Original subtitles

From the entertainment capital of the world.

Produced for television by Warner Bros.

Oh, help.

Oh, help, somebody.

Somebody, help.

Help.

What's the matter?

I'm sorry. I really am. I never done a thing like this before.

- Still time to change your mind. - No. No, there ain't.

Turn around. It'll only hurt for a second.

To Denver. That'll be $24.50.

Yep, drove a hard bargain. Took me for $18...

and then sashayed over to the newspaper office.

Seemed mighty interested in finding out about Laura Stanton.

But at first, he didn't have the fare.

Come back with it just in time to catch the 11:05.

Yeah.

Well, when's the next train to Denver?

- Was there something? - Huh?

Oh, yes, sir, there was.

There still is. I wanna see Mrs. Stanton.

My name's Briggs. Paisley Briggs. What's yours?

My name is Broadhill, sir. And Mrs. Stanton is out.

- Oh. You mean out, or out to me? - Out, Mr. Briggs.

You show her this, she'll see me.

"Phillip Stanton. Valedictorian. Class of 1861."

I see. No doubt this is my husband's ring, but where did you get it?

He give it to me, ma'am.

When?

My husband has been dead for the past 11 months, Mr. Briggs.

No, ma'am, he ain't. He put it in my hand hisself eight weeks ago.

You must be mistaken.

No, ma'am. It was him, all right. I knew him right off.

But all six men aboard that stagecoach were killed by Indians.

Six men was killed, and six men burned, and six men buried...

but there must've been a seventh man.

That stagecoach probably picked up another passenger out on the road.

My husband was being taken to be executed.

They wouldn't have picked up a passenger.

They must have, ma'am.

Anyways, you ain't no widow and never was.

I don't know whether to believe you or not.

- I want to. - And yet you don't want to.

And don't I know why.

Just what do you mean, Mr. Briggs?

Oh, nothing.

Or maybe something.

Well, what I mean, it seems a bad time for him to turn up living...

for you and him both.

I think I begin to understand you now, Mr. Briggs.

Look at it this way.

If it gets out that he's alive, he's still got to hang for that killing.

Then the whole thing starts up again. There go your wedding plans too.

Oh, yeah, I heard all about that from the newspaper editor...

back in your old hometown. Congratulations.

So whether you love your husband or the man you're fixing to marry...

it seems to me the answer is all the same.

Bury the dead, I say.

Of course, silence is golden.

Isn't that right, Mr. Briggs?

Shucks, ma'am. If you think I come here...

to get money from you just for keeping quiet...

well, I ain't that kind.

I just thought you'd want to know the truth.

I ain't asking anything for it, am I?

But if you were, how much, Mr. Briggs?

Five thousand dollars?

Mr. Briggs, you say he gave you this ring.

- Why would he do that? - Why? Well, the...

For supplies, sir. Yeah, that's it.

You see, I'd give him some flour, short sweetening, sowbelly, frijoles.

Not to mention the rollings and the jug of scamper juice.

Rollings? Scamper juice?

That's tobacco and brown paper to make cigarettes, ma'am.

And, ahem, hard liquor, so to speak.

Paul, he's lying. You were Phillip's partner.

Did you ever know him to drink or smoke?

No, and you never knew him to hide out in the wilderness for most of a year neither.

Living no better than some animal.

Now, a lonesome smoke and a drink ain't much comfort, but it's some.

That part could be possible, Laura.

Phil could have changed. He certainly had enough provocation.

- You mean you believe him? - No, I doubt him.

If Phil were still alive and hiding...

he wouldn't give this man a ring that could be traced back to him.

But doubting isn't good enough.

Laura, we can't be married until we have some sort of proof...

one way or another. Can you see that?

Proof, yes, but how?

Mr. Briggs, if your story is true...

if you really saw Phil Stanton and know where he is...

you can take me to him.

Oh, that wasn't the deal.

Or else I'll have you turned over to the police right now.

Oh, no, you can't.

