Original subtitles

Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.

♪♪

Hee!

Whoa.

Whoa. Ho, ho, there, sonny.

I guess I wasn't watching where I was going.

Excuse me.

Golly Bill, this early in the morning,

it ain't easy for a feller to keep his eye peeled.

I know I ain't too good myself.

Well, sorry, mister.

Oh, no harm did at all.

Hey, mister?

I don't want to be bothering you.

I just thought you might know my father.

Your pa?

Uh, what's his name?

Johnson, Will Johnson.

I'm Billy Johnson.

Glad to make your acquaintance, Billy.

Uh, was he supposed to meet this early stagecoach, was he?

No, he...

no, he doesn't know I'm coming.

Oh, it's a surprise, huh?

Yeah.

Will Johnson...

Johnson.

I sure can't place him from the name at all.

I'll tell you, maybe Matthew will know.

Let's go down yonder and ask him.

All righty.

Matthew?

Matthew, this here's Billy Johnson.

Billy, this here's Marshal Matthew Dillon.

- How do, Billy? - Howdy, Marshal.

Billy just come in on that eastern stage.

He's looking for his pa.

Oh, does your pa live in Dodge?

Well, I don't guess he'd live in town. I...

He writes me letters from here when he brings in a herd.

He's a trail boss.

Oh, a trail boss.

What's his name, Billy?

Will Johnson.

Will Johnson, huh?

What does he look like?

I guess I don't know.

You mean you ain't never saw your pa?

Well, not in a long time.

I've been in a boarding school in Ohio.

I got a picture.

Something wrong, Marshal?

Oh, uh... well, no, Billy,

but, uh, I'll tell you, it may be kind of hard

to find your pa out here.

You know, there's...

there's an awful lot of trail bosses around, and,

well, there's about 50 herds outside of Dodge right now.

Billy, uh, why don't you slip into the sweet shop there

and get yourself a little poke of sweets?

Well, that's a good idea.

Oh, uh, thank you.

What's the matter, Matthew?

This man's name isn't Johnson, Festus.

It's Roberts...

and he's wanted for murder and cattle rustling

in every state west of the Mississippi.

♪♪

You sure it was Billy?

Now, that's enough.

I'm sure it was Billy

like I'm sure it was the marshal he was talking to.

How do you like that boy?

All the way here by himself.

It was pure luck I spotted him.

I know.

You don't push luck,

not when a rope's waiting for the loser.

Oh, you'd have to get awful close to recognize me.

I don't want the law near me at all.

That marshal isn't gonna find us.

Neither is the boy.

They'll both give up.

Maybe the kid will...

but not Matt Dillon.

It'd take that marshal four or five days

to get to all the outfits in the open range.

Over a week to find those out in the canyons.

That time, we'll be finished.

Keep the boys working, three days, we'll be in Abilene.

Punk brat could have got us nailed.

Pay the Chinaman five pails of hot water.

Well, Billy...

I'm afraid this letter doesn't give us too much to go on.

You say you get one of these here letters

about once a year, do you?

Well, it always comes near my birthday.

That's how I remember.

Your pa must be quite a feller,

uh, always remembering your birthday,

being so far away and all that.

Billy, I'm gonna be honest with you.

The chances of finding your pa out here are pretty slim.

I think maybe you made a mistake quitting school and all.

I want to be a cowboy.

Don't need no more schooling now.

Billy, there's a whole heap of them ol' waddies out yonder

punching cows right now that wish they had the chance

to go to school, right, Matthew?

Absolutely.

Well...

we'll have to find someplace for you to stay

until we can figure out what to do.

How about Ma Smalley's?

Say, she just might have some breakfast left,

and this is one woman's vittles that's worth the hurrying for.

- Come on. - Good idea.

You take him over there, Festus, and, Billy, in the meantime,

well, we'll see what we can do about finding your pa.

Thank you, Marshal.

Uh, Billy, why don't you just mosey on down

towards the blacksmith's shop there

and I'll catch up with you directly.

Okay, Festus.

Bye, Marshal.

You don't reckon there could be no mistake, do you?

That's the same feller, ain't it?

Sure is.

I just feel like a regular sneak, Matthew,

letting on to this young'un

that they ain't a thing out of place.

So do I, Festus.

We can't exactly tell him his pa's an outlaw.

Poor little ol' scudder.

I just pity him so much.

It wasn't that I didn't like school.

It's just that... I got lonesome sometimes.

