7.6/10147 votes#1 - Friend's Pay-Off
Season 6 Episode 1 - Aired 9/3/1960
Matt is summoned to help an old friend, Ab Butler, who has been shot in the back and left for dead. However, Matt faces a difficult situation when Ab's partner shows up and tells his side of the story.
Director: Jesse Hibbs
Writer: John Meston
8.3/10200 votes#2 - The Blacksmith
Season 6 Episode 2 - Aired 9/17/1960
Troublemakers trick an immigrant blacksmith into leaving his house on his wedding night, then burn it down.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writer: John Meston
8.1/10186 votes#3 - Small Water
Season 6 Episode 3 - Aired 9/24/1960
Matt arrests Finn Pickett after recognizing his face from a wanted poster. On the way back to Dodge, Pickett's vengeful sons try to free their father as Matt and Chester face a water shortage.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writer: N/A
7.9/10187 votes#4 - Say Uncle
Season 6 Episode 4 - Aired 10/1/1960
Lee Nagel suspects his visiting uncle of murder when his father is killed in their store in an apparent accident.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writer: John Meston
8.0/10185 votes#5 - Shooting Stopover
Season 6 Episode 5 - Aired 10/8/1960
While transporting a prisoner with Chester on a stagecoach to Wichita, Matt learns that the stagecoach is also carrying a shipment of gold, and he suspects the coach might be targeted by outlaws.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writer: John Meston
7.9/10195 votes#6 - The Peace Officer
Season 6 Episode 6 - Aired 10/15/1960
Matt is called in to deal with a corrupt sheriff in Tascosa.
Director: Jesse Hibbs
Writer: John Meston
7.3/10175 votes#7 - Don Matteo
Season 6 Episode 7 - Aired 10/22/1960
Matt's old friend, Esteban Garcia, tracks a man into Dodge and plans to kill him for stealing his wife.
Director: Jesse Hibbs
Writer: John Meston
7.7/10167 votes#8 - The Worm
Season 6 Episode 8 - Aired 10/29/1960
Murders follow when a buffalo hunter and his browbeaten partner come to town.
Director: Arthur Hiller
Writer: John Meston
7.4/10173 votes#9 - The Badge
Season 6 Episode 9 - Aired 11/12/1960
Out on the prairie, Matt is shot and taken captive by two outlaws, one of whom is a weakling abused and bossed around by the other.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writer: John Meston
7.3/10183 votes#10 - Distant Drummer
Season 6 Episode 10 - Aired 11/19/1960
A young army drummer named Raffie is terrorized by two bullying mule skinners.
Director: Arthur Hiller
Writer: John Meston
7.6/10174 votes#11 - Ben Tolliver's Stud
Season 6 Episode 11 - Aired 11/26/1960
Jake Creed accuses his young hired hand, Ben Tolliver, of horse theft.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writer: John Meston
7.9/10181 votes#12 - No Chip
Season 6 Episode 12 - Aired 12/3/1960
The vicious Dolan brothers move in on a tough cattle rancher and his non-violent son.
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Writer: N/A
7.8/10168 votes#13 - The Wake
Season 6 Episode 13 - Aired 12/10/1960
Gus Mather arrives in Dodge in a wagon, carrying the coffin of his best friend, Orson Boggs, to give him a proper wake. There's only one problem: according to Mrs. Boggs, her late husband didn't have any friends.
Director: Gerald Mayer
Writer: John Meston
8.2/10184 votes#14 - The Cook
Season 6 Episode 14 - Aired 12/17/1960
A young drifter takes a job as cook at Delmonico's but accidentally kills a crazy buffalo hunter who complains about his cooking.
Director: Ted Post
Writer: N/A
8.3/10194 votes#15 - Old Fool
Season 6 Episode 15 - Aired 12/24/1960
A scheming woman (Else Hedgepath), who is after the money and wealth of Hannibal Bass, makes a play for Hannibal, but runs into some serious, SERIOUS trouble though when she tangles with *MRS* Bass!
Director: Ted Post
Writer: John Meston
7.7/10168 votes#16 - Brother Love
Season 6 Episode 16 - Aired 12/31/1960
In a family that believes in taking care of its own--including administering punishment within the family for crime--one of two grown brothers appears to have committed murder, but which one?
Director: Franklin Adreon
Writer: N/A
7.6/10154 votes#17 - Bad Sheriff
Season 6 Episode 17 - Aired 1/7/1961
A man shoots his partner, flees, and is caught by two men claiming to be lawmen.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writer: N/A
8.0/10184 votes#18 - Unloaded Gun
Season 6 Episode 18 - Aired 1/14/1961
Red and Joe Lime are no-good murderous brothers, and Matt has to track 'em down out on the prairie. Trouble is, Matt comes down with a fever due to missing out on so much sleep in the last couple of weeks. This situation causes some serious problems for all involved when Matt has to return to Dodge because he is too sick to pursue the Lime brothers.
Director: Jesse Hibbs
Writer: John Meston
7.9/10186 votes#19 - Tall Trapper
Season 6 Episode 19 - Aired 1/21/1961
A man and his wife come across a lone trapper and make camp with him. Next day, the husband comes to Dodge to report to Doc that his wife is sick, but Doc finds the woman beaten to death, and the husband accuses the trapper.
Director: Harry Harris
Writer: John Meston
8.2/10180 votes#20 - Love Thy Neighbor
Season 6 Episode 20 - Aired 1/28/1961
The theft of a sack of potatoes leads to increasingly violent hostilities between the Scooper and Galloway families.
Director: Dennis Weaver
Writer: N/A
7.6/10199 votes#21 - Bad Seed
Season 6 Episode 21 - Aired 2/4/1961
Matt rescues teen-aged Trudy Trent from a life of isolated poverty with her incestuous and alcoholic father, but he subsequently learns that "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" when he rejects her misguided romantic overtures toward him.
Director: Harry Harris
Writer: John Meston
7.8/10181 votes#22 - Kitty Shot
Season 6 Episode 22 - Aired 2/11/1961
Dillon goes after cowboy Jake Bayloe after he guns down his partner in the Long Branch , shooting Kitty in the crossfire and critically wounding her.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writer: N/A
7.9/10183 votes#23 - About Chester
Season 6 Episode 23 - Aired 2/25/1961
While Chester is out searching for Doc, his horse is injured. Chester goes to a house for help and is instead taken prisoner.
Director: N/A
Writer: John Meston
7.8/10175 votes#24 - Harriet
Season 6 Episode 24 - Aired 3/4/1961
After witnessing the callous murder of her kindly father, Harriet Horne disregards Matt's advice and unwisely attempts to extract revenge from the perpetrators by making them jealous rivals for her attention.
Director: Gene Fowler Jr.
Writer: John Meston
7.2/10158 votes#25 - Potshot
Season 6 Episode 25 - Aired 3/11/1961
A concealed gunman takes a shot at Chester, and it may have been a bank robber, or it may have been someone who's been making trouble at the Long Branch.
Director: Harry Harris
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Gunsmoke Season 6
Every episode of Gunsmoke Season 6 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Gunsmoke Season 6!
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and...
Genres:WesternAction & AdventureDrama
Network:CBS
Season 6 Ratings Summary
"Friend's Pay-Off" is the best rated episode of "Gunsmoke" season 6. It scored 7.6/10 based on 147 votes. Directed by Jesse Hibbs and written by John Meston, it aired on 9/3/1960. This episode is rated 0.7 points higher than the second-best, "The Blacksmith".