Original subtitles

The following program

is brought to you in living color on NBC.

Sir?

Yeah?

Could I talk to you for a second?

Sure, neighbor.

Now, what can I do for you?

Can I get some directions, please, sir?

Sure enough. Where you heading?

A place called the Ponderosa.

Could you tell me where that is, please?

You don't need any more directions.

You're on it right now. We are?

Howdy, ma'am.

Well, could you tell me where I can find a...

Mr. Ben Cartwright?

Sure. That's my pa.

Well, I'd like to talk to him.

I've got some business with him.

Well, is it anything I can help you with?

I don't think so.

Could you just direct me to the house?

Righto. I'll get my horse.

Wait. I'd-I'd better get it for you.

Hey, well, I can get my own horse.

No, no, better let me.

By the way, my name's Wiley Cane.

Wiley. That's my sister Annie.

Hi, Annie. How are you? Nice to meet you.

It's a... it-it's a pleasure, I'm sure, Mr. Cartwright.

It's really beautiful, isn't it?

I'd forgotten how pretty it is, Mr. Cartwright.

Oh, you've been here before?

Once... a long time ago when...

when I was just a little girl.

I'm glad we're back, though.

Wiley says we might be here for a long time.

Oh, you mean here, right on the Ponderosa?

He says we might be here for a whole year.

Annie?

That's enough. I told you

if there was any explaining to do, I'd be the one to do it.

Here you are, Mr. Cartwright. Thank you.

I'm sorry, Wiley.

I was just telling him how it used to be.

Hi, Pa.

Hello, Joe. Come on in.

Pa, I'd like you to meet Annie Cane and her brother Wiley.

That's my father. Hello.

How do... how do you do, Mr. Cartwright? Fine.

Hoss, say hi to Wiley and Annie Cane.

Hi, Wiley. How are you?

I met Wiley out on the road. He said he wanted

to come over here and talk to you about something.

Oh, well, uh, sit down, please.

Uh, how about a cup of coffee?

No. No, thank you, Mr. Cartwright.

Well, what do you want to talk about?

Doesn't the name Cane mean something to you?

Cane.

No, I don't think so.

Sam Cane...

was our father.

Sam Cane.

Well...

I forgot all about that.

Sam Cane was a, um...

A thief.

You can say it, Mr. Cartwright. It's all right.

He robbed you.

Well, there was a land deal, but that was...

that was a long time ago.

That doesn't change things.

And Annie and me are here to... pay it back.

Now, look, I'm-I'm strong. I can do almost

anything around a farm or a ranch.

And what I don't know, I can pick up pretty quick.

Annie can... cook,

she can launder, she can iron, and-and-and she can...

Hold on now. Wait a minute.

Are you suggesting that...

you want to work this debt off?

Yes, sir. Yes, I am.

Well... well, that would take...

A year. That's what I figured.

Look, Wiley, you know, you ain't, uh...

you ain't responsible for nothing your dad did.

Let me explain this to you, Mr. Cartwright.

The name Cane was a respected name,

and I intend to see that it's that way again.

Hmm.

You know, Wiley,

I find what you're trying to do most commendable.

But aren't you wasting your lives away

trying to erase your father's reputation?

Mr. Cartwright, there are towns where decent women don't even

speak to my sister because she's Sam Cane's daughter.

There are towns where men have beat me half to death

because I'm his son, and have spit in my face.

Now, Sam Cane stole something from Annie and me, too.

Something we just got to win back.

We're gonna win it back.

People's respect.

You know, this is such a big country, though, Wiley.

So many places

where the name Sam Cane doesn't mean anything.

Where you could go out and... earn your own reputation.

You mean, run away, hmm?

No. I mean, start fresh.

Mr. Cartwright, my father ran from things all his life.

He never stopped running.

Now, I'm not gonna follow in his footsteps.

Well...

Is your father... still living?

No, he's... My father's dead.

Well, now, we don't know that for sure.

I mean, we don't have any actual proof, Mr. Cartwright.