- Is anything wrong, sir? - It's all right, Broadhill.

- Mr. Briggs and I are talking business. - Oh, very good, sir.

For a man who lives a soft life, Mr. Asher, you hit awful hard.

That's how I earned a soft life, Mr. Briggs.

Well, have you reconsidered taking me to the man who gave you that ring?

No, sir. You can turn me over to the law...

but I ain't going back there, not never.

- My life's worth more to me than that. - What are you talking about?

The Wacanda. That's where he is, the Wacanda.

I'm the only man that ever got out of there alive, once he was fool enough to get in.

Wacanda?

The badlands, up in Wyoming territory.

It's sacred land to the Indians. They call it the Burial Ground of the Gods.

And maybe they're right. That's a graveyard for sure.

A man don't have to be dead to get in there...

but he might as well be, because them Indians ain't gonna let him get out alive.

That's convenient for you, isn't it, Mr. Briggs?

In other words, even if Phillip is still alive, there's no way to reach him...

or for him to reach us. Isn't that what you're saying?

Yes, ma'am.

Oh, a cavalry patrol could get in there and get him...

if they wanted him bad enough, and if they could spare the losses.

Yet you say you got in and out alone.

I stumbled in looking for gold...

and I wandered out in a sandstorm so thick...

that even I didn't know I'd made it.

Then there's no other way. You've got to take us there.

- Laura, you're not going. - This is my problem more than yours.

Well, it ain't mine, and I ain't risking it. Now, look.

Now, suppose I did make it a second time, which ain't likely...

and suppose you got yourselves killed. Well, I'd have risked my neck for nothing.

Now, you listen to me, Mr. Briggs. That $5000 you wanted...

I'll deposit that money in your name today, now, in a bank here in Denver.

Whatever happens to us, that money will be waiting for you here.

- Laura. - Let me finish.

If your story proves to be true...

if we find my husband, alive or dead, and we get back here safely...

I'll add another 5000 to the first.

That's $10,000, Mr. Briggs.

That's twice as much as you had bargained for.

Well, you make it awful difficult to refuse, ma'am. Yes, indeed.

We'll be getting into Injin country before the day is out.

We'll have to take turns standing guard.

What will they do if they see us?

Oh.

Well, just anything they'd take it in their fool heads to do.

Maybe talking, maybe scalping.

Whatever it is, the three of us ain't gonna stop them from doing it.

What good will it do to post guards?

They're more likely to talk if we're awake and looking at them.

Not a lot more likely, but a little.

- Was there something? - My name is Maverick. Bart Maverick.

Would you announce me to Mrs. Stanton?

That would be quite impossible, sir. Mrs. Stanton is out of town.

Out of town?

- Well, when will she be back? - I really couldn't say, sir.

Whoa, just a minute.

When did she leave? Where was she going?

I really couldn't say, sir.

Well, maybe you could say something about a man named Briggs. Paisley Briggs?

He's the one I'm really looking for.

Then I suggest you look elsewhere, sir.

There is no Mr. Briggs at this address.

Well, looks like I'm all alone in the big city.

If you're not doing anything for dinner, maybe you'll join me.

At the Three Crowns Inn, tonight, 9:00?

I'm extremely sorry, sir. I seem to have other plans.

You understand that I don't go out like this with just any man who asks me?

Or even who doesn't, like you didn't. You're the very first.

- Really? - Oh, yes, and the best-looking too.

Well, thank you, lady.

Let's not talk about me. Let's talk about you.

All right, go on.

What do you know about Briggs? Where's Mrs. Stanton? Did she go with him?

I'm beginning to think you just got me here to ask me a lot of questions.

No, that's not the only reason.

- What other reason? - Get some answers.

That's not very flattering.

My pappy always told me, "Flattery is like perfume," Lettie.

"Smell it, but don't swallow it."

And, between you and me, I'd like to establish a bond that has some real value.

Money, for instance.

- Money? - Yep.

Now, you concentrate on that thought and see if you can tell me...

where did Mrs. Stanton go, and what's it got to do with Briggs?

