Original subtitles

Choose your field--

miner, rancher, farmer, road agent.

There were many tools to with which

a man could seek a new life out west.

One man, history records, found his rainbow

in a frying pan.

Not a trout,

but a pot of gold.

It only took two ingredients--

"The Lady and the Sourdough"

Ain't enough for a decent plate of beans.

What's it gonna be?

Beans is good today.

You're new!

Ain't nothin' new about me, but the hat, mister,

and that's eight years old.

Beans?No, I'd like a T-Bone steak like that one,

With some taters and maybe some peas and coffee.

It's a dollar, two bits.

Dollar, two bits?

Last week it was a dollar!

That's high-handed robbery!

Beans is 35 cents.

What's Toomey trying to do,

get rich off the sweat of a hard working man?

You still belly-achin' about my prices, Despo?

This ain't San Francisco, Toomey,

you don't have fiddle music and linen tablecloths,

so what are you charging them extra prices for?

'Cause I make pretty good beans.

I don't want beans, I want a steak!

Give him a small one for a dollar,

before he busts a hamstring.

T-bone don't take too much fire.

That's the reason I make 'em blood red,

the way they ought to be.

I always thought that one steak was like another,

but this one's downright likeable.

And the potatoes and the peas.

You cook all this yourself?

Oh, well I've been fryin' and cookin'

since I was a boy.

Ma was a terrible cook.

It was either learn or starve.

Best meal I've sunk my teeth into in months.

Well, ain't much can be done to a steak.

Now, a stew-- that's different.

Gives a man elbow room to show off his wears.

Stews is my favorite.

Ever thought about being rich?

I've never been one to give much time to thought, mister.

Look, I got a mine 10 miles west of here.

Now, of course there ain't much gold in it now,

but one of these days I'm gonna strike that big vein.

How would you like to be cut in for half?

Half?

You'd make me a partner?

For what?

For cookin'.

Cookin' all them wonderful vittles like that creamed corn

and the stews and taters...

Look, you do the cookin', I'll do the diggin',

And I'll cut you 50/50.

I have kind of missed wompin' up a good stew.

Is it a deal?

Why not?

Now, look.

Now, my mines,

four miles off the road just east of the twin rocks.

I'll see you there for breakfast tomorrow.

Oh, that'll be a dollar.

Here. Now, remember.

you take care of the cookin', partner.

[ laughs ]

Irish stew, right?

If your nose for gold was as good as your nose for food,

we'd be millionaires by now.

How'd we do today?

Not bad, not bad.

Almost two ounces.

In the three weeks I've been here,

you've just barely brought in enough for the food.

Tomorrow I'll be digging in a new place.

I'll hit that big vein one of these days.

Now, don't you worry.

Well at the rate you're gaining weight,

you'll be lucky to even see the vein

over that belly of yours,

much less heave and pick.

Rupert!

Rupert! Rupert, come on out here!

Look at this, Look at this ore.

What about it?

That's gold.

Don't you know gold when you see it?

Well, I seen a gold watch once.

But this is solid stuff, not dust.

You mean you found vein.Well, not exactly.

Well, it's a lot better diggins than I've been scraping out of that rock.

Now, grab the pick and follow me.

Well, I got a casserole simmering.

Forget it. I need your help.

Well, I'm not a miner, I'm a cook.

You know our deal. You dig, and I cook.

I need your help.

I don't ask you to peel potatoes.

This is not potatoes, man. It's gold!

I can't stand here and argue with you.

Now, wait a minute!

I own that mine.

I claimed it and staked it out, and I cut you in for half,

and you're gonna work with me if I-- Rupert!

Where are you--?

Now, you have to help me dig.

The two of us can get twice as much out of a dig!

Hey, my casserole's burned.

Now, I it's all your fault. Get out of my kitchen.

Get! Get! Get...

I seen a man look at a woman like that,

but never at a basket of food.

Come on, come on.

See, I've been doing work for two of us.

I've got appetites for two of us.

What you got for supper?

I got the makings of a roast.

Good, good.

Johnny Hollowlegs.

Sir![ horse groans ]

Oh, sir,

My name is Daigle, Laticia Daigle.

Rupert Johnson, ma'am.

I wonder if you'd help me. Jenny is in trouble.

Jenny?

Jenny is my cow.

I was taking her over to the Mansbridge place,

and just down the road she broke loose.

She's caught in a bramble patch,

and I'm afraid you'll hurt herself.

Oh, well I certainly will help you, ma'am.

Why, that's man's work.