Since Ma died, me and Pa haven't seen much of each other.

Well, I can see how a feller would get lonesome,

uh, missing your pa and all that.

I can't wait for you to meet him.

You're going to like him, and he's going to like you.

Come on, Bill.

You look at the size of that boy?

I'd as leave look at that picture of him you carry,

and a long ways from here at that.

He's grown a foot.

Let's go.

In a minute.

I ain't any trouble, am I, waiting for my pa and all?

Trouble?

Foo foot, no.

You ain't no trouble.

Shoot, forget about that.

Waiting or not waiting, no.

When I was to boarding school, I was always in trouble.

Well, now, that don't sound much like you, Billy.

Like this wig the headmaster wore.

Me and some kids found out about it, you know.

So we went and picked some fleas off this ol' yellow dog.

Fleas?

He never did want to scratch in front of us, you know.

Very few of them fellers does.

Of course, I felt sorry about it later on.

See, that there's a sign

that you know the difference betwixt good and bad,

and they's a whole heap of folks that don't know that.

Anybody would think he was made of gold or something.

You've got no son.

No, none I'd put my brand to.

Oh, you can sure see his mother.

She... she had the reddest hair ever was.

Hanging around here is dangerous.

Are you really all that worried about me, Walsh?

I've got part of a good thing with you.

I'd just as soon not lose it.

Sun's getting mighty low.

Well, we ain't caught nothing yet.

Well, I know we ain't, Billy,

but I'll tell you the way to look at that.

You see, now, tomorrow,

that old catfish will be a day older

and he'll be a day smarter.

That way, it'll kind of even things up

betwixt the two of you.

Don't you see?

Well, I've got to look after the jail.

We'd better get back into town.

There, they're leaving, see?

Now, come on.

- Festus? - Huh?

You know, I bet you this racehorse of mine

would beat that old mule of yours back to town.

You talk like my foot's asleep.

There ain't a horse west of the Mississippi

can beat ol' Ruth.

Come on, Ruth, come on.

Come on!

Oh, he sure can horseback.

Steve?

Oh, howdy, Marshal. Good to see you.

Oh, good to see you.

Hey, that coffee smells good.

Well, help yourself.

- There's some beans there, too. - Oh, thanks.

Yeah, I heard you was out making the rounds of the herds.

Yeah, that's why I stopped by to see you, Steve.

I'm looking for this fella here.

He calls himself Bill Roberts.

Bill Roberts.

Figure he's working these parts?

Good chance of it.

Well, I don't think we met.

Well, Steve, if you see any strangers

hanging around the edge of your herds,

why, get word to me, will you?

I'll send you more than word.

Hand him over to you hog-tied and slung over their saddles.

Good. Particularly this fella Roberts.

I want to get him bad. Let me know if you see him.

Oh, will do.

Well, thanks for the coffee, Steve.

Oh, look, you're welcome to bed down here for the night.

Well, thanks, but I got to be getting back to Dodge.

Well, we'll see you when we get in, then, huh?

Good. Be looking for you.

Right.

For once, I think you're stumped.

Well, what are you guffawing about?

Let me help you.

No, get away!

I'll work it myself.

That'll be the day.

Sure you ain't pulling my leg, Billy?

No, they'll come apart.

You just have to do it right.

Well, if it can be did, I'll do it.

I'll guarantee it.

Louie.

Festus.

Be right back.

Don't move, Louie.

Be steady, Louie.

Steady, now.

Walk right around this way.

Come on.

Easy does it, Louie.

I got him.

Easy, now.

- Step up right here. - Right in there.

Come on, right in.

Step up right in there.

Okay, mister...

you're under arrest.

Don't move, Louie.

Steady.

Louie, I don't know how you manage to do it.

You're as good as dead.

Okay, here.

- Cover him up. - Good.

Now, Louie, take it easy,

and I'll go get you a quick cup of coffee.

Coffee ain't gonna do no good.

♪♪

Phew.

He must have had hisself two barrels full.

Billy, you hadn't ought to have been...

I thought you were my friend.

Well, I am your friend.

You told me lies!

You said the marshal was looking for him.

You didn't say to arrest him.

Well, all we was doing...

You were just being nice to me just so's you could catch my pa.

That ain't true.

Well, you ain't gonna use me no more.

Well...

♪♪

Pa.

Hello, Billy.

Oh, you...

a big one.

You sure shot up these past years.

Why did you come here?

