Original subtitles

Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.

What do you think you're doing?

Just fixin'.

What for?

Boil this hen for dinner.

We're driving the wagon into Dodge after.

Ho.

I got some business over at the feed store.

You can sit there if you want to.

I won't be a minute.

I thought...

You got a gun in that wagon, Jeff?

What?

A gun, I said.

Now, Kate, what in the world do you want a gun for?

I want you to take it and go in there and shoot that Ed Delliver.

Ed Delliver, our neighbor?

Now what are you talkin' about, woman?

He insulted me, Jeff.

And you're going to do somethin' about it.

Ed Delliver insulted you?

I don't believe it.

Are you gonna fetch that gun or ain't ya?

Kate, I didn't bring no gun.

Besides, I can't believe Ed Delliver would do a thing like that.

Well, you can believe your own wife, can't ya?

What's the matter with you, Jeff Kinsman?

Ain't nothin' the matter with me.

Have you lost your pride?

Well, what kind of a man are you anyway?

Kate.

You sure he done it?

Well, of course he done it.

He does it every chance he gets.

Now, do you want people to think another man

can flirt with your wife right in public?

Why, you let him get by with this, he'd be doing it in front of you next.

He'd better not.

Well, you'd better start watching him right now.

Jeff: Hey, Delliver!

Hello, Jeff, Mrs. Kinsman.

I got something I want to settle with you.

What's wrong, Jeff?

Now, you're to leave my wife alone, you hear?

What?

You stop trying to fool with her.

Have you gone crazy, Jeff?

No, I ain't gone crazy.

Well, you tell him, Mrs. Kinsman.

She already done told me, and I'm warning you.

You got get yourself your own woman and leave mine be!

I ain't sure I like being accused this way, Jeff.

You put that gun down,

I'm learn you to like it.

All right, Jeff, what are you gonna do?

I'll show you what I'm gonna do.

Now, you put that knife away.

I ain't armed.

I'm gonna cut you, Delliver.

I'm gonna cut you real good.

Hold on there!

This is my fight, Marshal.

Not with a knife, it isn't. Drop it.

Go on, drop it.

No, I won't drop it.

But I won't use it on him.

Not 'til next time, I won't.

I don't know what your argument is,

but you men are going to have to settle it some other way.

He just bought hisself a new Sharp's rifle, Marshal.

He'd better remember that I got a Sharp's rifle at home myself.

There's something I want you both to remember.

If there's any trouble out your way,

I'm going to know who to come for.

Ah, that coward ain't gonna do nothin'.

I wouldn't put salt on an old crow like her anyway.

Jeff!

You hear what he called me?

He called me a coward.

He called you...

By heaven, what's things coming to, a woman's got to put up with that?

I never heard a man get by insulting a lady right in public twice,

and each time worse than the other.

Oh, he's no good, that Delliver. And you ain't much better.

I don't know what makes you act like this...

Sniveling...

By golly, she's going to have them men

fightin' yet, Mr. Dillon.

Just nothing to battle over, if you ask me.

It's the worst kind of trouble, too, Chester.

You never know who's guilty of what.

Oh, you sure changed your ways.

Oh.

You ever known me to drink anything before dark?

Well, only on cloudy days when you got confused.

You're funny.

We were talking about Ed Delliver.

Yeah, you know, he's quite a lady's man,

even for a bachelor.

I've never seen him to shy away from a pretty girl yet.

Well, I wouldn't exactly call Kate Kinsman pretty.

Well, no, but she's had a mighty rough life, Matt.

Oh?

You knew she was married before, didn't you?

No.

Oh, yeah. He... He died some years back.

He was a buffalo hunter. From what I understand,

he used to take her right along with him.

Treated her like she was working for him.

Maybe that's why she demands so much respect now.

Oh, Matt, I don't think objecting to being called an old crow

is exactly demanding respect for any woman.

Something wrong, Chester?

Uh, well, I don't know for sure, Mr. Dillon.

Mrs. Kinsman's outside. Said she wanted to see ya.

Mrs. Kinsman, huh?

Well, I'll be back.

All right.

Mrs. Kinsman.

What can I do for ya?

Well, it ain't me, Marshal.

It's my husband.

It's Jeff.

Something wrong?

He's dead.

What?

He was murdered early this morning.

Ed Delliver done it.

Now wait a minute.

How do you know it was Delliver?

Well, I'll show you how.

I left Jeff right there on the prairie where I found him.

Go get Doc, will ya?

Yes, sir.

Mrs. Kinsman, you wait right here.

I'll be back in a minute.

We'll ride out with ya.

Ho. Ho.

I ain't touched him, Marshal.

I just throwed that canvas over.

Uh-huh.

