Original subtitles

Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.

Hey... Hey, bartender,

man get a drink around here?

What'll it be?

Shot of whiskey.

Leave it here.

Bring it over here, stranger.

I'll keep you company.

This place is a morgue.

Sit down, cowboy.

This Cimarron ain't much of a town, is it?

No.

- My name's Grant Hatcher. - Yeah, that's what I figured.

- You're Lute Willis? - That's right.

I been waiting for you since yesterday.

I got held up in Pueblo. I was having a good time there.

You're gonna have more fun when you get to Dodge.

I got your letter, Hatcher,

but you didn't say how you heard about me.

Santa Fe. A man named Ed Grimes.

Oh, yeah. I did a job for him last spring.

You did it good, according to Grimes.

He seemed satisfied.

This one won't be as easy.

Who's your man, Hatcher?

His name's Dillon.

He's the marshal of Dodge.

That's why I'm willing to pay you more than your usual price.

I'll give you $250 now,

and $250 after you've killed him.

Not so sure I'm a match

for a man like that.

There's a lot of ways to shoot a man.

I think you know most of them.

You must have a pretty big grudge

to want to spend $500 on him.

I had a brother... Dillon killed him.

Now I'm gonna get him.

No. I'm gonna get him.

It's the same. It's my money.

Dodge about 20 miles from here?

That's right.

I take it you don't plan to ride in just yet.

If Dillon saw me, he'd get suspicious right off.

You got the money?

Right here.

I'll count it later.

You able to get it done today? Tonight?

It ain't that simple, Hatcher.

It'll take me a couple of days to get the lay of the land.

About the rest of the money, Hatcher,

it wouldn't do you no good to run with it.

I'll be in Dodge Friday.

You ought to have it done by then.

That'll give me enough time.

It'll be a pleasure to pay you off.

I'll see you later.

♪ Danny, come west to Kansas ♪

♪ Come make a home in Kansas ♪

♪ Born in Maine ♪

♪ One hand on the reigns ♪

♪ When he crossed... ♪

Either you or that hammer's left-handed.

Well, that wouldn't happen

if you got some of those nails that don't bend.

Doc, ain't there somebody around Dodge

that's got an old, sick cow

that you can attend to somewheres?

Ooh! Ooh!

Well, now, that wouldn't happen if you held onto the hammer

with both hands.

Oh, there, that'll hold it.

No, don't.

That's a doggone good job, even if I do say so myself.

That'll hold up. I'm just gonna rest.

I certainly would, too, if I was you.

That's one nice thing about

doing a hard day's physical labor.

Always nice to sit down and rest.

Well, I've done a hard day's work all right.

I been up since 5:00 this morning.

Oh, golly, that's gonna be a good one.

Well, I don't think it's gonna be fatal.

It's too... too far from your heart.

You had any time to make coffee this morning?

No, I ain't made no coffee this morning.

Well, could you do... could you do that right now?

Or are you just too worn out?

What do you do, Doc, go down to Delmonico's

so's that you can mooch a toothpick,

so's you can come up here and mooch a cup of coffee?

Well, all right.

♪♪

Let me give you a hand there, miss.

No, thank you. I can... manage.

Where do these go?

Over there in the wagon.

Oh, no, really, I can manage.

You must be alone.

Yes.

You live around here?

Up river five miles.

Oh, you bring the milk and eggs in to sell, is that it?

Yes. Thank you for helping me.

I've got to be going now.

Maybe I ought to see you home.

That's kind of a long ride for a girl all by herself.

Oh, I make it every day.

Then, I'll know where to look for you tomorrow.

You mind telling me your name?

Mine's Lute. Lute Willis.

I'm Fanny Fields.

That's a pretty name.

You live here with your folks, do you, Fanny?

Just my pa. He's 62.

62... He must've married late in life.

He did, but he's very active. Works real hard.

I'll bet he does.

Uh, I've really got to go now.

Don't worry about what people think.

It's none of their business.

Now, let me help you up.

Thank you.

Oh...

Oh, my goodness. Thank you.

Whoa.