You found out.

I'm sorry.

I wish I'd never left that boarding school.

Why did you?

I was lonely.

I wanted to be with you.

Now, hold on, boy.

I know, you're gonna tell me to mind my manners

and speak civil to my elders.

That's what they taught me in that school.

I've been lied to all down the line.

They were never lies meant to hurt you, son.

I seen the poster.

"Saw."

I saw the poster.

They read...

worse than the facts, son.

Just what are the facts?

It's a hard country.

You fight over a few cows, and then you...

have to play the game.

"Dead or alive," it said.

My own father.

Son...

Leave me alone.

If I could have done that, I wouldn't be here now.

Well, there ain't no need for staying,

'cause come tomorrow morning, I'm gonna leave this town.

You're going back to that school.

No, not back to school.

I've grown up fast.

I don't figure on listening to you or anybody else.

Still your father. You're gonna do what I tell you.

You're going back to that school until I send for you.

Billy?

Ho, Billy, you in there?

Yeah.

Well, let me in.

I've got to talk to you.

There's nothing to talk about.

Oh, yes, there is.

There's a heap to talk about.

Now, let me in.

Leave me alone, Festus.

Who's in yonder with you?

Just go away!

♪♪

All right, now, listen.

I've got a... I've got a plan.

I'll buy a place up in Montana.

Nobody be looking for me up there.

Can we go there now?

No, not now, son, but soon.

I just don't want to go back to that boarding school.

That's the way it's got to be, son.

Look, I've got to go now.

I'll write.

In six months, we're gonna be up there in Montana.

That's a promise.

Get your hands up.

No!

- No, he wasn't doing nothing. - Billy...

- He wasn't hurting nobody. - It's all right. Let go.

I'm sorry, Billy. Let's go.

I'm not gonna let them take you, Dad!

- Dad! Dad! - Billy, Billy...

- Billy, listen to me. - Leave me alone!

Come here... come here and sit down.

- Let me talk to you. - Dad!

Just let me talk to you.

- Billy... - Billy, sit down.

- Leave me alone! - Sit down.

It won't do any good, Billy.

Leave me alone!

Come on, Billy, let me talk to you, now.

Always known this would happen someday.

Bad time right now.

Yeah, it's a bad time.

Bad for your son.

Don't bring my son into this.

I didn't bring him into it. You did.

First time your name appeared on a wanted poster.

Now, what about the others... Where are they?

You don't really expect me to tell you that, do you?

All right, you play it tough.

It'll be a good example for your boy.

What do you got there? What's that?

Vittles for Roberts.

But he ain't gonna eat 'em.

Shoot, he ain't got no more appetite than I got.

You seen little Billy?

Well, not since last night, I ain't.

Hey, Festus, Doc.

Festus, take it on in.

- Hi, Doc. - Matt.

Roberts tell you anything, Matthew?

Hasn't said a thing.

But if his cronies are out there, we'll find 'em.

Festus,

if you like, I can stay here and watch things.

You could ride with Matt.

Nah, you go ahead on there.

Much obliged, anyhow.

See you, Matt.

Okay.

It's all done, Festus.

Pardon?

It's all done; my cleaning's all done.

Oh.

Yeah, looks... looks real good, Louie.

Real good.

Hadn't ought to have did it.

My way of apologizing for all the trouble I've put you to.

Ah, wasn't no trouble.

Just... just forget about that.

Don't know why I let myself get so far gone.

Louie, why don't you just go on home and...

Here, I-I'll take care of that.

I'll-I'll empty it.

Good night, Festus.

No, go on, go on. I'll get it.

Oh, Festus...

got time to join me in a little nightcap?

Good night, Festus.

Evening, Festus.

Oh, Lathrop.

Yes?

Do me a little something, will you?

Well...

yeah, well, sure, Festus. What is it?

I just want to go down to Ma Smalley's for a minute.

Would you kindly look after the jail for me?

The j...

Oh... well, all right, Festus.

Much obliged.

You ain't gonna be gone too long, are you?

Oh, no.

I'll be right back directly.

Here.

Come in.

I didn't hardly know whether I'd be welcome or not.

Billy, I... I haven't never did nothing sneaky wrong.

Leastwise where I was a-dealin' with no young'uns,

I ain't.

I don't feel like I've did anything wrong this time.

Course, from the side of the fence

that you're sitting on,

I don't reckon I appear like no soul of honor

or nothing like that...

but, shoot, we just couldn't all off and tell you

your papa was a outlaw, could we?

