Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 14, Episode 5 - New Man - full transcript

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He's all yours, Mr. Cartwright.

Thank you. Morning, Griff.

There you are.

Mount up.

Thank you.

He'll be back.
They always come back.

How does it feel to be back
on a horse again?

I'll never forget
that little pony you were on

the first time I saw you.



That had to be
the worst-standing, spindly-leg

little old hammerhead mustang
I ever saw in my life.

You didn't look much better yourself.

You remember
you were wearing suspenders

because you didn't have enough
weight around your rear end

to keep your pants up?

How old were you, 16, 17?

Fifteen.

And always laughing.

No matter how bad things got,
you always saw the funny side of it.

'Cause I was a kid. Kids laugh a lot.

But when you grow up, you realize
there ain't nothin' to laugh about.

And you grow up fast in prison.

Which is something
you wouldn't know anything about.



Oh, wouldn't I?

Hey, Griff, we'll be
in Woodstock in about an hour.

Get you some fresh clothes,
something that'll fit.

Griff, try these on.

What size boots, sir?

Eleven.

Here. Anything we missed?

There's no gun.

You can't have a gun.
You're on parole.

Pair of socks.

- Where do I change?
- Room right back here, sir.

There is something else.

I forgot to have
my prison number painted

on the back of the shirt.

Jamie?

- Hi, Pa, how you doing?
- Good, good, good.

- Good to see you.
- Good to see you.

- I missed you.
- Aw.

You haven't changed a bit, have you?

Really?

- How'd the trip go?
- Oh, uh... Uh, interesting. Interesting.

How'd the work go?

Oh, smooth as bacon grease.
I did everything you told me to.

- Everything?
- Well, almost everything.

Uh, this is Griff King.
He's gonna be working with us.

- This is my son Jamie.
- How you doing, Griff?

Jamie.

Um, uh...

Hmm.

Is this, uh, the homework
you've been doing?

Yeah, yeah.

I guess you could call it
a lesson in modern history.

- Mmm-mmm.
- No?

Mmm-mmm.

Well, I better get started
on my homework.

Yes, I think you'd better.

Oh, nice meeting you, Griff.

This is the classiest prison
I've ever been in.

Look, Griff.

This is a working ranch...

And my home.

For you, it's an opportunity,

a chance, a new start.

Whatever you want to make it.

I just want to leave.

Why?

Because according to the terms
of my parole,

that's the one thing that I can't do.

And when somebody tells me
I can't do something,

that's the one thing I want to do.

Well...

I certainly think you ought
to do whatever you want to do.

You want to stay, stay.

You want to leave...

Get on that horse and ride out.

And if they caught me,

they'd put me back
in that prison for 20 years.

Yeah, that's right.

You want to make up your mind

before I put your name
in the pay book?

I stay.

All right.

Let's hear no more talk about prisons.

Griff, what do you think of the place?

It's all right.

I talked to Luke.

He has six he wants to try
to break tomorrow.

Oh, good.

Oh, Candy, will you show Griff
where to bed down?

Yeah, sure. Come on, we'll find
a place for you in the bunkhouse.

How much these clothes cost?

$8.63.

Take it out of my first month's pay.

I've already put it in the book.

You two are really hitting it off, huh?

Well, at least he says
what's on his mind.

Whether you like it or not.

Griff, you sure know how to
make things tough for yourself.

- Yeah.
- What's the matter with you anyway?

Ben Cartwright went way out
on a limb to do you a favor

- and you act like he's...
- Look, did I ask him to?

People like him
you don't have to ask.

A favor is something you ask for.

- No, not always.
- Look, my motto is

if you need a helping hand,
you're gonna find it

right at the end of your own wrist.

- No, Griff.
- A man has got to shape

his own life, Candy.

And every time I turn around,

somebody else is telling me
where I'm gonna go

- and what I'm gonna be.
- If they'd given you the choice,

you would have turned down
the parole, is that it?