Come on. Hyah!

Briggs, stop!

- It's my fault. I just closed my eyes... - Don't blame yourself, blame Briggs.

He never meant to lead us, only to lose us...

and hightail it to Denver to collect that money.

Why? He'd have twice as much if he took us to Phillip.

Isn't that your answer?

Easy there, Briggs.

That hole in the pot could have been in you.

- Was it a shot, Paul? - Too far away to tell.

I think it came from that direction. Let's find out.

Well, what do you know? You mean to tell me you've been dogging me...

all the way from Grange?

Yep.

- Single-minded, aren't I? - You know, you ain't gonna believe this...

but you just saved me the trouble of looking you up.

Yes, sir. I felt so bad about what happened...

that I just couldn't wait to look you up and pay you back.

That's pretty much the way I felt about it too.

Yeah.

Running me down this way. Hey, that took a lot of doing.

You know, I got to hand it to you.

All right, hand it to me. Twelve hundred dollars, Mr. Briggs.

- Eight hundred and fifty, wasn't it? - Plus 350 for my expenses.

And don't argue.

- I still owe you a lump on the head. - Oh, I ain't arguing.

It's just that I ain't got it here.

You'll be interested to know that I run up a

nice little profit on our nest egg, Maverick.

Yes, sir, it's in a bank in Denver. I was just heading there to get it for us.

Well, you're welcome to come along if you like.

Well, thanks. I may just do that.

Say, it sure is a shame you had to blow a hole in that coffeepot.

Now I can't offer you a good cup of breakfast.

Oh, but what the heck?

I sure am sorry I flew off the handle like that.

Oh, forget it. I'm kind of glad you did.

Now we're even. In lumps on the head, anyway.

Yeah, and then some. You like to split mine wide open on that rock.

But I don't blame you. I never could do anything right.

You see, I left home more than 20 years ago...

looking to take the world by the tail.

I left a sweet little thing named Ellie May.

And I told her I'd come back to her with a pot of gold...

and she promised she'd wait for me.

But she didn't?

Not 10 years later, she up and married another man.

Can't ever depend on women.

Yeah. After that, I got to feeling sorry for myself and ducks in the desert.

Just about to give up hope for getting that pot of gold...

and then something happened that got me all fired up again.

What was that?

I got word of how Ellie May's a widow with two fine boys.

So I figured as how I still got a chance.

If I was to go back, she wouldn't realize how long it took me...

to get that pot of gold, and I'd have me a ready-made family.

Yeah.

I just come that close to making good.

Now I guess I'll be going to jail and all.

Because of me? No, not at all. All I want is the money you owe me.

If you've really got $5000 in Denver, you've got no problem.

You'll still have 3800 left over for Ellie May.

Yeah, I think she'll be glad to see you, Paisley. I know I was.

Say, you know, you're a real gem, Mr. Maverick.

And I'll be more than happy to give you back your share.

Not so fast, Briggs.

That money you're splitting up doesn't belong to you.

You see what I mean about bad luck?

Just when you and me get everything worked out fine, they catch up with me too.

Take his gun. Keep him out of this.

- What is this anyway? - I'll get around to you later.

Right now I wanna take care of Mr. Briggs.

Well, thank you, Mr. Asher. Uh...

What happened, see, was, while I was going out hunting some meat...

for you and Mrs. Stanton, then this fella jumped me...

Ain't you even gonna listen? - Shut up.

You ran out on us because you knew you couldn't earn that money.

It was all a lie, wasn't it?

You're an awful hard man to talk to, Mr. Asher.

You keep hitting first and asking questions later.

That ain't no way to act. How would you like it?

Hold it, Laura.

I can handle him.

If you get away this time, we won't stop you.

But it's not gonna be so easy.

All right, all right.

Don't strain yourself. I ain't going nowhere.

Let's have the truth, Briggs.

You never saw him. You were lying all the time.

Tell me you were lying, or so help me, I'll kill you.