Your husband should be doing those chores.

Well, Mr. Daigle is...

I'm a widow.

Well, I'm very sorry, ma'am.

I'll go get Jenny.

Oh, here she is, Mrs. Daigle.

[ mutters ]

No harm done.

I'm so obliged to you, Mr. Johnson.

Well, it's my pleasure, ma'am.

Thank you.

Uh, I wonder, would you like to try one of these plums?

They're from my trees.

Oh, wonderful.

Thank you.

Mmm.

You know, you're such a gentleman, Mr. Johnson.

That's a rarity around here.

Me, a gentleman?

No, ma'am, I ain't even worn store-bought clothes

since Paw's funeral.

I was 10 at the time.

Clothes do not make a gentleman, Mr. Johnson.

My husband, Mr. Daigle, he was a gentleman.

Well, he was so kind and so considerate.

Not a ruffian, like all these miners around here.

Um, have you ever been married, Mr. Johnson?

Oh, no, not me, ma'am, no.

Oh. Why not?

Well, I just ain't ever been much with women.

Uh, well, one time I got drunk in Covington,

and I had me a fandango with one of them dancehall Jessies.

Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am.

What I mean is, this woman and me--

Well, that is--

That's perfectly all right, Mr. Johnson.

A man is a man, I understand that.

A man does not live by bread alone.

No, ma'am. I mean, yes, ma'am.

Bread. Oh, my...

I forgot to take the bread out of the oven.

Well, it's spoiled by now.

You bake bread?

Well, yes, ma'am, I made a deal with a miner.

He digs, and I cook.

Of course I ain't seen much gold since we've become partners,

but at least that gives me a chance to cook what I want,

and that's good enough for me.

You really like to cook, don't you?

Oh, it's my whole life, cookin'.

I don't know anything else, don't care to.

There's something almost holy about cookin'.

Takin' what the good Lord put in the ground,

sweetenin' it, saltin' it, add a little water,

set it on the fire-- onions, water, salt,

fire, simple things,

but more important to livin' man than-- well, even gold.

My pa always said, "You are what you eat."

I guess that's why him and Ma didn't get along so good.

Ma couldn't even boil water without burnin' it.

Mr. Johnson,

I was taking these apple turnovers

to the mayor.

Well, would you like to try one?

Oh, my.

Mmm! Delicious!

There's something else in it.

Brown sugar?

No.

Guess!

Tell me.

Honey, just a smidgen!

I never would have guessed.

You know, I never have been much on bakin'.

I just can't seem to get the hang of it.

Well, I bake pretty well.

Uh, I better be going.

I'll help you up.Thank you.

Giddy up! Giddy up!

I still say no call traipsing around

when you should be stickin' round here.

keepin' up your end of the bargain.

Now, I told you I had my taste buds all set

for that roast tonight.

Appears to me, there ain't nothin' lackin'

about your taste buds.

Chicken ain't roast.

Where'd you go off to, anyway, today?

I had to help a friend with a cow.

How'd we do today?

A little better.

About three ounces, more or less.

Is that all?

It's only me doin' the diggin'.

Could've made more at wages slingin' hash at Toomey's.

Now, don't you worry, I'll find that big vein yet.

I think I'll go outside and get me a little fresh air

before I turn in.

Well, don't suck in too much air.

You're liable to plum explode.

Where'd you get them pebbles?

Oh, them? Came out of the chickens.

Chickens?

Yeah.

Them haywire-pluckers must have pecked

at everything in sight-- pebbles, buttons.

Even found a nail in one of them.

Sure were nice chickens.

Yeah, fat and sweet.

Where'd you get them?

Mrs. Daigle, the widow woman down on south road.

She got herself a right nice farm.

Mrs. Daigle, huh?

Sure knows her chickens. [ chuckles ]

Yes, sir.

She sure knows her chicken.

Well I still don't see why you've to stake another claim.

I'm going up to the foothills next week.

I want to make sure nobody sees me up there and beats us to the punch.

Well, pick me up some sweet basil while you're in town.

[ rooster crows ]

Well, that gold must be hiding all over the yard,

laying on top, waiting to be picked up.

MRS. DAIGLE: Good afternoon.

Howdy.

I was just passing by, and thought I'd buy me

some of those nice chickens of yours.

Excuse me. Forgot my manners.

Name's Despo, Thomas Despo.

How do you do?

I'm Mrs. Daigle.

I'm right honored to meet you, Mrs. Daigle.

I was about to pour myself some cool lemonade.

Won't you join me?

