Gunsmoke (1955) s02e21 Episode Script

ANNOUNCER: Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
You buzzards sure don't leave much coffee, do you? There's one cup for everybody.
That's all we got.
Let's get out of there.
Where we going? We'll ride west, as far from Dodge City as we can get.
What's you hurry, Brand? Nobody followed us.
You're forgettin' we killed two men at that bank.
Yeah, but that marshal of theirs wasn't around.
Nobody else got enough guts to come trackin' us.
I ain't worrying about that.
We need money.
We sure didn't make none in Dodge.
Ain't no point in being an outlaw if you can't make a little money at it now and then.
You ain't complaining, are you? Wasn't your fault things went sour in Dodge.
I'm for riding out of here too.
Gather what stuff you wanna take with you and get saddled.
All right, get your hands up, you're covered.
All right, Brand, come on out of there.
I'm coming out.
Don't shoot.
Don't shoot.
Jack Brand, huh? You're wanted in a lot of places.
You all alone? I'm alone.
You did this all alone? Killed a lot of men.
They need these bodies in Dodge for identification.
Let's get 'em loaded.
Just like so much meat.
I said, let's go.
You're a butcher.
All right, get down.
Mr.
Dillon.
Lock him up, Chester.
Yes, sir.
Where are the others? Tell him, marshal.
Tell him where the others are.
Bloodiest lawman ever I seen.
Regular butcher.
Lock him up.
Yes, sir.
All right- Think he was killin' hogs.
I said, lock him up.
Yes, sir.
All right, move.
Let's- Get in there.
I guess you know now you're pretty dad-blamed lucky, going out alone like that, after four outlaws.
Yeah.
Why didn't you take somebody with you? A posse? Most men would've.
All I know is that Brand's right, Doc.
It's a lot of men to kill.
A lot of men Well, I don't think I'd spend too much time thinking about it.
It's your job, you did it, and well, now it's all over.
Tomorrow there's gonna be somebody else.
And the next day.
Always another man to kill.
Well, I never heard of you shooting anybody who didn't need it.
Yeah, but sometimes that doesn't help much.
You must be pretty tired, Matt.
I haven't slept since I rode outta here two days ago.
Well, then you've gotta get a good night's sleep.
Come on, get a good night's sleep and this'll all look different to you tomorrow.
Yeah.
I-I locked him up, Mr.
Dillon.
I-I don't think he liked it too much, though.
I told him not to try kicking his way out though, 'cause I was gonna be sleeping right there in the office.
I'm gonna be sleeping right there with him.
Yeah I'm too tired to even get my clothes off.
Well, don't worry none about the wagon, Mr.
Dillon, 'cause I'll, I'll take care of that, and I don't think that I'll be coming in until long about midnight, but I'll be real quiet when I do Nothing could wake me up tonight.
Nothin'.
You know, I don't feel good about him, Doc.
Yeah, well, sometimes, a fella can just get too much of anything, Chester, especially if you got a job like he's got.
Well, come on, let's, let's get them outta here.
Sam, gimme another.
He'll get over it Chester, he always does.
Yeah, well, not with that Brand on him about it all the time.
Well, that Brand is just lucky he didn't get killed himself.
Well, now, Miss Kitty, I think that three men is enough.
Kitty.
I'm here.
You look real pretty, Linda.
Do you think so? Mm-hmm.
Chester, this is Linda Hawkins.
This is her first night here.
It's her first night in any saloon.
Linda, this is Chester Goode.
I'm very pleased to meet you, ma'am.
How do you do? I hope that you're gonna enjoy your stay here.
Well, I don't know.
I can't just stand here.
Oh, look honey, it's simple.
The first man that comes through that door, you just walk right up to him and start talking.
He'll be glad to buy you a drink.
Yeah Oh, Kitty.
There you are.
Go ahead, go talk to him.
Bottle of whiskey.
Good evening.
I don't drink with women.
Especially cheap women.
Now, excuse me, but that ain't no way to talk to a lady, mister.
Lady? You her husband, or something? Well, if you don't like women, why don't you just go somewhere else and drink? I see you ain't wearing a gun.
Well, I can get one.
I'll wait.
All right.
No, you don't, Chester.
You let Matt handle this.
No, Miss Kitty.
By golly, he- It's all right.
I'll take on your friend.
It just so happens he's the marshal in this town, mister.
Well, now, ain't that curious.
What do you mean? It's the marshal I come to Dodge to do business with.
Where is he? He's in his office, sleeping.
Tomorrow's soon enough.
What kind of business you got with him anyway? You tell him Joe Stanger's here.
Tell him I'm a friend of Jack Brand's.
A good friend.
No, don't do it Don't do it.
There's been enough blood already.
No.
Don't go for your gun.
Don't make me kill you.
Don't make me kill you.
Mr.
Dillon Don't do it.
Mr.
Dillon.
Don't! Mr.
Dillon, wake up.
