Original subtitles

♪♪ [ trumpet ]

The men of the Western Frontier paid scant attention

to the formal laws and legal processes of their day,

for their lives were based on the law of survival,

and on this greater law, these plain, rugged men

formed their own codes,

their own measures of right and wrong,

their own...

[ gun firing ]

Well, I'd say that's pretty good hip-shooting.

You were supposed to knock off just the necks.

Let's see you do better, Evers.

I got two bits says you can't knock the neck off that bottle.

Better sight it down your arm this time.

Two bits.

Hey there.

Mister?

You just cost me two bits.

You would have missed anyhow.

You fellas from San Diego?

So?

To tell me where I'd find the alcalde mayor.

He's at the new jailhouse, more than likely.

Yeah, waiting for us to be his first customers.

[ chuckles ] Thanks.

[Collins] Hold on.

I had a bet going on that shot,

and you spoiled it.

Now, I want that two bits out of you.

Let's just say I owe it to you, friend.

And this one I owe you, friend.

You're gonna like San Diego, Roy.

It's a fine town.

I'm mighty proud to call it my home.

And I'm mighty proud my big brother's turned out to be

such an important man.

Why, Josh, I do believe you must own the whole place.

Well, I may not own it, but I'm respected here.

Yes, it's going to be a great city someday.

Take that new jailhouse.

Finest and strongest west of Missouri.

Well, that's a fine looking jailhouse, Josh,

but you'll have to excuse me if I don't seem

too enthusiastic about it,

I've seen too many in Mexico

from the inside out.

You've never seen one like this.

Those walls are a foot thick.

We have laws here, and folks obey them, I see to that.

Well, I'm sure you're doing a good job, Josh.

Well, for a young fellow who'll work and stay out of trouble,

there's a world of opportunities here,

plenty of good businesses to go into.

Now, there's a business I'd like to go into.

A Saloon always makes money.

When people are happy they drink to celebrate,

and when they're unhappy, they drink to forget.

You'll do all right, Roy.

Say, Josh, there's something about San Diego

you forgot to tell me about.

That's Gloria Chavez.

She's already been lassoed.

I don't see any rope around her.

[ speaks in foreign language ]

Allow me.

You've just met my brother, Roy.

Your family is greatly favored with strength and beauty, Señor Josh.

Señorita Chavez is sure friendly to strangers.

I'll get him.

Not with the alcalde standing right with him.

My, my, Collins,

that sharp-shooter is sure stompin' through your field.

Listen, a lucky shot don't make no man a sharp-shooter,

and as for stompin',

I'm gonna do a little of that myself.

And you wouldn't mind if I came calling on you sometime?

No, I would not mind.

Collins isn't going to like that, Gloria.

Senor Collins has not declared his intention,

so I have no obligation to him.

I hope he knows that.

You're coming with me.

Hey!

I'll see you later, Sonny.

Roy, listen.

He's been courting Gloria Chavez,

and he's the toughest man in town.

Well, now she's being courted

by the two toughest men in town.

Women always were nothing but trouble for you,

weren't they?

Look, I don't--Josh.

You know I've never been one to run away from trouble.

Oh, no, you can't run away from it

because you carry it around with you.

[ chuckles ] Now, you just go about your alcalde business,

and I'll look into the Saloon business.

If I need your help, big brother,

I'll just let you know.

Roy, Look.

Don't start anything, please.

Who are you really worried about,

me or you?

You're sure getting off to a bad start

around here, fella.

That compadre of yours, he's pretty mean.

Collins? He's just a big loveable, old rattlesnake,

always funnin' carrying on.

Never forget the gunfighter he got.

You remember the one, Evers?

Had 10 notches

on each gun.

Oh yeah, yeah. Meanest hombre I ever seen.

Got a little too friendly with one of Collins' women.

But ol' Collins, he was real polite about it.

Even let that gunfighter decide

which way he wanted to get shot.