Oh, he's dead, all right.

If he was alive... I wou... I would have heard about it.

You can bet on that.

Just how long do you intend to continue

working off your father's debts?

Oh, this is the last one.

When we finish here...

wipe the slate clean.

Now, do we get the job, Mr. Cartwright?

Yes. Yes, I'll give you a job.

Until we can find some better way of working this out.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Cartwright.

Well, if that's settled, I'll, uh,

help you bring in your things.

Would you, uh... like to see your room?

Come in.

Hi. I brought you some extra blankets.

Gets pretty cold here at night.

Thank you, Mr. Cartwright.

You can just put 'em over on the bed.

I'll put 'em over on the bed if you call me Joe.

Well, Wiley says that we...

Look, if you go around here

calling everybody Mr. Cartwright,

nobody's gonna know who you're talking to.

All right, Joe. Yeah.

See, that wasn't so hard, was it?

Oh, is everything all right?

Oh, I love it.

This is the first real room I've had in a long time.

How long have you and Wiley been traveling around like this?

Oh---...

I guess about three years.

Whew.

Boy, that is a long time.

That's why I like this room so much.

Everything's so solid.

So permanent.

I-I guess I mean it's a home.

Did you read all those books?

Hmm?

No. No, not all of them.

Most of 'em, I guess.

There are so many.

Well, we have a snowstorm around here,

you either learn to like to read

or you start talking to the furniture.

Let's, uh...

let's see. Here.

This one. This is... this is one of my big favorites.

It's about whaling.

I guess it's as close as I'll ever get to a whale

and that's why I like it so much.

Hey, you're welcome to read it, if you'd like.

Of course, I guess it's not much of a book for a girl,

but you... you can if you want to.

I, uh...

never did-did learn how.

Well, we've been doing a lot of traveling.

Well, just never got around to it.

I know how to spell my name, though.

How come Wiley didn't take time to teach you?

Well, Wiley just doesn't think of things like that.

Oh.

I guess he's too busy thinking about your father, huh?

Look, I got an idea.

You're going to be here with us for a little while--

Why don't I teach you?

Well, I...

I don't think Wiley would want...

Well, I didn't ask you what Wiley wanted.

Look, it'd only take about an hour a day.

It certainly isn't gonna bring the world to an end,

just an hour a day, is it?

Now, do you want to learn?

Yes, I would.

All right. We'll start tomorrow,

right after lunch, one hour.

Oh, that'll be fine.

Good.

Joe?

Thank you, Joe.

Ah.

Get a good night's sleep.

"A."

CON...

CON...

"E."

Annie.

Well, that's very, very good.

But, uh... 'course, that-that doesn't spell "Annie."

That doesn't say "Annie"?

No, no. That...

see, that... that says "Anne."

See, this "E" is silent.

You just pretend it's not even there.

It's silent.

Why?

Well, I don't know why.

It's just the way it is.

See, look, if-if you want to make this "Annie,"

if you want to make this "Annie,"

then we have to put right here,

between there, an "I."

See?

A-N-N-I-E.

See, now, the "I" is silent.

Now that's... that's "Annie."

Are you teasing me?

No, I'm not teasing you.

No, that-that's the way it is.

Here, look.

Here's how you spell my name.

J-O-E.

Joe.

Joey.

No, no. No, not Joey.

Joe.

The "E" is silent. The "E" is silent.

Right. See? The way we had it here?

Got it there.

Um...

spell "bow,"

like I'd wear in my hair.

"BOW."

I-I think we ought to wait on "bow."

I think it's gonna confuse you.

Well, now, isn't that spelled the same way

as you spell your name,

only with a different first letter?

Mm-mm.

I'll-I'll go ahead and show you anyway.

B-O-W.

Now, that's "bow."

Hmm.

Well, that's "Joe." Mm-hmm.

And that's "bow." Right.

Doesn't make sense.

Well, I know it doesn't make sense,

but, uh, I guarantee you

it's gonna get harder before it gets easier.

