Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 14, Episode 4 - Riot - full transcript

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Come on, hurry it up!

Hurry it up.

- Where do you want him?
- There.

He's dying... and Heiser killed him.

What did you say?

I said he was dying.

You said I killed him.

So I did.

You never learn.



You must like that hell box.

You just earned five days
in there, both of ya.

The kid didn't say anything.

Mr. Heiser, the governor's
committee's here

in the warden's office.

Into the kitchen, both of you.

- That...
- Shut up!

That mouth of yours
nearly ripped everything.

Your, uh, first visit to a prison?

Well, as a member of
an investigating committee.

You know nothing about prison work

and yet you're here
on an investigating committee.

Well, at the governor's request.

Well, we have had our problems here,
I admit that,



but, uh, Mr. Vannerman
and Mr. Kirby here,

they've served on other committees,

and they know that there are
no quick and easy answers.

These men are sent here
for punishment,

Mr., uh, Cartwright.

They're thieves, hangmen, murderers,

harsh, cruel men,

and when you're dealing
with men like that,

sometimes it takes harsh measures.

I want you to keep that in mind.

This is Mr. Heiser, my yard captain.

When you're ready, gentlemen.

You, uh, won't like what you see.

Too many prisoners,
not enough room,

and no money to do anything.

Maybe we can do
something about that.

The governor asked us
specifically to recommend

whatever changes we feel
are necessary.

Well, I can give you two.

More guards and better pay.

Now, listen, you can talk to anybody.

You can say anything you want,
talk to any of the prisoners,

but there's two rules.

You stay close to me at all times

and you don't get within
arm's length of any prisoner.

It's more like caging animals
than men.

That's close.

The big cell is like a lion pen,

only these lions
make their own claws.

I'll show you in a minute.

We run bed and body checks
two, three times a week.

We try to surprise them,

but somehow they always know
when we're coming.

I saved this for you.

Found it this morning.

But for every one we find,
there's a dozen or two we don't.

Mr. Heiser, I was fixin' to feed 'em,

but I heard
you were bringing in visitors,

so I had 'em hold it.

Oh, a little wait won't hurt 'em.

We won't be here long.

We just want to see
how the place is run.

I'd like to see what the men get to eat.

Man from the governor's office.

Do what he wants,
you get a raise in your salary.

- Feed 'em.
- Thank you.

Nice fresh vegetables.

Thank you.

Hmm.

Carrots, potatoes, meat.

Mmm, smells good.

Inspection stew, my name for it.

I've eaten the food several times,
not fancy, but good.

Try it, Mr. Cartwright?

Just taste a bit.

My name's Cooper.
You don't know me,

but I seen you in Virginia City
a couple of times.

Mmm, you're a very good cook.

Ought to be.
Had enough practice.

Six years gone and 19 to go.

Oh, yeah, sure, you'll recognize
a few faces here, like, uh,

Johnny Plank, Idaho, and Bert Noon.

Let me have a sample
of that stew, too.

Hmm.

Here.

Rotten potatoes, weevil in flour.

Ben, there's sure
nothin' wrong with this stew.

Waste, probably.

Happens in every kitchen.

Garbage.

Would have been burned
and thrown out,

but the inspection got in the way.

Who buys the food here?

You'll have to ask the warden.

Do that.

Now, if you'd like to see
the rest of the place, uh, gentlemen.

You did good, kid.

There's hope for ya.

Come on.

Mr. Kelly, all right to feed 'em now?

What's the matter with you?
You deaf or somethin'?

I already told ya, feed 'em now.

Yes, sir.

Just want to make sure.

All right, give me your plates.

If you're wondering about
those stripes,

they're not our work.

He had them when he got here.

All right.

- Mr. Heiser?
- Yes?

- What's this?
- A cell.

It's a hell box, mister.

Forty-eight hours in there
and they bury ya'.

That loud mouth.
We got a lot of them in here.

Door's open, take a look.

What's your name?

Name... Yeah... Yeah...

Name's Charlie. Been said
the prison was built around him.

It's his home now.

He doesn't want to leave.

Charlie, yeah.

Ch... Charlie.

All right, keep your distance.
Keep movin'.

Come on.

Not enough guards.

That's why we have to move
the work gangs in and out

one at a time.

This way, gentlemen.

They're here. Let's go.

No bunchin' up. Move.

When Cooper says go, get ready.

This man is burning up.

Doctor will be here tomorrow.

He needs attention now.

This is a prison.
The doctor comes twice a week.

From what they tell me,
that's all they can afford.

Well, we'll change that.

