Original subtitles

[gunshots]

ANNOUNCER: The Rifleman.

Starring Chuck Connors.

[peaceful music]

Hey Mark!

- Hi, Charley. - Hi.

This is my cousin Fred, from Santa Fe.

Hello Fred.

Hello there.

I was telling him about your old man's rifle,

but he claims I'm a liar.

Nope.

Why, at 50 feet, my Pa can drive six nails with it

in less than three seconds.

Sure admire to look at it.

Well, he doesn't like anyone touching it.

Says a firearm isn't any play toy.

Come on.

He can see us here, he's in the barn.

Can't do it.

Gosh, Mark.

We rode all the way up here just to see it.

Aw, forget it, Charley.

Your friend's gun shy.

Probably nothing special anyway.

Nothing special, huh?

Well-- you just get sent to put your money where your mouth is.

[suspenseful music]

Fred, that ain't no way to talk to my friends.

Heh.

I bet his Pa wipes his nose for him.

Hey, that's a beauty.

Let's see.

Hey, what's that ring for?

I better hold it, she's loaded.

Aw, come on, I know about rifles.

Don't do that, give it to me.

I'll only [inaudible].

Give it to me!

[gunshot]

[dramatic music]

Son!

Give me that.

This rifle's no toy, boy.

I've told you a thousand--

[suspenseful music]

This boy is dead.

[dramatic music]

MINISTER: For as much as it hath pleaseth All Mighty God

of his great mercy to take unto himself

the soul of our brother, we therefore

commit this body to the ground.

Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

That's the end of Charley.

Just lie in a box, rocks and dirt over him.

Let's go home, son.

Sure.

Go home and step out over the spot

where he was killed by your rifle.

Oh, don't blame the rifle, Mark, it didn't trigger itself.

It was an accident, son.

Don't let yourself brood.

That can twist a man's mind till he

can't think straight anymore.

Come on, let's go home.

Pa?

I don't want to go home right now.

Would you mind?

I'd just like to ride somewhere by myself for a while.

See you are supper.

Come back to the hotel with me, Lucas.

I'll make you some coffee.

[suspenseful music]

[suspenseful music]

Whiskey and a water chaser.

Whiskey and water.

That'll be two bits.

All I got's 20 cents.

All right.

That'll cover it this time.

You serve meals here?

Nope, not since the hotel reopened.

I can't compete with Miss Mallory's home cooking.

She'll usually a fella a feed, though, for washing up

the supper dishes.

I ain't no dishwasher.

I don't work for no women.

I got some advice for you, beer boy.

Don't crowd your luck when you're talking to strangers.

[suspenseful music]

[horses and wagon driving]

Got it special for you, Micah.

Oh, thanks.

The US Marshal in Tucson.

I've been passing those out all alone the line.

Is that so?

What is it, Micah?

Man named Vantine.

They were fixing to hang him in Tuscon, busted out of jail.

Last sighted, he was riding in this general direction.

Any description?

Six foot two.

200 pounds, 38 years old, light complexion.

He gunned down both deputies who had him in custody.

My quota is 10 men to join the federal posse down at the forks

by midnight.

I wish I could ride with you, but--

I know.

Mark.

He's been hit pretty hard by this.

Take care of him, Lucas, boy.

All right, then.

You, you, and you, and you.

Me?

But officer, I've never been on a horse in my life.

I sell ladies dresses.

Yeah, yeah, well--

all right, the rest of you meet me here by midnight.

[suspenseful music]

Hello, son.

MARK: Hello, Pa.

Well, that stew smells good.

I'll wash my hands, I'll be right with you.

I'll have to get to bed early.

Up in the morning, work on that fence.

Your ride today help you clear things up?

It's all ready, you can sit down now.

Have you eaten?

I'm not hungry right now, Pa.

Why?

You and I aren't like this.

When there's a problem, we usually talk it out.

Well, I've got to get to bed.

I'll see you in the morning.

Mark, shut the door and turn around, please.

There's nothing to talk out, Pa.

I want you to get what's bothering

you off your mind, son.

That's what's bothering me.

I can't stand to look at it anymore.

Mark, there's been times if I hadn't had that rifle,

you might not have been born.

I wish I hadn't been!

[dramatic music]

I hear you say that about the life your mother gave you, I--

I know you're not yourself.

You know, son, when I was a boy, your grandpa gave me a knife.

It was something I'd been yearning for for a long time.