[snaps fingers] Seems like I remember the incident.

It appears that gunfighter

decided to get shot in the back.

[ chuckles ]

Beer.

Two bits worth of whiskey.

He's buying.

Not me.

You owe me two bits,

and I aim to collect.

[ chuckles ]

You keep pushin', you're gonna collect two bits

worth of lead.

[ laughter ]

You think you're pretty good with the gun, huh, Sonny?

I'm a darn sight better than you, friend,

but I'm not gonna draw on you

because this is a law-abiding town,

and I don't want to upset all these peace-loving citizens.

I say I'm a better man than you are.

Yeah?

Well why don't we let Gloria Chavez decide that?

I got a better way.

Have ourselves a little shooting match,

and I'll bet the two bits you owe me

that I'm better than you.

You've got another two bits to lose?

[ man laughs ]

You know, it appears that you shoot pretty good

from horseback.

And since I'm a fair-and-square man--

I knew you were the decent type.

I'm gonna give you every chance.

So we'll shoot from horseback.

Well, make it as tough as you want.

Well, I don't want to make it too tough,

so I'll let you choose the target.

Well then, let's make it real tough, huh?

Like, a moving target?

It's all right with me, you just name it.

You shoot at me. I shoot at you.

[ men laughing ]

All right.

Collins, if you fight with Roy,

you're a bigger fool than I thought you were.

Why, because he's your brother?

Because shooting a man is against the law.

Well you can just hang the law, Alcalde.

What's fair is fair, and it ain't fair

for one man to steal another man's girl.

Besides, it ain't a gunfight we're havin',

just a little shootin' match.

You call it whatever you like.

It's still breaking the law.

You're worried about your brother's hide,

not the law.

Don't be too sure of that.

I'm only sure of one thing, Alcalde.

Unless he backs down, we're gonna be right here

on this street tomorrow morning,

we're gonna have ourselves a little shooting match,

and there ain't no law against that.

No, there's no law against a shooting match,

but there is a law against murder.

Well, got it all figured out--

the cost of liquor,

chairs, tables, everything.

All I need is the money.

You've got a fine future in San Diego, Roy,

and I'll give you the money to start a Saloon,

but you've got to call off this gunfight.

I can't do that, Josh.

Gloria Chavez isn't the only girl in town.

It's not Gloria Chavez.

I've tried to do everything you wanted me to do,

I've stayed out of trouble,

but that-- that fella, he called me out.

He challenged me in front of all those people.

But what's it going to prove?

Well, that's what I'm aiming to find out.

Well, he's aiming to kill,

and he just may do it.

Maybe, maybe not. We'll see about it.

You're making my job mighty difficult.

The people expect you to arrest lawbreakers.

Now, nobody has broken the law.

What do you call shooting a man?

Nobody's been shot.

Who are you going to arrest?

So even the law has to recognize

the justice in a man defending himself

Roy, if you meet Collins in the morning,

I won't give you the money to go into business.

Señor Josh!

Señor Josh,

you have got to stop them before they are both killed.

Then there won't be anyone left to court you, is that it?

[ sighs ] I did not mean to set them against each other.

That's exactly what you meant to do.

You figured playing up to Roy

would get Collins off the fence,

and your little scheme works very well, señorita.

I did not expect them to fight.

Fool with a man's pride,

and you can't expect anything else.

Oh, but, cannot you do something?

Like what?

Arrest them.

Keep them in jail.

I'd like to arrest you,

but there is no law against a woman using her wiles,

and I can't arrest them until they break a law.

But they are going to shoot each other.

Is not that against the law?

Not till it's done,

and when it is, I'll make an arrest.

What if Roy is killed?

Then I'll arrest Collins.

And if Roy kills him?

There's nothing in the law books

to protect an alcalde's brother against justice.

All I can do is make an arrest after the fight...

if there's anyone left to arrest.

I got five dollars says Collins don't even hit him.

