The Colter family is noted for the thieving ways of the patriarch, who has since been killed. The father's outlaw legacy has been continued by the two older sons, Virgil and Clayt. Travis, the 18-year-old younger son lives with his mother, Beatrice, "Bea."
Travis cannot escape the infamous family reputation. He looks for a job to help he and his mother make ends meet, but no one wants to hire a member of the Colter family. Bea takes a job singing at The Bull's Head Saloon out of desperation, and Travis is embarrassed and ashamed.
Travis idolizes his father and brothers to some degree, but Bea knows there is no future in being an outlaw. She tries to convince Travis not to take that route, but as Travis becomes increasingly frustrated, he sees joining his brothers as his only option.
Oscar winner Kim Hunter plays the Beatrice Colter character. At this point in her career, she appeared in several television dramas. When this episode was produced, she had already appeared in the first three Planet of the Apes movies as the ape named Zira. This episode aired in October 1971, and Escape from the Planet of the Apes, which was the last of the Planet of the Apes films to include Hunter, premiered in July 1971.
Jan-Michael Vincent portrays Travis Colter. This appearance takes place early in Vincent's career. This story features the only appearances by Hunter and Vincent in a Gunsmoke episode.
Greg Mullavey also makes his only Gunsmoke appearance in this story. He plays Virgil Colter. Like Hunter and Vincent, Mullavey did a considerable amount of episodic television over the years.
The other Colter brother, Clayt, is played by Richard Kelton. Kelton had previously appeared in Season 16's two-part Snow Train episode. He guest stars in five different Gunsmoke episodes.
There is nothing particularly interesting about this episode. It is clear the writer and production team intended the viewer to feel empathy with Travis and Beatrice Colter's situation, but the characters are written and portrayed in such a way it is difficult to care much.
It is odd that Travis never experiences any moral conflict over what his father did, or his brothers do. This is not a story about a kid that desires to be honest but is a victim of circumstances beyond his control. Travis is more than willing to join his outlaw brothers, but they refuse. The fact that he sees no other alternative shows he lacks imagination and any moral bearing. Likewise, Bea does not seem to oppose Travis joining his outlaw brothers because what they do is morally wrong. She does not want Travis to join his brothers, because she knows there is little future in such a life.
Calvin Clements, Jr. Shoehorns Dr. Chapman into the story by having Beatrice Colter be an old acquaintance. This provides the opportunity to have the new Dodge City resident play a prominent role in the story. Unfortunately, none of the other Gunsmoke regular cast members are important to the story.
This is one of those Gunsmoke episodes with little in the way of memorable content. It is an inconsequential story that fills the requirements for an episode to fill the season.
