Gunsmoke
Captain Sligo
Season 16, Episode 16 · Aired 1971-01-04
Synopsis
Boston whaling captain Aaron Sligo suddenly forsakes the sea entirely. He moves to Kansas, buys a ranch and ceremoniously sets up a plaque on the 100th meridian of longitude, which he says is as far from the sea as possible in the United States. He then becomes a cattle buyer, ordering a shipment of cows from Texas, while courting the widow next door. The widow resists his courtship until he proves that he can grow corn, knowing the soil on Sligo's lot is notoriously infertile. But Sligo hasn't lost all of his seafaring identity or his skills. He still dresses in full uniform, builds his house in the shape of a ship, and brings his first mate along to serve as ranch foreman. When a rival cattleman pulls a dirty trick on Sligo which prevents him from bringing his cows to market (by spreading a rumor of brucellosis among the herd) and when the rancher's hands beat the first mate to a pulp, Sligo uses his pugilistic skills to even the playing field -- and some mysterious skill to get the corn to grow.
In the series
This episode is part of Gunsmoke (1955–1975) on CBS.
The long-running western that turned Dodge City into a weekly moral court.
Key cast
- James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon
- Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty Russell
- Milburn Stone as Doc Adams
- Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode
- Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen