Original subtitles

Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.

♪♪

Want me to get you a drink of water or something, Miss Susan?

No.

No, thank you, Chester. I don't want anything.

What's he doing in there?

It's been almost an hour.

Well, you got to leave it to Doc, Miss Susan.

Whatever there is to do, he'll know what it is,

and he'll do it.

I thought he was a little better this morning.

He almost recognized me, but...

Well, your pa ain't as young as he used to be.

40 years of fighting the prairie.

Any odds, all comers, no holds barred.

He built this ranch out of nothing, Chester.

Old Bart's a fighter, there's... there's no question about that.

They don't make men like him anymore.

He should've had a son instead of me.

Susan...

there's just something that...

medicine can't do anything about,

and that's time.

Did he know I'd come home?

Well, I think he did, yes.

But he didn't say so, did he?

He didn't even come to.

What a waste.

To fight for a dream and...

to find a way to make it come true, and then to...

and then to die before it's fulfilled.

Miss Susan, if you're talking about that ditch

that Old Bart was fixing to build, well...

well, he couldn't have finished that anyway.

The homesteaders wouldn't have let him.

That'd be taking their water away from them.

I don't see it that way, Chester.

Daddy didn't know I'd come home,

and he's not gonna know I'm doing this,

but I'm still gonna make his dream come true.

I'm gonna go ahead with that ditch.

Susan, uh, you've been away quite a while.

Three years, isn't it?

Yes.

Well, now, maybe some things have happened here

that you just don't know anything about.

Oh, yes, I do.

I know the squatters are objecting.

Not squatters.

Homesteaders and farmers.

And "objecting" is a little too mild a word.

I've got a perfect legal right

to tap into Bart's Creek and to turn it onto the ranch.

Oh, I suppose so.

But, you know, when you push people against the wall,

and-and threaten to wipe them out,

legal rights and rulings don't mean very much to them.

Susan, if you try to finish that ditch,

be a lot of bloodshed.

The crew starts back to work the day after the funeral.

♪♪

Somebody you know?

Not by name.

Just by type.

Too clean to be a cowhand, too restless to be a gambler.

Looks like a professional gunman.

Well, I hope he's drifting through.

How are you?

Hello, Doc.

Sit down, Doc. You look tired.

I am, by golly.

Want some coffee?

That'll be fine.

How's Mr. Bart?

Well, he's gone.

Oh.

It was just a matter of time with him.

Well, how's Susan taking it?

Just about like you'd expect.

With her jaw set and her fist clenched,

just like she takes everything.

Afraid that might mean trouble for you, Matt.

She's determined to finish that ditch Old Bart started.

What makes you think so?

Told me so, flat out.

Won't listen to any arguments.

Well, I always thought that when Bart died,

that'd be the end of it.

You'd think so, wouldn't you?

But with her, I have a feeling from what she said,

it's a guilt complex with her.

She can't forgive herself for running away three years ago.

Mostly, she don't forgive herself

for not coming home in time

for Bart to know it before he died.

I think she feels like she owes him something.

I'll tell you, I don't like the sound of that.

This could be the start of a range war, real easy.

Those farmers aren't fighters by nature,

but they're plenty desperate right now.

I'll tell you one thing.

If a range war starts around here,

we're gonna wish we had three doctors in this town.

Well, anybody gonna say anything, or not?

You gonna go on swallowing your tongues

while your wells run dry and your cattle lay dying?

What's it take to wake you up?!

Now, Trent, no need to get all upset.

We're all awake.

Well, you don't look it!

Well, maybe we just don't believe in

troubling trouble till trouble troubles us.

It's troubling you already.

Listen, them crews went back to work this morning.

In three months’ time, or less, they're gonna connect through.

They're gonna turn the course of that stream,

and there won't be enough water over here to wet your big toe!

She may give up and drop the whole thing.

She won't!

Why do we want to declare war now?

Susan Bart's already declared war.

I'm just asking you to defend yourselves.

Reckon we'll wait a while, Trent.

See how things work out first.

Yeah? Well, you go ahead and wait.

You just go ahead and wait; in six months’ time,

not one of our farms are gonna be worth a plug nickel,

unless you stand and fight right now!

Sorry, Trent.

What's it take to make you see that?

Hyah! Hyah!

