A deputy arrives in Dodge carrying a seventeen-year-old murder warrant and an old photograph. Matt Dillon recognizes the face immediately: it belongs to Doc Adams.
In this episode of Listen with Gilbert, we return to the January 31, 1953 Gunsmoke broadcast “Cavalcade,” written by Les Crutchfield and produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell.
What begins as an old murder case becomes something much more interesting—a story about friendship and duty, law and justice, and whether a man must forever remain the person he once was.
We’ll listen closely to William Conrad and Howard McNear, explore the forgotten life of Calvin Moore, and consider one of radio drama’s great strengths: the most important object in the story is a photograph we never see.
Sometimes the past doesn’t disappear. It simply takes a long time to catch up.
Listen with Gilbert is a Chesterton Radio companion to the great plays, stories and performances of classic radio.
This Deep Dive includes spoilers. We invite you to listen to the original episode first, then return for our in-depth discussion.
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