Original subtitles

Well, I guess we better get... You

didn't like the picnic.

I

mean

business, Mr. Maverick.

And you hit what's left?

Let's talk business.

There's only one thing really wrong with Virginia City.

The biggest poker game in town is a private affair.

The Comstock Club is exclusive.

If you're not a member or recommended by one, you haven't got a chance of

getting in.

Of course, exceptions are made in the case of important personalities.

I'm sorry, Mr. Maverick, but I never heard of you.

Oh.

Good night, Tom. Good night, Mr. Horn.

You sure there's no chance?

Not unless you're a member.

Thank you.

Horn!

I didn't know you were a gunman, Mr. Jennings.

I know the truth now, Horn.

Why the committee voted against giving me the money.

It's no secret.

Congress isn't in the habit of donating millions to crackpots.

Your money, your influence stopped me again, but for the last time.

Thank you, sir.

I appreciate the effort, but really the trouble wasn't necessary.

Doesn't he know how to pull a trigger?

He hasn't the courage to pull a trigger.

Here.

Go ahead.

Shoot.

See what I mean?

You're a fanatic, all right, Jennings, but you're not a very good fanatic.

I'm grateful for your interference, sir.

Dead you would have won, Horn.

You'd have been a martyr for all those who think the same twisted way you do.

But alive?

Alive you're going to be beaten.

By Alex Jennings?

By Jerome Horn.

Oh, you're desperate now, Horn.

You're taking bigger and bolder steps to stop me.

One step is going to be too big, too bold.

Then you're going to fall.

And fall hard.

Jennings Folly.

What's that?

You must be a stranger here.

Alex Jennings wants to build a five -mile -long railroad tunnel into the

Comstock Load to cart the ore out and ventilate the mines.

He should ventilate his brains first.

Jennings is the kind, Mr... Maverick.

Jerome Horn.

Jennings is the kind who shows up after all the back -breaking work and hard

labor of building railroads and digging mines is done, and then he wants to tell

you how things should be from here on.

Better working conditions, less danger.

If we had listened to his kind, there wouldn't be any working conditions to

worry about at all. We wouldn't have dug any mines in the first place.

You going this way, Mr. Maverick?

I'm afraid so.

I couldn't get in the club.

Members and friends of members only.

You're a friend of a member now.

I was hoping it'd work out that way.

It's all right, Tom. He's with me. All right, Mr. Horton.

Around the table, Mr. Maverick, we have some of the finest gentlemen in Virginia

City.

Mr. Willard Newton, rancher.

Mr. Alfred Clay, gold miner.

Mr. Stuart Kennedy, silver.

Mr. John Bourdain, my partner in railroading.

Gentlemen, Mr. Brett Maverick, poker player.

Good luck, Mr. Maverick.

And good night again, gentlemen.

Chips are $50 apiece, Mr. Maverick, minimum by $2 ,000.

No mind -boarding, Mr. Maverick. He gets a little touchy when he's losing.

You're $200, Mr. Maverick, and $1 ,000 better.

I owe you $5 ,000, Mr. Maverick. I'd like a chance to get even.

The game isn't over, is it, gentlemen? It is for me. I've got some work to do

my office.

I have a proposition I'd like to make to you, Mr. Maverick. A $5 ,000 bet.

On one hand?

One cut.

I say for $5 ,000, I can cut the ace of spades with one try.

Do I get to shuffle?

As much as you want.

Well, do we have a bet?

Double or nothing?

Double or nothing.

Those are pretty attractive odds, Mr. Bourdain.

One chance to cut the ace of spades.

Correct, Mr. Maverick?

Correct, Mr. Bourdain.

I believe I've cut the ace of spades, Mr. Maverick.

I now owe you nothing.

I'm afraid you're mistaken, Mr. Bourdain.

You now owe me $10 ,000.

Looks like he beats you to your own game, John. Shut up.

You can have your money in my office in one hour.

You've seen that trick before, Mr. Maverick.

No, just that kind of trickster.

This is my profession, gentlemen.

Hard to understand.

Losing $10 ,000 to Bourdain is no more than losing $10 as to most people. He's

that rich.

Some men can't stand to lose 10 cents, Mr. Kennedy, no matter how rich they

Yes, sir.

