Gunsmoke: "Kitty" (I)

Radio drama
Gunsmoke: "Kitty" (I)
broadcast November 29, 1952
This episode is on side B of your listening tape
Visit the Gunsmoke Web site at http://gunsmokenet.com/

Vocabulary:

Dodge City
territory
on West
to handle
killers
spoilers
U. S. Marshall
smell
gunsmoke
to star
William Conrad
violence
to move West
young America
Matt Dillon
Mr. Bumby
Sam
ought to
nippy
to wash over ( = again)
a pot of coffee
"her face is something
wondrous fair"
(from the song "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair")
to call hogs
to get up
a while ago
to strike one
to see close to (usually:
to see close up)
you'd better quit while
you're ahead
the occasion
benefit
hall
every fella (= fellow)
kinda (= kind of)
to get off
to take kindly to s.o.
not rightly polite society
to marry
Aw, shucks! (shows embarrassment)
to thank s.o. kindly
to polish up the glasses
to make love (= to court)
to stare

to have better sense
it ain't decent, proper
trail
saloon
to call by for
whiskey
to clout (= hit) some old
bitty (woman) on the head
then you'll be sorry
working clothes

How doya do? (= How do you do?)
in company
Chester
ink
to clean up
bluebottle fly (反吐繭蠅)
to slop s.t. all over
lazy fool
a-stompin' (= stomping)
to take a whack at s.t.
Thanks a lot. (ironic)
maggoty
The mail come in yet?
anything likely?
government circulars (= wanted posters)
to post
Ms. McNiche
a man of your standing
not to go to a big social
(event) like this...
to escort
to accept
to get some letters
off to Washington
it ain't none of my business
I had no right to say it.
to borrow off
fancy ties
liar
to share
to have s.t. on one's mind
to get it off
the morning went
almost noon
hungry
ragabone 'possum
(= very thin opossum 負鼠)

posters
'talk' 閒話
it's all over town
the best I can figure
to let it slip
a mighty fierceness
of gum-clobbering
(= lots of gossip)
up and down, all over
I surely don't.
It's hard to tell (= know
for sure) about people
to come under that
same heading
mean and small
there's not an animal
to touch (a person behaves
much worse than an animal)
to take long
drifters
to lean against the wall
to come right out with it
(= to say directly)
I understand (= I hear)
there's a gal (girl) in town
who's got herself a new bull
to look into something
to be downright rude
ya see (= you see)
you ought to haul 'em in
(= put them in jail)
What're you gonna charge 'em with?
pestilence
just plain...
Olivet's Dry Goods Store
indecent
common
saloon
What's this city comin' to?
sprinkle
to be blessed, cursed with
take pride, for instance
I had more than my share
it would have been a side kinder if...

Listening comprehension questions:
1. What are 'spoilers' in the context of this story?
2. Why does Matt Dillon suggest to Sam that he should go wash his glasses again?
3. What is the name of the saloon where Sam and Kitty work?
4. What was the weather like this morning?
5. What does Dillon order at the saloon?
6. Why does Dillon say he hasn't seen Kitty close up in the morning before?
7. What does Kitty mean when she advises Dillon to 'quit while [he's] ahead'?
8. Why doesn't Kitty want to accept Dillon's invitation to the dance?
9. What kind of 'working clothes' is Kitty probably wearing that she doesn't think are suitable for the dance?
10. What does Chester start to tell Dillon, but then give up trying to say?
11. Do Chester's fears have any substance? How do we know?
12. What two groups of people made negative comments about Dillon's choice of a date for the dance?
13. What did Dillon almost do in reaction to the comments from the first group? Why did he change his mind?
14. What is a dry goods store?
15. What common human character weakness does Dillon recognize in himself?

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