It wasn't fair.

You start to looking at it a little closer,

it don't appear as being unfair to me.

You wouldn't have caught him if it hadn't been for me.

You're wrong there, Billy.

Once ol' Matthew gets on somebody's trail,

it's just a little dab of time till he'll glom on to him.

♪♪

I sure am plumb sorry

that we couldn't have stayed friends.

I'm real sorry about that, Billy.

That's all I came to say.

I think that the only thing a feller can do

is to do what he thinks is the right thing to do.

Ain't that so, Miss Kitty?

Hmm, well...

And a feller just can't plumb fret hisself to the dogs

over somebody who not understanding.

He hadn't ought to do that, ought he?

I'd say that, uh...

I mean, a feller hadn't

ought to feel a-havin' did something wrong

when he actual didn't do nothing wrong at all, ought he?

Well, I certainly wouldn't think so.

Miss Kitty, I knowed if I just come in here

and jaw with you a spell, why,

it'd a-squash itself, and that's just what it done.

Much obliged to you.

It's my pleasure.

Sam, draw Festus another beer.

Miss Kitty, you...

I'll have one, too.

Yes, ma'am.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Yeah?

- Hello. - Hello.

What do you want?

Where's Festus?

Festus ain't here.

Now, what was it you wanted?

I came to see my father.

Oh, that Roberts fella back there?

Billy?

I want to see him.

I'm sorry, I can't let you do it, son.

Why not?

You're gonna have to wait till Festus gets back.

Now, you just run on out of here.

He's my father!

You can't do it!

Ah, come on, mister, I just want to see him.

Now, come on, just hustle on out of here.

I can't take that responsibility.

Now, you just get out there and stay out.

Psst... Dad.

Dad.

You're man-sized, all right.

I'll have to go with you now.

Maybe.

Go around to the side.

I'll meet you there.

Hey, mister?

What was that?

I wonder if I could get a blanket.

I didn't hear you.

I said I wonder if I could get another blanket.

Well, I...

Billy! What in the tarnation are you doing here?

- Turn me loose, Festus. - Just hold still, now.

What are you doing just slipping around here?

I ain't doing noth...

You heard what the boy said.

Not another sound out of you.

Billy...

Billy, go get us a couple of horses.

- What are you gonna do? - Quick!

- Fest... - Get some horses. Get!

All right, real easy, now, inside.

I couldn't get no riding horses.

All right.

Hyah! Ah! Hyah!

Hyah! Hyah!

What's going on here?

Hyah!

Wait, here!

What are you trying to do?!

Hyah! Hyah!

He's stealing my horse!

Dad!

Sam, Roberts...

Wait a minute.

Festus.

What in thunder hit you?

He must have hit me with the wood stove.

- Now, just a minute. - Leave me be. I got to go.

They got Billy out yonder.

I know they got Billy.

Well, Doc...

I'm all right, Festus.

Doc, I'll get up a posse.

All right, fine.

You're not gonna do that, now, Sam.

First sight of that buggy, they'll start to shooting,

and Billy might get hurt.

Just give me a minute here,

and I'll set things straight myself.

Dad?

Dad?

Got some water.

All right, rinse that out.

You're bleeding awful bad.

Got me good, though, it...

passed clean through.

Come on.

What are we gonna do, Dad?

Try to get back to camp.

Get a couple of horses, get out of here.

How far is it?

Far enough and removed enough

this buggy isn't gonna do any good.

We'll... have to unhitch.

Come on.

Well, I don't know how.

Wring that out.

We'll do it together, son.

All right, come on.

♪♪

Old girl, you're gonna have to become a riding horse now.

What do I do?

Come over here, son.

Get this strap.

Yes, sir.

I'm sorry, son.

For what?

It's all starting for you now.

You're gonna be grown-up faster than you thought.

I'm sorry.

♪♪

Seems a waste of time bedding down like we did.

We got so little sleep,

it wasn't even worth the effort of unsaddling.

Thad, I'm gonna head west.

You ride around by the barrancas,

and I'll meet you about noon.

Now, if you run across them, don't try to take them alone.

All right, sure thing.

♪♪

♪♪

Whoa!

Ooh. Easy, son.

Well, that makes the count just over 100.

As soon as Sherm and Gabe get back, we'll pull out.

Roberts can crow for his cut.

All right, send him back.

Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!