I didn't say that,
but nobody asked me.

All right, okay, okay. You...

You wanted a chance to say yes.

That's it.

You want to make up
your own mind about where go

- and what you do.
- That's it.

Well, Griff, if you make up
your mind to stay here,

you're gonna behave yourself.

And you're gonna work,
'cause if you don't,

if you cause any trouble
for Ben Cartwright,

it's not gonna be just
the law who's looking for you.

I thought you were gonna
show me where to bed down.

I am. Come on.

- Fellas.
- Hi, hey!

I got a new man. His name's Griff.

- Howdy, how are you, Griff?
- Hi.

This will be your bunk over here, Griff.

See you in the morning.

- How you doing, Candy?
- Well, it ain't much,

but it's home.

I'm Shorty. Can I give you a hand?

I think I can handle it.

Griff, what's that stand for?

- Griff.
- How you spell that?

Just like it sounds.

This is Tulsa and Lucas.

It don't sound like any name
I've ever heard.

What do they call you, boy?

Well, they call me
the Duke of Edinburgh,

but since we're all
such good friends,

you can just call me Sire.

Hey, what's this?
Time to go to meeting.

Now, you just keep your hands
off of my things, huh?

Where do they throw the trash?

Got some boxes out
behind the main house.

You know, Lucas, uh, he just don't
strike me as being friendly.

You noticed that?

Probably got
no sense of humor either.

Well, we'll find out
about that soon enough.

All right, who did it?

I asked a question. Now, who did it?

Who's the funny man
who cut the ropes on the bunk?

I asked a question.
Who did it?

- What are you doing?
- All right, I did it!

Come on, Lucas, get him!

Come on, Lucas boy, hit him!

You got him down now! Hit him, boy!

- That a boy, Lucas!
- Hit him again!

- Come on, boy.
- Good, hit him again!

You're the one who wanted this.

- Come on!
- Come on, Lucas boy!

Hold it!

Break it up.
Break it up, that's enough.

All right, everybody out of here
right now.

Now! Move!

- All right, Griff, what happened?
- Get your hands off of me.

Griff, where do you think
you are? What are you doing?

They cut the ropes on my bunk.

They do that to every new man
that comes in here.

- They don't do it to me, no.
- It's a joke!

It's no joke where I come from.

Everything is a matter
of life and death.

Griff, you're someplace else now.

This is not a prison. I'm not a guard.

These men are not your enemies.

They was laughing at me.

No, they were laughing at the joke.

Griff, if I'd been here,
I'd have been laughing.

I remember the time
you'd have been laughing.

You remember?

You all right?

Yeah, I'm all right.

I'm all right.

All right, fellas,
come on back in here.

Just having a little fun, Candy.

- It takes two to fight, Lucas.
- He's the one that started it.

I don't care who started it.

It's late. We got a big day tomorrow.

I want the lights out
and everybody in bed in five minutes.

Lucas...

It was my fault.

Lucas, I'm sorry.

Everybody ready for lights out?

Just wait a minute.
I want to put these ropes back on.

It's your last chance, boy.

Wait a minute.

- Going...
- Wait a minute!

Going...

Gone.

Gone.

Gone.

Gone.

Eddie, you and Leo ride the salt creek,

make a rough tally of the herd
up there, all right?

Got it.

Uh, Hal, Andy,
start moving the remuda

up that little canyon
by the creek.

Right, Candy.

Tulsa, Shorty, you're gonna be
working at three-finger canyon.

Start moving the strays
down toward the main herd.

- Oh, no.
- It's so hot up there, Candy.

It's gonna be hot where I am, too.

Oh, Lucas, you don't have
to saddle up your horse.

You're gonna be working
with me and Joe today.

Griff...

- What do you want me to do?
- I'll check with the boss.

See where he wants you to work.

Ben?

Anything in particular
you want Griff to do today?

Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah.

