Original subtitles

What's that for?

Oh, I'm just keeping track of a little wager I've got made on how many ice

are cut.

Tom! Tom!

A Warner Brothers television production.

Oh, don't you remember sweet Betsy from Pike, who crossed the big mountains with

her lover Ike, with two young of cattle, a large yellow dog, a tall Shanghai

rooster, and one spotted hog, saying goodbye Pike County, farewell for a

Whoa, whoa, the cracks in that flooring will pull you every time.

Boss won't stand for any killing just for election day.

More than I make in two years.

Some liquored -up idiot.

Oh, you sure play a rough brand of poker in this town.

Oh, he's not drunk, but he'll need a doctor.

Doc Sales is out of town delivering a Hopkins baby.

We can't leave him lying here. Give me a hand.

Let's get him back to the ranch.

I'll leave your horse at the livery stable in town, Mr. Powers.

Sure you're well enough to travel?

Thanks to your daughter and Miss Abby.

Will we see you again?

Oh, I'll be in town a while, at least until after the election.

They took my wallet and all my money, but they did overlook an IOU I won in

poker game.

Is it worth much?

$2 ,000 if you win the election.

You bet on my winning?

The man I won it from bet on you.

Can you imagine me betting on a reform ticket?

Well, we're going to miss you, Maverick.

It isn't often out here that we get a chance to talk to somebody whose

are so varied and whose conversation runs beyond cattle and mining. Well,

been my pleasure, Mr. Powers.

But as my old pappy used to tell me, don't impose too long on a man's

hospitality. He's liable to put you to work.

Well, that's an idea.

Good morning, Miss Powers.

I'd like a word with you, Calvin.

Privately.

I wasn't expecting a social call from the opposition.

I'll make it a short one.

Please wait. I won't be long.

Excuse me.

Got an extra smoke?

All right, you and that rig just ain't put.

All right, let's get up.

I'll forget about the kick in the ribs, but that'll even us up in the headache

department. Mister, you're going to be sorry.

I'm already sorry.

Let's just have that wallet.

Wallet?

Let him.

What's going on here, Ben?

This crazy fool thinks I stole his wallet. This man works for me.

That's an interesting recommendation.

Haven't I seen you somewhere?

Five nights ago in the Crystal Palace in a poker game.

Sure.

Maverick, isn't it?

The slick talker with the jokes about his pappy.

You got out from that game with $1 ,500 of my money.

Plus $1 ,000 of my own.

All of which your boy here and a friend relieved me of five minutes later.

I never laid eyes on this Jasper before.

He got rolled after he left the palace. It's none of my business.

I didn't see his face, but I did manage to get a hold of this.

Before I blacked out.

That's a perfect match, my friend.

I lost that button a long time ago.

I don't like strange gamblers in this state, especially when they make a habit

of coming up with the winning hand when the stakes are big.

Now, I don't know what happened to you or what you're doing here, but let me

give you a little advice.

The state line is 27 miles due west.

You'll be a lot healthier on the other side of it.

Come on, Ben.

What if I was to go see the sheriff?

With only a button for evidence?

I think I could recognize the drunk.

You'd find he has a dozen witnesses who would swear they were with him at the

time. He got no help from the sheriff, lost and owns Gil McCrary, just as he

owns most of the political appointees in this state.

I hope to put an end to all that graft if I'm elected.

You got my vote.

Well, if you lose, I won't have enough money to leave the ranch, let alone the

state.

What did he want here?

He wanted to make a deal.

He offered to ditch his man Salk and back me.

For a consideration, of course.

You don't need his help.

No, I don't.

I'd like to help, Bart, but I'm afraid there's nothing much I can do.

Well, my old pappy taught all us mavericks to avoid trouble.

But it's never much for running.

If you've got a job open, I'd like to stay a while.

If you don't mind my saying it, I've sort of got a stake in you.

I appreciate your concern, Bart, but I'm afraid there's nothing much to be done

this time of year, even on a ranch this size.

The hay's been cut. The branding's over.

Mr. Powers, that's the ideal time to look for work.

The ice house.

Tom said he may need a hand when he goes up to the glacier.

Of course.

What does one do on a glacier?

Cut ice for the ice house.

We feed over 30 hands. That requires a lot of food and a place to store it in

the summer.

Mr. Maverick, you may consider yourself on the payroll, starting today.

Not much work, huh?

Cold?

No, just checking on my fingers.

They're numb.

What's that for?

Oh, I'm just keeping track of a little wager I've got made on how many ice

are cut. Put that thing away and swing this ice onto the wagon.

