Episode Details

Originally Aired: August 24, 1958

In Gunsmoke #333, "The Blacksmith," Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester discover that Emil Wollheter, the gentle German blacksmith of Dodge City, is being harassed by a troublemaker named Tolman. When Tolman refuses to pay for horseshoeing work and falsely accuses Emil of crippling his horse, the situation grows tense. Emil confides in the Marshal that he's sent for a mail-order bride from St. Louis, having answered an advertisement from a young German woman seeking a husband. Despite his imposing size, the big blacksmith is nervous as a schoolboy when Gretchen Schiller arrives on the evening stage.

The Marshal and his friends warmly welcome the pretty young bride-to-be, and Emil wastes no time preparing a home for her behind his smithy. After they marry, the happy couple hosts a festive wedding celebration with beer, food, and dancing. However, the joyous occasion takes an ominous turn when the drunk and belligerent Tolman arrives with his two friends Willie and Spooner. As Tolman makes unwelcome advances toward the new bride, the celebration threatens to explode into violence, testing Emil's legendary gentleness and the Marshal's ability to keep the peace.