I have an appointment to see Mr. Bourdain.

Oh, Mr. Maverick?

That's right.

Go right in.

Mr. Maverick, Mr. Bourdain's expecting you.

More ink.

Close the door.

Your manners are bad, Maverick.

How can you tell?

You had your back to me.

I have a feeling we're not fond of each other, Mr. Bourdain.

I suggest we get this over with as fast as possible.

Fine. I'm not going to pay you.

Goodbye, Mr. Maverick.

That's a little too fast.

You owe me $10 ,000.

I want it.

Anybody who can palm an ace of spades like you did, Maverick, is a card sharp.

And I don't pay off the card sharps.

Now get out.

A long time ago, Mr.

Bourdain, I decided that a gambling debt wasn't ever important enough to kill a

man over.

I decided that Welchers are people to feel sorry for. That the pressure that

made them crawl so low must have been worse than anything I could do to them.

So I let it go at that, marked it off to profit and loss.

But you don't get off that easy.

No, sir.

Every time your name comes up, Mr. Bourdain, every place I go, I'm going to

this little story about how the millionaire railroad builder didn't

lose $10 ,000 to the stranger after all.

Because he didn't pay the stranger what he owed him.

You wouldn't dare.

Like to bet another 10 ,000 on that?

He's dead. You better get the sheriff.

I'll get him myself.

The sheriff had gone home for the night, and the name John Bourdain was too big

for the deputy.

So the sheriff's home was the next stop.

That helps a little. I wake up kind of slowly.

I wouldn't get too upset, Mr... Maverick. Yeah.

If things weren't like you said, it shouldn't go bad for you.

I believe it's customary to knock before entering, gentlemen.

Oh, excuse me, Sheriff. I didn't recognize you. Good evening.

Don't you recognize me?

This is the man who shot Mr. Bourdain.

Right in there, about two hours ago.

Come on, Sheriff, see for yourself.

This is what I'm talking about.

What's the joke?

It happened just like I told you, Sheriff.

No, wait. He shot at me.

The bullets ought to be in that door.

Could be about right in here.

I can't arrest you for murder, Maverick, but I can arrest you on quite a few

other charges.

Clerk out there. He spilled ink when I came in.

Don't tell me no ink.

Either you've had too much to drink or not enough, one or the other. Now clear

out of here.

You try to collect a debt.

A man welches, pulls a gun, you shoot him first. The sheriff investigates.

and finds absolutely nothing.

What do you do? You forget it? You can't. You're out $10 ,000.

All right, where do you begin?

The clerk without ink on his hands. Where else?

Getting a line on the clerk took less than an hour.

He didn't look, think, or act like most people in Virginia City.

His name was Vinner, and he lived in a lodging house on Taylor Street.

I wonder if you could help me, ma 'am.

I'm trying to find a Mr. Vinner.

He's dead.

What?

Struck down by a wagon.

Begin with Mr. Maverick. I've already heard your fantastic story about killing

my partner.

It happened, Mr. Horn.

Exactly as I told the sheriff it did.

Couldn't have.

My partner's standing right out there now.

Hello, Mr. Maverick.

I don't believe we've met.

This is the man you played poker with last night.

The man who owes me $10 ,000?

I'm sorry I was so rude last night, Mr. Maverick.

Well, I'm sorry I killed you.

I prefer you don't persist in telling that story, Maverick.

Good day, Mr. Horn.

Good day, Mr. Maverick.

Mr. Bourdain.

Of course.

What do you want to do about Maverick?

Depends on what he does.

Follow him.

What about him?

He'll behave.

won't you i i don't like this you will be patient nobody likes

being a millionaire at first

Half my problem was solved now. I had my $10 ,000.

Solving the other half suddenly didn't seem too important.

Suppose I did prove I'd killed Bourdain.

I'd still have to prove that I'd done it in self -defense.

Uh -uh. No percentage.

A trip to San Francisco suddenly seemed like a better idea.

An hour later, I had my ticket and nothing to do till the stage left the

morning.

Mr. Maverick.

Hello.

Hello.

I'm Jane Vaughn.

I'm not very flattered, either.

I've got the worst memory in the world.