I'll look for you tomorrow around the same time.

Oh, no, you really mustn't.

Why not? Don't you like me?

I don't even know you.

That's what I'm aiming to fix, Fanny.

Hello, Matt.

Kitty.

Matt, this is, uh, Lute Willis.

Lute, this is Marshal Dillon.

- Marshal. - Lute.

- We were just talking about you. - Beats shooting at me.

What?

Well, around this town, you never know.

Oh, yeah, being the marshal and all.

I guess it never is a popular job, is it, Marshal?

That's what I keep trying to tell him.

Yeah, she wants me to run the general store.

Oh, you wouldn't like that, Marshal.

Well, uh, I'll be getting to bed.

Good night, Miss Kitty. Marshal.

Night, Lute.

Well, he's new in town, isn't he?

Yeah, he just rode in today, he said.

What's he doing, you know?

Well, he told me he was just a cowboy drifting north.

When's he leaving?

Oh, I don't know. Couple days, I guess.

After he looks the town over.

Is that why he's going to bed so early?

Hey, clerk?

Here, what are you doing there?

Oh, it's you.

I got tired of waiting.

Well, I had to go out for this.

Well, if I had to stand behind that desk all night,

I guess I'd get me a bottle, too.

Oh, but it's not for me. Mr. Browder sent me for it.

Who?

Mr. Browder. One of our guests.

That wouldn't be Hank Browder, would it?

- Oh, you know him? - Yeah, I know him.

- I'll take his bottle to him. - Now, wait...

- What room is he in? - But he sent for me...

What room?

Eighteen.

But now, you be sure to tell him this was your idea.

Who is it?

I brought your whiskey.

Lute. Lute Willis.

I took it away from the clerk.

- Come in, come in. - Hank, how you doing?

- How you been, huh? - All right.

You want one?

All right.

What're you doing in Dodge, Lute?

Ah, just passing through.

You on a job?

Yeah, up north, but I can take my time about getting there.

Hey, I heard about what happened to you in Tascosa.

Yeah, I come close to not making it.

An old gunman like you?

I was hired to kill a rancher down there, Lute.

Just a plain, ordinary rancher.

And he darn near killed me.

You been on this stuff too much, Browder.

Not while I'm on the job. Not ever.

But after... and that's different.

At least lately it's been different.

Maybe you're getting too old for this kind of work.

Yeah, maybe that's part of it.

What are you doing in Dodge?

Same thing you see me doing.

It ain't the killing that bothers you, Browder.

I known you too long for that.

Must be something else you're scared of,

like maybe getting killed yourself.

Now, don't you tell nobody that, Lute, please.

Now, this is the only way I know to make a living.

Why would I tell anybody?

I'll be all right in a day or two. I always am.

Yeah, till the next man you kill.

At least I get 'em killed. Give me credit for that.

Sure, Browder, sure.

I'll see you around.

Hello, Fanny.

Hello.

Here.

You mustn't.

There we go.

I timed it just about right, didn't I?

Shh, you'll have people talking.

Well, I don't care, so long as they're talking about us.

Oh, look, Fanny, you don't want people to see us, well...

why don't you meet me this evening?

I could come out to your place.

Oh, no, Pa'd have a fit.

Why? Doesn't he let you see callers?

No.

Well, that's downright mean.

I know, but I can't change him.

Well, we don't have to worry about him.

You can get away from the house, can't you?

What do you mean?

After supper.

Tell him you have to go out to the barn for something.

Tell him anything.

I'll meet you out there.

I don't know if I'd dare.

Course you'd dare.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

All right.

Then it's settled. I'll see you tonight.

Oh!

Oh.

Oh, you forgot to tell me where your place is.

Oh, you go upriver about five miles to the first big bend,

and our place lies about a quarter of a mile due north.

- I'll find it. - Bye.

Oh, I had to do that.

I've been thinking about you all the time.

I'm in love with you, Fanny.

I ain't never been in love before in my whole life.

Oh, Lute, you mustn't say that.

Why not? It's true.

Because you hardly know me.