No, I never told no lie.

Now, like I said, I seen him, and I talked to him.

There's lots of things I am, but one thing I ain't, and that's a liar.

I think he'd admit a lie to save his life, Laura. I believe him.

What other choice do we have?

Paisley.

How many more people may turn up looking for you?

All my life, nobody wanted me. Now everybody wants me at once.

Give him back his gun, Laura.

I'm sorry.

Looks like you've got a score to settle with him too.

I didn't track him down and tie him up just to turn him over to you.

Whatever your reasons, we're grateful, Mr...?

Maverick. Bart Maverick.

My name's Paul Asher. This is my fiancée, Laura Stanton.

Mrs. Phillip Stanton, isn't it?

Why, yes.

See, that's part of the reason we're here. Mr. Briggs claims to know the location...

of a gold strike my husband made shortly before his death.

Even though your business with him seems to have come first...

we hope you'll respect the urgency of ours.

Well, I'd respect it a lot more if you told me the truth, Mrs. Stanton.

What do you mean by that?

You didn't bring your fiancée out here to look for gold, Mr. Asher.

Seems more likely you're looking for something else.

Mrs. Stanton's husband?

Whatever would give you an idea like that?

I talked to that newspaper editor in Grange, Briggs, after you did.

You just told me the rest.

All right, Mr. Maverick. I apologize for the lie.

Don't worry. I don't care what you're looking for.

All I'm after is the money that Briggs stole from me.

He owes me $1200, and I'm taking him back to Denver to collect it.

You're not taking him anywhere without us. And that money in Denver...

was for him to lead us to Laura's husband.

He doesn't get one cent until the job's done.

He ran out on you once before, Mr. Asher.

You think you can keep him from doing it again.

Not without your help.

- How's that again? - Meaning no offense, Mr. Maverick...

but any man who will go through what you've gone through for $1200...

must be mighty fond of money.

That's why you'll go along.

We'll give you $2500 to help us keep an eye on Briggs.

If you don't, you'll lose $1200.

Where did he say your husband is?

The Wacanda, Mr. Maverick. That's the last place on earth you wanna go, right?

Right. I wouldn't consider it.

Five thousand?

- Well? - I'm considering it.

Just between you and me, Mr. Maverick...

I'm awful glad you voted to throw in with us.

I feel a sight better having you along.

- So do your friends back there. - I know, and they're right.

I need somebody to keep an eye on me, to stop me from going off...

and doing some fool thing I'm sorry for later.

That's why I'm glad you're along.

- To save you from yourself, huh? - That's right.

Though, if them Sioux get any closer, there ain't gonna be much left for you to save.

Yeah.

There's burning, folks. You're being talked about.

What are they saying?

They're telling each other how we're heading for the Wacanda.

They're not making any move to stop us.

As far as I know, there ain't nothing to stop us from getting in.

Only getting out.

I'll take over now, Bart. Go get some rest.

The only one that's got any rest is Briggs. You haven't closed your eyes.

- Neither has Laura. - I know.

Drums keeping you awake?

You know that's not what it is.

I don't know what we're afraid of most. That we won't find Phil or that we will.

You don't have to talk about it to me.

I have to talk about it to somebody. Of course, you don't have to listen.

Under those circumstances, go ahead.

Well, what I keep asking myself is, what good can come of it if Phil is alive?

Oh, Phil was my friend, sure, but would it be better for him...

to have cheated the hangman, lived for another year...

than have to go through all this again?

- Maybe not. - No.

It was better the way it was.

For Laura's sake too.

And, yes, for my sake. I guess it's no secret the way I feel.

No.

Wish I could tell how she feels now.

I thought I could...

but the farther we go, the farther we seem to grow apart.

She had a lot on her mind, Paul.

Give her time.

We'll be in the Wacanda tomorrow.

- You think we'll find him? - Nope.

But you'll find your answer there.

One way or the other.

- Mr. Maverick? - Yeah?

What were you and Paul talking about?