Well, that's all right. I'm not being very fair, either. We only met once, and

it was just for a few minutes. Club in New Orleans.

Of course, the Jambalaya Club.

Yes, that's right. It certainly took me long enough.

Well, nice seeing you again, Mr. Maverick. Well, no, wait.

I'll walk along with you, if I may.

Oh, well, I'm just going back to my hotel.

I won't be keeping you from anything, will I? No, no.

As a matter of fact, I don't have anything to do until tomorrow morning's

leaves for San Francisco.

Still trying to place me?

No, I'm trying to place who you were with when we met.

Oh, he was a very handsome gentleman.

Husband?

Uh -uh.

Brother.

Miss Vaughn?

Mr. Maverick? It's a lovely day today. I have nothing to do.

I'd like you to join me.

Doing nothing?

How about a ride in the country?

A picnic lunch?

Champagne?

Mr. Maverick?

Yes, Miss Vaughn? I...

Jane. Mm -hmm?

Why did you talk to me on the street today?

Well, I always talk to my old friends.

How could we be old friends if we've never met before?

But we have met.

At the Jambalaya Club?

Yes, that's right.

No, it isn't.

I made that up.

Because I knew you were lying about knowing me.

How?

Your face.

Too pretty to forget.

If I'd ever met you before, I'd have remembered you.

Then why didn't you say something about it at the time?

What's your real name?

Ellen.

Ellen what?

Ellen Bourdain.

John Bourdain's daughter?

Niece. Ralph Bourdain is my father.

So John Bourdain has a brother.

Yes.

Have you seen him, Mr. Maverick? Do you know where my father is?

I think so.

But why did you want to get together with me?

Well, I heard the story that you claimed to have shot John Bourdain.

So?

So it was someplace to start.

Start what?

Mr. Maverick, my father and I live on a small ranch just outside of Carson City.

Well, I was away for a few days, and when I got back, my father was gone. No

note, no message, nothing.

A suitcase was gone and some of his clothes.

Mr. Maverick, my father is a timid man. In five years, he hasn't been five miles

away from that ranch.

He never does anything without talking to me first.

I'm all he has.

Why'd you come to Virginia City?

Well, I wanted to see if my uncle knew anything about it.

John Bourdain.

Yes.

But I couldn't find him.

And then I heard that you had claimed to have killed John Bourdain.

Did you, Mr. Maverick?

In self -defense.

I'm sorry.

Well, don't be on my account.

I hated my uncle John.

Treated my father like dirt.

Worse, about 20 years ago, he... Cheated him out of a gold claim.

That gold claim was the start of John Bourdain.

I don't think my father ever got over it.

So I thought there might be some connection.

Do you think there is?

I don't know.

But I do know where your father is.

Where? Out at Horn's Ranch, posing as your late Uncle John.

Why? Why would he do a thing like that?

Mr. Maverick, are you sure of what you're talking about? I mean, did you

father? Did you talk with him?

Today.

John Bourdain died owing me $10 ,000.

I wanted my money.

Your father paid me off, tried to make me believe that he was the man I'd

killed.

But why should he pretend to be a man he hated?

For some reason, Jerome Horn doesn't want it known that his partner's dead.

What reason?

Mr. Maverick, if my father is posing as John Bourdain, he's doing it against his

will. Possibly.

Probably.

But what can I do about it?

Go to the sheriff, I guess.

No.

The sheriff was put into office by Jerome Horn.

Will you help me?

No, ma 'am.

Not very noble, are you?

No, ma 'am.

Because you have your $10 ,000?

Yes, ma 'am.

Well, I guess we better get... You didn't like the

picnic.

Mr. Maverick, I'm going to take your $10 ,000 and I'm going to keep it until you

find out for me why Jerome Horn is using my father.

I can work from there myself.

Do you really think you can force me to help you?

I'm going to try.

I mean business, Mr. Maverick.

Can you hit what's left?

Let's talk business.

There's nothing to talk about.

You just give me the money.

And when you find out what I want to know, you'll get it back.

That simple.

No, not so simple.

What if I won't give you the money?

Then I'll kill you.

And do what about getting the information you want?

I'll still have your $10 ,000.

So I'll use it to hire someone to do the work for me.

You sound determined.

I am.