No! No, it's Chester.
Don't shoot It's Chester, Mr.
Dillon.
You-you was asleep.
You was dreamin'.
Well, that's a terrible thing, them nightmares, ain't they? Chester, there's a bottle over in the drawer.
Get it, will ya? Yeah.
You know, I used to have nightmares like that when I was a kid.
Somebody's always chasing after me and-and things like that.
But I don't have them much no more.
There you are.
Take a big drink, it'll do you good.
While you're up, I think there's something that you ought to know, Mr.
Dillon.
Thanks.
What is it? You know a fella named Joe Stanger? Joe Stanger? Yeah, what about him? Well, he-he's in town.
He says he's a friend of Jack Brand's.
Oh, yeah yeah.
You think he's gonna cause trouble? Well, I'm not gonna worry about that tonight, let's get some sleep.
Mr.
Dillon, don't you think you'd rest better if you had your gun belt off? Yeah, I probably would, Chester, thanks.
Chester! Hey, Chester, wake up! What in the world do you want now? Chester, wake up.
Time for breakfast.
Chester, go shut him up, will you? Oh, I'd rather throw a bucket of cold water on him.
Hey, Chester, come alive.
All right! Quit your cussed yelling.
Good heavens.
Where'd you get that gun? Kind of surprised you, didn't I? Let me out of this cage.
Well, I-I- I ain't got no keys.
Well, fetch some keys and be quick about it.
All right, all right.
Don't take all day.
Where'd you come from? You likely broke my hand.
You're lucky.
Yeah, lucky Lucky you didn't kill me, like you did all them others.
That's enough.
Where'd you get that gun? Chester give it to me.
Oh, you think you're smart, don't you? Joe Stanger's in town, I suppose you know that.
That so? Chester, get some boards and nail up that window so nobody else can throw something in here.
Yes, sir.
Marshal, wait a minute.
Ain't but the only window in here.
If you nail that up, it'll be dark and- I don't like the dark.
That's too bad.
Been a long time since I been up this early for breakfast.
Well, I hope it doesn't spoil your appetite.
Oh, no, don't worry about that.
I could eat a whole bird.
A bird? Well, a hog then, don't make any difference.
Mr.
Dillon, that's him, that's Joe Stanger.
Yeah.
Better get out of the way, Chester.
Well yeah.
Good morning, marshal.
You're up early.
Santa Fe leaves for Abilene in an hour.
Oh? But I'll be back next week.
Your friend'll still be in jail.
I ain't part of Brand's gang.
I never was.
I know it.
Course, there ain't much gang left now.
No.
You're a pretty rough man, ain't you, marshal? When I have to be.
Don't it ever bother you, shooting all those men down? I shot a gun out of your friend Brand's hand this morning.
You stop off at the office before you go, I'll give it back to you.
Now, what would I want with a smashed-up six-shooter? It's yours, isn't it? I'm wearing mine.
Get on your train, Stanger.
Marshal.
You're being kinda pushy, ain't you? I don't like being told what to do.
Course, I'll go, if you're gonna make me.
You gonna make me go, marshal? Just try it.
Just get your hand near that gun.
Just one little move and I'll kill you.
Well, what's keeping you? Why, I do believe you're scared.
Afraid to die, is that it? Your train leaves at 8:30, Stanger.
Be on it.
You better take off that gun, marshal.
Some men might not understand.
But I'll tell them.
I'll tell them how Matt Dillon lost his nerve.
Mr.
Dillon.
What did you let him get away with that for? He-he's nothing but a big bluff.
You go on to breakfast, Chester.
I'll be in the office.
What? Go on.
I brought a pot of hot coffee back for you, Mr.
Dillon.
Oh, thanks, Chester.
What are you doing, writing a letter? Yeah, a telegram.
Take this over to the depot, will you? I want it to be sent as quick as possible.
U.
S.
War Department, Washington, DC? It's my resignation.
I'm quittin'.
You're quitting? You can't do that.
I've already done it.
Well, I don't believe you, you must be fooling me.
I've quit jobs before.
Well, I know.
But this is different.
What's different about it? Mr.
Dillon, you better think what it'd be like without you marshal here.
Chester, they can get other men to be marshal.
Mr.
Dillon, you're not doing this because of what Joe Stanger said, are you? That I've lost my nerve? No, he's wrong about that.
He's also wrong about my liking to kill men.
Now, you never killed nobody, unless you had to.
That's right, and now I don't have to.
I'm through, Chester.
I knew it when I didn't draw on Stanger.
I've killed my last man.
Well, I don't know what to say.
I've hated this job ever since I took it, Chester.
Now they can get somebody who likes killing.
He'll make a much better marshal than I ever was.
Oh, that ain't true.
It ain't true at all.
Go send the telegram, will you? I'm going out.
Get myself a bath and a change of clothes.
Then I'm going over to Delmonico's for breakfast.
And with a good appetite for a change.
I'm gonna start enjoying myself.