Make him look up here as...

What do you make of it?

Some poor devil tried to make it a pass over this glacier.

Nobody's used this pass in more than 15 years.

Yeah, well, he did.

Look at those clothes.

In their style, I'd say it must have been in there over 20 years.

Hardly seems possible.

Well, let's get back to work, boys. We've got a wagon to load. What about

What about him?

He's been in there that long. Let him stay.

Yeah, but, Tom, he must have a wife or a family or somebody who'd be interested

in knowing what happened to him.

It's a long haul back to the ranch.

Yeah, but he'll be all right as long as we leave him in the ice.

All right, fellas, cut that whole chunk of ice out of there.

Over there.

Boys, there's some fresh coffee in the kitchen.

I'll take care of this.

Nancy will be back soon. Don't let her in here.

Get him out of here, Maverick. Bury him someplace.

You just can't get rid of a body, Mr... I don't want him here.

Did you know who he is? Get him out of here!

The coroner will be here tonight.

He'll take care of it.

Now, Jensen was going into town.

I suggested he tell him.

I'll be all over town by weekend anyway.

That looks better, reporting it right away.

I heard about the body. They found it in the ice, Father.

I want... Stay away from there.

Father. Get back to the house. Stay away from here.

Believe me, Nancy, it has nothing for you to see.

I didn't mean to hurt her. I've never talked to her like that before.

They should have left him up there, Bart.

Up on the glacier.

He's come back, Cal, hasn't he?

After 20 years.

Had to come out, Abby, sooner or later. No.

We could get rid of him.

Now, Cal, before... It wouldn't do any good.

Maverick has already sent Jensen in town to fetch the coroner.

It was the right thing to do.

He didn't know. He was only trying to help.

There's been peace in this house for 20 years.

You can't come back now.

Maybe five when he died.

But how did she know him?

She used to have nightmares as a child.

Oh, no, there's more to it than that.

That man out there in the ice house, he's no stranger to you, is he?

I never thought I'd see him again.

Not one chance in 10 ,000.

it short.

They want Doc's sails up at the Powers ranch.

Let him get another doctor. Who's hurt?

Nobody far as I can make out.

But there's a body.

What? Powers ice cutting crew found a body up in the glacier.

One of the men just rode in with the news.

Anyone from around here?

I don't know. He told a wild story about hacking the body out of ice.

Where is it?

In Powers ice house. They want Doc to go pick it up.

Think there's anything in it?

Not offhand, but maybe we could make something of it.

You get Dr. Sales.

If he's hitting the bottle again, you take it away from him.

Then you ride up to the Powers Ranch with him and keep your eyes and ears

Monument break out of that box.

A place for a fire to start. What caused it?

You mean who caused it?

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Where is he?

Bring him out, boys.

What's that?

It's the body you came for

You saw who started the fire?

Your housekeeper, Abby.

Why?

She was only trying to protect me.

This doesn't concern you, Bart. No need for you to get involved.

But I am involved.

I'm the one who insisted on bringing the body back here.

I really opened a Pandora's box for you, didn't I?

Yes.

Yes, you did.

Come over to the house now.

Tell you the whole story.

Well, one thing we know, Sheriff.

He didn't freeze to death.

This pistol ball was lodged in his heart.

Well, what do you know?

I raised her as my own.

No father could love her more.

She wasn't my daughter.

I've never been married.

And the man in the ice?

Miles Craven.

He was her father.

And I killed him.

Murder?

No.

It was either him or me.

What was he to you?

My partner.

Seems hard to believe now we had so little in common.

Miles wanted money.

A lot of money.

He wanted it fast.

I've carried his bullet inside me for 20 years.

Money meant only two things to Miles.

Fancy clothes and fancy women.

Oh, yes, he had a wife.

But her place was at home taking care of the child she bore him.

Miles was seldom home.

Five years of grub steaks.

owning more than a pack burrow and prospector's tools.

Then we hit it.

The athlete report was so promising that a mining company agent offered us $10

,000.

Miles wanted to take it. I refused.

Deep down in my bones, I knew that our fine was worth much more than that.

We went back for the wife and child.

They were gone.

She had abandoned the child.

Left her with an old couple on a small farm Miles was relieved

See his wife and child never meant much to him aside from an occasional request

for more money he would have left the girl with the old folks, but I Talked

into taking her along with us.

I Had to promise miles it I would look after

Maybe that's why I stayed with Miles.

Because of Nancy.

She was only four years old.

I don't really believe she knew she ever had a father.