You know, we could start another section,

put about 20 more men around the bend there.

It'd speed things up.

Uh, Gonzales can't get any more.

He's tried everywhere.

The sooner we connect through to that creek,

the less chance of trouble with squatters.

I figure they're mostly talk, Miss Bart.

Hope you're right.

Look at there.

Well, the law has finally honored us with his presence.

Susan, how are you?

I'm fine, thanks, Marshal.

Oh, have you met my foreman, Hank Davis?

Davis, how are you?

Fine, Marshal.

I was sorry to hear about your father, Susan.

What's on your mind, Matt?

I imagine you can guess, can't you?

Mm-hmm. You came here with a lot of good advice

about how I should give up this work and forget all about it

just because some squatters down on the flats don't approve.

Well, that's one way of putting it.

A pack of Johnny-come-latelies

who never had the nerve to come to the frontier

until Dad and men like him made-made it safe for them.

Now they want to take over.

They don't want to take over, Susan.

They don't want to die of thirst, either.

Then they'd better move on.

They had their day in court.

If you'd like to see the papers...

No, I don't have to see the papers.

I don't question your legal rights.

Then what's there to talk about?

With you, everything begins and ends with the law, doesn't it?

Three years ago, as I remember,

you made quite a speech about the law.

How bringing it to the frontier

was worth a man's whole life and everything in him.

How it didn't leave any place for a woman.

Susan, you got the biggest ranch in Ford County.

What more do you want?

A ranch has got to grow, like anything else, or it dies.

Anything wrong with that?

Where's it coming from?

It's coming from up in the hills there somewhere.

Want us to go after them, Miss Bart?

- Yes! - Now, just hold on a minute.

I don't want any killing here on either side.

I'll handle this.

If you'd handled things right, it wouldn't have happened.

It seems to me that the law's job is to keep trespassers off,

not tell me how to run my ranch.

Señora, please.

Miss Bart, the men quit.

They will not work.

Oh, but you can't quit!

We not come here to be killed.

You won't be, I promise you.

Go back to work.

You and your men will be protected, I promise you.

If the law won't do it, I will.

The best protection money can buy.

With hired guns?

Call them guards, to protect private property.

I think I'm within my rights.

You may be within your rights, Susan,

but you're also a hardheaded little fool.

Go back to work, please.

♪♪

Hey.

How are you, Matt?

Trent.

Well.

Wind kind of failing you today, is it?

Yeah, most days.

Dry farming's a poor way to make a living, Matt.

How's your ma?

Oh, she's tougher than a boot.

Harder she works, the younger she gets.

Well, that's a pretty nice rifle you got here.

Yeah, well, I don't have much use for it,

except for varmints.

You know that, uh, horse of yours got a loose shoe?

Oh, yeah.

Well, I'll have to look after that after a while.

I picked up his track down in the wash, couple of miles.

Well, I was riding, uh, up there a while back.

Didn't hear some rifle shots back in there, did you?

Near where they're digging that ditch?

No, I can't say I did.

Anybody get hurt?

No.

Poor shot, sounds like.

Well, I don't know.

I'd say, might be a pretty good one.

Whoever fired it was just trying to scare those men over there.

Marshal?

Well, hello there.

How are you?

Well, fine, Mrs. Hawkins.

I haven't seen you for quite a spell.

No, I don't get out this way too often.

How are you?

Oh, tolerable, thanks.

Well, I got to get these eggs candled.

Stop by when you can, Marshal.

Sure thing, ma'am.

Trent, you can't go up against Susan Bart.

She's got everything on her side.

Yeah.

The girl who always gets what she wants.

'Bout the only thing she ever missed on

was you and me, Matt.

Well, how do you stand on this thing, Matt?

She's got the law on her side.

I got no choice.

This farm here, such as it is,

six years of my life in it.

I don't have much choice, either, Matt.

That how the other farmers feel?

Well, that's how I'm trying to make them feel.

It won't work, Trent.

She's got all the big guns.

She's out hiring private guards right now.

Protection, she calls them.

Hired guns?

Well, that might be just what we need.

Maybe now, my friends will see they have to fight or go under.

You'll be going up against professional killers.

I'm sorry, Matt.

I'm sorry we're on opposite sides.

But like you just said, there's not much choice.

♪♪

Chester.

Mr. Dillon.

