"Gunsmoke" was a television program which ran on the CBS television network from 1955 to 1975. It was a one-half hour program from 1955 to 1961 and a one-hour program from 1961 to 1975. This episode is one-hour long. The regular characters are Matt Dillon, the Marshall or Sheriff of the town of Dodge City, Kansas. Miss Kitty Russell runs a saloon, Chester Goode and Festus Haggen are Matt's deputies, and Doc Adams is the town doctor. This episode also features Newly O'Brien, another deputy. Miss Kitty does not appear in this episode. The show was set in the 1870's to 1880's. This episode is titled "A Man Called Smith" and was first broadcast on October 24, 1969. Mrs. Abelia Johnson lives in a house with her two children. A man rides a horse up to the house whom she recognizes as her ex-husband. He is using the name Will Smith and has been released from prison. He has $10,000 in $20 gold coins and wants her to take $500 worth of coins to a local saloon owner to exchange for paper money so that he can flee to Mexico. The program shows a pile of imitation gold coins and shows both sides of a real $20 Liberty Head gold coin. Later the town doctor gives some silver dollar coins to Abelia's two children.

Will Smith arrives on horseback at Abelia Johnson's house.

Will does not receive a welcome.

Abelia gives Will a dirty look of recognition. She is polite and invites him to come inside and sit down. He throws a leather bag on the table which spills gold coins.

The coins appear to be imitation or prop coins.

Dodge City is holding a fair and people have brought animals to enter in a contest. Doc Adams is the contest judge and talks to deputy Festus Haggen.

Festus holds his entry in the contest, a white cat. At Abelia's house she and Will argue and it's revealed that he is her ex-husband and the father of the children.

Will holds a bag of gold and asks her to take the $500 in gold to a local saloon owner, Bull Anders, and exchange it for $300 in paper currency so that he can go to Mexico. Will promises never to visit Abelia again.

Festus has been following Abelia and sees her enter the disreputable saloon. Abelia asks Bull to make the $300 cash for $500 in gold exchange.

The coin is a United States Liberty Head $20 gold coin. They were minted from 1850 to 1907.

The date on the coin is not clear.

The coin reverse appears.

Abelia receives the paper money and leaves where she encounters Festus.

Festus asks her about the gold and the cash and she gives him a story about inheriting the gold. Festus tells Marshall Dillon about the situation and he visits Mr. Bodkin, a local banker.

While Marshall Dillon is handling some gold coins the banker tells him that Bull Anders deposited some gold coins that were minted at the Denver Mint ten years ago.

Later the Marshall tells Festus that six years ago the Deadwood stage was robbed of $10,000 in newly minted gold coins. Will Smith brings some gold to Bull Anders and they argue about the transaction. Both men pull guns with Anders ending up dead and Smith seriously wounded. Will goes to Abelia's place.

Anders' death is reported to the law and Festus and the Marshall head for Abelia's house.

Festus enters the room and sees Abelia and Will who is holding a gun. Festus leaves and Will tries to leave.

In Dodge City the fair continues with Abelia's children entering their pet pig in the contest. Doc Adams awards the official prize to another person and then turns to the children.

Doc awards the children ten silver dollars for the "most intelligent animal."

James Arness as Matt Dillon
Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell (she doesn't appear in this episode)
Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen
Milburn Stone as Doc Adams
Buck Taylor as Newly O'Brien
Jacqueline Scott as Abelia Johnson
Earl Holliman as Will Smith
Susan Olsen as Marianne (Abelia's daughter)
Mike Durkin as Jonathan (Abelia's son)
Val Avery as Bull Anders
Roy Roberts as Mr. Bodkin (the banker)
Director: Vincent McEveety
Writers: Calvin Clements, Sr. Norman MacDonnell, John Meston