It was late December when I started back.

We took a chance and cut across the glacier hoping to hit the pass before

heavy snows. You've been there, Bart. You know what it's like.

Lonely is a place in all creation.

And the right place, Miles thought, for a murder.

Must have been thinking about it a long time, ever since we got that offer of

$10 ,000.

We'd stopped to rest.

Miles walked over to Inspector Crevasse.

I was crouched beside my horse, trying to dislodge a piece of ice from his

I heard Nancy scream.

Miles' bullet hit me.

I managed to draw my gun.

There was Nancy still screaming.

Miles was standing over her, pointing the gun.

I don't know if what he intended.

I fired.

Miles fell and slid out of sight into the crevasse.

I remember very little of what happened after that.

Somehow we made our way to the past.

Old Indian squall looking for firewood found us.

Took care of Nancy and myself until I recovered.

I sold the mine about a year later for more than $100 ,000.

Then came here and started this ranch.

And Nancy?

She had nightmares for years afterwards.

Then she doesn't know that the man in the ice house is her father.

No.

I'm sorry, Mr. Powers.

I guess I should have let him stay up there on the glacier.

Somebody would have found him sooner or later. Better later.

Lawton will crucify you, you know that.

Unless you can prove it with self -defense.

After 20 years.

You say he's still carrying his bullet around inside of you.

Well, that might be it.

That might be the proof.

An old scar.

The bullet? It must be a ball.

Bought from an old -type cap -and -ball pistol. It has to be.

They weren't using modern cartridges 20 years ago. It was.

All we have to do is make a coroner's jury believe that after a surgeon

that ball.

No.

You see, I've been to the best surgeons in the country. They all say the same

thing.

Any attempt to remove that ball will kill me.

Nobody I know.

Possibly just what they claim. Some traveler who tried to cross the glacier.

Somebody must have been with him. He didn't shoot himself.

And it didn't happen yesterday.

Not the way he was embedded in the ice.

How long would you say, Eli?

Well, no positive way of saying.

But from the way he was found and the cut of his clothes, perhaps 20 years.

Well, whoever he is, somebody at the Powers Ranch knew him.

He was in the ice house. Somebody tried to burn it down just before we got

there.

We only knew who he was.

Oh, well, his name is Miles Craven, Mr. Lawson.

I found this in his jacket in an oil -skinned pouch.

Must have been a prospect or engineer.

Well, looks like we hit pay dirt.

Guess whose name was on this report with Cravens?

Calvin T. Powers.

And Placerville is where Powers said he got his start in the big money.

Carl, I want you to take the morning stage to Placerville.

I want to find out all there is to know about Craven and his partner, Calvin

Powers.

When we get through with Powers, he'll be fortunate if he retains the right to

vote.

Penny, what are your thoughts?

I'm afraid they're not worth that much.

You come here often?

Always.

Especially when I was a little girl and had bad dreams.

Do you always throw pennies in the pond?

My own private wishing well.

Silly, isn't it? No.

My old pappy didn't believe in wishing. He always said that there'd never be the

day when it could beat an ace high flush.

But my mom, she was the romantic one.

She always used to say that... I know.

That if you look into a well with someone you care for and make a wish,

come true.

Nancy, your father's very worried about you.

I had to get away from the house and that man in the eyes.

He's gone.

He'll be buried tomorrow.

He'll soon be forgotten.

I had forgotten.

The dreams I used to have.

The same dream over and over again.

Seeing the same face and making me scream without my knowing why.

It was his face, Bart. The man in the eyes.

Is it possible I knew him?

You'll have to ask your father.

He knows, doesn't he?

You're up early, Mr. Powers.

Been expecting you.

Mr. Lawson wants a word with you at this place in town.

I have nothing to discuss with him.

He says you do.

If you're referring to that body that my ice crew... It's not just a body.

It's your one -time partner, Miles Craven.

Still feel you have nothing to discuss?

Not with Lawson.

Then with the coroner's jury.

I'll give you your choice.

Intimidating a private citizen is a civil offense, Sheriff.

So is interfering with an officer of law during the performance of his duty.

Just what am I interrupting?

An arrest for murder?

No need for a gun, Bart.

What are they talking about? Who's been murdered?

Nobody you know, Nancy. Go into the house.

Let her stay.

You killed your partner.

Let her hear about it.

Partner? That's right, miss.

That body in the ice house named Miles Craven.

He was your partner, wasn't he?

Still doesn't prove murder, Sheriff. That body's been in the ice a long time.