My mother didn't want me to have it.

Anyway, I found me a choice piece of wood,

and I set about carving a pipe rack for my Pa.

I guess I got careless, because the knife slipped

and I cut myself.

It was a bad cut.

I threw the knife down and just ran for home.

Took a long time to stop the bleeding, but when it did stop,

my Pa asked me where that knife was.

I told him I never wanted to see it again.

Know what he did?

He told me to go out and find it.

Well, I found it all right, the only thing

was I couldn't pick it up.

I just stood there and looked down at it

until my Ma came along.

She picked it up, she closed it, she put it in my hand.

Then she looked at me and she said, I'm not afraid anymore,

son, and you mustn't be.

Come here, Mark.

Don't you be afraid.

Take the rifle.

[suspenseful music]

No.

No, please, Pa.

Mark, take it.

I can't.

I can't!

Don't you understand, Pa?

I get sick just being neat it.

Take the rifle, Mark.

No!

Oh, I do like it.

I'll take it.

Good.

I'll settle with you in the morning.

Fine.

Good night, Miss Mallory.

Good night, Mr. Fitch.

[cheerful music]

[knocking on the door]

Who is it?

MARK: It's me, Miss Lou.

Mark McCain.

Mark!

What are you doing here this time of the night?

That's a dress, Miss Lou.

Thank you, Mark.

Is something wrong?

Uh.

No.

No, nothing's wrong, not really.

I'm just going on a trip and I--

I thought maybe I'd get an early start from town.

I didn't think you'd mind if I stayed here till morning.

Mind?

I'm glad you came, Mark.

Sit down, I need your help on something.

I just baked a new apple pie and I'd like your opinion of it.

Well, I'm not really very hungry--

Just a taste.

Said you're taking a trip.

Where to?

Well, I'm not sure.

I mean, there are a lot of different places

I haven't been to.

I envy you, Mark.

Travel is a wonderful thing.

Matter of fact, I'm surprised your father didn't mention it

to me this afternoon.

Uh.

Pie sure smells good, Miss Lou.

Real good.

Mark.

Does your father know you're taking this trip?

I'm your friend.

I won't pry, but I do want you to know I want to help.

You want to talk about it?

[sad music]

We can't stop beating the brush until after daybreak.

Meanwhile, I expect we'll wake up

every rancher within a 10 mile circle of here

to check on missing horses.

The rest of the party is going to meet us down at the forks.

Remember, boys, we're on federal business.

That means no horseplay.

This man we're tracking is a real timberwolf

with hydrophobia and our orders are dead or alive.

Let's go.

[suspenseful music]

[suspenseful music]

Lou, that's Mark's horse outside.

I've been expecting you.

He's here, isn't he?

Mhm, up in room five.

Did he say anything?

He told me his feelings about the rifle,

and he asked me for $25.

Travel expense to California.

California.

Go along with him a little.

Don't force things right now, Lucas.

Running away from a problem is not the right answer,

Lou, you know that.

Of course I do, but does a big galoot like you have to hear

the right answer every time?

What are you getting at?

I think you're going to have to make

a choice, between putting your rifle aside for a time

or giving up your son for a longer time.

[sigh]

What are you going to do?

Have you got the key to number five?

There's no lock on the door.

By the way, that's a nice outfit you've got on.

I'm glad you like it.

I bought it from the dress salesman.

He had one that was all red beads-- what there was of it--

but I was afraid I'd make trouble among the customers.

Yeah, it might have, at that.

[dramatic music]

Can I come in?

Sure.

Lou told me she loaned you $25.

I thought maybe you'd need a little more to carry

you where you're going.

Uh.

Didn't you bring your rifle?

I left it downstairs.

[humming]

[floorboard creaking]

[suspenseful music]

[floorboard creaking]

[suspenseful music]

[gasp] What're you doing here?

How about rustling up a little grub?

Breakfast is served from 6:00 to 9:00 tomorrow morning.

And use the front door next time.

Now look, I ain't always so mannerly before I've et.

You're counting on being the female around here.

You start counting again.

You use that gun, they'll hear you outside.

I think you're right, but I don't just

see what good that's going to do you with your head blown off,

eh? Come on.

Get some grub.

Come on.

Right.

I have some ham from supper, and today's bread,

and some homemade pickles.

That'll be just lovely.

Hey.

I've been avoiding that Sheriff's posse of yours

for the last 14 hours.

