Original subtitles

Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.

♪♪

Melinda.

- You're late. - Well, never mind,

I'm here, ain't I?

No, Tom, stop.

Don't you love me no more?

You're over an hour late.

Pa'll be here any minute now.

I got here as soon as I could. Made some money today.

- How? - Sold that bay mare.

But I thought you were planning on breeding her.

I was offered too good a price; close to a hundred dollars.

And I got it right here.

I hope you did the right thing, Tom.

I got to get you a ring, don't I?

A ring isn't important.

We can get one later when we're settled.

No, you got to have one right off.

You don't want people to think I'm too poor

to buy you a wedding ring, do you?

It isn't that.

Well, don't you worry.

Everything is gonna be all right.

We're gonna get married soon, aren't we?

I hope so, Tom.

It's Pa.

It's him and Roy Tayloe.

You know, that Roy Tayloe follows your pa around

like his shadow.

He's Pa's right hand man, Tom.

Yeah. I found that out

the day Tayloe talked your pa into firing me.

On account of paying more attention to me

- than to your work, he said. - And to get me out

so's Tayloe'd have a free hand with you.

Well, it hasn't done him any good.

It better not have.

What's he doing here?

Now, Pa, he came here to see me, not you.

Then I give him credit for that much sense.

Are you telling me I can't call on Melinda when I want to?

When I decide that, I'm not gonna tell you, I'll show you.

If you're gonna act like this every time Tom comes here,

I'm gonna have to meet him someplace else.

Look, Mr. Miles, I know what you think of me,

but I'm gonna have my own ranch soon,

and that's a whole lot better than taking wages

from somebody else, if you ask me.

- Your own ranch? - Well, sure.

You're forgetting he owns two, three head of horses.

I own six head, and there as good as any around.

They might be the best horses in the whole world,

but that don't hardly make a ranch.

Well, he has to start someplace, hasn't he?

Yeah. Yeah, he sure does.

I wish he was in Texas doing it.

Come on, Roy, we got work to do.

Don't pay him no mind.

You'll make out fine, hard worker like you.

No, Tom.

Let him go.

Just what they want, for you to start trouble here.

- Me start trouble? - Forget them.

They're just mad because they can't do anything about us.

No. No, they can't, can they?

Come on, I'll make some coffee.

Good idea.

Well, I'll tell you, it's frightening

the way some people can afford to lose.

You ought to know.

Come on, I'm thirsty.

Hey, Potter! Come on, sit down.

We need a little fresh blood here.

No, not me.

Here. Take my chair.

This game's getting a little too strong for me.

Good!

There you are, Potter.

No, I don't want to get in the game.

Go ahead, maybe you'll change everybody's luck.

Including his.

What's holding you back, Potter?

You're broke?

No, I ain't broke.

Well, maybe you better save your money.

It can be a long time between jobs, eh?

I ain't broke, and I ain't looking for a job.

Well, then, take a hand.

Or are you scared?

I ain't scared of you, Tayloe.

At poker or anything else.

Well, that's more like it.

Let's get to work.

My deal, gentlemen.

Well, you just put your money up and close your eyes.

You'd sure think that Tom Potter'd have

- better sense than that. - What?

Well, letting that Tayloe goad him into a game like that.

He ought to see that Roy's having a real good run of luck.

Well, a good run of luck can end with the next hand.

Ain't none of my business anyway, I guess.

- Oh, thanks, Fred. - Thanks, Fred.

Oh, here's to you.

Thank you.

Tom's a nice boy.

He just needs a little growing up, is all.

Yeah, well, Melinda Miles seems to be willing to wait for him.

Yeah, I... heard he'd been courting her.

Just about a year, is all.

Well, now, women just don't like to... to rush into things.

- They don't? - Mm-mm.

Well, how come, then, every time I get an extra dollar

in my pocket, they're just, every girl I know

- is rushing at me? - Into marriage?

Well, no, not into marriage.

