In one of the more famous episodes in the Gunsmoke series, Matt Dillon is pursuing a man wanted for murder named Les Dean. Dean is a loner who is about as tough as they come. He is not an ordinary outlaw, as he actually lives by a moral code -- it just is not always aligned with what passes for law and order. When he has the opportunity, he shoots Matt, takes anything that might identify him, and abandons the Marshal.
In pursuit of water, Matt's horse eventually finds a homestead on the prairie. The property belongs to a woman named Mike Yardner. Mike knows it is not likely a saddled horse would be wandering riderless on the prairie. She manages to find Matt barely conscious and with some help from him, is able to transport him back to her house.
When Matt regains full consciousness, he discovers he has suffered memory loss. He does not know who he is, what happened, or anything about his past. (This is a form of memory loss known as "posttraumatic amnesia" because of the head injury with elements of another form of memory loss known as "retrograde amnesia" where the victim cannot recall memories prior to the onset of amnesia.)
A romance begins to develop between Mike and Matt. They share a kiss -- something he never did with Kitty Russell -- and, later, it is strongly implied the couple slept together. (In the 1990 Gunsmoke film, "Gunsmoke: The Last Apache," it is revealed that Mike had Matt's daughter following the incidents depicted in this story.)
Meanwhile, a cowardly rancher named Hasty Starcourt wants the land Mike owns. He hires Dean to kill Mike.
Michael Learned stars in this episode as Mike Yardley. Learned was appearing as Olivia Walton in the series The Waltons at the time this episode was filmed. The Waltons was a CBS series, as was Gunsmoke. Learned would return as another character a few episodes later in the two-part "A Game of Death... An Act of Love" episode. Naming Learned's character Mike in this story is obviously a nod to Learned's name.
This is the third episode of Season 19 of Gunsmoke, and, like the two-part "Women for Sale" episode that started the season, most of this episode only involves the Matt Dillon character. There is a single scene set in Dodge City where the other series stars discuss the fact that Matt has been away for an extended period. It appears the scene was added to remind the viewer the other cast members were still part of the show.
Victor French makes another of his eighteen different Gunsmoke appearances as the "outlaw with integrity" Les Dean character. Les Dean is the kind of character French excelled at playing.
Actor Keith Andes plays the part of Hasty Starcourt in this story. This is the only appearance in the series for Andes, although he and James Arness both had parts as young men in the 1947 film The Farmer's Daughter starring Loretta Young, Joseph Cotton, and Ethel Barrymore.
Johnathan Lippe (his birth name was Johnathan Goldsmith, and he later started using that name instead of Lippe) is another Gunsmoke veteran that appears in this episode as the character Monte Rupert, one of Starcourt's employees. Lippe made fourteen different appearances in the series. He tended to play the same impetuous, foolish character who tends to talk when he should listen.
Familiar character actor William Schallert has a small part here as Judge Ray Cordelius. This is the last of seven appearances by the actor in the series.
This is one of those episodes that longtime fans of the series tend to remember. It is also a story with significant impact on Gunsmoke lore. It is a fascinating use of the amnesia theme, which is certainly not unique in television and films. Gunsmoke fans know Matt Dillon would never have allowed Mike to break through those rigid barriers where he keeps everyone -- and especially Kitty -- at some distance if not for the memory loss. He is "married" to his badge and his responsibilities as a U. S. Marshal.
It is shocking (and profoundly sad on some level) how quickly Matt reverts to his old persona once he regains his memory. How he can so quickly discard his feelings for Mike (at least it *seems* as though he discards them) is disturbing.
The different plot elements used in this story -- Matt chasing a fugitive, Matt being injured, a love story, and the greedy, wealthy landowner who covets their neighbor's land -- have been used in other episodes and other television series, but the way those elements are used here is refreshing and unique.