Original subtitles

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Gunsmoke.

With Milburn Stone as Doc.

Amanda Blake as Kitty.

Ken Curtis as Festus.

Buck Taylor as Newly.

And starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.

Be glad to help you home with all that, Mrs. Travis.

It's all right, Noah.

I have to stop at the post office first.

I don't mind waiting.

Not now, Noah.

Thank you.

Let's go, Colby.

Would you be needing any help with all that, Mr. Eaton?

We'll manage.

Why didn't you let him help, Pa?

We didn't need any.

Don't you like him?

Not much.

Not much to like about Noah Beal.

Well, he sure is trying to make friends with people.

It isn't friends he's trying to make, it's money.

So he can buy himself a bottle.

Noah don't care much about people, just whiskey.

Oh, and people give him money for helping carry their things.

Mostly old ladies.

I'm going in to talk to the marshal.

I want you to stay out here at the wagon.

And if, uh, Jess Bradman get his hands on that piece of land

controlling the water, my place will go to dust in less than a

year.

Eaton, there's no way for Bradman to file on that land.

These homestead laws aren't there to make one man rich,

you know.

Oh, it'll do it for Bradman just the same.

He's salting those claims with his own men,

or anyone he can find.

He'll pay 'em dirt, and the land is his.

Miller, Beaver, Pearson, they're all Bradman men.

They're sitting on claimed land right now, holding it for him.

What you say may be true, but the point

is there's nothing I can do about it unless I got proof.

And there's nothing you can do, either.

Marshal, I killed a cougar last week.

Not for pleasure, but because he was eating off my stock.

Something that was mine.

Now, marshal, I'll do it again if I have to-- lion or man.

Let me tell you something-- you kill a cougar,

your trouble's over.

But if you kill a man, your trouble's just beginning.

Uh, here.

Over here.

I'll take this from you now.

I sure want to thank you for helping

me out like this, Colby.

Is there something wrong?

No, ma'am.

Colby.

Here.

I didn't have this much in mind, ma'am.

I didn't know you had any amount in mind.

Next time, set your price at the beginning.

That way a lady'll know where she stands.

Yes, ma'am.

I know I should have.

Now you're stuck with what I gave you.

I guess I am.

Thank you, Miss Kitty.

Thanks a whole lot.

How much did you get?

A quarter.

That's not so much.

I done better lots of time. -Good for you.

Give it to me.

I said, give it to me, boy!

Did you hear?

No.

I don't have to. It's mine.

I earned it. -You stole it!

I did not.

Miss Kitty gave it to me, and you know it.

You stole it, sure as you took it out of my pocket.

I'm the one that works the general store.

Everyone in town knows this is my corner.

My spot, and you post on it.

That quarter's mine. I want it.

-No. -You're stealing.

You know that, boy?

You can see that, can't ya?

No, I've got as much right to help people as you.

You don't even own that store. Where's--

I don't mean to stand here and argue.

Now give me that quarter.

No, just let me-- let me go!

-Give me that money, boy! -I'll tell my pa!

Pa! Pa!

Pa!

Uh, fill it up again, will ya, Bull?

When I see some money in front of me.

Aw, now Bull, you're going to let me have that bottle.

I was only $0.20 short The way you pour drinks

in that shot glass, there's no way a man

can get his money's worth!

Just one more.

I only want it to start working.

All I need is to feel a-- a little sleepiness.

Fill it up, Bull.

What'll you give me for it?

What do you want?

Just to do what you want-- put you to sleep.

You willin'?

One punch in that ugly face of yours for the drink.

[laughter]

Last chance.

We got a deal, or not?

Go ahead, take it!

You can do it!

Come on!

Come on, he won't hurt ya.

Come on, let him hit ya.

He won't even stagger you.

Almost enough money there for you to buy a full bottle.

What do you say?

With the left hand.

One left hand punch for the drink.

Right?

And all the money on the floor!

Wait!

Wait.

Wait.

Let me have the drink first.

You'll probably need it more after.

I may be dead after.

Up to your old tricks, Boomer?

It was just funnin', Otis.

No harm done.

Don't forget, old man, you owe me one.

Boomer.

Come here.

Boomer, if I have to come to you,

you're going to be in real trouble.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Yeah.

Now, that old man don't owe you a thing.

Right?

Right.

That's better.

Now move.

[laughter]

Give me a bottle.

You're still $0.20 short.

Aw, not again.