But, I mean, they do come scrambling around.

Well, then, just think how awful it would be if you were rich.

Well... well, I think

that I could handle that problem if it ever come up.

I'm pretty sure you could.

I'll stay.

And, uh...

raise you $25.

I'll call.

I didn't mean to break you.

Just let's see your cards, Tayloe.

Sure.

Four deuces.

Full house!

You win.

Hey, that's a good hand you got there.

Yeah.

Not good enough, though.

Are you quitting?

Well, hope you're better at courting

than you are at poker playing.

Don't you worry about me, Tayloe.

Don't you worry at all.

Here, you buy yourself a drink.

Well, uh, you might say hello, Tom.

Oh, hello, Chester. Miss Kitty.

- Hello, Tom. - Howdy.

Why don't you have a drink?

No, thanks.

Oh, go ahead. It's on the house.

I can't.

Anyway, it's getting late; I'm gonna turn in.

Well, all right, Tom. I sure am sorry

to see that you had such a bad run of luck.

I know how that is.

He'll go and tell... Mr. Miles and Melinda.

I can just hear him now.

Well, you can get back at him next time.

That's right.

I'm not gonna worry about it.

Well, right now I'm going to bed.

Good night, Miss Kitty, Chester.

Good night.

Well... at least he's a good loser.

Yeah, he's a good loser, all right.

Well... he's dead, men.

There's nothing anybody can do for him now.

You might as well break it up.

Chester, you say he won a lot of money

- at the Long Branch tonight? - Yeah, he did, Mr. Dillon,

but he give most of it to Bill Pence to put in a safe for him.

Well, how much do you think he kept on him?

Oh, I don't know.

I watched the game, but, you know,

I couldn't watch it too close.

Well, about how much would you say?

Well, I'd say about a hundred dollars.

Well, he sure doesn't have anything on him now.

And you figure that whoever done it just killed him

just for his money, huh?

Looks that way to me.

Well, I... hate to say this, Mr. Dillon,

but do you, uh, do you know Tom Potter?

Yeah.

Well, he lost his whole stake to Tayloe

in that poker game there tonight.

- He did? - Yeah.

Well, I mean, but there must've been other people

in the game with him, wasn't there?

Well, yeah, there was, but there was already bad blood

between Tom and Tayloe there.

You know, because of that Miles girl, that Melinda.

Yeah, well... I still can't see Tom

as the kind that would do a thing like this, though.

Well, no, I can't, either,

but you know it's bound to come up, though.

Yeah. Well, I'll have a talk with Tom in the morning.

Right now I think we better find a wagon

and get him out to the Miles place.

You want to take him out there this time of night?

Yeah, I think Harry'd appreciate it.

He thought quite a bit of Tayloe, you know.

Well, he ain't gonna take it easy, that's for sure.

Well, I'll find a wagon.

Marshal, I'm not gonna stand for this.

I'll get him, Miles.

I want him now. We know who he is.

There's nothing can be done till morning, you know that.

If I'd been in town tonight, something would've been done.

Guess maybe I made a mistake bringing Tayloe back here.

I didn't mean that.

I appreciate what you did.

Roy belongs out here.

- Coffee's ready. - Oh...

Oh, golly, it sure smells good.

Chester, tell Melinda what you told me.

- Well, I-I... - Go ahead, Chester.

Well, it's just that, uh,

Tom lost all of his money tonight in a poker game

to Roy Tayloe

at the Long Branch.

Oh? Were you in the game?

No, I wasn't in it; I just watched it.

That is, I watched it up to the time that Tom left,

about midnight... said he was gonna go home and go to bed.

And instead of that, he waited out in the street

and shot Roy to get the money back.

- Pa! - It's true.

It's not true!

Of course it is. I've known that kid

all of my life, and he's never been any good!

He shot Roy Tayloe!

Miles, why don't you hold up your opinion on this

until we know a little bit more about it.

