Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren as Jacob and Cara Dutton on '1923'
Before he made waves in Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford was a young up-and-comer who worked hard to stake his claim in Hollywood. Between small parts in several feature films and guest work on various television programs, Ford began amassing on-screen credits that no doubt contributed to his future success.
But long before the star returned to television for Taylor Sheridan’s 1923, Ford appeared in the most famous Western series of them all, showing up as two different antagonistic characters in two Season 18 episodes of the hit CBS drama Gunsmoke. Harrison Ford Appeared on 'Gunsmoke' Twice In the Span of a Single Season When it comes to Harrison Ford's most popular Western characters, we may know him best as Jacob Dutton on 1923, but in the early 1970s, Ford wasn't playing the grizzled rancher fighting to save his land — he was the heir to one. In Season 18's"The Sodbusters," Ford appears as Print, the son of local cattle baron Lamoor Underwood , who aims to use a gunfighter to forcibly take Clarabelle Callahan's land from under her, mostly for the sake of her water rights. While Print isn't a main focus of the episode, the often inebriated cowboy wastes no time picking fights with the local sodbusters whom he'd rather see run off than take over the valley. Underwood is clearly embarrassed by the boy's drunken habits, and things only go worse for the lad when he confronts Clarabelle's hired gun, Pete Brown , who wastes no time putting him in his place right in front of the kid's dear old Pa. He doesn't directly come into conflict with Gunsmoke's famed Marshal Matt Dillon , the lawman shoots Print from afar, saving Pete's life in the process. Ford obviously made an impression on the folks over at Gunsmoke, because only nine episodes later, he returned to the show for"Whelan’s Men," this time as an outlaw named Hobey who comes to Dodge alongside the outlaw Dan Whelan to kill Dillon. But with the marshal out of town, the outfit has nothing better to do than rob the good people of Dodge and wait in the Long Branch Saloon, where they play various hands of poker. Hoping to save Dillon's life, it's up to Miss Kitty Russell to beat Whelan and his men out of their"earnings," with the final bet sealing Dillon's fate. Ford has a more interesting role here as Hobey than as Print in"The Sodbusters," bringing a real Han Solo-like charisma to every word and adding a sinister levity to the role. Ford makes a distinct impression as he is the one to bring up the poker game in the first place, setting the stage for Whelan's downfall and Dillon's return. Related It Took 5 Years for Harrison Ford's Forgotten Survival Thriller to Redeem Itself on Streaming Dan Stevens, Omar Sy, and Karen Gillan also star in the 63% RT movie. Posts By Britta DeVore Dec 3, 2025 Ford's 'Gunsmoke' Characters Couldn't Have Been More Different Ford was obviously cutting his teeth in his Gunsmoke appearances, but even in these post-A Time For Killing performances, it's clear that he'd grown considerably as an actor. In both episodes, Ford brings a notable presence with him, first as a drunken cowboy who doesn't know when to quit and again as a trigger-happy, in-over-his-head outlaw with a penchant for gambling. While not the only classic Western series he appeared in back in the day — Ford also guest-starred on two episodes of The Virginian and once on Kung Fu — Gunsmoke was always the biggest brand in the West. It's no wonder, then, that a future genre powerhouse like Ford would show up there. Both episodes highlight Ford's growing abilities as an actor, reminding audiences that there are truly no small parts in the film business. As Print, Ford showcases his willingness to be embarrassed and beaten on the screen, throwing around the drunken tough-guy act until it's too much for his character to handle. On the other end of it, his performance as the confident Hobey tempts us to fall in emotionally with an outlaw who would kill a man instantly for cheating at cards. No matter which part he plays, Ford is the type of actor who is able to fully commit to a role, both in the cadence of his voice and the full physical performance he brings. Print and Hobey couldn't be more different, and Ford makes sure that we can tell these two well apart. His Time on 'Gunsmoke' Was the Beginning of Harrison Ford's Love of the Western After several guest stints on shows like Gunsmoke, Harrison Ford hit gold with Star Wars, followed soon after by films like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Blade Runner. But despite that, he has continued to return to the Western throughout the years albeit on a generally inconsistent basis. Just after playing Han Solo, Ford starred in The Frisco Kid opposite Gene Wilder, which would mark his last traditional horse opera for decades. It wasn't until 2011's Cowboys & Aliens that he would return to the Old West, this time as cattleman Woodrow Dolarhyde. Of course, Ford more recently returned to the American frontier for 1923, where, for the first time since his single episode of Kung Fu , he was featured in a Western television series. It only took him five decades, but he finally graduated to being the Western leading man. Genres Western, Action, Adventure, Drama Powered by Expand Collapse
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