Our chances.

- Of finding Philip? - Among other things.

Tell me, what happens if we do find him?

I don't know.

Would you try to take him back with you, or would you be ready to stay with him?

- That's a strange question. - Well, it's a strange problem.

If he is alive, what makes you think he'll let you find him?

What makes you think he won't be dangerous?

To me? To Paul?

Anyone who might come after him.

Your love, Paul's friendship, they could still threaten his safety.

Man alone with no law but survival...

feeling that rope around his neck every time he took a breath.

There's no telling what he might have become.

Are you trying to frighten me?

No. To prepare you.

For the worst?

Mm-hm.

And hope for the best.

Personally, I think Briggs lied. I think your husband's dead.

But if he isn't, don't count too much on finding the man you married.

I see.

Good night, Laura.

Well, folks, there you are.

Cross that river, and you're in the Wacanda.

- Let's go, then. - Sorry, this is as far as I go.

- What are you talking about now? - I told a lie, a real whopper this time.

- What lie? Tell me. - Well, ma'am, the whole thing, I guess.

I never seen your husband, and I made up the whole story.

Ought to be ashamed of myself, I guess. And I am too.

But the ring, Philip's ring.

- Where did you get it, Paisley? - Oh, I just naturally found it in there.

- Across the river? - Yeah.

Oh, I was in there, like I said. I just didn't see your husband.

It was finding the ring that give me the idea.

- But you did find it in there? - Likely one of them Injins dropped it.

Probably took it off him when they burned the coach.

I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to carry the joke this far.

Why did you lead us here?

I expected to get away from you long before this.

I would have too, if it hadn't been for him.

Well, that settles it. It's not too late to turn back.

Oh, but it is.

You don't plan to go on, knowing that Briggs never saw your husband?

That doesn't matter now. Take us where you found that ring.

No, ma'am. I ain't gonna do it.

Paul, please help me. Make him take us there.

- Briggs? - No, sir.

I could bite my tongue off for lying, but I ain't gonna kill myself over it.

Bart?

I have to side with Briggs this time.

If we turn around now, they may just let us go.

But not if we cross that river.

They're right, Laura.

You mean you're with him too?

No. Briggs can tell me where he found the ring.

You go on back with the others. I'll cross the river alone.

If I don't come back with the answer, I'll just as soon not come back at all.

Thanks, Paul. But you're not going alone.

Sorry we took you so far out of your way, Bart.

Now, if you can tell us where you found that

ring, Mr. Briggs, you're free to go too.

Oh, this is all my fault.

If it hadn't been for me and my big lying mouth, you wouldn't be in this fix.

I just can't put you out on a limb and then saw it off.

No, ma'am. If you cross that river, I'm going with you. It's my Christian duty.

Paisley, just when I think I got you figured out...

you have to go and do something decent.

I could kick myself. Well, so long, Mr. Maverick.

Not so fast.

You owe me $1200. I'm not letting you out of my sight.

Thanks, Bart.

Don't thank me.

Our deal still goes.

Don't run the horses. You slip now, you're finished.

They stopped at the river. They won't come after us.

- They sure closed the door behind us. - Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, I found that ring right here.

I ain't likely to forget this spot...

because that's the highest cliff for miles around.

We'll make camp here, then split up and search.

Meet back here again at sundown.

Laura better stick with you.

Briggs and I will take two other directions.

Stanton, you got company. I'm coming in.

Anybody home?

What are you? Couldn't find any kind of a badge on you, so you're not a lawman.

- What are you? A bounty hunter? - What did you hit me with?

This. Haven't had any bullets for it for six months.

Otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten as close to me as you did.

You made it do a pretty fair job without bullets.

It wasn't that funny.

You think I'm out of my mind, don't you?

Oh, no. No.

It's just that hearing a human voice sounds so good.

- Any voice, even yours. - Thanks.

- You're Stanton, huh? - That's right.

Who's that?

Some white man.

Wandered in here looking for gold, I suppose.