See, 'cause, look--

See this "bow"?

That also spells "bow."

You know, like when a man bows to a woman.

Same thing.

You are teasing me. No, I'm not. I'm not.

It's-It's funny, but that's the way it is.

That spells "bow." Mm-hmm.

And "bow."

Like a...

bough of a tree.

Mm-mm.

Haven't you ever heard of a bow...

of... of a bough of a tree?

Well, certainly I've heard of a bough of a tree.

Of course I've heard of a bough of a tree, but that...

See, a bough of a tree...

Oh.

Look, here, see.

B-O-U-G-H.

What's that?

That is the bough.

That's the bough when you're...

Say, a bough of a tree.

I thought you said it was "bow."

Look, they're both...

Well, they're not both, but one is both.

See? B-O-W is both. That's "bow" and "bow."

But B-O-U-G-H is only "bough."

It can't be "bow," too.

Do you...

Joe Cartwright,

I think you're terrible. Making fun of someone

that doesn't even know how to read or write.

Well, now, wait a minute, look, look. I...

I know it doesn't make sense, and sometimes it's not going to.

But that's just the way it is.

You weren't teasing me?

Aw, you know better than that. I wouldn't tease you.

Annie.

I was just passing the kitchen

and I thought I smelled something burning.

Oh, the pies.

Joe-- tomorrow?

Sure thing.

And the "E" is silent in "pies."

What about tomorrow?

Hmm? What about tomorrow?

Oh, I'm just helping Annie with her reading.

Well, no more, hmm?

No more what?

No more reading.

Well, why not?

Just because I said no more reading.

Why don't we let Annie decide that, huh?

Pa, all I was doing was trying to teach Annie to learn to read.

And for absolutely no reason he says no.

No more lessons. Leave her alone.

All I was trying to do was help her.

You know, Joe, this, uh,

Wiley has been

more than just a brother to this girl.

Been father and mother to her, too.

Oh, yeah, but I don't think she needs all that!

I think he ought to let her live her own life!

No, but she's part of this whole thing,

this strange journey of his in which he's trying to pay

for all the sins his father's committed.

But why does Wiley force her to go with him?

She doesn't want it, Pa.

Yeah, but he wants her.

He needs her.

Well, what am I supposed to do, then?

Just...

just forget about trying to help her, huh?

Well, maybe you could, uh,

try to help him, too.

He needs it.

You could try.

Yeah, I guess I could try.

Then maybe you could try taking your foot off the table.

Hmm?

Oh.

Yes, sir.

It's not as if I haven't told you before, Annie.

I know, I know.

Then remember it.

We can't take anything from anybody.

But he offered.

Annie, our name is Cane.

And to a lot of people that's just another word for "dirt."

Annie, we've got to be better.

Don't you understand that?

We've got to be better than anybody.

But sometimes that's hard.

Yeah, I know.

It's always hard, Annie.

Good evening.

Evening.

Hello.

Just wanted to make sure we're all set

for our reading lesson tomorrow.

Uh...

no, I-I don't think I'll be able to make it.

I'm sorry.

Oh.

You don't think so or Wiley doesn't think so?

You said you'd leave it up to Annie, Mr. Cartwright.

You've got her answer.

I've got what you told her to say, Wiley.

No, I really don't want to, Joe!

Now, I don't believe that, Annie.

Now, look, Mr. Cartwright... Now, you look, Wiley!

Now, there's no reason for you to deny your sister

the right to learn how to read.

What do you know about reason?

You're a Cartwright, that means you're always accepted.

You try crawling inside my skin for a while,

and then you talk to me about reason.

Annie and me have had to fight for everything we've got.

Oh, come on, Wiley, you don't have to.

It's what you choose.

And the only one that gets hurt is your sister.

Look, all I want to do is help her to learn to read.

Now, what's so...? Why?

What, do I need a reason to help her?

Yes! I like her.

I like her, or is that too difficult for you to understand?

Oh, I can understand that.

It's clear enough.