Yeah, I was lying right out over your hayloft.

[laugh] I could even hear them jawing about me.

You got those grass jumpers and that hay.

You like your-- your sandwich thick?

Come on, give it to me.

I'll do it.

I'll heat you some coffee.

Ah, that's fine, I'd love it.

Hey.

When it starts to boil, don't get

any female ideas about spilling it in my lap, yeah?

[laugh] We could be lots quieter now.

Mark, just remember, a rifle is it

tool, like an axe or a crowbar.

It has no mind of its own, either good or bad.

We talked about that when I bought you your .22.

Course, if it's used wrong, someone can get hurt.

Someone can get killed.

How many men upstairs.

Just two, nothing to bother about.

Who?

Dress salesman, and a fella we call Shorty.

Fine.

You know, that's a real nice dress, huh?

Smell good, too.

Where's your hubby?

I'm not married.

Aw, that's too bad.

I'll-- get your coffee.

Come here.

MCCAIN: Lou!

You talking to yourself?

I just wanted to get a glass of milk for--

Vantine.

[gun cocks]

Come on, now.

Back up.

Come on!

Come on!

You sit right here, sweetheart.

The dressmaker, huh?

Well, I'll say this for you, looking at you,

I never would've guessed that--

What do you want?

Well, for one thing, there's a nice horse

and buggy out in the stable.

You'd never get through the posse.

Uh huh.

But the bride and groom will.

How about that, huh?

You ain't got no hubby.

How'd you like to marry a dressmaker?

Yeah, you two are going to Roswell to get married.

You know, I wouldn't wonder what they give me a new alias,

Cupid Vantine.

I'm going to be sitting under the baggies

with this pointed right at her pretty spine.

Now, look.

They stop us, you open your big green eyes,

you tell him that he's taking you all the way east for good.

That's the coffee.

Look, we're not going to help you, Vantine.

Soon as you got clear, you'd kill both of us.

Oh, I wouldn't exactly say both.

Depends if green eyes here wants to spend

a roving life for a while.

Me, I got a real weakness for mean redheads,

especially in a dress like this, huh?

[door opens and shuts upstairs]

[suspenseful music]

Has Pa got my milk yet--

Pa?

Excuse me.

Hey, he's real polite, ain't he?

I like that.

Come on down, son.

Come on.

Where's your Ma at, son?

I asked you a question, where's your Ma?

She's dead.

VANTINE: Aw, that's too bad.

Hey, maybe he's gonna get a new one, huh?

[laugh]

Look, Vantine.

You don't need him.

Let me send him home.

Oh sure, nobody'd believe you go any place without him.

Looks like the kid's gotta come along on the wedding trip, huh?

Million Make it a real family affair!

[laugh]

What's he talking about?

Hey, you know how to hitch a horse to a buggy?

Maybe.

Smart.

I like that.

Come on, [inaudible] Come on.

[suspenseful music]

Come on.

FITCH: Miss Mallory?

I can't seem to find my soap.

Come on Come on down, Shorty.

Ah ah!

You stay put.

Stay glued right there, or maybe this wedding is finished

before it gets started, huh?

Come on, come on, come on.

I just want to look at you.

That's it, nice and easy now.

All the way, keep your hands where I can see them.

I-- I think I'm going to faint.

VANTINE: [laugh]

(WHISPERING) Under the counter, the rifle.

Now, be nice.

What'd she say to you, boy?

Come on, what's she say to you?

I said you might kill us all.

You put a maybe in front of that, sister.

It depends on how you behave, all of you.

You're going to behave yourself, aren't you, son?

Aha, I like that.

Smart, eh?

[laugh] There ain't enough of you to scare

a frog off a lilypad, eh?

[suspenseful music]

FITCH: Can I go back to my room, now?

VANTINE: Ah?

I ain't stopping you.

[suspenseful music]

[cocks gun]

Kill him!

[gunshots]

[suspenseful music]

Well, I'll say one thing, you wouldn't have been hungry.

But you sure would have been warm in those in California.

You know, son, the only thing you forgot was your .22.

You know I didn't forget it, Pa.

You know, what you said about a rifle

not having a mind of its own--

I knew you were right, I mean, inside of me.

I just didn't want to believe it.

I guess it was easier to blame the rifle.

But I know now.

I guess it's all part of growing up.

Everything is, son.

Why don't you leave that for morning.

All right.

Night, Pa. - Night, son.

[theme music]