You know, it makes you just about half sick.

What's that?

Well, the way people are talking.

All you can hear about is the ruckus

that's brewing up over that ditch.

Eh, townspeople are safe on the sidelines.

Besides, most of them never seen a range war, anyway.

Well, they're sure wondering what side to cheer on.

Uh, Susan claims I'm on Trent's side,

Trent accused me of being on Susan's side.

Looks to me like no matter who wins, you're gonna lose.

Yeah.

There any way of stopping it?

Well, been poring through these papers all day,

trying to uncover something the lawyers might have missed.

Mr. Dillon?

Look here.

That's kind of unusual, her coming in town alone, ain't it?

Yeah.

Miss Bart?

Yes, that's right.

I'm Leif Crider.

Good.

I want to talk to you. Will you come inside?

Miss Bart.

Who's buying?

I am.

Come on.

Keep an eye on things, will you, Chester?

I'll be back.

Well, we seem to be honored.

Matt, this is Mr. Crider...

Yeah, I know Mr. Crider.

Eight killings.

All in different towns, all bought and paid for.

Mr. Crider said he had never met you.

You seem to have taken quite an interest in him.

I'm interested in any hired killer

that comes into Dodge, Susan.

Am I wanted for any of those killings, Marshal?

If you were wanted for any of them,

you'd be down in a jail cell, not sitting here.

Someone jumps a man, he's got to defend himself.

How about that offer, Miss Bart?

Crider...

why don't you get out of Dodge while you're still alive.

Well, now, Marshal, I've been in a lot of towns...

Bigger towns that this, even...

And I always rode on...

when I got good and ready.

Oh, and I always left healthy.

Dodge may be the town that changes that.

Maybe.

We'll find out.

I'll be at the ranch late this afternoon, Miss Bart.

I could use another man.

I can get you another man.

Good.

Bye, Marshal.

You don't care what you do, do you, Susan?

Long as you get your way.

Not always.

I didn't three years ago.

But now I'm holding the cards.

Did you ever stop to think what you're gonna win?

If you win.

All right, Trent.

Everybody vote?

Hello, Matt.

Gentlemen.

Hello, Marshal.

We was just voting, Matt.

Susan Bart hires professional killers,

it's the same as a declaration of war.

We got together tonight to decide whether

to turn and run or stand and fight.

Any of you men ever been in a range war before?

No.

None of you, huh?

Well, I'll tell you something: I have, and it's no fun.

It starts slow, and it builds like a fire.

Burns the decency out of men, leaves them like animals.

They know what to expect, Matt.

You know what it was like in Morgan County, Trent.

You were there the same as I was.

That was a range war that lasted five months.

When it was over, there wasn't enough men

left alive on either side to bury their own dead.

Is that what you men want to get into?

Marshal, I'm an old man,

and I never been much on fighting.

But when somebody hires a gunman

to force me out of my own home,

win or lose, I've got to fight.

We already voted, Matt.

And we all know what side the law is on, Marshal.

I reckon your advice ain't gonna do us much good.

A white rock means we turn and run.

A black rock means we stand and fight.

♪♪

That's it.

Hold her steady.

Good shot.

That's good shooting, boys.

Oh, thanks, Ma.

Get a cool drink.

Chester.

Matt, I want to report some missing property.

Uh, stolen, I think.

I had a couple hundred pounds of dynamite in my barn.

Bought it a couple days ago.

It's gone.

I don't suppose you have any idea who took it?

All right.

You've officially reported it missing?

Well, I'll be in town rest of the day,

in case you locate it.

Kind of figured you would.

Chester.

Get the horses, Chester.

You think it's starting, Mr. Dillon?

It's already started.

♪♪

Chester, look around for that dynamite, will you?

Yes, sir.

You must have been misinformed, Matt.

I'm not doing a thing you can interfere with.

In fact, I'm all alone.

You mind if I come in?

No, not at all. Come on.

My father always offered a caller a drink,

whether he welcomed the visitor or not.

No, thank you.

All right.

Do you know what the farmers are doing down there on the flats?

Barricading their houses, buying guns.

That's ridiculous.

I'm not planning an invasion.

Crider and his friend are... just guards, nothing more.

As long as the squatters stay off my property,

nothing's gonna happen.

Susan, do you know there's 200 pounds of dynamite

planted around here somewhere on your ranch?