You just stay away from my sister, Mr. Cartwright.

You hear me? You stay away from my sister.

Yeah, Pa wanted me to give you this list

of some extra supplies to get in town.

Do you mind if I ride along with you?

We don't have much choice, do we?

Wiley!

You going into town, Joe?

Yeah, well, I'd like to if you don't mind the company.

Well, I don't.

Well, if you two sit there gabbing all day,

we'll never get going.

Here we are. You can get down now.

Thanks. I'll take the reigns.

Hello, Roy. Everything go all right?

Just fine, no problem.

Take him in and lock him up

and take the cuffs off, will you?

Hi, Bill.

I'll take the horses over to the stable.

Howdy, Little Joe! How you doing, Roy?

What's bringing you to town today?

Ah, just picking up some supplies.

I'd like you to meet some friends of mine.

Annie and her brother Wiley, this is Sheriff Coffee.

Glad to make your acquaintance.

They're gonna be working for us down at the ranch for a while.

Good. So, what's new in town?

Oh, nothing much.

I did just bring in a prisoner, though,

that I believe your pa might remember.

His name is Sam Cane.

He's being sent back to Utah to stand trial.

Annie, you know we're in no hurry

to get back to the ranch.

What do you mean?

I just thought you might want to see your father.

Yes, I do.

Well, let's go.

No, I...

I don't think Wiley would want me to see him.

Well, I guess that's about all. Let's go.

Wait a minute, Wiley.

Thought we might wait

and let Annie go over to the jail and see your father.

That's all right with you, isn't it, Wiley?

She really wants to see him.

Is he right, Annie?

Do you want to see him?

Yes.

All right, shoot, go ahead.

Wait, hold up a second.

I don't want to see him.

I just want to make sure that Annie's all right.

Well, Joe, did you bring your young friends over

to show them my jail?

No, Roy, Annie here would like to see Sam Cane.

What for?

He's their father.

Well, let me have your gun then.

You don't have to worry about that.

I'm not going in to see him.

All right.

You take your time.

I'll be outside.

Right in here.

Papa?

Papa?

What...

what did you call me?

Papa.

Annie?

Annie.

Oh, Papa!

Papa!

Oh, can't believe you're here now.

And N-none of that.

You'll have me doing it before long.

We can't have that now.

Can we?

Oh, Annie.

Well, what are you doing here?

And Wiley.

I-Is Wiley here with you?

He's outside.

Well, what's he doing out there?

Why doesn't he come on in?

Hey, Wiley?

No, no! No, Papa.

I-I got something to tell you.

Sheriff? Yeah?

What's Cane wanted for this time?

Armed robbery.

Is there any chance he can worm his way out of it?

Well, not very much.

From what I understand, there's plenty of eyewitnesses.

And it's mighty hard to beat a case like that.

Good.

When are they coming to pick him up?

Tomorrow. Next day maybe.

Mm-hmm.

Oh.

I can't say as I really blame him, Annie.

Well, the boy's doing the right thing.

From the standpoint of the way he looks at it.

Still, it...

it's a shame that...

our family had to come to this.

He's paying for crimes he never committed.

And so am I.

What do you mean, Papa?

Oh.

I'm not going to lie to you, darling.

I made my share of mistakes.

But-but all those things I was charged with,

well, I had the reputation, Annie.

If they didn't know who'd done something,

they'd say, "Why, it must've been Sam Cane," and...

I'd be on the run again.

Innocent in the eyes of God

but not in the eyes of men.

You're innocent?

As innocent as you or Wiley.

Well...

not that it's going to...

make any difference now.

Papa, there must be something we can do.

No, no. It's too late now.

What you've told me,

Wiley hates me about as deep as it can go.

No, I could never get through to him now.

But you...

Little Annie.

Oh, you've suffered the most.

You're the one that saddens me, Annie.

I-If only we could make us

a new life together.

Hmm?

Go away somewhere and get us a good stretch of blackland

and farm it.

Where folks would take us for what we were,

not for what others said we were.

