Harrison Ford in ‘Bar Wars’

You’ve got to wonder if Harrison Ford has ever smiled smugly when he’s seen the names of actors William Bramley, Robert Burr and Noble Willingham before his in the credits--if he even has time to watch vintage TV between making blockbuster movies and collecting multimillion-dollar checks.

Twenty-five years ago, Ford was getting close to stardom (about the time he had a small part in “American Graffiti”) but still far enough that he guest-starred as one of a handful of outlaws in the suspenseful and amusing “Whelan’s Men” episode of “Gunsmoke” (Tuesday at 1 p.m. on KDOC Channel 56). He’s not even head man Whelan, just one of Whelan’s grammar- and hygiene-deprived men.

The gang is in Dodge City to gun down Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness). But Dillon’s out of town. “We come huntin’ a badge, but the badge ain’t here,” says Hobey (Ford). His advice: “Let’s git gone.” But Whelan would rather wait, so he lets the gang have its way with Dodge.

Hobey does his terrorizing at the bank, where he takes valuables from the customers, and at the saloon, where he nearly shoots Sam the bartender: “Coulda had meat and marrow all over that back bar,” Hobey says.

One of the pack is a pre-”Simon and Simon” Gerald McRaney, who has worse billing than Ford but better lines. When Kitty (Amanda Blake)--queen of the bluff--joins a poker game, it gets interesting. “I’ve been to 11 cockfights, four state fairs and two monkey wrassles, and I ain’t never seen the likes,” says Gentry, McRaney’s character.

Poker, which ends up being Whelan’s undoing, helps clarify the gang’s code of honor: “We may steal a little bit from time to time,” says one outlaw, “and killed a few folks that got in our way, but we don’t cheat or welsh.” (Well, that’s a relief.)

Matt Dillon doesn’t get killed, of course. This was 1973, and the series lasted until ’75.

After “Gunsmoke,” Ford had a little TV left in him (including guest shots on “Kung Fu” and “Petrocelli”); he had done spots as far back as 1967 (“The Virginian” and “Ironside”).

You best tape “Whelan’s Men.” Ain’t no tellin’ when Ford will be gettin’ any more lines like this’n here: “I got me two pair: two deuces and them two tens.”

DETAILS, DETAILS: What TV-actor-turned-movie-star-turned-TV-star played the role of a blacksmith on “Gunsmoke” from 1962 to ‘65? Answer next week. Answer to last week’s quiz (In Robert Loggia’s series “T.H.E. Cat,” what did the T.H.E. stand for?): Thomas Hewitt Edward.

Set Your VCR

Is this ‘60s enough for you? In “The Take Me to Your Leader Affair” on “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” (Tuesday at 5 a.m. on TNT), David McCallum--as Illya Kuryakin--sings a song with Nancy Sinatra, whose character’s name is Coco Cool. And the song, “Trouble,” wasn’t hers--it was his.

Carol Kane won an Emmy for the 1982 “Simka Returns” episode of “Taxi” (Monday at 12:30 a.m. on Nickelodeon).