With a bullet in his heart. Well, you can tell a jury all about it, Powers.

Unless you want to talk to Mr. Lawson first.

You don't have to say anything, Mr. Powers.

Do you got a warrant, Sheriff?

All right, smart man.

I'll get a warrant.

I'll be right back.

Come on.

That man.

Did I know him?

Before you were born.

But that face.

Just a coincidence.

Nancy, why don't you go on into the house? I'll be in in a few minutes.

You're going to have to tell her sometime.

No.

When the sheriff gets back with that warrant, you're going to have to tell

story to a coroner's jury.

You can bet your bottom dollar Lawson's going to try to hang you high.

It was self -defense, not murder.

Sure, I know that.

And maybe a lot of other people will, too.

But you've still got a witness to testify.

She's forgotten.

She's blocked it out of her mind.

To remember a thing like that might bring back all her old fears.

Seriously damage her health.

Have you told her the whole story right from the beginning? I can't. I can't do

it. Her well -being means more to me than anything else in the world.

Even the governorship? Of course.

There's another thing. What if I did tell her that Miles Craven was her

and I killed him?

She'd hate me.

No, I don't think Nancy would ever hate you. You're the only father she's ever

had.

I'm not a gambler.

I can't take the chance.

All right.

There is one more possibility.

Craven's gun, the one he shot you with.

The cap will prove that a ball was fired. I know it's not much, but it is

something to help back your case of self -defense.

Slid into the crevasse with it.

It must be still up there on the glacier, somewhere near where we found

body.

Mr. Powers, I'm going to need that heavy coat again.

You don't owe me that, Bart.

Oh, I know I don't.

But I have a piece of this election, remember?

Besides, I don't like Lawson's brand of politics.

I'll get the coat.

What's he up to?

I don't know, but he's headed north towards the glacier.

Might be smart to find out what he's after.

I aim to.

Oh, Ben, forget about that grudge. Play it safe.

Yeah.

One day a month, I call my soul my own.

You don't have a soul. You drowned it years ago in self -pity.

I want to see your copy of the coroner's report on Craven.

Don't need a copy.

I can tell you.

Cause of death, pistol ball lodged in heart, left ventricle.

Fired by party unknown, time of death possibly 20 years.

You blundering, incompetent fool. I told you who killed him.

You can't use hearsay as a coroner's report. I'm not a jury.

You idiot.

On the basis of your report, Judge Harmon refused to issue a warrant for

arrest. I have to send McCrary out of town for Judge Murdoch.

It's not my business to... Your business is what I tell you it is.

I'm tired of dirty politics and phony reports.

I'm a doctor.

You're a quack. And I'll break you for this, Eli. I'll run you out of the

You'll never practice again.

If it's the only way out, tell her.

She doesn't have to know about me.

I'm here with her.

It's all I have arrived.

I'll tell Nettie to start dinner.

Nancy will be home soon.

Bart.

Sit down. Abby. I don't need you, Abby.

It's just a scratch.

Well, I couldn't find the gun.

Then Stryker followed me.

One day, perhaps someone will find him the way we found Craven.

There'll be no more violence.

I'm going into town this afternoon.

A wire campaign headquarters I'm pulling out.

That won't stop Lawson now.

He's really out to get you.

You've got to tell Nancy.

We've got influence. It could be a closed inquest.

I've told you before, I can't risk the shock this might cause her.

Seems that I set more store by Nancy than you do.

There are other people involved here, too.

The ones that supported you to stamp out Lawson and his machine.

If you pull out now, you're going to break the back of every decent person

believed in you. I don't care about them. I care about her.

You have no choice.

Lawson will drag her before a coroner's jury and maybe a court trial, too.

You think about Nancy when that happens. I won't have to.

I'll be out of the campaign.

If you won't permit Nancy to be a witness, then maybe we can use Miles

bullet.

It'll prove self -defense.

A million to one.

That's what they all said.

Those are pretty big odds. Would you take them?

If the stakes were high enough, I think that these are.

Go wire Dr. Marsh in Denver.

We don't have time for that.

The sheriff will be back as soon as he gets the warrant.

We'd better get Dr. Sayles.

Eli?

You said yourself a million to one.

All right.

Maybe it's old Doc Sayles' turn to pick a winning hand.

I'll get him.

Are you taking inventory?

What do you want? You?

Manage that operation.

I'm a coroner, mister.

I'm not a surgeon. You're a doctor, doctor, and this is an emergency.

Who is it?

Calvin Powers.

He's got a bullet in him, and you are going to take it out. No, no, I haven't

done any major... It'll all come back to you, doctor.