We certainly shall.

We tried, Ben, two or three times.

All right, chain up. Now!

On the double. Come on.

Now!

Lock that kitchen door!

Give me those keys!

I said get away!

Plank!

I said no killing.

I didn't plan this
so we'd get a better deal!

You keep your hands off of him,
you hear?

He's the one who put me in here!

Don't you try to settle
an old grudge with him.

Get Heiser and those other screws
and put 'em in the hell box.

- And them?
- Them?

They're gonna help us get
what we want.

And what if they don't?

Then they're yours.

- Hey, Joe.
- Hi. How you doin'?

- How long you been here?
- Just time for a beer.

- How was your trip?
- Long ride.

Had to chase Barton
all the way up in the high country

to get that money.

Well, Pa's gonna meet us
for supper over at the hotel.

He'll be early,
if the inspection didn't take all day.

Take me about an hour
to get cleaned up.

We got time for another beer, huh?

- Mmm-hmm.
- Two?

- Two. Two sounds good.
- Two more beers.

I'm sorry, we're closin' up.

That's the prison bell.
There's trouble out there.

Hey, hey, hey, how do you
like my new outfit?

Get yourself a new tailor.

We're gonna be all right.

We're gonna be fine.

Do you like this? Ha-ha.

- Right.
- What are you doin'?

Get out of that!

Hey, quiet.

Let's have it quiet!

I said quiet!

Do your blacksmithing by your beds!

We got business to do in here,
and we need it quiet.

Now, get out of here. Go on, get out.

All right, you heard the man.

Let's move out of here.

Let's go.

Hey, keep the noise down
or I'll start busting heads.

Jonesy, cut the irons off you and Flint.

Can do.

Hey, Texas, you see anybody
move out there, you yell, all right?

Empty as a drum.

Cooper, tell 'em you want horses,
guns and a head start.

That's stupid, Plank.

You think they're gonna turn
all these men loose?

Who cares about them.

I'm talking about us, just us.

- Well, what about them?
- Who cares?

Well, I do, and they do.

That's what this is all about.

Gonna make your own deal, huh?

Freedom, horses, guns for you
and your friends, huh?

What about us?

Rasco, Scoggins,

pick that table and a couple of chairs
and put 'em out there.

I want every con in this place
to hear every word that's being said.

What about them?

Cartwright stays with me.

We don't need the other two.

Come on.

- Back up, men! Back up!
- Comin' through.

All right, hold it down.

Put that chair over here. Come on.

Sit down.

Four inspections in the last six years.

You are the only man that ever
bothered to look in the corners.

So we're gonna tell you what we want.

Well, I'm a member of
the inspection commission,

but I sure can't speak
for the governor.

You can sign our demands...

That is if you think they're fair.

Just so you'll know, I planned all this.

I got me and the rest of them
off the chains,

out of the stocks.

Cartwright...

All of us are carrying
a load of years on our backs...

Hard labor, chains, slop for food.

Not a livin' thing outside these walls

that ain't being treated
better than we are.

Most of us can't even hope
to live long enough

to serve our sentences...
and walk out of here free.

What do you expect of me?

Just no lies.

We play it straight on both sides...

Or a lot of folks just might get killed.

The convicts control cell block two.

Your father and Mr. Vannerman
and Mr. Kirby are in there with them,

along with three guards
and my yard captain.

Go ahead, Mr. Calhoun.

Well, the convicts are loose
in here in the main cell,

in the kitchen, and in the guard room.

Now, this door, a three-inch plank,
is the cork in the bottle.

There's sliding iron doors
that lock on both sides,

and both sides are locked.

There's no way they can get out.

No way we can get in.

All right.

Quiet down. Where's Griff?

- Where's that Griff?
- Hey, Griff?

- Yeah.
- Here he is.

Where you been, Griff?

Donovan... I was trying to get...

Yeah, that's something else
gonna change.

Donovan, six days in that hell box.

He was sick, and no doctor.

Why, I already told you,
I intend to tell the governor

there should be a doctor here
all the time.

Well, don't you hurry, not for Donovan.

He ain't hurting now.

- Huh?
- He's dead.

Dead?

He only had a year to go.

He didn't make it.

Griff... sit down.

Do some writing.

To the Governor,

demands from the prisoner
in cell box number two.

Wait a minute.

Donovan was in that hot box
for six days? Why?

"Why?"

Because he couldn't swing a sledge.

Heiser said he was doggin' it.

You put a strong man in there
for four days

and they get so weak
they have to carry him out.

Donovan was sick
when they put him in there.

Write... No more hell box.