I got two dollars says he does,

and three more dollars says Collins kills him. Bet?

Bet.

Well, Josh...You're a bigger fool than Collins

for letting him trick you into this.

There's nothing tricky about it, Josh,

just two men settling their differences.

There are legal ways to settle differences.

When a man says he's better than you,

there's no law you can turn to to show him differently.

But this is no answer.

Well, it may not be the answer,

but it sure eliminates the question.

Make your move, boy.

It's my leg.

It isn't serious. You're lucky.

Lucky? That's-- that's him!

Well, see, Josh, you had nothing to worry about.

You have.

Why? It's over, done with.

Not all of it.

You're under arrest.

Arrest?

For assault with attempt to kill.

[ door opens ]

How long are you gonna keep me here?

Until the circuit judge comes.

You turned the blood between us mighty sour, Josh.

I'm sorry you feel that way, Roy.

I'm just doing my job.

Then why isn't Collins in here with me?

He didn't shoot anybody.

But he challenged me!

There's no law against that.

Did you think I was just gonna let him shoot me?

You didn't have to accept his challenge and provoke him.

I'm the one that was provoked!

But he's the one who was shot.

Look, Roy, you shot a man,

broke the law.

You know you've got to pay the penalty.

Where's your sense of justice?

You're a real smart and successful man, Josh.

Me, I'm just a simple fella...

but, dar-gone-it, my sense of justice is common sense!

I guess I'm gonna need your help, Josh.

The law's the law, Roy.

Well, it may be the law, but it's not justice.

Seems to me, one's got nothing to do with the other!

How long can they put me away for?

Ten years.

Been giving any thought

to that five dollars you owe me?

Sure have.

The way I figure it, I ain't lost our bet.

But you said Collins would hit him and kill him.

Yeah.

But Collins done missed.

Collins ain't done shootin'.

But--

It appears you care more about him than about me.

I'm the one who got shot.

You asked for it.

Of course his brother's arrested him, not me.

Well, if you are not going to do anything about it,

I am.

Hey, where are you goin'?

GLORIA: Roy!

Roy!

I've come to help you escape.

I'm grateful, señorita, but these bars are too strong,

and these walls are too thick.

The walls are thick, but not deep.

You can dig under them easily.

I'll be out in no time. You wait for me.

Gloria?

Who's there?

Who's there?

Gloria Chavez, Señor Josh.

Looking for ways to make more trouble, señorita ?

No. It is you I've come to see,

to beg you not to let your brother go to prison.

Once he fired that shot, Roy and I stopped being brothers

and became alcalde and prisoner.

I do not understand you.

Is not an alcalde also a man with feeling,

and--And a duty.

Yes, duty--

a fine word,

but only a word.

I just wanted to tell you, Roy, that the Circuit Judge will be in town tomorrow,

so you'll be going on trial.

I'll be ready for him, Josh.

[ groans ]

Gloria?

I made it, now we can--[ gun clicks ]

Up.

Up.

Over by the stable.

Move!

This is the last they're gonna see of you.

Now get on that horse and get out of town,

and don't you never come back.

You mean, you're not gonna...

turn me in, or nothin'?

No, I just want to get you far away from Gloria.

Oh, now, you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble.

They were gonna put me away for ten years for pluggin' you.

Well, it was a fair fight.

I mean you got in a lucky shot,

but you beat me.

Ain't no justice in your going to jail for it,

law or no law.

Besides, with your luck,

they probably would have let you go

and you'd still be in my hair.

Collins, you and me,

we've got a real sense of justice.

Aw, now get.

Young Roy never forgot the difference between law and justice.

Years later as an older man, he drifted to Texas,

where he became the law,

the legendary, "Law West of the Pecos,"

and as Judge Roy Bean, he was famous all over the frontier

for dispensing hard liquor and common-sense justice.

Often, both at the same time.

Next week another true tale about one of the real people

who made a legend of the Old West.

See you then.