But... No, no, look, I can't look at... I can phone the operation up to the

house to take everything you'll need.

No, no, you better get somebody else. I want you.

Why? You'll need your sworn statement.

What's the proof of self -defense?

Your contribution to good government, Doctor.

Oh, hello, Eli. I'm glad you could make it. Hello, Kelvin.

Father, is something the matter?

Oh, no, Nancy. I just wanted to have the doc have a look at Bart's arm, darling.

Excuse me.

Would you help me in the kitchen, Nancy?

Doctor, you can begin any time. But you heard what he said.

It's way down in there, next to his heart.

I'll kill him.

I'd suggest you cut.

Now, now, that's enough, Doctor.

Congratulations.

That's a very fine piece of surgery. But I didn't even begin. The operation's

already over.

All you would have found is a little lead ball like this.

One that you could purchase in any old gun shop.

Exactly like the one that's in Mr. Power's body.

As I told you, Doctor, you've just made a contribution to good government.

Does he know about this?

No, but you can tell him after the election.

Give me ten minutes with him here to bring him out of it. Then you can send

daughter in.

Thank you very much.

You're sure about what you found up there in Placerville? We can't afford a

mistake. I told you, the jackpot. Just like I said.

Is Cal Powers inside?

He's not seeing visitors today.

He'll see me.

You can only bluff so far, Lawson.

Even in politics.

You can't make a murder charge stick not when the evidence is clearly self

-defense.

Dr. Sale just removed this from Powers.

It's Miles Craven's bulletin.

Oh, and the doctor is prepared to sign a statement.

So you got to Eli.

You underestimate me, Maverick. I never stand on a pat hand when the stakes are

so high.

This time I'm going to put a collar on Powers.

Or a muzzle.

It's his choice.

All those years they told me an operation would kill me. Well, it would

the bullet had remained in its original lodgment.

But it moved, fortunately, so I didn't have to probe so deeply.

Heel fast, Cal.

What do you want here?

Just a little talk.

The talk that I suggested when your crew found Craven's body.

Anything I have to say, I'll say to a coroner's jury.

Sure you will.

But that's not what I came for.

Carl here just got back from Placerville. Nice, friendly town up

And folks with long memories.

Shall we have our little talk? Just you and me and Carl?

My father's just had an operation. He's not well.

Alone, Cal.

Leave, all of you.

It's personal.

Won't be long.

You too, Maverick.

He can stay.

He knows all about Nancy.

I promise you she'll never know from either Carl or me.

All I want is your guarantee that you'll pull out of this election.

You've got to tell her, Powers.

You've got to tell her. You've got to have faith in her.

You killed her father. Is that what you want to tell her?

You're the only father she's ever known.

Now that you have proof it was self -defense, she can't possibly doubt you.

Don't risk it, Cal.

She'll never know. I give you my word.

Your word.

Tell her to come in, Bart.

You fool!

Nancy.

These men have something to tell you.

Something I think you ought to know.

I wanted to spare you, Nancy, but he's forced my hand.

That man on the ice, Miles Craven, he was your father.

He killed him.

Father. Yes, he was your father, Nancy.

We came after you, Miles and I, after your mother had left you, abandoned you.

You started to cross the glacier with us.

You were only four. You were just a little girl.

Miles didn't want you.

Your mother didn't want you.

I wanted you.

You stopped in the snow.

That was when Miles tried to kill me.

That old

smile. He used to try to hurt

me when he smiled.

He was going to kill you on the glacier.

I remember.

I think he wanted to kill me, too.

He was your father, girl.

No, he wasn't.

He didn't want me.

You're my father.

You're the only father I've ever known.

Bye, darling.

Darling.

Gentlemen.

Not yet, Mrs. Craven.

Later.

She doesn't know.

Lawson didn't dig that deep.

It's a good thing I overheard you. Don't tell her. Please.

I had my chance.

I threw it away.

Calvin knows.

You already have $2 ,000 worth.

Will we ever see you again?

When the governor's up for re -election.

I'd like to bet on a sure thing.

Goodbye. Goodbye.

Bye.

Who is the tall, dark stranger there?

Maverick is the name.

Riding the trail to who knows where, luck is his companion, gambling is his

game. Smooth as a handle on a gun, Maverick is the name.

Wild as a wind in Oregon, blowing up a canyon, easier to tame.

Riverboat, ring your bell, fare thee well, Annabelle.

We'll be right back.

Maverick is a legend of the West.

Maverick is a legend of the West.