How'd you find him way out here?

Well, we're only about a mile from the house, Marshal.

I heard shootin',

and I knowed Jeff didn't have his rifle with him,

so I came right away.

It's a bad way to go, without no chance to defend yourself.

It's a terrible, dirty crime if you ask me.

Matt.

Look at that.

That's a mighty big hole.

Must've been done from close range.

Well, I don't know.

I thought so too at first, but maybe not.

I think that was a Sharp's 50, Matt.

I've seen a lot of 'em.

And I'm gonna know in a minute.

Yeah.

You ain't forgettin' Delliver bought a Sharp's 50 yesterday, are ya?

Have you seen him around here, Mrs. Kinsman?

No. But I can tell you right where he is.

Where's that?

Well, it's about noon, ain't it?

Sitting on his front porch like he does every day at noon.

Always sits there for about an hour or so doin' nothin'.

I see.

I wonder what he's thinkin'.

What he's thinking?

Well, they had an argument over me,

and there's Jeff layin' dead.

Somehow I feel like it's my fault.

Well, don't you feel bad, Mrs. Kinsman.

It wasn't your fault.

Well, I can't help it, Chester.

If I hadn't talked to Delliver in that store,

maybe none of this would've happened.

Here you are, Matt. Sharp's 50.

It sure is.

I guess we'll go out and have a talk to Mr. Delliver

as soon as we finish up here.

Thanks, Doc.

Yeah. There's a shovel in the wagon. I'll get it.

Howdy.

Howdy.

What brings you out here, Marshal?

Hi, Chester.

Jeff Kinsman was killed this morning.

Is that so?

About a mile from his house.

Was a Sharp's 50 that did it.

We know that much anyway.

Uh, Kate Kinsman is sure of the rest, I'll bet.

She thinks you did it, all right.

Oh, I guess it don't look too good, does it?

Well, I wouldn't say so.

I sure picked a poor time to buy that rifle, now didn't I?

You sure did.

Well, it's been fired.

I had it out for that first shot this morning.

Anybody with you?

No, I got no alibis. Not a one.

You don't seem particularly interested

in trying to clear yourself.

Well, I figure a fella runs around

hollerin' too much about how innocent he is,

sometimes kind of works out to make people think that he's guilty.

Well, you know anybody else around here

that might've wanted to see Jeff Kinsman out of the way?

No, no.

Uh-huh.

What about Mrs. Kinsman?

What's your interest in her?

It all kind of hangs on that, don't it?

Well, let's just say it'd keep the judge awake anyway.

Sure.

Well, Marshal, so help me, I wouldn't be proud of it.

I can do better than her any day.

A whole lot better.

Well, just don't try to leave the country.

I'd only come after you,

and it would add to the evidence.

You ain't exactly sure it wasn't me, are you, Marshal?

Not exactly.

Mr. Dillon, did you ever see a spider rat?

A what?

Spider rat. Looks like a rat, but it's got a face just like a spider.

Oh.

I got bit by one last night.

And I'm telling you, that's somethin' fierce.

Well, Doc had to take a stinger out of me.

It was every bit of that long.

Were you and Doc drunk last night?

Oh, no, you don't understand.

You see, I was dreamin' about this here spider rat.

Uh-huh.

Yeah, well, I don't believe ya.

You don't?

No, I don't believe you were dreaming.

I think you really did get bit.

Well, I've been looking for you all over Dodge, Marshal

Good morning, Mrs. Kinsman.

I didn't expect to find the law playin' checkers

at 10:00 in the morning.

Well, it seems to be the coolest place in town right now.

Hot or cold, I want to know what's going on, Marshal.

It's been two days.

Would you like to sit down, Mrs. Kinsman?

No, I wouldn't like to sit down!

Are you going to throw Ed Delliver in jail or ain't ya?

Well now, he says he didn't do it.

He says.

Well what's "he says" got to do with it?

Well...

Why them men fought over me, Marshal.

My husband and Ed Delliver.

Why, just being the kind of woman men fight over

makes me feel guilty.

But... But that's what they did.

And it's pure clear to everybody around here

who killed Jeff.

Everybody but you, it looks!

Well, I'm sorry, Mrs. Kinsman,

but there just isn't enough evidence yet.

Why, you're making a fool of me, Marshal.

Oh, how's that?

Well...

I... I don't feel right, my husband being murdered

and nothin' bein' done about it.

And if you don't do something quick,

I'm gonna make trouble for you, Marshal.

You mark my words now!

Kinda mad, ain't she?

Yeah.

I don't think she's going to get over it easy, either.

Well, not until that Ed Delliver gets hung, that's for sure.

You know, there's something about that woman

I just can't quite believe.

Come on, I got an idea.

