Gunsmoke (1955) s01e31 Episode Script

Gunsmoke starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
Men die for a lot of reasons.
I've even heard of worthy ones.
Like the man who's willing to face it for the good that might come after.
But he's a different breed than most of this Boot Hill trash.
These people died for fools' reasons.
Spilled drink, wrong card, and maybe worst of all the bull-headed stubbornness that keeps a man from listening to reason.
To die like this is a waste.
For nothing's gained by their dying.
That's one more thing for me to face.
Matt Dillon, U.
S.
marshal.
Now, I didn't steal that bottle from the boss for your solitary pleasure, Zack.
Hand it over.
Old Jacklin ain't gonna like us gettin' in ahead of the rest of 'em.
I tell him you was struck down by the whips and jingles, so I carried you direct to town.
I reckon your quick action saved my life, Ned.
Now, I come up the same trail as you, and I'm just as dry.
Pass me that bottle.
Now, boy, don't kill it.
I don't reckon to ride into Dodge sober.
Now, I hope I never see another longhorn steer.
Why, boy, by tomorrow you'll be sorry you ever seen Dodge.
Now my turn on that bottle.
By tomorrow there won't be no Dodge.
We'll have it tore plumb apart.
Mm-hmm! They'll hear the cougar howl tonight! Yahoo! Tell 'em we're here, Zack.
Let's show 'em how we live in Texas.
Hey! Yeehaw! Hold on there.
Get down off those horses.
Put a bullet through his head, Zack.
Shoot his heels away.
I said, "Get down.
" Sure, we'll get down, mister.
That's what we come here for.
All the way from Texas.
And you're welcome here, but don't you get any ideas about shootin' up this town.
Who are you, anyway? Can't you see? He's a U.
S.
marshal.
I'll take that gun of yours, mister, until you're sober enough to carry it again.
Nobody takes my gun.
Then you ride back to camp.
I'm stayin', mister.
Me and my gun.
There'll be a marshal for breakfast, you try to stop me.
I guess you take some learnin'.
Get back.
That was awful close, Mr.
Dillon.
Another drunken cowboy with more guts than good sense.
You busted my head.
You'll get over it.
Ned.
Ned? You killed him.
To keep him from killing me.
There'll be trouble about this, marshal.
Haven't you had enough trouble? Not me.
His brother.
Howard Bulow.
He's out at the camp.
I know him.
He'll come after you.
I'll be here.
It won't be like that.
Howard wouldn't face a gunfighter.
He'll shoot you in the back.
I know him.
It'll happen.
You wanna bury that man here, or do you wanna take him back to camp? I'll take him back to camp.
All right.
We'll give you a hand.
Chester, hold the horse.
You want some more coffee, Mr.
Dillon? No, no thanks, Chester.
Well, I can't say that I blame you none.
You'd think a restaurant like this could at least make good coffee.
Yeah, I know.
You always got to find fault with everybody's coffee but your own.
Well, that's only 'cause most people just don't know how to make good coffee.
The first place, they boil the water before they put the coffee in.
Any fool knows that you gotta put the coffee and the cold water and bring 'em both to a boil together.
That way you get all the flavor.
Worst thing they do is they throw away the old grounds after only usin' 'em once.
What they don't know is they're throwin' away the best part.
You gotta keep them old grounds, and you add a little fresh coffee every mornin' and let her boil.
Shoot, you don't make a cup, you build a pot.
You don't really get a good pot till you've been usin' it about a week.
Then it's coffee.
Mr.
Dillon? Yeah? The brother, Howard Bulow, is that what's on your mind? Yeah.
How you gonna recognize him? Well, Chester I'd say he'll probably be the first man who tries to shoot me in the back.
Come on, let's get out of here.
Give me some pie and a cup of coffee.
If you're not gonna chew on that sassafras root, what do you carry it around for? Well, I figure I ought to chew on it, I- I don't like it though.
You don't like it, huh? Well, you're probably the only man in the world who doesn't.
Most people think it's pretty tasty.
Well, I sure don't.
Maybe it's 'cause I got sick on it once.
It's kinda too sweet for me.
Well, when do you figure to start chewin' it? Well, I don't rightly know.
Doc said it'd be good for me though, make my blood thin come spring.
There's a man who doesn't like the light, Chester.
What do you want? Just curious.
Curious about what? You.
Oh? What's wrong with me? Who are you, mister? Who am I? Huh.