Give him the bottle.

You don't have to do anything for it, Noah.

Drink up.

Would you gentlemen care to have a drink with me?

Be glad to.

And when this bottle runs dry, we'll get another one.

Where are we?

Never mind that.

You passed out on us.

We got a lot of drinkin' to do.

Ah, I'll be right with ya.

Right there.

Just want a little--

Come on.

You stay awake for a couple more minutes,

then you can sleep all night long.

I want you to sign this piece of paper.

Come on.

It's the claim, the land claim.

You're filing on it, remember?

I don't want any land.

It's for Jess Bradman.

You know Mr. Bradman, don't ya?

And I don't like him.

Well, how can you say that when he's

willing to do so much for you?

All you gotta do is sign this piece of paper,

and when the time comes, he'll give you $100 to buy it.

Now, that's a lot of money.

Don't want any land. I'm no farmer.

Now listen here, you old fool.

Now, listen!

Yeah.

All you gotta do is live here for just a little while.

Not for long.

Mr. Bradman is a real friend.

Look.

Look what he sent ya.

It's all yours, Noah.

Didn't I tell ya that Bradman was your friend?

That's all yours.

Every bit of it.

And when that's gone, we'll get you some more.

All you can drink.

Now, just sign it.

Hey, old friend, old friend, just sign it,

and you can drink yourself to sleep every night.

Yeah.

Now you can drink yourself into hell.

[laughter]

COLBY: Come here, you.

Come here.

Hi.

What do you want?

Don't want nothin'.

What you doing?

Worming.

You have to know where to look for 'em.

You want any help?

Not from you.

If my calculations are correct, they should

be right under this rock.

I've looked under plenty rocks.

Ah, but there are rocks, and there are rocks.

There ya are.

All you want.

You know, I ain't got that quarter with me.

I didn't ask you for it, did I?

They're real ugly.

That depends on how you look at 'em.

They look like little ol' shrunken

up snakes without their skin.

They're pretty special creatures,

if you stop and think about it.

Do you know how-- how much one of them worms weighs?

Less than 1/2 of 1/2 of 1/2 an ounce?

They do 10 times the work a hundred men can do in a year,

working 10 hours a day.

Oh, yeah?

Like what kind of work?

Can't tell ya.

Because they don't do nothing more than what I said.

That's why.

No, because I can see in your eyes

you think they're ugly and worthless,

and your mind ain't open to hearing nothing good about 'em.

OK, go ahead.

Tell me.

Well, you know how when the-- the heavy rain comes in,

and the wind, and the snow, and all that turns over the land,

you see, bringing the bottom land up to the top?

And turning the way around, but it takes

a long time for that to happen.

Maybe 100 years before you get-- you get a good, rich topsoil.

Well, now, picture in your mind all them

worms, millions of 'em, crawling around under the earth.

Crawling and moving all the time.

Each and every one of them eating

his own weight in leaves, and grass, and dirt every 24 hours.

Honest?

Honest.

Do you ever ask yourself what happens

to all the soil they're eating and pushing out of the way?

No, what happens?

Well, now, they're shifting, and shifting all the time.

They're moving, rotating it, bringing the bottom up

to the top, and doing it a whole lot faster

than all the rain and the wind.

What them millions of worms do it 10 years,

it takes a whole lot longer for God

to do, by sending all the wind and rain he can.

Yeah, but God made the worms.

Sure he did.

Sure he did.

He's no fool.

He-- he-- he-- ke knows how important them worms are.

He seems them as working creatures, not little

slimy snakes without their skin.

And think what it would be like without 'em.

There'd be no crops for your father's farm.

No grazing land for the sheep and cattle to eat on.

Not much of anything.

No, sir, life would be awful displeasing

without them little creatures.

I guess if you look hard enough, you

can see there's a place for everything in this world.

Maybe even drunken old men who try and steal money from boys.

You weren't all wrong.

Like you said, I did take your place.

Aw, you were better than me, and I was jealous.

That was more than most of the tips I ever got.

Really?

Sure it was.

You live around here?

Yeah, on the farm just over there.

Ah, then we're new neighbors, I guess.

My place is right over that way.

Well, you must be some farmer.

My pa, he doesn't know near as much about land as you do.

But he's pretty good, himself.

You start working the land yet?

No.

Why not?

Well, it takes help, and you know, I ain't got any.