Seems to me you're getting people all upset

over something we don't have any proof of.

I got all the proof I need.

What time did you say that Tom left the Long Branch?

Well, uh, about midnight.

And what time was Roy Tayloe killed?

Well, it was around 2:30, I guess.

What are you driving at?

Well, it's an hour's ride from here to Dodge, isn't it?

At 2:00, Tom Potter and I were standing right out there

by the big oak talking.

Now, Melinda!

It's true, Pa.

And I'll swear to it in court.

I'll be riding into Dodge about noon tomorrow.

Well, you do whatever you want to do.

I'll have Tom in first thing in the morning for questioning.

I'll do my own questioning. Behind a gun.

Now, you know better than that, Miles.

Roy Tayloe was a friend of mine, Marshal.

Nobody's gonna shoot him down like that and get away with it.

Nobody's gonna get away with it. I'm gonna find the man.

Good.

I'll be in your office at noon.

I'll want to see him.

Now, I'll-I'll take care of Roy.

You want any help?

No thanks.

Melinda?

Yes, Marshal?

I hope you were telling the truth just now.

Well, I was, Marshal.

I swear I was.

All right. Then there's nothing to worry about.

Good night.

- Good night.

Good night.

Mr. Dillon?

No wonder we couldn't find him.

A hundred dollars, you say?

Well, that's as low as I can go, Tom.

All right. I'll take it.

Be right with ya, Marshal.

Fine.

Well, hello, Marshal. Chester.

Tom.

You want me put it in a box, Tom?

No, I'll take it as is.

There's your money.

Thank you.

A hundred dollars. That's a pretty nice ring, Tom.

Something wrong, Marshal?

I heard you went broke last night.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I know. I heard about Roy Tayloe.

Yeah, he was robbed

of just a little more than a hundred dollars.

You know where I was, Marshal?

Where?

Well, you probably wouldn't believe me.

So, why don't you ride out and ask Melinda Miles?

She'll tell ya.

Where'd you get the money, Tom?

Sold two of my horses this morning for $220.

I ain't even had breakfast yet.

Who'd you sell them to?

George Rand, but, uh, he left town 'bout an hour ago.

Heading for home?

Mm-hmm.

And George Rand lives a long way out, Tom.

Well, I sold them over at the stable.

Moss Grimmick was there.

Well, I guess you wouldn't mind walking over there then.

Why not? Be right with ya.

Uh, you won't tell anybody 'bout this, will ya?

I want it kind of a surprise.

Oh, of course not, Tom.

Thank you.

Let's go, Marshal.

Hello, Marshal.

Hello, Moss.

Hello, Chester.

Moss, I'd like you to tell the marshal here

about my selling those two horses this morning.

How about that, Moss?

Did he sell two horses to George Rind?

Yes, he did, and George rode up north with 'em.

How much did he pay for them, do you know?

Well, I don't know exactly what they settled for.

Couldn't stand around here listening all day.

Somewheres around a hundred dollars,

maybe a little bit more.

There. Now I told you.

It was $220 exactly.

Now do you believe me?

Tom, that certainly clears you, all right.

Looks like we only got one man left to convince.

What do you mean?

Well, Harry Miles is riding into town at noon today.

Sure doesn't look like we're gonna have

no murderer locked up for him, does it?

No, but we've still got a couple hours yet.

Tom, you better stay clear of Miles when he gets into town.

He's pretty worked up about this.

So long, Moss.

So long.

Miles.

Marshal, I just took a look out in back.

All those cells are empty.

Well, we haven't had much time.

Tom Potter isn't hard to find.

Tom Potter didn't do it, Miles.

Well, you seem mighty sure.

There's no point in arresting a man

I know the court's not going to convict.

Why do you say that?

I saw Tom on the street this morning.

Before I even mentioned it,

he told me that he'd been with Melinda last night.

He did?

Well, I was there too, Mr. Miles.

That's just what happened.

Well, I'm not doubting either one of you.