Am I supposed to believe that?

Trent Hawkins bought it earlier this week.

Then he came in town this morning and reported it missing.

That gets him off the hook

in case there's any question about it later.

Now, he's been making a point of being seen around town today,

so I figure this must be the day.

Trent wouldn't try to kill me.

No, he wouldn't, but his men might get out of hand

and try to act on their own, just the same as yours might.

Well, that's just scare talk.

Nobody could possibly plant a dynamite charge here

without one of the ranch hands or the guards seeing them do it.

At least they didn't plant it under the house, Susan.

Not this time.

What does Gonzales think?

It'll take three weeks to clean out.

It filled in a hundred yards of ditch.

Three weeks, that is,

if they don't set off another blast in the meantime.

Well, that's what I'm paying you to prevent, isn't it?

You're paying me to protect your work crew,

and that I can do... They're all in one place.

But there's 30 of them farmers, two of us,

and 60 square miles of ranch.

Oh, maybe Matt's right.

Maybe I just ought to drop it.

It sure surprises me to hear you talk that way.

I didn't figure you for a quitter.

I'm not a quitter.

But sometimes a thing can cost more than it's worth.

You've got a lot of good land there...

Or would be, if it was irrigated.

It'd be worth 50 times as much with water on it.

I know all that, Crider.

But it's not worth getting blown to pieces over.

Nobody's gonna get blown to pieces if we move in a hurry.

Move?

How?

Throw a scare into them.

Especially that Trent Hawkins fellow that's prodding them on.

No, I don't want any bloodshed... Not anybody's...

And I'm not authorizing anything that will cause it.

Do you understand?

Yes, I do, and I'll take care of it.

You're...

You're a mighty pretty woman, Miss Bart.

As pretty as I've ever seen.

No offense meant.

Thank you, Crider.

Good night.

What she want us to do?

Eh, she doesn't know.

I'll have to do all the thinking from now on,

or we'll be out of a job.

She ready to give up, huh?

Yeah, she's ready to give up,

but we're not ready to let her do that yet.

It's a big ranch, Waco.

We might just end up owning a hunk of it,

if I can plan it right.

Well, then we'd better get to work

on them squatters right away.

First thing to do is to get them all together at a meeting.

Long Branch tomorrow morning.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

Come on, we got some figuring to do.

Trent!

Undo your gun belt, real easy.

Hold it, Trent.

Hold it.

Get his gun, Waco.

You're not alone, Trent; you've got some friends here.

We was told you called a meeting, Trent.

When we come here, they was waiting for us

just like they was for you.

What is it you want?

Just to have a friendly little meeting, that's all.

We, uh, we don't like being shot at

or having our ditch blowed up.

"We"?

Did Susan Bart send you here?

Is there some doubt about who I'm working for?

It won't work.

We don't scare that easy.

Now, you see, you got the wrong idea.

We didn't come here to scare you.

Yeah, well, what'd you come here for?

To hear you make a little speech,

'cause I understand you're pretty good at that.

What kind of speech?

I want to hear you tell your friends

that there'll be no more trouble down there at the ditch.

Now, you got just ten seconds to start talking.

Yeah, well, how about you just give me back my gun,

and we can step outside, and you can draw against me instead?

Five of them seconds is gone, Trent.

I'm mighty disappointed in you.

If you don't start talking right now,

you're gonna go walking out of here on one foot,

'cause I'm gonna blow the other one off.

Yeah, well, if I catch you, I'm gonna kill you for this!

Stubborn man.

Hold it!

Now drop 'em.

Miss Kitty.

I should've known why you sneaked out like you did.

You dirty little...

Now get out of here.

Both of you.

The time's not right, Marshal.

Any time's right for me, Crider.

Like I told you, maybe this is the town.

Maybe.

Hey, Kitty...

It's all right, Matt.

All right, you men, you come and get your guns back now.

I just can't figure it out, Matt.

Susan Bart's not like this.

Well, once a thing like this gets started,

it can be pretty hard to control.

It's out of control now.

She can't handle a man like Crider.

She thinks she can.

Yeah, I know.

Well, she needs some straightening out.

How are you at paperwork, Trent?

What kind of paperwork?

Helping me and Chester make out about 30 maps for homesteads.

What's it all about?