There's a lot of tools and supplies

that I haven't got around to buying yet,

mostly on account of I haven't got the money.

Well, I could help.

And I can get some of the tools for you, too.

My pa wouldn't mind lending them to you.

That's awful nice of you, but I ain't no farmer.

You mean you never tried farming?

No, and I'm in no mind to start now.

Why not?

It ain't hard.

I watched my pa lots of times, and--

Your pa must need your over at his place.

Must be a lot of good help he gets from you.

Well, he don't let me do too much.

He saws it's quicker doing it himself

than explaining things to me.

Yeah, but I know a lot more than he thinks.

Hey, if you let me work your place with you,

I could be a real help.

I'd work real hard.

Then we could show him.

I could bring him down to your place,

and he could see for himself what I could do.

Well, you don't gotta pay me.

I'll work for nothin'.

Here.

I've had it with me all along.

It's yours.

You see, I want to make it right with you.

You keep it, boy.

Then I can work with ya?

You gotta get it into your head.

I ain't no farmer.

How do you know if you ain't never tried?

Don't say ain't.

You did.

Don't sass me, boy.

When you get to my age, there's a lot

of things you can do you can't when you're a lot younger.

Yeah.

Except work.

Now, why don't you go on home, boy?

Go on.

Home!

Hey, Colby!

What are you doing with the tools?

What's this all about?

It was going to be a surprise.

It is.

What's going on?

Well, you remember I told you about our new neighbor

last night?

And all this is for him?

Son, Noah Beal is a drunk, like I told you.

That's all he is.

He's no farmer.

Yeah, but he could be.

Colby, Noah Beal just ain't no farmer.

He didn't file on that land to work it.

He's more than likely holding it for Jess Bradman.

He's not holding it for anybody.

He's a farmer.

I know it.

Except he-- he's ashamed to admit he hasn't got the money

to buy tools and things.

Please, Pa, believe me.

He'll be a great farmer.

Well, if what you say is true, you've got nothing to lose.

It'd be neighborly to help him out.

But if he's there for Bradman, you'll find that out, too.

Thanks, Pa.

Mr. Beal!

Mr. Beal!

Now, what are you doing here?

Look what I brought.

I thought I told you, I wasn't no farmer.

Well, that's what you keep saying,

but I don't believe you.

You know too much about worms, and land, and growing things.

Well, it's real neighborly of ya to bring all that stuff,

but you just can't up and start farming.

You have to-- have to plan, and think.

Yeah, but we could do it.

I know we could.

Well, I guess it wouldn't do any harm to talk.

Wouldn't do any harm to talk about it.

Maybe-- maybe we could decide the best way to begin.

I mean--

I know one way better than any other.

What's that?

You just start by starting.

You know something, son?

They say Rome wasn't built in a day.

But then, you weren't the foreman on that job.

We're going to do it, Mr. Beal.

You just wait and see.

Colby, wait a minute!

Wait a minute.

This one's been here 100 years, looks like.

Yeah, but it's right in the middle of the field.

Precisely.

A man needs a bit of shade to relax in, where he can

sit and watch the seeds sprout.

We'll leave it another hundred years.

It'll be our tree.

Sure it will.

And we'll carve our initials in when

we get the first crop, right?

Right.

Yahoo!

Just think, we'll start plantin' soon.

Gee, I hope the rain's good to us this year.

Last year my pa almost got ruined

because of a flash flood.

What did he do?

I prayed a lot.

Maybe we should do the same, before it happens?

God's a long way up there.

He's got so many people trying to talk in his ear,

he may not hear your voice in all that confusion.

Maybe we should try?

I never been on a personal basis with him.

Maybe we should.

Bye, Noah.

See ya at sun up.

Pa!

Pa!

What are you doing?

No, boy! No!

No!

Come here!

Come here.

Noah.

You're lucky, Eaton.

The last time somebody took a swing at Beaver,

he got his arm broken in four places.

Now, you listen good-- a lot of things happen to farmers.

Sometimes their crops get ruined by stampedes,

their barns burn-- sometimes their little boy

is supposed to come home before dark, don't show up.

You get out of here.

You get off my land!

Not for long, Eaton.

This place is gonna belong to Mr. Bradman, soon.

One way or the other.

We're either going to buy you out now,

or we're going to sit and wait till that old drunken

fool Beal gets his land legal, and then

Mr. Bradman dries you up.

Now, you think about that.

Real hard.

Beal.

Beal.