Even a marshal ought to have some manners.
Now, you let me worry about that.
You just tell me your name.
I heard the law is pretty hard-nosed hereabouts.
You don't act like you believe it yet.
Maybe you'll feel more like talkin' in the morning.
I'll sleep better knowin' your in jail.
Jail? What have I done? What kind of a town you run here anyway? I'm mindin' my own business.
Here, now, marshal, what's the trouble? This man looks peaceful enough to me.
He's certainly sober.
That jail's right down the street, mister.
Now, you tell me your name, or you get goin'.
Just a minute, marshal.
You've got the wrong man.
How do you know? I know who you're looking for.
I heard all about it.
Well, speak up.
This man's registered here at the Dodge House.
I was on the desk myself.
His name's Roberts.
That so? When'd he get in town? Last night.
Guess you made a mistake, marshal.
You'll all have to pardon the marshal.
He's a little bit nervous tonight.
Maybe it's me you're lookin' for, marshal.
Howard Bulow.
Nah I ain't gonna draw.
Not like this.
Now or any other time.
I'm gonna kill you my own way.
My own time.
First I'm gonna watch you sweat a little bit.
I enjoyed seein' you make a fool of yourself.
Now, you listen to me, Bulow.
Your brother gave me no choice.
He tried to kill me.
And he would have if I hadn't stopped him.
Now, can you understand that? Nobody kills a Bulow and lives to brag on it.
Nobody.
Maybe you need a few days to think it over.
I ain't got a few days.
You have now.
You're goin' to jail.
For what? I ain't done nothin'.
Move.
What charge? I'll think of somethin'.
Now, get goin'.
That marshal's a mighty sudden man.
Too sudden for me.
I'm leavin'.
Fine town you got when a man goes to jail for talkin'.
Mornin', Chester.
Well, how's Mr.
Bulow this morning, Chester? Oh, you'd do better to ask how I am.
What's the matter with you? Well, I didn't get over ten minutes sleep at a stretch all last night.
Why not? Well, you know how I'm a light sleeper, Mr.
Dillon.
Every little noise and I'm right up on my feet.
So? Oh, that Bulow.
I come near goin' in and clubbin' him.
He was at it all night.
All night long.
Like what, Chester? Yellin', talkin' to hisself, drummin' on them bars with his boot.
Well, no man likes bein' locked up.
Oh, this was more than that.
He was hollerin' about you, how he was gonna kill you for sure.
I swear, any more of it, I'd gone in and hung him.
Well, he seems peaceful enough now.
Oh, yeah, now.
Sure, of course now, it's daylight.
Or maybe you did hang him, huh? You feel any different today, Bulow? You're a fool, marshal.
Lockin' me up ain't gonna change my mind.
Tell me somethin', Bulow.
What would you get out of killin' me? What good would it do you? Marshal, I get pleasure just thinkin' about it.
And when I do it, I'll feel even better.
And I'll do it.
Just as sure as you killed my kid brother.
Did you ever hear about leaving vengeance to the Lord, Bulow? You ever hear about an eye for an eye? Marshal Dillon? What can I do for you? I'm Will Jacklin, marshal.
I'm boss at Drygar herd, we're holdin' up river.
I've come for Howard Bulow.
You can turn him loose.
Sorry.
He didn't do a thing, marshal.
Just standin' on the street, way I heard it.
Well, you heard wrong, mister.
That man of yours threatened to shoot me in the back, and he still says he's gonna do it.
Dillon, no man of mine is gonna rot in a Kansas jail when he ain't done nothin'.
And no man of yours is gonna run free waitin' to put a bullet in my back.
Now, look here, Jacklin.
He'll cool off after a few days in here.
He'll get over it.
Marshal, I got 14 men with me just waitin' down the street.
We've come a long ways, we've had a hard drive.
We're all Texans.
There's no Kansas marshal gonna rub our nose in the dirt.
Nobody's tryin' to, Jacklin.
You killed that boy, marshal.
That was bad.
Bad keepin' his brother in jail.
Now, I want Bulow out of there.
All right, I'll give him to you.
When you've sold your herd and headed back for Texas.
I want him now.
You don't get him now.
Fourteen men with me, marshal.
We'll get him.
And after I get him, we're gonna tree this town.
We're gonna take Dodge apart.
You people have mistreated the last Texas cowman you're going to.