Oh, we could have us a glorious life.

Couldn't we, Annie?

Yes, Papa.

Papa, if...

if only there was a way.

There is.

There is, Annie.

You believe I'm innocent, don't you?

Yes.

Then help me to escape.

Bring me a gun, Annie.

It's our only chance, Annie.

I'm not just asking for me.

It's for both of us.

In another day, it'll be too late.

I'll be in state's prison

and you'll be back in that bitter life with Wiley.

But you can change that.

You can give us a chance for a new life together.

Will you give us that chance, Annie?

Will you?

Annie, time's up.

That's all right, Roy.

We understand.

Well, can she come back and visit me again?

I suppose.

You will be back...

won't you, Annie?

Yes, Papa.

I'll be back.

Well...

hello, Wiley.

Annie told me what you're doing.

It's a good thing.

I'm proud of you.

You're proud of me?

Yeah.

Son.

Then I must be doing the wrong thing.

Come on, Annie.

Wiley?

What are you doing?

Oh, nothing. I was just... sitting here.

You were reading.

No.

Don't be silly.

What are you reading?

Well, it's...

a book... on words.

It teaches you how to read words.

It's called a grammar.

I thought I should learn it, so I...

so I could, uh...

Teach me how to read?

Yeah.

It isn't right that you don't know how to read, Annie.

I should've thought about it.

It's my mistake, I-I'm sorry.

That's all right, Wiley.

Here are your clean things.

Oh, thank you.

Wiley?

Mm-hmm?

You... you said you made a mistake.

Ever think that...

maybe we made another mistake?

I mean, you and me.

About what?

Our father?

Don't ever call him that.

I'm not ashamed of him, Wiley.

I want to help him, Wiley.

♪♪

Joe, uh...

I... I-I want to thank you

for bringing me to town this time of night.

Oh.

Oh, it's my pleasure, ma'am.

I'm always ready and willing

to take pretty girls for rides in the moonlight.

A-And I want you to know that...

I-I'll always be grateful to you,

for what you've tried to do for me.

Even over Wiley's objections?

Wiley may not be the best brother in the world,

but he's mine.

I guess that excuses an awful lot.

Yeah, I guess it does.

You want me to go in there with you?

No.

I'd rather go in alone.

I understand.

I'll pick you up here in half an hour.

Good evening, Annie.

Evening.

Your pa just finished his supper.

Go right ahead in.

Thank you.

Annie...

did you bring it?

You wait for me outside, Annie.

Sheriff?

Sheriff!

Joe...

where's Annie?

What do you want with her?

I said, where's Annie? What have you done with her?

I took her down to the jail to see your father.

I told her she couldn't see him again.

Well, I think she's old enough to decide that for herself.

Annie's my sister.

I've looked after her since we were little kids.

Until she met you, she used to listen to me.

Now, I've told you once to stay away from her.

You take my advice; don't make me tell you again.

I don't need your advice.

♪♪

Wiley!

♪♪

♪♪

See anything?

How long you been trailing me?

Ever since yesterday.

Why?

Because of Annie.

My sister's no concern of yours.

Yeah, well, I think she is.

What's happened is as much my fault as anybody's.

No.

It's Sam Cane.

He could talk the birds out of the trees.

He knows just where to hit you,

the exact spot.

It's an instinct he has,

like a rattlesnake.

And he poisons everything he touches...

including Annie.

She loves him and he knows it

and he uses that love.

He used it to get out of jail

and he'll keep right on using it

as long as he needs it.

And then he'll run away again, just like always.

Well, he's not gonna get to run very far this time.

No, he's gone as far as he's gonna go.

All his life he's been doing things to Annie and me,

and we've had to pay for it.

This time is gonna be different.

This time he's gonna pay for it.

'Cause I'm gonna kill him.

Oh, come on, Wiley, talk sense.

Do you really think you can live your life

after you've killed your father?

I know I can.

It'll be like breathing fresh air

for the first time in my life.

People will say, "There goes Wiley Cane.

