GUNSMOKE -- " No Hands " ( with Strother Martin, Denver Pyle, Kevin Hagen ) -- 9th Season

As the production # 7101 in the end credits proves, "No Hands" was actually the first episode filmed for the 1963-1964 season, although CBS delayed airing this one for several months. It's easy to see why: Start with a man ( Strother Martin in a rare nice guy role ) whose luck goes from bad to much worse.....

....Then add to that gruff hillbilly Denver Pyle and his idiot sons, who break several laws and manage to walk away free because Matt doesn't have any evidence to take them to court! This is one of those rare GUNSMOKE episodes in which all hell breaks loose and evil triumphs. That's why the show was the enormous hit that it was, where the writers could sometimes break the rules of episodic TV and get away with it

This is an interesting show, but nothing compared to some of the great episodes that came later on.