Johnny Red: A Son’s Return, A Mother’s Tragedy

Gunsmoke: Old West Stories

A stranger rides into Dodge claiming to be Billy Crail, the long-lost son of an aging ranch owner. But Marshal Dillon recognizes him from a wanted poster as Johnny Red, a notorious outlaw. When “Billy” convinces his mother of his identity, Matt faces a moral dilemma: expose the truth and break her heart, or let the charade continue. But everything changes when a stagecoach robbery leads Matt to the Crail ranch—only to find a brutal murder, a deadly shootout, and a revelation that Billy may not have been lying after all. In the end, the truth costs a woman her life and a man his chance at redemption.

Keywords: “Gunsmoke Johnny Red episode,” “Billy Crail Dodge City,” “Matt Dillon family deception,” “Johnny Red outlaw return,” “Crail ranch murder,” “1955 Gunsmoke radio drama,” “Stagecoach robbery western,” “Marshal Dillon identity crisis”

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Howard McNear (Doc), Georgia Ellis (Kitty), Virginia Gregg (Mrs. Crail), Sam Edwards (Johnny Red/Billy Crail), Vic Perrin (Ponca), Paul DuBois (Nate Barger), Lawrence Dobkin (Jake)