Rauchende Colts The Glory and the Mud (1955–1975) Online

Here is an episode that words are not going to relate how powerful and entertaining this show was to watch. Excellent acting and a story that is just as powerful today as it would have been in the old west.

Sam Beal (James Best) has just lost his job and comes up to Marshal Dillon asking if he could be his deputy so that he can gain some background in law to get a job in another town as Sheriff. Sam believes that he needs to shoot some guy in order to have a reputation but Matt puts him in his place.

Meanwhile on the stage, a famous Wild West Show attraction Jack Dakota (Kent Smith) comes into Dodge. Jack is aging and his eyesight and reflexes are not what they use to be when he was younger. He has arrived in town to see if his old sweetheart Sarah Carr (Marsha Hunt) hopefully to settle down get married. In their younger day they had a relationship but Jack left and Sarah got married to another man. She is now a widow and Jack has returned to court Ms Carr.

With everyone in town wanting to talk and shake the hand of the famous Jack Dakota, Sam Beal sees a way to make a name for himself. If he can out-draw Jack Dakota he feels sure that he will have a reputation that will lead to a job as Sheriff. Even with Matt warning Jack of Beal's intentions, Jack feels to old and tired to move on. Jack's life will come down to a gunfight on the streets of Dodge. It will be the young against the aging as someone will die. But will the one living finally see that a reputation is sometimes all one has left.

The script was nearly poetic and the acting fantastic. I have seen Kent Smith in a few shows and was never impressed with his performance. However in this show, his portrayal of the aging Dakota is one of the better I have seen. The entire cast was brilliant in this show that was a pleasure to watch. A good watch for everyone.

Here, we see a young Rosco Purvis Coltrane, aka James Best many years before becoming a county sheriff. You can almost hear and see Rosco in his character here named Beal.