Ain't we gonna finish the game?

We'll finish it later.

- Where we goin'? - Ed Delliver's.

Ed: Well, Marshal, what do you aim to do about it?

You got a pencil and paper?

What?

I want you to write a note.

A note?

Yeah. To Mrs. Kinsman.

Mrs. Kinsman? What do I...

Get the pencil. I'll let you know what I got in mind.

Whatever you say, Marshal.

When we get this note written,

I want you to take it over to Mrs. Kinsman.

Well, all right.

Well, here it is.

What do you want me to write?

I want you to sit and understand first.

What's that?

I'm gonna put you under arrest.

Now, you sure got a funny way of doing things, ain't ya?

Why didn't you just arrest me the other day right off?

'Cause I didn't have this figured out then.

Now you have, huh?

We'll find out tomorrow.

Yep.

Well... what do I say to this belle?

You might start out with "Dear Kate."

Mrs. Kinsman?

Chester.

How do you do, ma'am?

Come on in.

Well...

Well, what are you doing out here, Chester?

I was on my way back to Dodge

from Big Spring, ma'am.

And, you see, I was up there visiting a friend of mine.

He's, uh, well, you wouldn't know him.

Well, you didn't come out here to tell me about your friend, Chester.

No, ma'am. I brung you this.

What's this?

Well, that's what I was gettin' around to explainin' to ya.

You see, I come by Ed Delliver's...

Ed Delliver, you say?

Yes, ma'am. And he hailed me.

And... And we had some coffee,

and he wrote this out to you.

It, uh...

It wasn't too good of coffee. It was...

kinda weak on the chicory.

Well, ma'am, I think I best be going.

Been real good seein' you again.

Excuse me, ma'am.

Chester!

You just tell that marshal of yours Ed Delliver ought to be in jail

instead of sending silly notes to respectable widows.

You just tell him that.

Yes, ma'am.

Mr. Dillon.

Hmm?

We gonna sleep here again tonight?

I don't know. Why?

Well, I just thought that if we wasn't, I'd go ahead and make the bed.

Oh, well, when did you start gettin' so neat?

Well... if don't have to make it, I mean,

I won't make it.

I'll just see how Delliver's doin'.

Hey, careful. Don't let anybody see ya.

Oh. Sorry.

I didn't open it too much.

How's he doing?

Good, good.

He's just sitting there looking out across the prairie,

just... just like he always is doing.

I hope he doesn't mind the part he's playing in this too much.

Oh, I don't think he'll mind that.

You know, it must be getting along about noon.

I'm... I'm gettin' kinda hungry.

Are you?

Well, we didn't have hardly any breakfast at all, and...

sure wouldn't mind sittin' down to a plate

of fried ham, mashed potatoes, and specklty gravy,

some nice hot biscuits with the waxy honey just oozin' out.

I think I'll just rummage around the cupboard here.

Look at that.

Hit him square.

See anybody?

Can't see a thing here.

That shot must've come from a long ways off.

Well, that's at least a quarter of a mile,

the sound of it.

Yeah.

Come on, let's get out the back door.

I bet that cupboard of his was just plumb chuck full.

You know, we could just be waitin' out here all night.

At least we could've gotten an apple or...

Shh!

Huh?

Hello, Mrs. Kinsman.

It's no use, Mrs. Kinsman.

You're in enough trouble already.

What are you talkin' about?

You know the note you got from Ed Delliver?

It was me that told him what to write.

You?

You wrote that note?

That's right.

I told him to tell you that he had the perfect alibi

for not killing your husband.

A woman. And that she'd be here this afternoon if I didn't believe it.

And when you found that out,

you came here prepared to kill both of 'em, didn't ya?

You tricked me.

You tricked me good.

It was a pretty obvious trick, Mrs. Kinsman.

You just had to have people think

that men were fightin' over ya, didn't ya?

Well, you can't prove I did a thing.

No, that was pretty good shooting, killing a man from a thousand yards.

Too good for a woman.

Ain't nobody'll believe it.

Well, I didn't believe it myself.

Not until I remembered that your first husband

used to take you out buffalo hunting with him.

Oh, you can shoot a Sharp's rifle all right, Mrs. Kinsman.

You can shoot it as good as any man.

I'm glad I killed Ed Delliver.

I'm glad I done it.

Come on over here a minute. I want to show you something.

Still glad you killed him, Mrs. Kinsman?

You wouldn't even let me have that, would you?

A man's life? Not hardly.

Delliver's waiting back in Dodge.

I hated Jeff.

But I hate Ed Delliver even worse now.

I feel sorry for you, Mrs. Kinsman.

With Jeff gone, now you've got nobody to fight for you.

Come on, let's go.