I'll be back directly.
Well, what's your next move, marshal? Those cowboys'll destroy Dodge, that's what they'll do.
You've got to let that man out of jail.
Right now.
That man means to shoot me from ambush if I turn him loose, Riesling.
He stays right where he is.
And what about the rest of us? It's all right for you to save your own skin, but what about us? Those cowboys'll stop at nothing once they get started.
They'll shoot up the town, hurt people, maybe burn down my hotel.
Oh, now don't get all excited, Mr.
Riesling, it ain't gonna help matters none.
I am not excited.
But believe me, marshal, if I had more time, I'd get enough citizens together to force you to turn that man loose.
Well, there ain't no time now.
They're here.
All right, Chester.
Turn him loose, do you hear me? Turn him loose.
You've got nobody on your side, marshal.
Turn him loose, marshal.
You're a fool, Jacklin.
You make trouble here and the law'll be after you wherever you go.
Law don't frighten me none.
I was raised plumb free.
We all were.
Not to form a mob, raid a jail, and shoot up a town, you're not.
What's the matter with you men anyway? What's the matter with you, throwin' an innocent man into jail? A man who wants to kill somebody isn't exactly innocent.
Dillon, we come here for Bulow.
Let them have him, marshal.
Turn him loose.
That's right, marshal.
You turn him loose peaceful, we'll leave.
You make a fight, we gonna take him anyway.
I'll take this little town too.
You hear him, marshal? He means it.
Shut up, Riesling.
Do it now.
Jacklin The first move anybody makes, I cut you in two.
Texas men ain't afraid to die, marshal, but we ain't gonna get trod on.
After you finish with him, boys, I want you to tear this town wide open.
I want you to do that for me.
I'm through talking.
Hold it! Chester? Yes, sir? Go get Bulow.
Yes, sir.
You and I come awful close to bein' dead men, marshal.
Jacklin you take Bulow, and you take the rest of your men, and you get out of Dodge.
That's what we come for, Dillon.
That's all we come for.
I knew you couldn't keep me, marshal.
Now, how about givin' me back my gun? Get it for him, Chester.
Bulow, listen to me.
I want you to go back to that camp, and I want you to try and do some thinking.
You bet I will.
And do you know what I'll be thinkin' about? You.
Sittin' next to an open window, or walkin' down a dark street.
I'm gonna kill you.
I'm glad you finally showed some sense, marshal.
Now, after that man's had a chance to cool off a little, I'll ride out to those cowboys and let them know they're welcome in Dodge.
And I'll do it first thing in the morning.
Ain't there nothin' you can do about that Bulow except wait for him? Tried the only thing I could, Chester.
It didn't work.
Yeah.
You know, I was awful scared there yesterday.
I was.
I thought them cowboys gonna start shootin' any minute.
I know.
That's why I let 'em have Bulow.
What's the matter with people like that anyway? I don't know, Chester.
Could be a lot of things.
The war, maybe.
Too rough a life.
I don't know.
Well, yeah, but most of us has had it rough at one time or another.
Take me.
I was goin' on ten years old before I even knew kids was supposed to have a ma.
Who raised you up? Old coffee-cooler named Ben Cherry.
He was a friend of my pa's.
Well, he took pretty good care of you, didn't he? Yeah, if you call feedin' me on oat water and raw pinto beans good care.
Runnin' me naked out in the rain for my bath.
Hm.
Yeah, well, he probably did the best he could.
How long were you with him? Oh, till he pegged-out in his sleep one night.
I buried him in the ground, started on my own.
You know, Mr.
Riesling sure was itchin' to get out to that Drygar camp this mornin'.
Tell Jacklin and his cowboys how welcome they are in Dodge.
You think he's back yet? I don't know.
Let's go find out.
You know, I don't mind the rest of them Texans, even if they are half wild.
I sure don't cotton up that Bulow none.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, that's all he knows.
Just about as witless as a man can get.
Afternoon, marshal.
Hello, Riesling.
You go out to see Jacklin this morning? Yeah.
He said to tell you that- His men were coming into town tonight, and they didn't want any trouble.
Bulow comin' with 'em? He was just plumb crazy, Mr.
Dillon.
Yeah.
That man died about as uselessly as a man could.
He followed me into town, marshal.
Said he'd kill me if I warned you.
I had to do what he said, he was listenin' to every word.
You did fine, Riesling.
Just fine.