the inherent flaws in Sutro's ideas about morality.

When Donner and his men find Perce's dead body hanging from a tree, they take his body into Dodge City. Marshal Dillon now begins investigating the situation.

This story repeats a theme that was used occasionally on television westerns, and especially Gunsmoke where the old prairie law codes give way to a more civilized law and order.

This episode features another strong cast. The eminently recognizable character actor Harold J. Stone makes yet another Gunsmoke appearance as the Jeff Sutro character. I especially appreciate Russ Tamblyn in the Billy Waters role. Although Tamblyn was young, his acting resume was already quite extensive by this time.

Lane Bradford plays the mysterious Dan O'Hare in this episode. He appeared in 13 different Gunsmoke episodes, usually as a baddy of some sort. Another familiar character actor, Len Wayland is Jim Donner in this episode.

It is fitting this is the final episode of Season 10, as this is also the final episode of the series written by the great John Meston. Meston was one of the co-creators of Gunsmoke, along with Norman MacDonnell, who was dismissed from the show earlier in the season. Meston and MacDonnell originally created the show for radio, and after the show moved to television, continued to be significantly involved. (I suspect Meston's Gunsmoke involvement ended when MacDonnell was fired, but he had already submitted scripts, or script ideas, for additional episodes.)

I think Meston is primarily responsible for setting the tone for the success of Gunsmoke throughout its 20-year run. Meston was reportedly a serious student of the Old West, and he and MacDonnell were largely responsible for creating the genre of the "adult western." For example, Meston almost always portrayed the American Indian in a humanistic, sympathetic light, where many other westerns had portrayed them as murderers and savages. He often portrayed the Western Plains as a harsh, difficult land with challenges that resulted in the destruction of the lives of many.

Meston did not work much outside of Gunsmoke. He contributed a couple of episodes each of Little House on the Prairie and the short-lived series Hec Ramsey, starring Richard Boone, but Gunsmoke was definitely his defining work.

In many ways, this episode marks the end of an era for Gunsmoke and an evolution of sorts into a different show. Just like the Jeff Sutro character in this story who finds his odd, harsh moral code out of step with the times, Meston's stories by this time were losing favor with audiences, as evidenced by the declining ratings for Gunsmoke during the time these shows were originally broadcast. There was also a shift in censorship occurring, as more blatant violence was increasingly discouraged. Key Gunsmoke contributors Norman MacDonnell, John Meston, and Kathleen Hite gave way to Philip Leacock, John Mantley, and writers such as Paul Savage.

Buffalo hunter, Jeff Sutro, has returned to Dodge after another useless hunting trip. Buffalo are now rare in the Kansas prairie and the free life of the buffalo hunter is coming to an end. So Mr. Sutro has killed a calf on Jim Donner property. A young cowboy, Billy Waters, working for Donner, comes riding up and is fascinated by the free lifestyle of Sutro. When more of Jim Donner's men ride up, Sutro kills one of the cowboys which he says is in self-defense.

Sutro goes to trial and is found innocent of the murder. Billy Waters respects Sutro's way of life that he teams-up with him in a freight company. But when Sutro kills a man for supposedly stealing a horse, Billy is not pleased. The man said he bought the horse from a traveler which may have been the truth.

Billy Water realizes that Sutro is from a different era. Sutro takes law into his own hands which is becoming a thing of the past.

The last show of season ten we get a nice story that is well played by the actors. It is still a well written story that was interesting. It is about a dying way of life that is no longer accepted as normal. Which is good for all involved.

All due praise and respect for John Meston; Gunsmoke was his baby and, just like the dying breed of Buffalo hunter around which this story is centered, Meston's style and world-view were judged to be "passe" by CBS, and he was let go. So there's something of an autobiographical element at work here.

As I read the very detailed re-telling of the plot here by David Reynolds, I noticed that he stopped at the EXACT POINT where the plot goes off the rails; I was hoping to be enlightened by another viewer to clear up my confusion.

Here's the Problem: "He Who Steals" sets up a fairly predictable conflict for the young "green" Russ Tamblyn: which of the two "father-figures" in his life will he follow?..the "good" one (his by-the-book boss/landowner Donner) or the "bad" one (the rogue-ish, old-world hunter, who follows his own laws)? Russ chooses the latter, gets fired by Donner, and even offers to smuggle a gun into Harold Stone's jail cell; fascinating that Harold refuses, telling Russ to wait and see what happens at the trial. So there's a curious element of honesty, even "good", in the character of Sutro.

However, the unfortunate horse-stealing/lynching element begins to dominate the plot, which blurs the motivations and actions of the characters. We see Billy's mistrust and doubt about Sutro begin to creep in, but it will ultimately prove to be a non-issue. WHY..I ask...does the real horse-thief (Lane Bradford) tell Festus his phony story about the hanged man, and then skip town? I played this scene back and listened carefully to the dialogue FOUR TIMES to try to clarify (for myself) what the hell the purpose of that scene was. Festus relays it to Matt, who then finds Billy in the Long Branch and lays the guilt trip on him about the lynching. Donner's henchmen overhear this. So..OK.. I'm with ya'... but a.) what purpose did Lane Bradford's phony telling of the horse-thief story serve and b.) why didn't the script focus on Matt's suspicions about the lynching, and carry through the "good vs evil" conflict that's brewing in Russ Tamblyn's mind??

INSTEAD...from this point on, the story shifts back to Donner, who now sees and opportunity to ruin Sutro's new transport business venture, which leads to the final confrontation...and we BEGIN so see a bit of the basic plot "triangle" return: will Billy choose good or evil...Donner or Sutro??? But by this time, the whole lynching business has so muddied the plot and distracted us, that the big, final "cathartic" resolution falls flat (though we do get to see Rusty Tamblyn do one of his patented, acrobatic tumbles over the chair).

In the end, I suppose you can say that Billy is forced to make the right choice, but the plot-line has been largely lost, due to the major detour of the horse-theft/lynching. We are left with the sight of Festus' somewhat contrived vigil over Sutro's corpse, while Donner is left to cough-up his innards over in the corner, with no attention paid.

More focus in the script was needed. Not the best way for the great John Meston to make his exit, but still filled with his trademark, rough-n'-tough, manly, Western drama. After Season 10, it's all downhill for the series (for me personally, anyway). So go ahead and hit the "NOT HELPFUL" button if you disagree; like Meston and Sutro, I'll just fade away with my outdated views and opinions. It don't make no difference to me. LR.