Noah Beal.

He's Bradman, just like them two are.

Lock, stock, and barrel.

That old drunk's as much a part of this as Bradman

or the rest of 'em.

Do you understand?

Do you understand what he is now?

Colby, what you doing here this time of night?

Are you working for Jess Bradman?

Are you?

And everything we've been working for-- is it for him?

Is it?

Colby, it's not that easy to answer.

It is.

Either yes or no.

Well, uh, it started out that way.

There's no use denying it, but things have changed, Colby.

You gotta believe that.

I don't want to give the land over to Bradman.

Yeah, but you have to, because you promised him, didn't you?

Didn't you?

Yeah.

Then everything's been for nothing.

All the planning and dreaming we did-- all for nothing.

Colby--

It's been a lie, all of it.

You're nothing more than what my pa said you were.

Nothing but an old drunk.

You're a liar.

Colby, please--

Here.

It's yours. It belongs to ya.

I don't want any part of it.

I hate you!

I hate you.

Colby!

Colby!

Colby Eaton!

Hey, Beal.

I want to talk to the boy.

Beal, you're trespassing.

Now, you're in my quarrel-- that's one thing.

But you keep Colby out of it.

Colby!

Show yourself, boy!

I got something to tell ya!

I'm me own man, Colby!

Not Bradman's, or anyone else's--

Whatever you got to say, he doesn't want to hear it.

Now get!

I didn't lie to you, boy!

I'm going through with everything I promised!

Get out of here.

I want you to be with me! Partners!

Equal! -Get out of here.

Go on, get out of here, you old drunk.

I'm giving you half the place, Colby!

Now, you stay out of here!

Colby!

Do you hear me?

Give me another chance, please!

Without you, it don't mean nothing!

Colby!

Please!

Bradman.

Afternoon, marshal.

I saw Eaton this morning.

Told me about your boys paying him a visit.

I went out to see him.

Talk about some business Mr. Bradman had in mind.

He came at me with a rifle.

Some people shouldn't be allowed to own a gun, marshal.

Too short tempered.

Now, of course, if Eaton's been telling you

another story-- well, I think Miller's word is

just as good as his, isn't it?

Not in my book it isn't.

Now, unfortunately in court it will be different thing.

Now, I'll tell you one thing-- I've been hearing some talk

about you that I don't like.

What kind of talk?

About salting those homestead claims, for one thing.

Look, marshal, a few of my friends

might be homesteading until they own the land,

and, uh, when they do, and they want to sell

to me, that's their right.

There's no law that says a man can't do what he wants

with something that's his.

Yeah, but there's a law against collusion and conspiracy.

Now, if I can find one man who will say

he acted in your interest in taking up those claims,

I'll be coming for you.

Stop!

No! Stop!

Wait!

Noah, it's our tree.

There ya are.

Colby!

Get up on that seat, and get on out of here.

What's wrong, Pa?

Do what I tell ya.

Get up there.

Now, you've got the last out of us Eatons you're going to get.

You got coolie labor out of my boy,

and you're using my equipment to plow

this ground for Jess Bradman.

For me and Colby, not for Bradman.

Oh, you're Bradman's man, all right.

From the whiskey in your belly to the lies in your mouth.

That's not true.

I just came up from the creek.

They're damming it up.

They said the new owner of the land told him to do it.

That's you.

Now, Bradman's doing that, and you're letting

him cause you work for him.

I didn't tell no one they could dam up any creek.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Look at him, Colby.

Look at him squirming like a snake,

trying to make you think it's night when it's day.

I don't want to see you no more, Beal.

Now, you keep away from my boy, or I'll kill ya.

Come on, let's get on out of here.

Come on!

Wait!

Listen!

I don't know anything about it!

I'll tear down that dam, I swear it!

Colby, please!

I swear it.

Stop that!

Get out of there!

You have no right!

You put that down!

I didn't say you could!

You old fool.

Come on.

Why don't you breathe on it?

That'll tear it down.

Come on, you fool.

I tell ya, it's a good thing you come by.

We'd have never got it built without you.

You're not even drunk!

Hey, get the bottle.

I didn't say you--

You're supposed to be a drinking-- oh, you're

supposed to be a drinking man.

I like you better when you're drunk.

Otis!

All right.

You do the pouring, and I'll do the holding.

Hey!

Come on, have a drink.

It's good for ya.

Now, you hold that bottle, and you drink that bottle.