Let me tell you something, Marshal,

I don't want that boy hanging around my house anymore.

I'll tell Melinda.

I'll leave it up to you to tell him.

First time he shows up, I'll shoot him on sight.

- Now, wait a minute, Miles. - Wait nothing.

I still think he's guilty no matter what anybody says,

but I guess I'll have to leave him alone.

That is, unless he comes courting Melinda again.

Then I'll kill him.

Well, he means that, Mr. Dillon.

Yeah, I'm afraid he does, Chester.

Heh. Boy, that-that sure smells good, don't it?

It smells strong.

Attar of roses.

Makes you feel kind of younger somehow.

Well, I can see that's gonna be

a problem for you, all right, Chester.

Well, you know what I meant by it. I...

Marshal, we've been looking everywhere for you.

Hello, Chester. - Melinda.

What's wrong?

My pa, that's what's wrong.

What's he done?

You know perfectly well what he's done.

He came home and said he'd shoot Tom on sight

if he caught him 'round the place again.

What are you doing in town?

She came to see me.

She's got a good idea, Marshal.

I thought it all out, Marshal,

and there's only one way to settle this business.

How's that?

Tom's innocent.

Pa said you're convinced of it yourself.

I am, yes.

Then you have to arrest him and have him tried.

What?

It's the only way, Marshal.

He'll be found "not guilty."

It put Pa to shame and then he'll leave us alone.

Now where'd you come up with an idea like that?

You've got to do it right now.

Melinda's right. It's the only thing that'll work.

You will do it, won't you?

No, I'm afraid I can't.

But, Marshal!

The law just can't be used that way. I'm sorry.

Then you won't help us?

No, I didn't say that.

As a matter of fact, I've been giving this a lot of thought.

I may come up with something yet.

In the meantime, I want you to go on home.

And you stay away from there, Tom.

You're in enough trouble as it is.

Come on, Melinda. We'll go get your horse.

You give up awful easy, don't you?

I didn't say I'd given up yet.

Come on.

- Chester? - Yeah?

I'm gonna ride out of town for a couple of days.

You are?

Yeah, I want you to keep an eye on things around here.

Is the marshal here?

No, he ain't.

We've got to find him, Chester.

Well, what's the matter here?

We've decided to run away.

I met Tom this afternoon near home.

But her pa saw us. Now he's on our trail.

With two of his men, and they'll kill him. I know they will!

Well, Tom, you're just a durn fool.

Mr. Dillon told you to stay away from there.

Well, that ain't gonna help me now.

Please, Chester.

Well, all right. Go on inside.

I'll lock you up and stand guard.

He'll have to get through me first.

Now it's too late.

You keep away from him, Pa.

I warned ya what would happen.

Now just a minute, Mr. Miles.

There ain't gonna be no killing here.

I don't aim to kill him here.

I'm gonna take him out on the prairie

and give him an even chance with me alone.

No, you ain't. I ain't even gonna let you do that.

There isn't anything you can do to stop me, Chester.

Pat?

- What's going on here? - Mr. Dillon.

There about to kill Tom, Marshal.

Come here, Tom.

You know George.

I know him.

Marshal told me the story, Tom.

He wanted me to ride back to town with him

to be sure you got your money.

- You don't owe me nothing. - Oh, yes I do.

A hundred and ten dollars.

I told you I'd pay you within a few weeks, remember?

Here it is.

You paid me!

What's going on here, Marshal?

Melinda, you got word to Tom about that alibi

you had set up for him, didn't you?

The cook's boy.

I sent him to town with a note before dawn.

Melinda.

I knew it.

I knew it all the time.

Tom, I'll take your gun.

All right, let's go inside.

- You murderer! - Harry!

Let me settle it now. Roy was my friend!

Get a hold of yourself now, Harry!

You better start thinking about Melinda.

Got a hunch she's gonna be needing you.

All right, Marshal.

Melinda?

Time we went home?