There's a bunch of logs
back at the house.

Chop 'em up and stack 'em
and cord 'em.

You'll find an ax
and a saw in the tool house.

Uh, wait a minute.
That's chores, Mr. Cartwright.

I put in my time doing chores.

I can ride, I can handle a rope.

I worked as a top hand
on a ranch once.

Well, then you ought
to know that the new man

gets the dirty jobs,
and you're the new man.

Look, my being here is your idea.

The warden's.

All I'm asking for is a chance
to prove I can do the job.

You chop wood?

I can chop wood.

Fine. Let's see if you can do that job.

- But I don't like it.
- Neither does anybody else.

- But it has to be done.
- Uh, I just wondered,

maybe Griff could, uh,
give Candy and I a hand today.

And if it doesn't work out,

he can always
chop the wood tomorrow.

Oh.

Yeah, that...

That might be a dynamite idea.

Dynamite's exactly the word
I had in mind. Dynamite.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
- Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa.

Take it off.

Oh!

Whoa, whoa!

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa!

Hang on now! Stay on him!

I think he's got him worn down
pretty good. I'll tell him.

Hey, Griff, you gotta show these
horses who's the boss, boy.

You know, the master.

You can't let them know that
they're tougher than you are.

I'll show you what I mean.

You had him going
for a minute there, Griff.

What's the name of that ugly beast?

Alice.

Alice?

I can't wait to get to Dynamite.

That a boy, Joe. Good ride!

Oh.

Well, Griff, you ready to ride
that next horse?

Go get 'em.

Clem.

- How's it going?
- Fine. You?

Fine, fine. Come out to say hello?

Well, among other things.

I'm also here on business.

Oh.

We, uh, had a store robbed
in Virginia City last night.

So?

Well, I wanted to ask you
some questions.

Oh, you... You think I did it?

Not quite.

I want to ask you about this new man

you've got working out here.
King, Griff King.

- What about him?
- Suppose you tell me?

Clem, let's not play cat and mouse.

You got something on your mind,
you just say it.

All right.

A man gets out of prison,
moves near Virginia City,

first thing a store gets robbed.

- What's the got to do with him?
- Just a minute, Ben.

Whoever robbed that store
took a pistol, rifle,

cartridges for each,

blanket, uh, slicker, canned food.

Sounds like somebody's
putting together a travel kit.

- That's what it sounds like to me.
- Yeah.

How'd you hear about Griff?

I got a letter from the prison.

They felt it was important
that the proper authorities be notified.

Why didn't you tell me
you had an ex-convict

working out here, Ben?

We got here a couple of days ago.

Rode in my care.

Didn't think there was
any rush about it.

I see.

Maybe you don't know
these people as well as I do.

I want to talk to him.

- I'll get him.
- I'll go with you.

Stay right out here. I'll bring him out.

If you don't mind...

Griff?

Friend of mine here, Clem Foster,

wants to ask you a couple questions.

What about?

Do you mind coming down here, boy?

Some people call me Griff
and others call me Mr. King.

And those are the only two names
that I answer to.

Mr. King.

We had a store robbed
in Virginia City last night.

Do you know anything about it?

Yeah, I know the store was robbed.

- How'd you know that?
- 'Cause you just told me.

And I don't think lawmen lie, do they?

Where were you last night?

He was asleep in his bunk.

Nope.

Slept out in the woods.

Any witnesses?

Come on, boy, you're coming with me.

Hold it. Wait. Easy. Easy now.

Now, if you were in jail as long
as Mr. King has been in jail,

you'd probably want to sleep
in the woods, too, wouldn't you?

- He's got no witnesses, Ben.
- Do you?

As far as the law is concerned,

he's presumed to be innocent
until you can prove him guilty.

Isn't that right?

- Where's your gear?
- I'm wearing it.

Where's your bunk?

It's the last one on the right
as you go in the door.