I love my father, Mr. Maverick, and in a way you're responsible for everything

that's happened, so I feel very righteous about forcing you to help me.

Now, put the money on the seat.

Yes, ma 'am.

Move over there.

Yes, ma 'am.

I'll leave your gun in the road.

Goodbye Mr. Maverick.

You didn't hide the money in your room, and the clerk didn't put it in the safe.

That leaves you personally.

You come near me, and I'm going to scream.

If I don't get my money, I'll scream louder.

Now, don't you dare. Don't you dare come near me. All right.

All right, all right. I'll give you back your money.

It's in the bureau.

I looked in the bureau.

I turned every drawer inside out.

It's not in a drawer. It's under one.

It's glued to the bottom one.

It's all there.

Oh.

I gave up.

After you slugged me?

I didn't like slugging you.

You poor girl.

Now, what's the real reason?

Well, I guess I misjudged you.

You work on your own terms if I take your money away from you well Then you

after the money instead of what I want you to go after to get the money It was

my mistake, and I'm sorry oh And I'm so sorry I did that That's all

I think we're in business.

You mean you'll help me? You'll go out to the ranch after my father?

I want to find out more about why Horn is using your phone.

You know, you're funny, Brad.

What you won't do for $10 ,000, you will do for nothing.

You're rather impulsive.

For a start.

For some proof that I was telling the truth about the gunfight with Bourdain,

headed back, discreetly, to the Horn -Bourdain Holding Company office.

The door where Bourdain's bullets had gone was something to go on.

They hadn't had time to repair the door before I'd returned with the sheriff,

but they had had time to switch the door with another one.

So far, so good.

The hinges had been worked on recently.

The problem was simple now.

Find the original door.

It was in one of the rooms in the building.

How many rooms were there?

Then again, maybe it was right in this room.

Buried in what was now the closet door.

You're going to burn your fingers. Hold it.

Turn around.

Drop your gun belt.

Keep it over here.

You know, for a while there...

I really thought you were going to go to San Francisco.

So did I for a while.

You should have.

You all right, Mr. Maverick?

I'm fine, thanks to you, Mr.

Jennings, wasn't it?

Alex Jennings.

I... I'm not used to these.

You did fine, Mr. Jennings.

But what were you doing here in the first place?

You following him?

No, I was following you. Then I saw him.

His name is Norman Brock.

He works for Horn and Bourdain.

Kills for them, I should say.

Well, what were you doing following me?

I want to talk to you, Mr. Maverick.

About you having shot John Bourdain.

Is that true?

Yeah? Can we go somewhere and talk?

My place?

It's very important to me, Mr. Maverick.

Might be important to me, too, Mr. Jennings.

Now, this is the Comstock Lobe.

The heat comes from these boiling underground springs.

The gases rise over here.

Now, my tunnel will be a means of drawing off water and gases alike.

Reducing the temperature to close to normal surface temperature and

the gases almost entirely.

Fresh, cool air, Mr. Maverick.

Safety.

How long is the tunnel now?

21 ,307 feet.

A little over four miles.

187 feet over as of tonight.

Mr. Maverick, there is no little when you dig a tunnel.

Every inch counts after 16 years.

16 years?

It should have taken only four years, but for Horn and Bourdain, they have

fought me right from the start.

Stopped me wherever they could.

At the banks, in the courts, even in the Congress of the United States.

They have made me a figure of public ridicule.

Jennings Folly is the name my tunnel goes by.

And the names for me are worse.

Why?

How does the tunnel hurt them?

They're railroad.

They make their money cutting the ore out of the mines into the refineries.

And the tunnel will make it a short haul?

One -tenth of the distance, Mr. Maverick. That is the reason I started

tunnel. It was a railroad first, a means of ventilation second.

Now it's the other way around.

It has been for the past seven years.

Mr. Maverick.

These are medical histories of over 400 men, miners, who died working in the

Constock load.

Each death can be directly attributed either to the gas in the mine or the

Doesn't the public know about this?

The public only knows what Horn and Bourdain want them to know.

Mr. Maverick, did you shoot John Bourdain, as you've said?

But I heard that when you went back to the office, his body wasn't there

anymore.

That's right.

They don't want Bourdain's death known.