Drink it.

There you go.

Now, you finish that bottle.

Don't want no young kid in my life.

No, sir.

Trouble it is.

All it brings is more trouble.

Don't pay.

Mind your own business.

Go your own way.

That's what's kept me living this long.

You heard what your pa said about not wanting

you on this place anymore.

Well, get off it.

You hear me, boy?

Get off my land!

It ain't yours.

Not yet.

Not until tomorrow, when it becomes legal.

Pa told me so.

Anyways, I heard what you said at the house the other day.

About how half this land is mine.

We're partners.

Even.

That's what you said.

All I'm doing is planting my half.

You're working for nothing.

All this belongs to Bradman.

All of it.

And me-- your pa was right about me.

I'm not a farmer.

Yes you are.

I'm a drunk.

Plain and simple, that's all.

I make a living running messages, carrying

packages for old ladies, and stealing what I can,

wherever I can.

And that's all.

That's all!

That's all, Colby.

Let's go.

Colby.

I-- I still don't believe it.

Noah Beal selling whiskey instead of buying it.

But if somebody gives it to ya, you got

a right to sell it, right, boy? -Right.

Right, boy.

Come on.

You get enough?

More than enough.

We can use the rest of the money to buy some extra seed.

All right, Colby.

Come on!

The shovel!

Come on, Colby!

Get down!

[cheering]

We did it, Colby!

Colby, I don't want you coming over here tomorrow.

Why not? We're partners.

I want to face Bradman with you.

You're the junior partner, and you'll do like I say.

It was me made the deal with him, and it's me

has to do the tellin'.

Well, supposing he gets-- well, supposing he doesn't like it,

and gets angry?

Well, he sure won't like it, and he sure will get angry,

but I'll just have to get a little angrier, won't I?

Well, you take care of yourself, Noah.

Got to.

Can't let anything happen to me now, and let me

partner do all the work.

No, no, no.

Remember, Colby, don't come to the place.

I'll let you know what happens.

It's one thing to stop being a drunk,

and another to get a man's heart started in the mornin'.

Especially this kind of mornin'.

Didn't ever think that would happen,

now, did you, Noah Beal?

[knocking]

BRADMAN: Noah?

You in there, Noah?

Come on in!

Well, ready to talk business, Noah?

I'm sorry, Mr. Bradman, but I can't sign that.

I saw the plowing when I rode in.

You did a lot of work around the place.

Suppose I should take that into mind.

I'll add another 50 to sweeten the pot.

I'm, uh, keeping the land, Mr. Bradman.

You'll sign, Noah, or--

Or what, Mr. Bradman?

You'll kill me?

Well, now, you see, I wrote out a will last night.

It's not much, but it's enough to see the land is turned

over to a friend of mine.

Colby Eaton, his name is.

That would [inaudible] now, wouldn't it?

You'll sign, old man.

You'll beg me to let you sign.

See to it.

You're gonna sign that, Noah.

Make it easy on yourself.

I need this land, damn you!

What is it you want?

More money?

I'll give you 200.

Three.

Noah Beal wants a farm.

E-I-E-I--

I'll give you another spread.

No you won't.

It's this land I want.

You see, I got a partner, and he likes it here.

Pick him up.

Pick him up.

Hold it right there.

Either unbuckle your gun belt and put it on the table,

or use it.

You too.

I wouldn't do it, marshal.

They tried to make me sign over the land, but I wouldn't.

It belongs to me, and Colby.

Bradman, I told you all I needed was one man,

and I think I've found him.

I'd like to thank you, marshal, for coming along like you did.

Accidental like.

The only thanks I need is your signature on this complaint

right here, against Bradman.

I feel kind of funny testifying against him in court.

I mean, I'll do it, marshal, but sitting on that land for him

was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I don't know.

I got an idea the best things there are yet to happen.

Thank you, marshal.

Come on, Colby.

Noah?

Noah, I need some help carrying these packages home.

[laughter]

Noah Beal!

Are you gonna stand there with that boy, laughing like a fool,

or are you gonna help me with these packages,

and earn some money?

You know, Colby, uh, a quarter would buy us a good file

to sharpen the plow.

What if she only gives us a dime?

Have to get one that ain't so good.

Good day to ya, Mrs. Travis.

A pleasant day it is.

Let me and me partner help you with the packages.

NARRATOR: Stay tuned for exciting scenes

from our next Gunsmoke.

[theme music]