"Remember his old man?

Boy made up for that."

That's what people will say.

No, I don't think so.

I think they'll say, "There goes Wiley Cane,

"the boy who murdered his father

and ruined his sister's life."

That's why, when we find your father,

we're gonna bring him back to Virginia City.

Alive.

♪♪

All right.

Now we're gonna find your father.

We're gonna find him together.

♪♪

Papa?

Papa, can we rest a minute?

Oh, sure.

Sure.

Well.

My little girl must be exhausted.

Here now.

You sit down here.

Here.

You know, we'll be able to stop tonight.

There's an old line shack about ten miles from here.

Well, there's food there and a bed.

Well, you'll get a good rest.

I'm sorry, Papa. I'm holding you back.

No, no. We're making good time.

There's a lot of distance between us and Virginia City.

Oh, but you just wait till you see where we're going.

Up north.

Yeah.

You never seen the Oregon Country, have you?

Oh, you think this is something.

You just wait till you see Oregon.

It's big country.

It's deserts,

forests,

great rivers.

Kind of country a man can get lost in.

Start all over.

Oh, Annie, Annie, I'm gonna make it all up to you.

Annie?

You all right?

Oh, I'm fine, Papa.

Just I can hardly believe it.

Here now, you...

...you just rest.

There's a stream just over the hill.

I'll water the horse.

You just rest here.

Get your strength back.

Papa?

I love you, Papa.

I love you, Annie.

It's good to have our little girl back.

I'll be right back, Annie.

All right, Papa.

♪♪

What's the meaning of this?

What's wrong?

What are you stopping me for?

You'd be pretty tough to miss from here, Cane.

All right, let's have it.

Slow and easy.

All right, now let's go back and find Annie.

I said move.

Annie!

Get off.

Annie, you all right?

Well, of course she's all right.

What do you think I am?

Annie?

Annie, I, I-I-I was just going...

Papa... I know.

You don't have to say it.

Make him say it, Annie.

Make him say he's sorry.

He's never had to say it before.

Come on, Wiley, put the gun down.

Put it down!

Mm-mm.

You pull that trigger, I pull this one.

Annie, I'm gonna show you

what kind of a man your father really is.

Because I'm gonna make him

get down on his knees and crawl over to you

and beg forgiveness.

And then I'm gonna kill him.

Yeah, that's right, Wiley.

You go ahead, you use the gun.

Pull the trigger!

That's what he'd do.

He wouldn't think about Annie, either.

You both hurt her so much already.

And now you can finish the job.

Because when you kill him,

you're killing Annie, too.

Well, go on, Wiley, what's the matter?

Does it stick in your throat?

Are you thinking

maybe it's about time you thought

about somebody else besides yourself?

I'm thinking about him.

He deserves to die.

He deserves to be killed for what he's done to us.

What has he done, Wiley?

Annie, please get out of the way.

What has he done?

What has he done?

Has he filled our lives with bitterness

and hatred?

Has he changed every moment

into despair?

Well, answer me, Wiley! Has he?!

Yes!

Are you so sure?

Oh, Wiley, Wiley.

Look into yourself.

There's the bitterness.

And the hatred.

The despair.

But he put it there, Annie.

Everything that's inside of me,

everything that's inside of you he put there.

You don't know your father, Annie.

You just don't know your father.

I do.

I guess I've always known.

Same as I know what kind of a man you are.

That hasn't stopped me from loving either one of you.

♪♪

You know, neither one of you deserve her.

As a daughter or a sister.

Annie?

Annie?

I was thinking that, uh,

maybe I, I'd go on out to California.

You know?

Maybe the two of us, you, you and me.

California?

Yeah.

Like we always dreamed about.

You and me, huh?

Wiley, it won't be the same, will it?

No.

No, won't ever be the same again, Annie.

I promise you.

Promise you.

Joe?

Th-This might sound foolish.

But I've got to believe in someone.

Good luck.

♪♪

This has been a color production

of the NBC Television Network.