Why? There's only one reason I can think of.

Horn and Bourdain are in great financial trouble.

I know they've spent a fortune fighting me.

That must be it.

What does that have to do with Horn covering up Bourdain's death?

The courts, Mr. Maverick.

Bourdain's death will throw their partnership into probate for the heirs.

The company's records would have to be made public.

The creditors might panic, demand their money, foreclose.

This could mean the end of them.

You could be right.

Bourdain's brother is posing as Bourdain right now.

What?

Why, then I am...

Do you know what that means to me, Mr. Maverick?

It means that at last I've got Horn on the run.

You will help me, won't you, when it comes time to expose Horn?

Well, say I won't stand in your way.

Mixing in other people's business isn't my profession, Mr. Jennings.

Sometimes we can't stay out of other people's business, can we, Mr. Maverick?

We can try.

Good night, Mr. Jenny.

Good night, Mr. Maverick.

Fence post.

Fence post?

I got no instructions for fence posts.

Who you from?

Coalwright Lumber.

Never heard of them.

Where you shipping order?

It's in the back with the fence post.

Let's have a look at it.

All right, I'll show it to you.

Well, open it up.

Get inside, mister.

I was afraid something terrible had happened to you.

No, no, I'm fine. Just fine, my dear.

Mr. Vordy?

Mr. Maverick? Mr. Maverick got us in here in a wagon, Father. We can get out

same way. Now, come on. Hold on.

Why do we want to get out?

Well, you're being held a prisoner here, aren't you?

I was.

You're not now?

Doesn't Horn want to pass you off as your brother anymore?

Oh, yes, by all means.

But I no longer object.

Well, why not?

Why should I?

What's wrong with being John Bourdain?

Millionaire partner of Jerome Horn.

I rather like the idea.

Your father is a timid man?

From Havana, Cuba.

Father, you want to be John Bourdain, right?

Why not, Ellen? John Bourdain has money.

Jewelry.

Elegant surroundings.

I was just writing you about it when you came in, Ellen.

To ask you to join me here and share in this life with me.

What did Ralph Bourdain ever have?

Poverty.

Doing without for a lifetime hasn't been very pleasant.

Especially when I did without because my own brother cheated me out of what

should have been mine.

I've never known one moment of gracious living, Ellen.

Nor your mother.

Nor you.

You see what I'm getting at, don't you?

She's way ahead of you.

Well, why not?

Why shouldn't he have a little luxury and a little comfort and a few riches?

Well, there's always the gal.

Don't mind Mr. Maverick, Father. He's just upset about somebody named Jennings

who wants to build a tunnel or something.

I'll get over it.

You know, Father?

I think you're right.

I think we have a very lovely life ahead of us.

Of course, you'll have to forgive me if it takes a little while to get adjusted

to being a rich man's daughter.

Niece.

The price tag's on the bottom.

Don't be a spoilsport, Brett.

I wouldn't think of it.

Goodbye, Ellen.

Mr. Bourdain. Where are you going?

The wagon.

I rented it by the hour.

Oh, s... Stop it.

Now, why shouldn't Father get everything he can out of this?

After all, it was Uncle John that cheated him out of the claim in the

place. I didn't say a word.

Well, all right, but I know what you're thinking. Poor Mr.

Jennings. Well, I never stood in his way, neither did Father.

Let him build all the tunnels he wants to. Why blame us?

I'm not blaming anybody.

Well, then where are you going?

No place.

if we weren't going to meet again.

Imagine how I feel.

Take him out.

No. Leave him alone.

I've been listening to you from outside, Ellen.

You're obviously interested in the finer things in life.

They're not free, you know.

Well, the price better not be too high, Mr. Horn.

If you kill him, you get no cooperation from me.

Mr. Maverick tried to help me.

Us.

Can't end this way. We're not murderers.

No harm must come to my daughter, gentlemen.

Suggestion?

Go ahead.

Why all this talk about what to do with Maverick?

Let him go. He can't hurt you. You can ruin everything. Be quiet.

Go ahead.

No one believed me when I said I killed John Bourdain.

Why should they start believing me now when I say that John Bourdain's brother

is taking his place?

They might stop laughing and start getting nasty.

