Episode Details

Originally Aired: December 15, 1957

In Gunsmoke #297, “Ugly,” a horribly disfigured stranger named Bruno Thayer rides into Dodge City, and his appearance alone is enough to spark fear and cruelty among the townsfolk. Scarred years earlier in a buffalo stampede, Bruno keeps mostly to himself, hoping to make a quiet life on an abandoned farm. But in a town quick to judge what it doesn’t understand, rumors begin to spread—whispers of evil, violence, and unnatural behavior.

When a young woman claims Bruno attacked her, hysteria boils over. Led by a vengeful mob, Dodge threatens to turn on the man they barely know. Marshal Matt Dillon must stand between fear and justice, determined to uncover the truth before prejudice turns deadly.

In the end, what emerges is not a monster—but a lonely man scarred by fate and rejected by society. A powerful and unsettling story about appearance, superstition, and the courage it takes to stand against mob rule.

Cast: William Conrad, Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis

Tags:

western, frontierjustice, MattDillon, Chester, DocAdams, KittyRussell, mobjustice, prejudice, rumor, DodgeCity, oldtimeradio, classicwestern, radioDrama, 1950sradio, tragedy, isolation, frontierlife, Gunsmoke