I know all I need to know.

I love you, Fanny. Don't that mean nothing to you?

Oh, Lute.

- Mmm. Oh, no, Lute, we mustn't. - Why? Why not?

I guess maybe it's because it's I who don't know you.

Well, what do you want to know about me, Fanny? Tell me.

It's not that easy.

You haven't heard nothing, have you?

People haven't been saying anything about me, have they?

Lute, you're hurting me.

Have they?

No, of course not. Why should they?

Lute, there isn't something you ought to tell me, is there?

No. What are you talking about?

I mean, you're not trying to hide something, are you?

Why do you say that?

Lute...

I don't know what it is, but something's wrong.

I know something is wrong.

♪♪

Hello, Fanny.

Hello.

I'm sorry if I scared you.

Why did you come here?

I had to talk to you.

Why?

Fanny, I been doing a lot of thinking.

Maybe for the first time in my life.

Then I was right.

Something is wrong.

What is it, Lute?

- I want you to come away with me, Fanny. - What?

Oh, I'll marry you... First town we hit.

I want you, Fanny.

I want you for good.

Oh, Lute.

But you still haven't told me

why you acted so funny the other night,

why you left and everything.

Fanny, I came here to Dodge to kill a man.

What?

It's true.

It wouldn't hardly be the first man I'd ever killed, either.

No.

No!

Lute, I-I couldn't marry a killer.

Now, you listen to me.

What's past is past.

If I tell you I won't kill no more,

if I swear to it, what then?

But why did you have to kill?

It don't matter now, I tell you.

It's over with. Ain't that enough?

But who did you come here to kill?

It don't make no sense, Lute.

Why do you have to kill somebody?

I don't have to kill anybody.

I don't have to do anything I don't want to.

It's just something I got caught up in.

I can get out of it anytime I want.

Then get out of it. Get out of it now.

I'm going to... that's what I wanted to tell you.

You'll come with me, won't you, Fanny?

- You will come? - I don't know.

- Give me a little time. - How much time?

A few days, a week.

Oh, Lute, why did you have to tell me?

You'd have found out about it anyway, sooner or later.

You love me, don't you, Fanny?

Oh, Lute!

Evening.

Feeling better?

I'm all right.

How would you like a job?

What?

There's $500 in it.

Whoever heard of one professional gunman

offering a job to another?

Well, you're hearing about it now.

There's $250 in there.

You get the rest when you finish the job.

I still don't get it.

There's a U.S. marshal here in Dodge.

Matt Dillon? Oh, no.

Shut up and listen to me, will you?

You don't have to face him.

I wouldn't myself.

He sits in his office late every night.

All you got to do is walk by and get him through the window.

It couldn't be easier.

If it's so easy, why ain't you doing it?

Personal reasons.

That ain't good enough, Lute.

I want to know.

All right.

It's a girl.

I promised her I'd quit.

I want to quit and that's all.

You know, that's so wild-crazy, I'm half a mind to believe it.

I don't care if you believe it or not.

You want the money, Browder?

$500 ain't bad.

Tell me something, Lute.

If you're quitting the business,

what do you care if this job gets done or not?

I never went back on my word yet.

All right. I'll do it tonight.

I'll see you tomorrow.

You bet you will.

♪♪

♪♪

How is he, Doc?

Well, Kitty, he's... he's all right.

- Here, will you hold that arm up for me? - All right.

Well, the bullet went through his flesh there.

He's gonna have a sore arm for a while,

but there's no bones broken.

Well, that's good.

- Hello, Matt. - Hello, Kitty.

I-I'm sorry, Chester. I would've been here a lot sooner,

but I-I just heard about this.

Oh, that-that's all right, Miss...

Yeah, look out, you're gonna spoil him, Kitty.

Well, Doc, I-I guess you figure

if a man ain't half-dead,

there ain't no sense into fussing over him.

Has Doc given you any coffee?

Oh, he ain't given me nothing but a lot of misery.

Well, I'll fix you some.

Now, just heat that up. It's on the stove.

- Mmm. All right. - Thank you.