Well, I'd be happy to, ma'am.

Oh.

Excuse me, ma'am.

I forgot my manners, again.

Y'know, I've been grubbing around in dirt and rocks so long,

I guess my etiquettes aren't properly oiled.

I understand.

[ sighs ] Sure it a lot different than the way I've been livin'

the last 15 years.

I was raised on a farm, y'know.

Really?

Well, perhaps someday you'll be able to settle down

and have your own place.

Since you've brought it up,

I've been doing a powerful lot of thinking

about doing just that.

Oh, I'm sure you'll find a place.

Don't suppose you'd be considering

selling this place?

Oh, dear, I don't know where I'd go,

what I'd do if I did.

Why, an attractive woman like yourself, Mrs. Daigle?

You could start yourself a whole new life

in a big town like San Francisco,

especially if you had a nice little nest egg,

to help you along, say $500.

That is a lot of money. Isn't it?

But being alone in such a big town...

Well, at least here I feel I have Mr. Daigle near me.

You're a young woman, Mrs. Daigle.

You should get married again.

[ chuckles ]

San Francisco does sound tempting.

How does $700 sound?

Sev--

Give you a whole new lease on life,

Mrs. Daigle.

Well, I'd have to think it over.

Well, you do that.

I'll drop by tomorrow.

Meantime, how about those chickens of yours?

Couple of nice big ones for stewing, maybe?

Oh, of course, I'll get them for you.

Did you get my sweet basil?

Oh, I forgot.

One thing and you can't remember it.

Well, you'd better tie up them chickens.

They'll wander off

before we get a chance to eat them

We're having them tonight.

We had chicken last night!

I'm fixin' a roast.

You eat the roast. I'll eat the chickens.

Go on what you're doing. I'll clean 'em.

First he squawks 'cause I give him chicken,

and then he wants it two nights in a row.

[ rooster squawks ]

He thinks with his stomach.

No doubt about it, it's there all right.

[ chuckling ] Gold.

$500 a ton if it's a penny.

You and the squirrels, saving up for winter, partner?

What?

What right you've got to go pokin' around?

Them's my diggin' before we joined up.

Now let me have that gold, you rock-headed grub-slinger.

Toomey was right. You've got a mean, stupid mouth.

Now, I'm gonna divide these up.

Give me that gold. It belongs to me.

I don't take kindly to be cheated, Despo.

Let me have that gold!

Ahh!

All right, now here's yours!

Hey!

Well, I guess this just about puts the lid

on our partnership.

I'll pack up my pots and pans and mosey on.

Oh, good afternoon, Mr. Despo!

How nice of you to drop by.

Well, I'm right honored to hear you say that,

Mrs. Daigle.

I have some very exciting news for you.

You decided to accept my offer?

Oh, no, it's much more exciting than that!

It's a glorious piece of news!

I have gotten married.

[ chuckles ] Congratu-- you what?

Isn't it wonderful?

Well, I mean, who?

Well, it all happened so fast,

but I think we knew the very first time we met,

the day that Jenny got caught in the bramble patch,

Jenny?

[Johnson] Ain't you gonna congratulate us?

Why, you sneak, you double-dealin',

two-timin' skunk!

You knew that gold was out in that yard somewhere.

You knew those chickens picked up the nuggets here.

You knew there was a gold mine right here in that yard,

and you married her to get it all!

Gold?

In the chickens?

That's right, you pussy-footin' sourdough,

in the chickens,

when you cleaned them, out of their craws,

same as I did.

You knew there was a gold mine in this yard,

just sittin' and waitin' somewhere around--

So no wonder you wanted to buy this place.

Why, I thought you wanted to settle down,

and we had the papers all ready for you.

You mean you really didn't know?

Till just now.

Rupert, I don't think I understand.

Why, you heard him, Laticia.

In the chickens.

He found gold ore in the chickens' craws.

Why, they must have just picked it up off the top of the ground

here in the yard.

I just spilled it out.

Why, I had some money all saved up.

Laticia and me was going to San Francisco.

We was gonna open up a nice little cafe.

Rupert would cook, and I would do the baking.

And I just threw it away.

It's that mean, stupid mouth of yours, Despo.

Looks to me like it's more stupid than mean.

Well, Laticia, looks like we don't have us a farm.

We got a gold mine,

and that ain't chicken feed.

They say happiness is where you find it.

You could say the same thing about gold.

If you're ever out west,

try some of our golden-fried chicken.

Who knows?

Next week, another true story

from the forgotten history of the west.

See you then.