You can't miss it.
It's the one on the floor.

Now, you're wrong.
I didn't tell him about you.

Got a letter from the warden.

What do I have to do?

Live my whole life
in the middle of a crowd

so the next time somebody's robbed,
I got a witness?

Nobody said it was gonna be easy.

What do you have to do
to get people to trust you?

Well, maybe you can start
by trusting them.

Find something, Clem?

Yep, an alibi. Tell him.

Well, uh, we had a little excitement
in the bunkhouse last night and, uh,

I couldn't get to sleep,
so, uh, I went for a walk.

And I saw Griff there,
sleeping under a tree.

What time was that?

I didn't look at a watch,

but it was sometime
between 1:00 and 2:00.

Tulsa saw me leave the bunkhouse.
He could tell you what time it was.

That's about the time
the store was robbed.

Well...

Well...

Thank you, Lucas.

Yes, thanks.

Satisfied?

I gotta go find me a burglar.

How long have you known Lucas?

Ever since he started working here.
Why?

I... I just wondered.

Good evening.

How's it going?

Oh, it looks like a good game.

Howdy.

Hey, I wanted to thank you
for what you did today.

All I did was tell the truth.

Yeah, well, I just wanted you
to know I appreciate it.

Why don't you just go
appreciate it someplace else?

What you reading, Tulsa?

Book.

Lost again. Next.

- Can I play the winner of this game?
- I got the winner.

How about the winner of this game?

Tulsa got the winner of that game.

Ain't that right, Tulsa?

That's right.

What about the winner
of that game, all right?

Oh. Wow.

Whew.

It's getting kinda late.

Everybody ready for lights out?

Fellas, I just want
to tell you how much

I've enjoyed this evening,

what a pleasure it is being here,

and how I'm warmed
by your friendship.

Shut up!

Before I jam a foot in your mouth.

Yeah.

To show you my appreciation,
I am gonna shut up.

Thank you for your kind attention.

I see you didn't get
that Latigo fixed yet.

I'll get it.

Want me to fix it for you?

Go ahead.

Can I, uh, borrow your razor?

Thank you.

Son of a gun.

Yeah, I used to work
for a saddle maker once.

Hey, Griff.

There's not a bad bunch
of guys in here.

Just don't try so hard.

Give 'em time.

They'll let you off the hook.

They'll even let you breathe, maybe.

Uh, fellas, I, uh, need a volunteer.

Ride up to the line shack
at Seminole Canyon,

pick up some supplies, and get
the shack ready for winter.

Hmm?

Well, I'll do it.

I wasn't going
into town today, anyway.

Oh, I appreciate that very much, Griff,

but I don't think you know
this country well enough yet to...

You could just tell me
how to get there.

Well, not quite as simple as that.

But thank you anyway.

I'll go, Mr. Cartwright.

Thank you, Lucas.

I guess I owe you
another day off, huh?

All right, fellas,
the rest of the day's your own.

Whee-hah!

Hyah!

You'll find the supplies
in the cook house.

Thank you again, Lucas.

Uh, Griff, would you like
to go into town?

I don't think so.

I'll give you an advance
on your pay.

I already owe you $8.63.

I trust you.

Not enough to let me go riding off
to Seminole Canyon by myself.

Make your jump.

Go ahead, jump.

Care for another game?

You know, you're really not
a bad checker player.

It's just that I'm so much better.

'Cause I've had a lot of time
to polish my game.

How far is it to Seminole Canyon?

Oh, 10, 12 miles up the northern trail.

You probably won't get there
till after dark.

Yeah, I was supposed
to go into town tonight,

but I guess I won't make it.

Anything important?

Ah, no.

Just a package for me at Wells Fargo.

I was supposed
to pick it up on my day off.

I might be going into town tonight
just to take a look around.

Oh, uh, hey, Griff.

You need a couple of dollars
till payday?

- No, that's all right.
- No, no, come on. Go on, take it.

