User Reviews

Old Nip Cullers has traveled to Dodge City to find a wife. When Kate and Olive, a couple of the employees of the Long Branch Saloon, begin making fun of Cullers, Kitty Russell comes to his defense. Cullers subsequently chooses Kitty to be his wife.

(Amanda Blake once again shows Kitty's feisty nature in this opening scene. When Kitty grabs Olive's arm to stop her verbal abuse of Cullers. Olive responds, "Since when did you start running things around here?" Kitty furiously responds, "You ever see me fight?" Kitty Russell only worked at the Long Branch in the early years of the series. Norman MacDonnell hinted at Miss Kitty being a prostitute in an interview about the radio show in the early 1950s when he said Kitty was someone Matt Dillon had to visit occasionally. Later in Season 2, Kitty mentions she is half-owner of the Long Branch. In the episode "Daddy-O" from Season 2, her purchase of half-interest in the saloon is incorporated into the story.)

It is no surprise Kitty has no interest in marrying Cullers, but the old man continues to insist and persist, even going so far as to hire a preacher, buy nice clothes, and announce the wedding to the patrons of the Long Branch. Once again, Kitty's temper flares, and she states she will shoot Cullers if she has to.

Later, Cullers is shot with a shotgun, and Kitty is the prime suspect. Kitty is naturally angry at Matt for suspecting her.

A heavily made-up John Dehner portrays Nip Cullers. Dehner played the character in the radio episode, which likely explains why he was used in the television version. This the second of twelve appearances for Dehner in the series.

Actress Mary Adams plays Nettie, who was the housekeeper for Cullers for twenty years. Charlene Brooks appears in the role of the mysterious character known as Blossom traveling with Cullers and Nettie. This episode marks the only appearance in the series for both Adams and Brooks.

Evelyn Scott appears as Olive and Dorothy Schuyler as Kate, the two saloon girls that tease Cullers. Both actresses would play those roles in other episodes. In fact, Schuyler played a saloon girl named Olive in an earlier episode.

John Patrick portrays Wilbur Jonas, the storekeeper in his only series appearance. This is the first time the merchant appears in the series. Actor Dabbs Greer would begin appearing as the Mr. Jonas character soon.

The Kitty Russell character is at the center of this story for the first time in the run of the series, and Amanda Blake certainly demonstrates her ability to play a more significant role. The fiery temperament and fighting spirit viewers would witness many times over throughout the future of the series is on display in this episode.

The theme of strangers coming to Dodge to find wives with bizarre results would be used again in the future of the series. Season 7's "Marry Me" episode features a mountain man who kidnaps Miss Kitty and intends to force her into marriage is one example. Season 20's awful "The Wiving" is a story where three men abduct saloon girls in the hope they will become their wives.

My rating for this episode went up a full two stars just because of the last ten seconds or so. The Matt/Kitty relationship is such a tease! Well done by the writers to treat it so nebulously. Another reviewer singled out for praise the actor who played the geriatric wart-faced suitor and I agree that Hollywood would not have been the same without those whose obits include the phrase "Beloved Character Actor...", and who made the motion picture and TV industries what they are.

I get the feeling that there's a powerful story buried here had writers Dunkel and Meston developed the story around the severe and scary-looking Blossom (Charlene Brooks). Her upright bearing and period hair-do appear straight out of a Hawthorne novel about repressed Puritain passions. Instead they went with a wife-hunting John Dehner made-up in an unconvincing fright wig and pestilential mole. He's supposed to be at least age 60 and not exactly an answer to a maiden's dreams, especially Kitty's, who he's determined to make his wife. There's an undercurrent of tongue-in-cheek that alternates not very successfully with the more somber developments. The result is uneven, to say the least. Kitty, at least, gets to needle Matt about his lack of ardor before the writers usher them out the door. Nonetheless, the severe Blossom character points to a world of drama rarely explored by a series of that day or any day.

This was a nice amusing episode. I really like the weird and quirky episodes. I agree with another reviewer that the great John Dehner can do anything. One reviewer refers to the actress Charlene Brooks in this episode as scary and severe looking. Well beauty is in the eye of the beholder as I personally think she is beautiful. Yes her period hair may distract some from her looks to some and she probably looks better with a better hairdo but I think her hairdo in this adds something kind of attractive.

John Dehner is cast as a woolly farmer named Nip Cullers that makes his way into Dodge to find a wife. Along with his housekeeper Nettie and a Indian looking girls named Blossom, his first stop will be Jonas's store to buy some nice looking duds even before he finds a woman.

Nip makes his way to the Long Branch where Kitty takes up for him after he was make to look foolish. All of the sudden Nip Cullers has found his bride, it will be Kitty. Well Kitty is none to happy and when Nip starts spreading the news around Dodge she has to get Matt. When Kitty confronts Nip she tells him to leave her alone or she will blow his head off with a shotgun.

When Nip is actually wounded with a shotgun blast it appears that Kitty is responsible. Kitty could be looking at charges if Matt cannot find someone else that had a motive.

John Dehner was nicely cast and seemed to be the right choice for the man looking for a wife. Even with the simple plot the story was able to holds its own and make for a nice watch. Not the most entertaining episode but one that makes you pull for Nip Cullers to finally get his wish.

Most half hour television Gunsmoke episodes follow the script of the radio show. Inasmuch as the radio show began three years earlier and ran almost every week, there were around 140 scripts that had already been performed on radio to choose from. Tap Day for Kitty is one of them.