After all, Mr. Horn, you, John Bourdain's partner, swear that this is

Bourdain.

And you, his niece, tell the same story.

Who's going to believe me?

Alex Jennings?

So why should I make the effort?

That's my point.

Where will you go from here?

San Francisco.

The sooner the better.

Well, you're not the most grateful of men. I just saved your life.

You also got rid of a bad conscience.

Goodbye, Ellen.

Happy money.

Don't let him disturb you, Ellen.

He doesn't.

My pappy had it right.

Stick your nose in other people's business and you'll get it bent.

My business is gambling.

Jennings is building tunnels, and that's that.

All set, folks, and get aboard now.

What was that?

There was a gas explosion.

How do you know? I was in one of these once, Buster.

Come on, they'll need every one of us.

How about you, stranger?

We need all the help we can get. Let's go, friend.

It's Ron we need.

No, I'm going to San Francisco.

Yeah, later.

No, but wait a minute. You don't understand.

Mr. Maverick.

That's a pretty hot little mind you got here, Mr. Jennings.

Looks like I was right, Mr. Maverick.

About it sometimes being hard to stay out of other people's business.

Nah, nonsense.

I was just doing this for the exercise.

Hello, Brett.

How do you feel?

Surprised.

What are you doing here?

Worrying about you.

Why? Something go wrong with your inheritance?

Everything.

Well, spare me the details. I'm not interested.

Yes, you are.

I'm on your side, Brett. Jennings' side.

Well, don't make it any worse for me.

I don't like what I'm doing, and I don't like to give up what I'm giving up.

But when I heard that you had volunteered to risk your life by going

the mine, well, everything changed for me.

Volunteered?

Don't try to deny it.

I was out shopping when I heard all about it, looking at silk dresses.

Suddenly I felt so ashamed.

Now that I've seen all this,

Go back? A hundred men were killed here, just blown to bits in one horrible

second.

I can't stand in Jennings' way.

Are you sure?

All this won't look so grim by morning.

It'll look grim to me a hundred mornings from now.

What about your farm in Carson City?

How will that look in the light of day?

Beautiful.

I was just checking.

I'm really grateful to you, Brett.

You know, if you hadn't volunteered to go down into the mine, I might never

taken a second look at things.

What is it, Brett? Are you all right?

I'm fine.

Wait a minute. I'll go get a doctor. No, no, no. It's nothing.

Are you sure?

Positive.

Somebody need a doctor over there? No, no, no.

Everything's all right.

Here, here. Let me help you.

Oh, thanks.

Say, how about your father?

Does he know you've changed sides?

We're going to have to go rescue him again.

Fred, are you sure you're all right?

Oh, I'm weak as a kitten.

Think you'll make it to my carriage, kitten.

Hold it.

You left your carriage in a very convenient place, Miss Bourdain.

There's a barn over there.

What happens there?

Mr. Horn's gone through a lot of expense.

Over this John Bourdain business, Mr. Maverick, it can't all come to nothing.

It's because a little lady there suffered a change of heart.

Move.

When I say horn, you faint.

Turn around.

You know, you're making one mistake, Brock.

What's Ralph Bourdain going to say?

How cooperative is he going to be when he finds out you shot his daughter?

He'll never find out.

You're both going to die accidentally.

With bullets?

My carriage accident.

You were running away together.

The carriage lost a wheel, went over the cliff.

Clever.

Whose idea was that?

Yours?

Or Horn's?

You can get up now.

Ellen?

Hey, Ellen.

I guess I should have said pretend to faint.

Oh.

Is everything... Everything's fine.

Hey, now, you're not going to faint again, are you?

No, not if you keep talking to me, I won't.

About what?

Oh, I don't know.

Tell me about a picnic you're going to take me on.

Okay, a picnic it is.

As soon as we take care of Mr. Horn.

And the first thing we're going to have is... Champagne.

Sunshine.

And there'll be no gunplay whatsoever.

There'll just be the two of us.

Five days later, a lot of changes had been made in Virginia City.

Ralph Bourdain had been rescued again.

Jerome Horn was on trial for murder. And Alex Jennings had gone to Washington at

the invitation of the U .S. Congress.

And Ellen and I were finally able to keep our appointment with the ants.

Bless you.

Thanks.