Joe Phy reused Script

Originally Aired: March 19, 1961 Gunsmoke #467, "Joe Phy reused Script," Matt Dillon and Chester ride into the dusty town of El Cater searching for Carey Post, a killer from the Dakota Territory. When they arrive, they quickly learn from local peaceful citizen Cicero Grimes that Post has already been run out of town by Joe Phy, a supposed U.S. Marshal who has turned El Cater into a tightly controlled town where gunmen aren't tolerated. When Joe Phy confronts Matt and threatens to kill him for being a gunman, Matt grows suspicious. Despite Phy's fearsome reputation for having killed everyone who crossed him, Matt notices something peculiar: Phy hasn't actually had to fight anyone, letting his reputation and the townspeople do his work for him. Convinced that Joe Phy is a fraud who has buffaloed the entire town, Matt hatches a plan. He recruits the reluctant Cicero Grimes to help expose Phy as a fake gunman. Matt equips Cicero with an old navy pistol loaded with no bullets and promises to back him up if anything goes wrong, though he admits the plan carries real danger for the peaceful citizen who has never even worn a gun before.