There.
Oh, you want me to jump there now? All right.
Well dang.
Now, how in the world- You been practicing.
Well, it's all a matter of attitude, Doc.
Yeah, whatever that means.
Well, all right, take a man like you.
You got so many things on your mind, you can't concentrate.
Well, we're not all lucky enough to be retired like you are.
Somebody's got to do some work.
Well, I'm gonna get me a job.
When? I don't know.
You heard from Washington yet? Well, it's only been five days.
And what difference does that make? They're not gonna change my mind.
Oh, no.
Nobody's gonna change your mind.
Not that.
Where are you going? Well, I got calls to make.
I'm not a man of leisure, you know, like you are.
Well, now, listen.
I'm not a man of leisure either.
What are you gonna do? Well, let's see.
I told Kitty I'd take her fishing tomorrow and right now, I got me a date with the boys.
The boys? You're gonna get drunk, huh? Right in the middle of the daytime too- Did you ever hear of the story about how the devil finds work for idle hands? You better think of that.
Hello, Mr.
Dillon.
Hello, David.
Hey, there's some tracks.
Real fresh.
Made this morning.
Or maybe last night.
Now, what makes you say that? Well, look here.
When the horse stepped here, he bent them grass blades down and they ain't straightened up yet.
It could've been more than a day.
They would've been growing up again, wouldn't they? Well, now, that all depends.
What do you mean? Now, boys, when you're tracking, you gotta take everything into consideration.
Now, if you looked real close when you got up this morning, you'd have seen there wasn't much dew last night.
If there'd been a heavy dew, it would've given those bent grass blades a chance to straighten up again.
Well, then, how old is the track? Well, I'd say that's probably made yesterday sometime.
Why? How can you tell? Look there.
See that doodlebug hole? Yeah, I see it, right here.
Well, now, you look at the grains of dirt around the edge of the hole, you'll see that they weren't made today, they're not that fresh.
By golly, he's right.
Boy, you sure have to look close when you're tracking.
Don't you? Yeah, you sure do.
And you gotta think too.
You can't do anything too fast.
And you can't misjudge one track, or you've lost your animal.
Or your man, eh? We're tracking animals, Billy, not men.
What's wrong with it? I didn't mean anything.
There's nothing wrong with it.
Come on.
Let's go back to town.
Maybe we can get some sasparilla.
Maybe some day we'll really go hunting.
I mean, really.
Well, warm up the frying pan, I got 'em all cleaned and ready to go.
That sure didn't take you long.
I'm a devil when it comes to cleaning fish.
Wow, they sure are beauties, aren't they? Aren't they? They're gonna look even better when we get them in that frying pan.
Look, you fry them.
I did my job.
a man who needs waiting on.
Uh, maybe you'd like a cup of coffee to keep you awake while you watch me cook dinner.
Fine, as long as it's good and hot.
Well, now, if it isn't just exactly right, Matt, I want you to let me know, and I'll fix it for you.
Thanks.
Can I get you a pillow? No, I'm fine.
Good.
Is that all right? Just right.
Fine.
You know, Matt, I'm worried.
What about? Well, you're getting so lazy, that you're liable to starve to death before you find yourself a new job.
Don't worry about me.
This is the kinda life I like.
Matt? What's he doing out here? Miss Kitty.
Hello, Chester.
What's that for? It's for you.
What do you mean? Joe Stanger's back.
He come back this morning.
Well, does he know about that deputy taking Brand back to Wichita for trial? Yeah.
But that ain't what matters.
But, Chester, I'm not interested in Stanger anymore, I don't care about him.
Mr.
Dillon, I don't think that you understand.
Understand what? He come into the Long Branch and he insulted one of the girls.
And when she slapped him, why, he shot her.
Which girl, Chester? Well, it was that nice one, the one that he was so mean to before.
Linda Hawkins? Yeah, nobody dared stand up to him.
Nobody.
So I got one of the horses out at the hitch rail, and I come for you.
I'm not marshal anymore, Chester, I quit.
That don't matter.
Well, it matters to me.
That girl's dead, I can't help her now.
Oh, Mr.
Dillon, you can't let him get by with this, you just can't.
I told you, Chester, I'm through fighting and killing.
Mr.
Dillon, you're the only one in Dodge that can stand up against him and you know it.
Well, maybe so.
But I'm still not gonna do it.
Mr.
Dillon, I've been thinking lately a whole lot about all this, and there's just something that you've been forgetting.
Is that so? Yeah, that's so.
It's men like Stanger and Brand.
'Cause they gotta be stopped, that's all.
They gotta be.
I'd do it if I could, but I can't.
I just ain't good enough- Most men ain't.
but you are.
It's kinda too bad for you that you are, but that's the way it is and there ain't a thing in the world that you can do about it.
Not now.
It's too late, Mr.
Dillon, it's way too late.
Maybe you'll help Kitty take the fish back, huh? Yes, sir.