Gunsmoke (TV Series) Harvest (1966) User Reviews

Haven't We Seen This Before?

[wdavidreynolds · 7/10 · 2 July 2019]

This episode is well cast and well-acted, but it is very similar to other episodes, and especially to the episode titled "Crooked Mile" from Season 10. This story contains elements of Romeo & Juliet, along with one of the favorite recurring western themes of a possessive landowner refusing to concede land to homesteaders (or "squatters" depending on the perspective.)

Ben, played excellently by George Kennedy, has a beautiful daughter, Elizabeth or "Betsy," played by the beautiful, young Lesley Ann Warren. He is possessive of her, just as he is possessive of the massive amount of land he has developed. In Ben's mind, no man is good enough for Betsy.

The McGovern family -- immigrants from Scotland -- come along and stake their claim to a piece of public-domain land that Ben considers his property. Adam McGovern, in another great acting job by James MacArthur, and Betsy meet and fall in love. Not only does Ben consider the McGoverns are "squatting" on HIS land (they aren't), but he sure doesn't want Betsy to marry Adam McGovern.

It is interesting that George Kennedy plays the jealous father in this story, just as he did in "Crooked Mile." Kennedy's Cyrus Degler in "Crooked Mile" is virtually indistinguishable from Kennedy's Ben Payson in this episode. Both ultimately learn the hard way that they cannot possess their daughters. This episode does not end as tragically as "Crooked Mile," however. It is worth noting that Les Crutchfield wrote both "Crooked Mile" and "Harvest."

This episode is the final appearance of George Kennedy on Gunsmoke. He appeared in a total of seven episodes going back to the Season 6 installment, "The Blacksmith."

This is the only James MacArthur appearance on Gunsmoke. MacArthur enjoyed a long acting career and was best known for his role as Dan "Danno" Williams in the Hawaii Five-O series.

Ted Jordan appears here for the last time as someone other than the Nathan Burke character. He would soon officially join the cast on a regular basis, but he frequently appeared prior to his role as Burke. In this story, he is one of Ben Payson's ranch hands named Leemer.

Fred Coby is seen in this episode as another of Payson's employees. Coby did not make as many Gunsmoke appearances as Ted Jordan, but he did appear in seventeen different episodes.

In the end, I find this episode to be a bit too derivative of many other western stories...even earlier Gunsmoke episodes. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining story.

An over-protective father may lose what he cares about most

[kfo9494 · 9/10 · 16 April 2013]

When watching an episode a viewer comes away with many different feeling once the show ends. This is an episode that you feel sorry for everyone involved but you know that you have watched an entertaining show. It may not have ended as you would like but the ending is more true life than a story book conclusion.

The show begins with a Scottish McGovern family consisting of a grandmother, father and son named Adam moving into the area around Dodge. They have picked out a place to homestead and find out from the land office that the property is public domain land. So they parked their wagon and are set to make this their new home.

However a nearby rancher, Ben Payson, thinks that he owns the land and goes to Matt for help. They find out that the property in public and the McGovern's have staked claim. Matt tells Ben that he must follow the law.

Ben has a daughter named Betsy that he protects like a tiger cub. He will not let her date or even talk to boys believing that she is too good for them. When Betsy is thrown from a horse spooked by a wild boar, Adam McGovern comes to her rescue. The two young people start up a relationship that Ben totally disapproves.

Ben is set to get the McGovern's off the land at any cost and gets some of his cowhands to force the people off the land. But the cost of moving them may be too much for Ben to take. It was even difficult for the viewer to see the outcome of the over-protective father.

With some find actors like George Kennedy, James MacArthur. Karl Swenson and the beautiful Leslie Warren- this episode is full of stars. With a well written script and great placement of characters, this show was entertaining. Good watch.

Lesley Ann Warren's one and only Gunsmoke episode

[bmulkey-81597 · 9/10 · 20 March 2023]

Story opens with being about Scotts immigrants. Then it also became about a ranching family. Lesley Ann Warren plays the daughter on the latter family. She plays a tough rancher's daughter. She is very beautiful and sexy in the part. Thankfully they also give her many scenes and plenty to do. She runs the gamut of emotions as well. Stern, playful, tough, gentle, romantic etc.

One more thing to add is while she is a really a feast for the for the eyes she is better to look at in color than black and white.

She also has believable and good chemistry with veteran George Kennedy playing her father. Tune in and see.

George Kennedy the crappy father again

[Johnny_West · 6/10 · 29 June 2022]

On Gunsmoke, George Kennedy got to play the same role of a controlling and greedy father twice. Here and in The Crooked Mile, where he was hating on Burt Reynolds for loving his daughter. In this one, it is Hawaii 5-0's Danno that gets hated.

James MacArthur, who played Danno on the original 1960s Hawaii 5-0, plays the Scottish youth building a house on homestead land. George Kennedy is annoyed, because like every rancher in a Western, he thought he owned all the land in the world. Into the mix is Karl Swensen, the German guy who always plays really dumb characters. This time he is a really dumb Scottish guy.

This is a pretty boring episode until you get to the gun-play. Danno and his fake Scottish accent are hard to listen to. Lesley Ann Warren plays George Kennedy's daughter, and she is in love with Danno. Warren was twenty when this was filmed, and she was so gorgeous that you know she was way out of Danno's league. However, she is attracted to Danno mostly because her Father hates his family. The plot is the Romeo & Juliet doomed love theme.

George Kennedy sets out to break-up the budding lovers, destroy the homesteading plans, and kill anyone that stands in his way, including Matt Dillon.