Roberts.

What happened?

Take the horse, Billy.

Where did he come from?

He helped me out of that jail in Dodge.

What?

I got, uh, shot on the way out of town.

And you came straight here with half a town after you?

Nobody's after me.

Nobody you could see.

I need two horses.

If you and that kid have brought the law out here,

I'll kill him...

and you, I swear it.

Don't threaten me, Walsh.

Just do what I tell you.

You ain't in much shape to tell me anything.

You go saddle two horses,

then get up some food for me and the boy.

- Have enough, son? - Mm-hmm.

There's plenty more.

I just want to get some sleep now.

I'm afraid that might be a time coming.

We'll be moving out directly.

That's all right.

Dad?

I forgot for a minute there.

It's all right.

We've got to find you a doctor.

Never mind.

Well, maybe one of your boys could get one.

The way things are, they'd likely turn us in.

Howdy, Thad.

Where'd they come from?

I don't know.

They were following in this barranca

when I spotted them.

Well, there's no herds out this far, that's a cinch.

I think they're part of Roberts' bunch.

Why don't we just grab 'em?

Well, I want to get the whole bunch of them at one time,

not just those two.

We'll follow them a ways.

♪♪

♪♪

They're ready to ride.

Thanks, boys.

Here come Gabe and Sherm.

How many you get, Gabe?

15 head this trip.

All right, that iron's hot.

Get to branding them.

You be heading for Abilene?

No, we're riding north...

way north to Montana.

This herd is yours.

What?

You don't want none of it?

Nope.

Mount up, Billy.

Yes, sir.

Everybody stand nice and easy.

Why don't you two just ease over yonder

with your partners?

Hold it!

First one of you makes a move, I'll just crease you good.

Get these guns off.

This all of them, Festus?

Yeah, that's all of them.

Can you herd them back to town?

We'll go after Roberts.

Matthew, it's me that got my head busted.

- Let me go with you. - Well...

- All right, I can watch them. - All right, let's go.

All right, sit down.

You've got a nice, long wait.

♪♪

Billy.

This is it, Billy.

What's the matter?

I can't go another mile.

Well, we'll rest here and ride out in the morning.

You...

you've gone as far as you're going, too, boy.

What about Montana?

Forget it, boy.

It's not gonna be.

Now, you get on that horse there and ride back the way we came.

I'm not gonna leave you.

I'm not asking you. I'm telling you, son.

I need help.

Now...

Get Walsh. I need help.

Well, you said yourself he wouldn't help you.

That's the only way now.

It's either him,

or I...

bleed to death right here.

You're gonna make it.

You're gonna be all right, Dad.

Think so?

I'm sure.

All right, then do what I said.

Now, go on. Go. Hurry up.

Do what I said.

Go on.

I'll be back as quick as I can.

Go on.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Look here, Matthew.

Festus! Marshal!

It's my father!

I think he's dying!

Hurry, this way!

Whoa... whoa, whoa.

Come on, hurry!

Dad!

You sure this is where you left him?

I'm positive.

Ain't here now.

Well, he's gone!

He lied to me.

He sent me away and rode off.

Festus, keep him here, will you?

Billy,

I'm gonna look around and see what I can find.

Find him, Marshal.

He lied to me, Festus.

He lied.

Billy, you got to listen to me now.

Folks does things that has to be did.

That's all there is to it.

They don't do them to...

to hurt folks that's close to 'em.

Folks that they love more than they'd ought to.

They don't do that.

You got to remember that.

It's all right, Billy.

Waste of lead shooting me, Marshal.

Where's Billy?

He's all right.

He's with Festus.

It sure worked out... all wrong.

One good thing, though.

Billy isn't... here.

Be wrong for a boy to...

see his...

father die.

I sure hope things work out

so I can get back here one day, Festus.

Shoot, there ain't no reason why they can't.

'Tain't all that far 'twixt here and Ohio.

Here, give me that.

Reckon not.

I want you to keep up with that learning in school,

you hear me?

Just learn everything you can.

One of these days,

you could turn out as smart as Matthew or Doc.

I sure thank you for everything, Festus.

Ah, I told you there wasn't no thanks

connected with what I done at all.

You know, you come to Dodge a boy,

but you sure ain't leaving one.

Good-bye, Festus.

Adios.

♪♪

You keep that money pinned to your drawers!

You hear me?

♪♪

Stay tuned for scenes from next week's Gunsmoke.