Mm-hmm.

Here, I'll give you a hand.

Oh, thanks, Matt.

You know, I-I just don't understand this.

Chester doesn't have an enemy in this town.

The whole thing just... It just doesn't make any sense.

Well... that's the trouble, Kitty.

I'm afraid it does.

See, Chester was bending over my desk

with his back to the window when the whole thing happened.

He may not have any enemies, but I sure do.

Oh, Matt.

Hey, Doc, I'm gonna take a look around town.

I'll be back later.

Yeah, fine. I'll just keep him here tonight, Matt.

Why?

Well, of course, I want to watch this.

That is, unless you want to bleed to death.

Well, I'm sure getting out of here first thing in the morning,

I can tell you that.

You bet you are.

Coffee'll be ready in a minute.

Thank you, Miss Kitty.

You're welcome.

Well, I just been down over at the post office, Mr. Dillon.

You know there ain't a single piece of mail for us there.

Well...

we're probably better off, Chester.

Well, sometimes I don't understand you.

I-I don't think you'd care if we never got no mail.

Well, mail usually spells nothing but trouble for me.

Well, that could be, yeah.

Do you know him?

Yeah.

You better stay here.

Hello, Hatcher.

Marshal.

What's the matter, something wrong?

No, I, uh... I heard you got shot.

You heard I got shot?

Where'd you hear that?

Down the trail.

Cimarron.

Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you.

I don't care one way or the other.

I don't exactly bear you no goodwill, Dillon.

That was two years ago, Hatcher.

That's time enough for you to understand.

Understand what?

That you murdered my brother?

Your brother killed a man in cold blood.

And he tried to kill me when I went after him.

I wish he had killed you.

Hatcher...

Who'd you hire, Hatcher?

What are you talking about?

You hired a gunman. I want to know his name.

Gunman?

You don't have guts to come after me yourself,

but you hired somebody else to do it for you.

Now I want to know who it is.

You gonna tell me who it is,

or am I gonna beat it out of you?

What's his name?

Lute Willis.

Now, that's better.

Now you're going to jail.

Me? What for?

I was in Cimarron last night.

I can prove it.

Doesn't make any difference. You're guilty anyway.

Oh, no, no.

You're going too far.

I won't take it.

You're going to jail.

I won't take it!

♪♪

Get away from it.

What's going on, Marshal?

Been looking all over town for you.

Why? What for?

I guess you heard that shooting out there a while ago?

I heard a couple of shots, yeah.

That was your friend, Grant Hatcher.

He told me all about you

just before I killed him.

I guess you didn't kill him soon enough.

Not as far as you're concerned.

He told you he hired me, did he?

And you're after me for the shooting last night,

- is that it? - That's part of it.

You're making a mistake, Marshal,

but let's go.

♪♪

Uh, I had to get me a box to stand on.

Glad you came.

What's going on?

You know that man the marshal killed?

He's the one that hired me.

Well, I'll be darned.

He told the marshal about me; that's why I'm in here.

That ain't good.

You're darn right it ain't, but you’re gonna get me out.

- Me? - Yeah.

That marshal's got some funny ideas, Browder.

One of them is that he holds the man that does the hiring

just as guilty as the man that does the killing.

That's why you didn't tell him about your hiring me.

That's right.

But I'm gonna tell him, all right, if you let me down.

Who said I was letting you down?

I'm here now, ain't I?

All right.

Now, here's what I want you to do.

There's this girl, Fanny Fields,

she'll be at the grocery store tomorrow afternoon around 1:00.

She drives her buggy in every day.

Now, you be there tomorrow.

Yeah, what'll I tell her?

Tell her I'm in jail for the shooting,

but tell her I didn't do it.

- Is that all? - Not hardly.

Tell her that she's got to be my alibi.

Now, when the marshal comes out to see her,

she's got to say that I was with her that night,

out by her place.

She's got to do that.

Now, you tell her, Browder.

All right, all right.

Make it strong.

If I don't get out of here, you're coming in here with me.

Quit worrying, Lute. I'll take care of it.

I better get out of here now.