Way to settle this whole mess.

That is, if Judge Blake doesn't change his mind before morning.

He's going over the papers again right now.

A way to settle it?

- Without bloodshed? - Without bloodshed.

Come on.

They're just dead set on causing bloodshed.

And I figured you ought to know,

or I wouldn't have bothered you this time of night.

I wasn't asleep.

Are you telling me that Matt and Trent teamed up

and-and jumped you, without warning and for no reason?

They was laying for us in the Long Branch.

Pulled their guns before we even knew what they was up to,

and took ours away from us.

The marshal done that when I reaches for my glass of beer.

They'll try anything to stop me.

Some of them other farmers was there, too,

all talking how it ought to be easy to wipe out your ranch.

Let them try it.

I'll give them more trouble than they ever knew existed!

I'm with you all the way, Miss Bart.

Oh, it ain't the job anymore or the money.

I just can't stand back and see them do you the way they are.

And hear them talking about you that way.

What way?

Well, it was that Trent fella mostly and the marshal,

laughing and telling stories about you that-that...

Well, I'd-I'd rather not repeat them, Miss Bart.

Course, I knew they wasn't true.

You're just too fine a woman.

They're liars!

Them two's your whole trouble.

If they was put out of the way, the rest of them squatters

would turn tail and run for cover.

No, Crider.

I'm not giving orders to have anybody killed... not anybody...

And I never will.

Do you understand?

Perfectly, Miss Bart.

But I just hope the marshal don't try to do

what he threatened to.

What?

To ride onto the ranch here and drag me off to jail,

as soon as he figured out some charge.

Oh, and got some witnesses ready to lie for him.

They want to leave you here alone

without no protection, I guess.

They better not try it.

They better not.

Don't worry, though, Miss Bart.

You just leave everything to me.

Well, how'd she act?

Cool as ice.

And smart as sin.

She won't put anything in words.

That way, if anything kicks back,

she figures to be in the clear.

I don't know, Crider.

Maybe we'd be going too far if we'd shoot that Hawkins woman.

It'll bring the marshal out here,

and Trent Hawkins with him.

And that's what I want.

And she really wants them killed...

Trent and the marshal?

Both of them.

She done everything but lay it right on the line.

Hey, wait a second,

you got something to say to us?

- Chester? - Wait a minute!

Judge Blake's been up all night.

He says just to go ahead with them.

Good. Oh, that's real good.

Is it all right if I give these out?

Yeah, take them out.

Judge says it'll probably have to go through the courts later,

but now the best thing to do

is just let them go ahead and file their claims.

Yeah, well, that'll be about five minutes from now

when the land office opens.

All right, let me have mine!

Here you go.

Now, what in thunder is all that?

Is it an Indian attack or something?

Well, it's more like a land rush, Doc.

It's awful early in the morning for a commotion like that.

Now, don't tell me you got up on the wrong side of the bed again.

- I ain't been to bed. - Well, neither have I,

- as far as that goes. - Oh, I don't doubt that.

You probably been carousing around again, as usual.

I work for a living.

By golly, there's Ma.

Well, I reckon she's wondering

why I didn't come home last night.

What's the matter, Ma?

- Son! - Ma!

Get Doc quick.

- Let's get her inside. - Come on, Ma.

Well, bullet's lodged in her shoulder there.

It's not too serious, but it's got to come out.

Can you, uh, help her up to the office?

- Oh, sure, Doc. - Fine, you bring her up there.

- Son... - Ma, now, you just...

you just take it easy, Ma.

I drove them off, son.

They shot through the windows, and I...

I grabbed the rifle and fired back.

I don't think I hit them, but I drove them off.

Do you have any idea who it was, Mrs. Hawkins?

Well, it was about midnight, and real dark,

but I'm almost positive it was those two gunmen

that Susan Bart hired.

I'll get the horses, Mr. Dillon.

Come on.

Give me your hand.

♪♪

I'll take a look in the bunkhouse.

Well, there's nobody in there.

Maybe they're all out at the ditch.

Maybe they got scared and left.

No, not Crider, not without trying to get even.

Let's check the house.

Most visitors come to the house first.

Or were you planting the evidence?

What evidence?

Crider said you'd be out,

as soon as you thought up a charge

and told your witnesses what to say.

Where is Crider?

