Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge

Twelve years after gunslinger Will Mannon is sent to prison, he is parolled. He has sworn to revenge himself by killing Matt Dillon and the judge who sent him there. Fellow prisoner, and old friend of Dillon's, Jake Flagg, tries to convince the warden to temporarily release him so he can warn Dillon, but is refused. Flagg breaks out and is being hunted for the murder of the warden. Dillon, hearing of this, sets off to track his old friend down. In the meantime, Mannon shows up in Dodge and begins terrorizing Miss Kitty. This is the first of five TV-movies recalling the later escapades of Matt Dillon after retiring as the marshal of Dodge City, Kansas. Earl Holliman is excellent (as usual) as Jake Flagg, as is Steve Forrest in reprising his role from the original 1975 episode. This is a very good story and there are several flashbacks from the original episode interspersed throughout. Thanks to director Vincent McEveety, the film retains the same cinematic "feel" of the original episode. It's a "must see" for any die-hard "Gunsmoke" fans.

Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of the premiere of "Gunsmoke", so I watched "Return to Dodge". Is this TV movie as bad as some people say it is? No. It's worse.

The story can be briefly summarized as "A lot of people are out to kill Matt, and a few to help him." That's it.

"Kill Matt" was not an uncommon story line, and several excellent episodes were built around it ("The Jailer", "Matt Dillon Must Die"). These episodes worked, because they had dramatic elements that took the story beyond whether Matt would live or die. This is important, students, because... "We know Matt isn't going to die!"

"Return to Dodge" has all the dramatic punch of a thrice-used tea-bag. In addition to the requisite clips from series episodes, most of the story has people running around and shooting at each other, and little else.

It only gets involving in the last five minutes, when Matt has his final confrontation with Will Mannon, in which Kitty plays an important role. (Kitty never took **** from anybody, while remaining "feminine".) It's the only satisfying part of the story, and you have to wait one hour and 55 minutes for it to arrive.

Attention must be paid to the horrible makeup and costuming. Kitty often looks as if she just crept out of the crypt. And it seems some unattractive animal attached itself to Matt's head and died there. * (He wears his hat through most of the second half, likely after seeing a rough cut of the first half.)

I don't understand reviewers' objections to Matt being a trapper. He's fundamentally a loner, unable to commit himself to close relationships -- especially with women.

Ken Curtis didn't appear in "Return to Dodge", supposedly because he was offered less than Amanda Blake. This is probably true, but I wouldn't be surprised if he'd read the script (little more than a rehash of "Mannon") and decided to avoid contact with this turkey.

Given that the production team (including a writer and director who'd worked many years on the series) presumably had more than a decade to work on this story, its abject failure is startling.

* Mountain men, plainsmen, etc, often wore their hair long. Matt's "do" bears zero resemblance to how such long hair actually looked (qv, Custer and Hickok).

Gunsmoke cast regulars James Arness (Matt Dillon), Amanda Blake (Kitty) and Buck Taylor (Newly) reunite for a pretty good old fashioned western. The plot involves the release from prison of Matt's most deadly foe, Steve Forrest, reprising his role as Will Mannon, bent on revenge. Another Gunsmoke alumni is along for the ride, Earl Holliman, who does a good turn as Jake Flagg. According to reports, Ken Curtis held out for too much money and subsequently did not reprise his role as Festus, what remains of his part is filled in by character actor Mickey Jones as Oakum. Too bad, it would have been great to see him don the spurs one more time. Milburn Stone (Doc) who appears along with Festus in flashbacks, had passed away by the time this film was made. There are several minor plot holes, chief among them is that in the episode, "Mannon" the title character was killed at the end, apparently while the end credits rolled, Doc discovered that he was still alive, saved him and he was then sent to prison. All in all, this film holds true to the legacy of the great, classic TV series.

I'm rating this a "10" if only because my wife and I are die-hard fans of Gunsmoke. Yes, there were areas & scenes that could have been better thought out to provide more logical continuity; yes, it would have been wonderful to have the other series characters return if only for cameos; yes, Kitty & Matt were looking older and the makeup could gave been kinder, but hey, if you're a true Gunsmoke fan, none of this matters a whit.

My wife and I have enjoyably spent the last several months watching the original shows on YouTube and seeing all of the main characters age as 20 seasons roll through. How great is it to be able to enjoy Gunsmoke all over again after watching the originals from the age of 9 onward? The original opening scene with Matt walking Boot Hill accompanied by a monologue narrative was well done, something that added to the appreciation of that week's episode. By the end of the series with the anti-violence agenda it was blunted with Matt standing on Front Street with none of the expected catharsis of the gunfight we had come to know over the years. We will likely watch many of the old episodes again once we've finished the 5 movies!

We don't know what happened with any overtures to dear Ken "Festus" Curtis or Dennis Weaver's "Chester". Indeed, it was sad to see Amanda Blake suffering the vagaries of declining health but wonderful to see her nonetheless; and James Arness looking older than the 12 year interval since the series ended so unkindly. It was a damn shame Milburn Stone had passed away; his portrayal of "Doc Adams" is indelibly etched in the memories I embrace of "Gunsmoke" through the years. Nothing else in TV holds a candle to the best western series ever offered.

Steve Forrest was excellent in this movie. His characterization gives the viewer chills with his cold-hearted evil portrayal of Mannon.

I could go on with this but let me spare you the agony if you've been kind enough to have read this far! I've given this reunion movie a "10" if for no other reason than we thoroughly enjoyed the reunion of actors who, for us, became their characters; characters we came to love and care about over the years. Thanks to the internet resources we get to enjoy it all over again and there's not a moment we regret in watching the 600+ episodes and movies!

This was far better than I was expecting; a solid reunion movie although only a handful of cast members returned. In a sense, this is kind of a "Wrath of Khan" for "Gunsmoke." Returning foe Mannon (expertly played by Steve Forrest) heads into Dodge to wreak vengeance on Matt and Kitty. There are quite a few flashback scenes, but they further the plot. Although James Arness looks a little odd at times (why did they color his hair??), he's still the same Matt Dillon we last saw in the mid 70s. The real scene stealer is Forrest with his blue-eyed glare and gruesome demeanor. Earl Holliman also gives a great performance as Jake Flagg, loyal friend to Matt (although it's never explained why he's in prison). Even the most casual "Gunsmoke" fan will be be impressed.