I found him like that.

How do you know he's a white man?

Fillings in his teeth.

The only gold here is what he brought in with him.

Well, looks like we'll be together a long time. You, me and him.

May as well get your name. Never caught his.

Maverick.

Well, Mr. Maverick, I'd like to keep you alive as long as I can...

because I'm tired of talking to him.

But that's up to you. I'll kill you the first time you even look unfriendly.

You may not believe this, but I came here to help you.

Keep talking. I like listening.

Well, in the first place, the law forgot about you 11 months ago.

You case is closed.

Officially, you're dead.

What made them think so?

When that coach was found, they pulled six bodies out of the ashes.

Since there were only six to start with, they figured one of them was you.

Of course.

The man we picked up on the road.

They wouldn't have known about him.

How did you save your neck when the Sioux butchered all the rest?

I didn't. They set me free.

Well, the Sioux have a sense of poetic justice.

I was in irons, chained hand and foot.

They seemed to think that any prisoner of the white man was a friend of theirs.

But if I'm dead and there's no reward out on me...

there's no reason for you to risk your life coming after me. The real story, tell it.

I didn't come here alone. Your wife came with me.

Laura?

Here?

That's impossible.

What's wrong? Don't you wanna see her?

Of course I want to. But what good can it do?

I was better off dead for her sake. Now she's thrown her own life away.

Man that led us in here got out once before. It's not impossible.

And go back to a rope?

- They might believe your story this time. - Not a chance. I went through all that.

So has Laura. It nearly killed her. Nobody believed me except her.

And Paul.

Paul?

He's here too.

Of course, Paul. I should've known.

He wouldn't have let her come without him.

There's no reason in the world for you to do me a favor.

- Right. - But I'm going to ask one.

Please. Tell them you didn't find me. You understand?

I can't go with you. I can't see her.

It would make everything worse for all of us.

Do you mean that?

Well, how much can a man take? I can accept this exile.

I can even live with it.

But if I saw her again...

I couldn't face it.

You're not facing anything, Stanton.

How do you expect her to live, not knowing whether you're dead or alive?

Then tell her I am dead. Tell them...

Tell them you did find me and that's what's left of me.

That's what you really want, huh?

All right.

Might have been easier getting out of here with four men.

She might make it anyhow.

You'll never know whether she made it or not, will you?

That makes you just about even, I guess.

Wait.

I'm going with you.

It's three hours past sundown.

If Bart doesn't show up soon, we'll go looking for him.

It's this place. Gives me the creeps.

There's a curse on it, sure enough.

Cut it out, Briggs. Anything could have happened to him.

He could've gone too far, horse pulled up lame, anything.

If that ain't him, it ain't nothing I wanna see.

Laura.

Laura.

Well, what do you know? I wasn't lying.

Too good to last.

They found that sentry's body.

They picked up our trail.

Hang on, Paul! Head for those rocks!

Get me a rifle. I...

I can keep them busy till you get a start.

- No, Paul. - We're not leaving you.

Don't be a fool. Why do you think I came looking for you?

If I'd have been alone, found you alive, I'd have killed you.

Paul, you don't know what you're saying.

Don't I?

I almost let him die once before...

because I wanted you.

You see, Phil, I knew you didn't kill that man.

Because I did.

I thought you'd get off. When you didn't...

I thought I had a chance.

So I took it.

Hey! Maybe we all got a chance.

If that wind kicks up enough sand, we can slip past them.

They won't even see us.

I think it's all over.

Yeah, we lost them. We're out of Injin country.

Oh, Phillip. Did you hear that?

Sure. We had to make it, Laura.

How's Paul?

Paul?

He didn't make it.

I guess he didn't have to.

Well, Mr. Maverick, only 10 more miles to Denver.

Every mile's worth $1000 to me.

Yes, sir.

Tomorrow morning, I'm on my way to Ellie May with $10,000 in my jeans.

Correction, Paisley. Eight thousand, eight hundred. Remember me?

Oh, Maverick.