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Gunsmoke: Old West Stories

Man Hunter: The Price of a Name, the Worth of a Life

Posted August 7, 2025 · 21 min

About this episode

Originally Aired: May 27, 1956 In Gunsmoke #216, “Man Hunter,” a stranger comes to Dodge on the trail of a quiet ranch hand—revealing him as Ike Abbott, wanted for a murder committed twelve years earlier in Arizona. As Marshal Dillon weighs friendship, law, and the specter of bounty hunting, he confronts Ben Quillen, a deputy with a badge for hire and no qualms about killing for reward money. When Quillen’s tactics put Dodge on the brink of bloodshed, Dillon must choose between justice and the letter of the law. A tense showdown reveals the true nature of manhunting—and the line that separates a marshal from a mercenary. Cast: William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Lawrence Dobkin, John Dehner, Ken Lynch Tags: western, bountyhunter, justice, WilliamConrad, ParleyBaer, GeorgiaEllis, manhunter, oldtimeradio, lawman, 1950sradio, classicdrama, reward, DodgeCity, pastcrimes, suspensepodcast

From Gunsmoke: Old West Stories by OTR.FM Network. Visit the show’s website.

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