- So long. - So long.

♪♪

♪♪

Miss? Miss?

Hey, hold up there.

Uh, you're Fanny Fields, ain't you?

Yes. What do you want?

Uh, Lute Willis sent me.

Lute? Where is he?

He's in jail.

Why is he in jail?

What has he done?

I'll tell you, but let's get out of the way here

in case somebody rides by.

Uh, follow me.

♪♪

Come and sit down.

But I want to know about Lute.

Well, that's what I'm here to tell you.

Well, then, tell me.

It's a long story.

I've known Lute Willis for about five years off and on.

I-I can't hear a word you're saying.

Well, I ain't gonna shout it.

All right, now tell me.

Lute wants you for an alibi.

A what?

He wants you to tell Marshal Dillon

that he was with you the other night.

But why?

Well, there was a shooting,

and Marshal thinks Lute done it.

But he didn't, did he?

No, it wasn't Lute.

Well, then I'll tell the marshal.

No, you won't.

What do you mean?

I can't take the chance, Fanny.

You might change your mind later.

Or the marshal might prove that Lute wasn't with you.

Then Lute would tell him about me,

and I'd be in jail.

I still don't understand what you mean.

It don't matter.

What's that for?

You're awful pretty, Fanny,

but a man's got to look out for himself.

I'm sure glad I came along, Doc.

I wouldn't have missed seeing Clara and her husband

and that new baby for anything in the world.

They sure seem happy, don't they?

Yep. You ought to try that sometime.

What do you mean?

Well, I mean you ought to get Matt

to quit playing with guns and buy a little spread out here

and settle down with you and start raising things.

Oh, I'd look cute out digging potatoes all day, wouldn't I?

A lot cuter than he would.

Whoa, whoa.

Who do you suppose that is?

Whoa, whoa.

I wonder what an empty buggy is doing way out here.

I sure don't know.

I don't see a soul.

Don't you think you ought to tie him up?

Yeah, that's a good idea.

I'll tie him to that tree over there.

We better let Matt know about this as soon as we get back.

Hey, Lute.

Did you see her?

Of course I did, but I can't wait here long.

Somebody might see me.

What did she say?

Is she gonna stand by me?

You bet she is.

She's all primed.

That little gal sure is in love with you, Lute.

How was she? What did she say?

Was she... What did she say?

Here now, slow down.

She's fine.

She said for you to quit worrying.

And I told her clear that you didn't do the shooting.

That seemed to please her.

Yeah?

There was just one thing, though,

but it ain't important.

What? What was it?

Oh, it's just that she's seen a couple men out on the prairie.

She got the idea they was following her.

But it ain't nothing.

You know how women are.

Doggone it, Browder,

why didn't you ride out with her?

It only would've taken you a couple hours.

I was tired.

I went and took a nap.

But quit worrying, Lute.

You're worse than she is.

Probably nothing but a couple of cowboys coming into town.

I got to get away now.

I'll see you later.

Browder?

Browder.

You lose the trail, Mr. Dillon?

No, no, it leads right over in there.

You better stay out here, Chester.

I'll go and take a look.

Chester!

Is she dead?

Yeah.

Oh, my goodness.

You was right, Mr. Dillon.

That-that must have been Fanny's buggy.

That's just terrible.

Who-who would want to kill a nice girl like her?

I don't know.

What's Lute Willis gonna say?

Yeah, she was his only alibi.

Yeah, well, he sure don't have one now.

Chester, if I get her in the buggy,

do you think you can get her back to her place?

Yeah.

All right.

♪♪

Come out into the office.

What?

What's this all about, Marshal?

I'm gonna turn you loose.

Oh, you found Fanny.

She told you she was with me?

And you wouldn't believe me.

I found her all right.

I told you, Marshal,

I wasn't anywhere near Dodge that night.

Why didn't you tell me when I put you in jail?

Well, you wouldn't have believed me.

I could've talked to Fanny about it.

I'll tell you the truth, Marshal.

I didn't want to get her involved in this.

But after I'd been locked up here for a while,

I figured there wasn't no other way.

