With literally hundreds of episodes to choose from, picking the best or most beloved Gunsmoke hour (or half-hour) can be a real challenge. But of all the Western giant’s finest episodes, there is one that continues to dominate fan conversation, even after 60 years. If you’ve never seen the Season 11 episode “Seven Hours to Dawn,” then now is your chance to see what everyone has been raving about. But part of what makes this harrowing episode so stunning is that it brings in criminal mastermind Mace Gore (John Drew Barrymore) and his gang of a hundred men to town, putting Dodge in the biggest bind the frontier settlement has ever found itself in. Barrymore’s performance sets him apart as one of the horse operas’ most sinister and menacing foes, and something that simply must be seen to be believed.
“Seven Hours to Dawn” Is Possibly ‘Gunsmoke’s Finest Hour
“Seven Hours to Dawn” puts the spotlight on the people of Dodge after they believe that Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) has been gunned down by a gang of outlaws who plan on taking over the Old West town by force. After forcing Matt to help keep the peace, Mace Gore’s outlaw gang collects everything of value from Dodge’s citizens. All their hidden values, their jewelry, all of it. Bankrupting Dodge has never been so easy, but after things begin to turn violent, Matt finally has enough. The marshal attempts to make a run for it, hoping to ride out of town to get help, but Gore orders his men to take down the lawman, and they gun down the marshal in the street. After Doc (Milburn Stone) pronounces Matt dead, he and Festus (Ken Curtis) come up with a plan to turn the tables on the villains, and the results speak for themselves. Of course, Matt isn’t really dead, but they let everyone — including Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) — believe he is so that the marshal can get well away from the prying eyes of the villains now in charge.
“Seven Hours to Dawn” is not only one of the highest-rated episodes of Gunsmoke in terms of fan reviews online, but it joins “The Gallows” as being one of the most compelling. Seeing Dillon go down in front of our eyes is shocking in all the best ways, but the whole thing pays off masterfully in the grand finale as Festus takes a cue from Matt’s playbook to outsmart the bandits rather than fight them head-on. The way this episode pushes Doc and Festus into the spotlight gives these usually supporting characters not only more to do, but also allows us to see their full potential in ways not explored before. “Seven Hours to Dawn” is endlessly rewatchable — and quite a way to kick off a new season of television. Everything about it is great, but especially the show’s main villain, who steals the show with every scene he commands.
John Drew Barrymore Makes Other Western Villains Cower as Mace Gore
An “honorable” outlaw, Barrymore’s Mac Gore is calm, collected, and no-nonsense. He doesn’t care about anybody, but he does care about the rules he’s created and will enforce them violently if necessary. He pays no mind to Matt or Festus’ threats, and instead keeps his eyes on the prize: all the wealth in Dodge City. Barrymore’s chilling performance makes us wish that the outlaw had been brought back later on, playing the part as almost an anti-Steve McQueen. Gore was cool, really cool. Walking around Dodge, he looked like any gun-for-hire Western hero, only he was starkly on the other side of the law. Like 3:10 to Yuma‘s Ben Wade, Gore was a man you would want on your side, but would never want to cross personally. He’s tough enough to run a gang of outlaws the size of a small frontier town, and he wouldn’t let you forget it.
Barrymore is phenomenal here. His understated performance only adds to the McQueen-like cool factor, and his intensity sends shivers up one’s spine. The very first moment Mace Gore meets Matt Dillon, he calmly asserts, “Don’t touch those guns, Marshal. If you do, I’m gonna have to open up the other world for you.” There’s something quite magnetic about the villain’s haunting eyes and unbothered demeanor that evokes an almost James Dean-like quality to him, saying far more by speaking very little than his outlaw underlings do with copious amounts of dialogue. Although “Seven Hours to Dawn” was not Barrymore’s first appearance on Gunsmoke — he appeared previously as a character named Anderson in Season 10’s “One Killer on Ice” — his work as Mace Gore is undoubtedly his best in the genre. It’s not often that Western villains are so notable, so gravitational, that one cannot help but be attracted to them due to their style, but Mace Gore is certainly the pinnacle to be emulated here. It’s no wonder Barrymore also appeared on episodes of other Old West programs like Rawhide, Winchester ’73, and Kung Fu.
‘Gunsmoke’s Eleventh Season Started With a Bang — and Mace Gore Unloaded the First Shot
Gunsmoke was a series that shifted a few times over the course of its run. From initially being a half-hour black-and-white program, it eventually extended to hour-long episodes, including “Seven Hours to Dawn.” Though the show would transition to color with its twelfth season, this Season 11 premiere is still counted as one of the show’s best for a reason. Not only was this episode set during most fans’ preferred period in the horse opera’s history (Season 7-11 are widely considered the best of the show), but it stands out as a shocking, dramatic, and bold Western tale that could have easily carried a feature film. What a way to start the show’s final year of black-and-white visuals, which only emphasize the clear lines between characters like Matt Dillon and Mace Gore.
While it’s admittedly hard to recount all 600+ episodes of Gunsmoke, it’s quite possible that there isn’t a more frightening villain in the entire series. Again, Barrymore is at his best here, commanding the screen with such vigor that you can’t help but stay glued to it until the end. The final shootout between Gore and Matt brings the whole thing to a head, and it’s only in the villain’s death that you begin to see the true instability behind an otherwise collected man. It would certainly take someone wild and crazed to run a gang the size of Gore’s, and there was no one more perfect for the role than John Drew Barrymore. It’s almost a shame that Matt guns down the outlaw in the end, because a rematch would certainly have been just as epic. If you haven’t seen “Seven Hours to Dawn,” it’s time to add this Gunsmoke hour to your watchlist, if not solely to see one of the most menacing Western villains on screen.
Gunsmoke is available for streaming on PlutoTV.
Gunsmoke
- Release Date
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1955 – 1974
- Directors
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Andrew V. McLaglen, Harry Harris, Ted Post, Bernard McEveety, Vincent McEveety
- Writers
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John Meston, Charles Marquis Warren, Paul Savage
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James Arness
Marshal Matt Dillon
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