No more whippings.

- Hey, what about our mail?
- Yeah.

Yeah. We want our letters.

And we want permission to write
at least one letter a month.

Don't you get your mail here?

Yeah.

It comes here, yeah,
but we don't see it.

All right, we want some...

Some soap and a place
to wash our clothes.

And we want blankets
that don't stink to high heaven.

Yeah.

And write down food.

We want the grub
that the state pays for

that we never get.

You saying someone is stealing
the ration money?

I not only say it...

But I'll prove it.

And maybe that'll open your eyes.

Scoggins, you go get Heiser.

- Give it.
- Come on, in a minute.

Comin' through.
Get out of the way.

Here he is.

Captain Heiser,

king of the whole world
inside these walls.

Well, how you like it now,
Heiser, huh? Huh?

How you like it now, huh?

Thirty-five cents a day per man
for food and what do we get,

a dog couldn't eat.

Well, the stew I tasted
was pretty good.

Yeah, so it was.

Inspection day stew.

How many times we get it?

Four times in six years.

You saw the rotten potatoes,
the weevils in the flour.

Yeah, I did.

Tell him about the food.

Ask the warden.

We don't have to. We know already.

But you're gonna tell Cartwright.

I tell you nothing.

If you want to kill me
and hang for it, go ahead.

Heiser, I won't kill you...

But I might just turn you over
to the cons,

the one that you
worked over with a whip.

- Yeah!
- Give me them chains! Your turn!

Let's get him!

Wait a minute!
Wait a minute!

Wait a minute.

I buy the food.

Who you buy it from?

Vannerman.

Vannerman.

Dirty... Get Vannerman.

How thick are these walls right there?

Two feet, a little better.

Well, we could
break through there.

A crew of men with drills and sledges,
rifles to cover... Wouldn't take long.

Just twice as long as it would take
to kill the hostages.

What if the prisoners
broke through the wall here?

They break through the wall
into the yard,

they'll be looking at
this Gatling gun here

and rifles in the back towers.

It'll be a turkey shoot
and they know it.

The governor's in Virginia City.
He's on his way here.

Heiser buy food from you?

Well, I... I've done
a little business with the prison,

but... But not all of it.

Not anywhere near all.

All of it.

Stop it! Stop it!

Killing him
ain't gonna fill your bellies.

Maybe that's why
Mr. Vannerman always makes sure

he came on his inspection tours.

That's the door.

- Hey, Cooper?
- Yeah?

- There's somebody out here.
- Ah.

Hey, put those two back
in the hell box.

And get back to your places.

And keep it quiet.

And you, too.

Three inches thick,
sliding doors solid iron,

same kind of lock on the other side.

Hey.

Who's out there?

Cooper.

Calhoun.

What do you want?

Calhoun, got an errand for you.

Our demands.

Deliver 'em to the governor.

Might take a while.

He was in Virginia City.

He's on his way here.

He had better hurry.

We don't do anything until
we find out the hostages are alive.

They're alive.

Don't tell us, show us.

Joe.

Pa, you all right?

I'm fine.

Everybody's all right.

Just do as they say.

Go on.

You thirsty?

Yeah, I am.

Yeah, when I get scared,
my throat's like cotton.

So is mine. Thank you.

I think you're beginning
to see what I meant.

What they're doing to us here.

Not one out of five live long enough
to serve his sentence.

Things will be changed.

They'll be changed.

I believe you mean that.

Me, and a lot like me, we...

We deserve what we got.

But Griff...

He's different.

What do you think another
four years in this place

is gonna do to him?

Hey, Griff...

Tell the man why you're here.

I hammered a man with a pick handle.

Did you kill him?

Might have, but I got stopped.

He was my stepdad.
He liked to beat on people.

He beat on me until I got tired of it.

So they give you a gold medal.

He was my legal father.
That put the law on his side.

He put me in here.

You want some more water?

No. No, I'm fine, thank you.

Hey, I could use some.
Hand me the dipper.

We got hostages, we got the key
to the gate, we got it all.

And you're selling us out for
the promise of grub we'll never get.

Get out of my way.

Plank, you stupid...

All right.

Who's next?

"Mail, letters, blankets.

"We want the grub
that the state pays for

"that we never get."

Lies! Accusations made by murderers!

Not one word of truth!

They can't be all lies.
My father signed these demands.

What they're asking for is reasonable.
Food, blankets, soap, mail.

Those men are prisoners,
here to be punished,

not to be pampered.

They get what they need.

How long since you've been out there
to look, Warden?

- Well...
- Answer him!

