Gunsmoke Ash (1955–1975) watch online HD

Ben Gault (John Dehner) and Ash Farior (Anthony Caruso) are two country traders that become friends while in Dodge. They are such good friends that they decide to give up their roaming life and become partners in a freight business inside the town of Dodge.

Both mean are becoming well respected members of the community as they do everything to help the farmers out even to the point of billing some for later payment.

One day Ben is unloading a wagon when a 55 gallon barrel hit him in the head. He is rushed to Doc Adam's place where he finally regains consciousness. But something is not correct, Ben is not the same.

Instead of being his pleasant self he seems to turn on everyone. Including his former best friend, Ash, and customers to the office. The blow on the head has left him with another personally so strong that he goes to the Long Branch confronts a young saloon woman named Tilly, hits Ash and then goes after Ms Kitty. Matt intervenes and places Ben in jail.

For some reason Ben has it in his head that Tilly is going to marry him. When she tells him that she is engaged to Emmett Hall, he become enraged and goes gets a rifle. Ash knows that with the sickness Ben is either on his way to kill Emmett or even Tilly- something must be done.

This is one of those episode that when the credits roll you know you have seen a great show. It was a bonanza for this show to have two fine actors in Dehner and Caruso playing characters that appeal to all viewers. The story was easy to understand- two good friends. Another fine episode from season 8.

Gunsmoke can get a bit heavy in bromances, Festus toward Matt being the primary example and this is another example,but strong acting and an unusual story line make for a good episode.

"Gunsmoke" did only a few tales where "bachelor marriages" -- male/male households founded on close friendship and economic need (and sometimes sex) -- were significant story elements.

The "Men on..." episode in which Blaine Edwards is hit on the head with a stage light and becomes a rude, rough-talking heterosexual, is almost perfectly anticipated by "Ash".

Ben Galt and Ash Farior fight over Tillie, one of the Long Branch's girls. After "taking it outside" and kicking each other around, they decide they like other ("You never know a man 'til you've fought with him."), and forget about Tillie, starting a freight business to support themselves.

All goes well until Ben gets hit on the head with a barrel, and almost dies. Worse, his personality reverts to his prior-to-meeting-Ash character. He's mean and incorrigible, eventually reaching a point where he threatens to kill Tillie's fiancé. Ash confronts him in the street, and when Ben won't back down, Ash shoots him.

"Naturally", the gunshot brings Ben to his senses, and on his deathbed he lies, telling Matt that he fired first, absolving Ash of murder. The grief-stricken Ash returns to their shop, meditating on what a good friendship they had.

I'd /like/ to give this episode an 8. There are good things in it, especially John Dehner's restrained performance as Ben. But there is much that seems forced or contrived, especially the way Ben & Ash "meet cute", and Tillie blaming herself for the situation. The death scene is implausible, as Ash would have sat next to Ben with his arm around him, holding his hand -- perhaps even kissing him. That's what men did back then. *

I suspect John Meston was trying to write a story about how rough-and-tumble Western men placed friendship above females, but it doesn't quite work. He might even have been trying to sneak in an implicitly homoerotic story, but who can tell?

Not in any way a "bad" episode, but still a "coulda been better" one.

* And still do. Around Christmas of 2012, I sat with a dying friend, his family, and other friends. I held his hand on several occasions and he didn't pull away. I even kissed him a few times. Nor did anyone -- including his wife -- comment on it.