8. The River (Part One), September 11. The River (Part Two), September 18, 1972

Written by Jack Miller, Directed by Herb Wallerstein, Guest Cast: Jack Elam, Miriam Colon, Slim Pickens, Patti Cohoon, Clay O'Brien, Roger Torrey, Jerry Gatlin, Red Morgan, Pete Kellett, Gene Tyburn, Jack Perkins, Maudie Prickett.

This story smacks of Huckleberry Finn's adventures on the Mississippi - complete with murderers, rogues and cute kids. The Gunsmoke version of the river, though, just doesn't make it - largely because of the overly cute but talentless child actors Patti Cohoon and Clay O'Brien. Character actors Jack Elam and Slim Pickens are, as always, marvelous - but not enough to carry a paper- thin plot and terrible child acting.