Well, as administrator, my...
My... My place is right here.

Nothin' they're askin' for
they shouldn't have had all along.

And I go with Calhoun.
Give 'em what they want.

You tell 'em now.

You tell 'em now.
I want my father out of there.

All right, all right.

Subject to the governor's approval...

The hell with the governor!
He's not here!

You tell 'em now.

You... You tell 'em, Calhoun.

Who's out there?

Calhoun. He's got somebody with him.

Calhoun. Who's the other one?

Joe Cartwright.

Come to help your pa, huh?

Forget it!

We want the warden.

He's busy. He sent me.

Shaking in his shoes,
that's why he sent you.

The reason we're here
is the demands.

You're going to get what you want.

Cooper's demands. Forget 'em.

New demands. Horses, guns, grub.

You tell the warden, shaking or not,
he's got to talk to me.

Where's Cooper?

Forget him, too.

Fifteen minutes.

He'd better be standing
where you're standing

or we start killing hostages.

I'll tell him.

You do that.

You saw how quick.

Cooper never even seen that knife.

Cooper didn't count.

He was just a con.

But if anything happens
to one of those hostages,

we'll all hang.

That don't seem right.

It's the law.

I'll see what I can find out.

Hey, in there, everybody happy?

Whoo-hoo.

You can forget those.
Plank's running it now.

- Plank?
- Johnny Plank.

He's in here for robbery,
but he's a killer.

Three states waiting for him
with ropes.

Him and that Noon and Idaho.

Would Cooper let him
just take over like that?

Not as long as
he had a breath left.

Then Cooper must be dead.

Well, they got a killin'
against them now.

They got nothin' to lose.

He wants to talk to you.

He wants to kill me,
that's what he wants to do.

They got knives in there,
and they got men that can throw 'em.

He says 15 minutes,

you're there
or he starts killing hostages.

Do your heart good
to look in that hot box.

Everybody in there locked up
tight and sweatin' blood.

According to Mr. Cartwright's
fine gold watch,

the warden's got eight minutes
to come front and center.

Nobody out there yet.

Found this on the back of the stove.

Thought maybe you could use some.

The kid, Cooper's friend.

You wouldn't have any ideas
about trying to get even, would you?

Cooper's dead.

He ain't the first friend
I lost in here.

Smart man's got to
take care of himself.

I just want to stay alive,
and I want to get out of these walls.

If you're lucky, you might make it.

Pour the coffee.

I got an extra cup.
Is it all right if I give him some?

A hustler. Covers every bet.

Go on, pour.

Might give him some muscle.

He'll be needing it before long.

Blast that main door with dynamite.

If the blast doesn't kill the hostages,
the convicts will.

If they were in the hell box here
and the door was padlocked,

the blast couldn't reach 'em,
neither could the cons.

We need somebody on the inside
to make sure they get in there.

Yeah.

There's just six minutes left.

Hey, wait a minute.

Look, Plank said he was gonna use
one of the hostages as a shield.

Now, why couldn't the warden use
a prisoner as a shield?

Meaning you, huh? No, won't work.

If they saw you in there,
you wouldn't live a minute.

They didn't see me.

That might work.

Not in those clothes.

Well, then get me some other clothes.

There's something else we need.

We need some kind of
a diversion to get the prisoners

away from the guard room.

How about a riot in cell block one?

Now, they'd hear the noise.

How'd we manage that?

I think I know how.

Let's go.

Just a minute.
Prison clothes are not gonna do it.

The men in there don't trust anybody
or believe in anything.

You know,
there's one thing I can do

that might give you a chance,
but you sure won't enjoy it.

What is it?

Heiser's favorite persuader.

Whatever.

Move, men, we're running out of time.

Noon, what do you see?

Nothin'. Nobody.

According to that
fine gold watch, it's time.

One minute past.

Maybe the warden's shaking too much
to come save your hide.

Okay, let's go through it
one more time.

You hear a racket in cell block one,
right along there there'll be two shots.

You start counting from there.

Thirty seconds later,
I'm gonna blow that door.

I'll be counting.

Good luck.

Let's go, Warden.

They're comin'.
They got a con with him.

All right, Cartwright, on your feet.

Now, you try anything and you're dead.

New game, new rules.

I'm givin' you back all but six cons.
Me and the five, I take with me.

We want 12 horses.

- Six for the hostages, you hear?
- I hear.

Bring the horses in the back gate
between the cell blocks.

Six rifles, six handguns,
and the guns better be loaded.

Guns loaded.

Blankets, grub, ammo,

no guards on the walls
or in the towers.