Doing his job, I suppose.

Trying to protect my workmen from your cutthroat friends.

Mind if we go inside?

Won't you all come in?

Well, did you all come out

to let me in on some of those off-color stories about me

that they think are so funny around the saloons?

Susan, I don't know what kind of stories

Crider's been telling you, but I've got something here

that I'm afraid is gonna come as kind of a shock to you.

I've already been shocked...

When you all changed and turned against me.

This is a map of your ranch, Susan.

This is a copy of the deed.

I've been studying this deed over for several days,

and I took it to Judge Blake this morning,

and he gave me a ruling on it.

I suppose you're gonna tell me

that I don't own the ranch.

No, you own the ranch...

Most of it... all except for about ten square miles

down here along the south border.

What?

Well, you see, when the government

made a grant of this ranch to your father,

there hadn't been much surveying out here.

So the boundaries of the ranch are defined mostly in terms

of natural landmarks.

All right, what about it?

Well, it means that the south boundary of your ranch

is defined as running along Bart's Creek, right here.

- Yes? - Now, if you cut in with your ditch,

it's gonna change the course of this creek,

and it moves your south boundary two miles north.

All the land south of there

becomes automatically open to homesteading.

30 claims were filed on it this morning,

and there'll probably be more by now.

Well, that's just downright stealing, nothing else!

You were always in favor of legal rights,

as long as they were on your side.

There's nothing legal about it.

And I don't believe one word you've said.

Well, then you'd better go talk to Judge Blake.

If those squatters put one foot on that land...

They won't... until the water starts running in that ditch.

From that minute on, they got valid claims,

and the law's gonna back them up.

If my father were alive, Matt, you wouldn't try this.

Just because I'm a woman,

you think you can get away with murder.

Well, I'll teach you different.

How, by hiring more gunfighters like Crider?

By the way, what have you decided to charge him with?

Attempted murder.

He shot Trent's mother.

Matt!

Matt, I'm sorry, I didn't...

Get her inside!

All right, hold it!

Drop the gun!

Go on, drop it!

How's Susan?

Chester's going after Doc.

You warned him this might be the town.

It was.

Hmm. You know, that Crider was some gunfighter.

He made two moves and winged two women,

all in the same day.

You know, times have sure changed, Matt.

Well, how is she, Doc? She gonna be all right?

She's fine, she's young, she's strong, she...

She wants to see you right away.

Oh. Well, is it all right if I go in now?

Sure. Go on in.

What does she want to see him for?

Well, I expect she probably wants to apologize.

Maybe she wants to get back at least one of her homesteads.

Well, I'll tell you something.

Here's one she's not gonna get, unless she pays for it.

Well, you filed a claim, Doc, huh?

I sure did. Do you know what irrigated land's gonna be worth?

That might even pay me for some of the fees

I've missed in the past.

How about you, Chester, did you file a claim?

No, I didn't. I was going to, but I...

Did you file one?

No.

Yep, well, it's too late now.

You know, when they heard about this,

they just swarmed around that land office

like a swarm of bees.

No, there's none left; too late.

Well, I'll be doggoned.

Yeah, I'll tell you, that's gonna be worth something.

Well, I'm gonna run on into town, and I...

I just might stop by and have a look at my property.

If that don't beat all.

I just never seen it fail, Mr. Dillon:

them that's got just always seems to get.

Matt, Chester, I want to talk to you for a minute.

Well, sit down, Susan.

Thank you.

I guess this...

jolted me to my senses.

Besides, I had a little time to think

while Doc was on his way out here.

Matt, I've been very selfish.

Trying to finish Daddy's dream

and not considering the homesteaders.

I was just doing what I thought he wanted done.

I don't know what he'd do now,

faced with the alternative of losing ten miles of land, but...

it doesn't matter.

I'm running the ranch now, and I've...

I've got to make my own decisions.

It was Daddy's dream, Matt,

and it died when he did.

Now I've just got to find my own.

Susan...

you're doing the right thing.

Thank you, Matt.

Oh, Susan...

thank you.

Good-bye, Trent.

Good luck, Susan.

Thank you.

- Susan. - Good-bye, Chester.

Mr. Dillon?

Does-does that mean that...

them claims aren't no good?

That's about the size of it, Chester.

Doc's sure gonna be surprised, ain't he?