Afraid I got some bad news for you, Lute.

I found Fanny, all right.

When I found her, she was dead.

What?

About a mile out of town.

She was shot.

Fanny... Fanny shot?

I can't believe it.

I can't believe it.

Who would've done a thing like that?

I was hoping maybe you could tell me.

When I find him, I'll kill him.

You're forgetting something, aren't you?

What?

Seems to me you told Fanny

you weren't gonna do any more killing.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I forgot.

Maybe you better tell me who it was, Lute.

I don't know who it was.

How would I know?

I won't go back on my word.

I won't do no more killing.

I promised her that.

I don't understand just why you're letting me go.

I got no alibi now.

'Cause I believe you.

Thanks.

Evening, Browder.

Hello, Lute.

It worked, huh?

He had to let you out, didn't he?

Yeah, he let me out, all right, but he didn't have to do it.

What do you mean?

Fanny alibied for you, didn't she?

Fanny's dead, Browder.

Somebody shot her.

No.

Where? Where did it happen?

About a mile out of town.

Oh, that's a shame.

I'm sorry, Lute.

She seemed like a mighty nice little gal.

I've been thinking about the men she mentioned to you.

It must have been them, after all.

By golly, you're right.

I'd forgot about them.

She didn't describe them to you, did she?

I'd sure like to find them.

I don't blame you.

But no, she didn't say nothing more than what I told you.

Here, have a drink.

You must need one.

Wait a minute, I'll fetch you a glass.

Give me a glass of that.

Here you are, Lute.

Thanks.

Say, I'll help you look for them fellas

if you want me to.

- There's something else. - Oh?

The marshal.

I still want you to kill him.

What for? Hatcher's dead, ain't he?

I ran into Hatcher just before the marshal caught up with him.

He'd heard somewhere about the shooting,

and he figured I'd kill the marshal for him.

- So? - He paid me off.

I got the money right here.

It's yours

just as soon as you finish the job.

Yeah, but... I want him killed, Browder.

If he hadn't have locked me up,

Fanny would still be alive.

How do you figure that?

I'd be meeting her out in the prairie.

Now, either you finish the job and collect the $500

or else you pay me back the $250 you've already got.

It ain't gonna be easy.

The marshal's probably keeping his eyes pretty wide open now.

I'll tell you how easy it's gonna be.

He always stops by the Long Branch late,

after most everybody else has gone to bed.

There's an alley nearby he's got to walk through

on his way back to his office.

Well?

All right, I'll do it.

Good.

Let's drink to it.

I-I think this is the worst thing

that's ever happened around here.

Yeah.

Too bad she ever got mixed up with a man like Lute Willis.

Yeah, she's young, romantic.

Well, that old man of hers

would never let her out with anybody.

She sure would be a lot better off if he had.

Yeah, that's the truth.

By the way, how's Chester?

Oh, he's doing fine. Won't even go to bed.

He's over there drinking coffee and reading magazines.

Good for him.

Well, better be going, Kitty.

I'll see you later.

Good night.

In the alley, Marshal! Look out!

That was close.

He's dead.

Who is he?

He's the one that killed Fanny.

What are you doing that for?

You must have wanted him dead pretty bad.

What do you mean by that?

Don't try to fool me.

It's too late for that.

You got nothing on me, Marshal.

You're coming with me. Let's go.

I've changed my mind, Willis.

I brought you out here to give you the beating of your life.

I thought it might teach you a lesson.

But I guess,

if you haven't learned it by now, you never will.

I told you I'd gone straight, Marshal.

If you'd have gone straight, Fanny would be alive right now.

Are you blaming me for what happened to Fanny?

I am.

Well, I didn't kill her.

You didn't kill Browder, either,

but you fixed it so he'd be killed.

What's the difference?

That's got nothing to do with Fanny.

You know, if you'd gone straight,

Browder wouldn't have been in the picture.

But you couldn't do that, could you?

You had to go half straight.

Now, you think about that, Willis.

You think about it and live with it

for the rest of your life.

♪♪

♪♪