You got that?

- No guards.
- You got two hours.

Two hours? I can't get...

Two hours! Get movin'!

Who are you and what do you want?

Please... Please... Please don't...
Don't stick me with nothin', please.

They... They... They pulled me
out of... Out of cell block one

to be... To be a target in...
In front of the warden, you know.

In... In case you threw
a knife or somethin', see?

Keep talkin'.

I want to get out of here!

You guys are goin' out.
Take me with you.

You're Johnny Plank, ain't you?

I'd be proud to ride with Johnny Plank.

- What do you say?
- He's probably a plant.

You don't look like a con to me.

Or smell like one.

I don't, huh?

Look at this.

Still could be a plant.

Is your name Candy?

Candy?

Yeah. Yeah, that's right.

You know him, kid?

Yeah.

Up in Billings, Montana.

In, uh, cell block one.
He was here when I come in.

Marked him good.

Heiser stripes.

There's dirt in these cuts.

Blood poisoning
if they're not washed out.

Something wrong with your head, kid?

You want to take care of everybody?

He helped me once.

Keep your eye on him... and the door.

Plank.

All right if I get some, uh,
water out of the bucket?

One dipper, no more.

- Johnny...
- Hey.

If you're going out of here,
take me with you.

Why should I?

I'm risking my neck to warn you.

Cooper and his friends,

Clint and Andy
and a whole bunch of others

are out there waiting just to kill you.

You and Cooper,
closer than fingers in a mitten.

I'm lookin' at 18 years.

I want out of here.

What do you say?

All right, deal.

Four of us now.

Need two more.

Oh...

Last time I saw you
was just outside of Billings...

Try to wrestle a cow
out of a snow drift.

It was a long time ago.

What are you doin' in here?

Two to five.

What are you doing here?

I'm gonna try to help
these hostages escape.

I need your help.

I saved your neck.
That's all you're gonna get from me.

Look, when I make my play,
they're gonna know I'm a plant,

and they're gonna know you're a liar.

Then I'm as good as dead.

Okay, if you can't help me,
just keep your mouth shut, all right?

It's gonna hurt.

Yeah.

Only listen...
I ain't makin' no promises.

- How fast a fuse is this?
- A foot and 30 seconds.

All right, make it... 15 seconds.

An hour and five minutes gone,
55 minutes left.

I'll be ready in just a minute.

How long before you start the riot?

Ten minutes, maybe 15.

- Make it 10, huh?
- Right.

It's for him.

When you hear the shot,
there's gonna be a fight, so be ready.

Thanks.

My throat was so dry.

I didn't know if I could swallow.

Hold it.

Meat! Meat!

Come on.

Hey, what about us?

Hey, how about over here?

Somethin' wrong here.

Let go of my shirt, mister.

Just tryin' to be helpful.

I don't need your help.

Well, you...

I can tell from the likes of you
that put me here in the first place!

I told you to watch the door...

- What's this all about?
- Plank, he wanted to kill the hostages.

It's a pity that it takes something
like this to get the public's attention.

Governor, the warden says
everything's back to normal.

I don't want it back to normal
if normal means

that those men in there
have to be treated like animals.

Mr. Cartwright has been filling me in.

Well, maybe we can make some
of those much-needed changes now.

Yes, and the first one's going to be
to get a new warden.

Yes, sir. I'll get back to work.

Ben, I can't thank you enough.

Yes you can, Jim.

You've already taken the first step
by getting rid of the warden.

And what about
the prisoners' demands?

Work, they need it, Jim.

Work. In the fields, maybe.

A check on graft.

And... they sure could use
humane guards around here.

And you could get them
if you pay them a decent wage.

If the legislators
could spend two days in here...

I know, Ben.

My problem is to convince
the public to care about men

they'd rather forget.

Governor.

- Pa, we got the horses all set.
- Good.

Candy, what did the doctor
say about your back?

Oh, it's gonna be all right.

He said a couple of weeks off,
all will be good as new.

A couple of weeks off?

Well, Jim, what about, uh...
What about Griff King?

I don't know, Ben. What about him?

Well, if he's put back into the cell,
he's as good as dead.

Well, I could parole him,

but then I'd have to find someone
who'd assume the responsibility.

That shouldn't be too difficult.

No, as a matter of fact,
I already have someone in mind.

Good.

You.

Oh, don't worry about a thing.

We... We can find another horse.

- Hmm.
- Come on.

- He's all yours, Mr. Cartwright.
- Thank you.

Want a grip? There you are.

Mount up.

Thank you.

He'll be back.
They always come back.