- I might.
- Okay.

You want me to pick up
that package for you?

Yeah, I appreciate it.

Uh, Wells Fargo office closes
around 8:00.

You're getting better.

But you still got a long way to go.

Well...

Hi.

You're new around here, aren't you?

Yeah, I...

Yeah.

Why don't you come inside?

I, uh... I gotta run an errand.

Well, then hurry back.

Five minutes?
And you won't go away?

Uh, what's your name?

- Amy.
- I'm Griff.

Let me through there!

- Where'd that come from?
- Wells Fargo office.

Just stay right there where you are!

He's dead. I need a posse and I want
some riders from the Ponderosa

who know what Griff King looks like.

Thank you, boys.

Joe?

Why don't you go over to the cafe,
order some breakfast?

I'll meet you there.

Come on, I'll buy.

- Shut the door.
- What are you doing here?

Shut the door.

Now, we're gonna get
a few things straightened out.

Turn around.

Turn around.

All right.

Now, I didn't rob
no Wells Fargo office.

I went in,
somebody hit me from behind,

there was a shot, the lights went out,

and somebody ran out
the back door.

By the time I got to my feet
and out the front door,

you were running at me
with a pistol in your hand.

You just happened to come along
when somebody was robbing it, huh?

No, I didn't just happen to wander in.

Somebody sent me there

to pick up a package
that probably doesn't exist.

- Who?
- The same man who lied

when he said he saw me
sleeping under the tree

the night that store was robbed.

Why didn't you tell us then
he was lying?

Because he would have put me in jail.

Why would Lucas lie
to give you an alibi?

Not to give me an alibi,
to give him an alibi.

Don't you see, if he said he saw
me sleeping under that tree,

that means he had to be there, too,

about the same time the store
was being robbed.

But Lucas didn't need an alibi.

All he had to do was
let me throw you in jail.

Oh, he didn't want me in jail.

Not then.

He wanted whatever's missing
from that Wells Fargo office.

$50,000 paper money.

Easy to carry, easy to hide.

And somebody just like me
to take the blame.

Better have a talk with Lucas.

He's up in Seminole Canyon.

No, he's not.

I went and got him last night.
He's right in here.

Mr. Cartwright, am I glad to see you.

- I thought he was gonna kill me.
- Why'd you lie to me, Lucas?

Oh, you...

You mean about
seeing him that night.

That's what I mean.

Well, he was one of the guys
in the bunkhouse.

I just didn't want
to see him get in any trouble.

Now, I didn't think
he'd do anything like that.

Well, I know
I shouldn't have done it, but...

Griff says he asked you
to pick up a package for him

at Wells Fargo, is that true?

Yeah, it's been there over a week.

I was gonna pick it up on my day off.

- We can check that out.
- Ask him.

Well, Griff?

Well, what?

What do you want me to do,
say I did it?

I didn't do it!

Then I'll give you
all the help you need in proving it.

I'll get you the best lawyer
in Virginia City.

I'll tell you what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna save you a lot of money.

I'm gonna get on a horse
and ride right out of here.

You do that, Griff,

and you'll keep on riding
for the rest of your life.

If I don't do that, he's gonna put me
in prison for the rest of my life.

You better believe that, boy.

You see what I mean?

Now get into that cell.

I really gotta hand it to you, Lucas.

I mean, it was a beautiful setup.

You get the money and I get hung.

It was very slick.

Why don't you just take your $2 back?

I ain't gonna be here on payday.

Hyah!

Joe!

It's Griff. I'll get him.
You check on your pa.

Now, that's far enough, Candy.

Now, turn that horse around
and get on out of here!

You ain't gonna use
that gun any more

- than I'm gonna use this one.
- Candy, come on.

What did you do to Ben Cartwright?

Nothin'!

And I didn't rob
that Wells Fargo office!

Then why
are you running away, Griff?

Because nobody listens to an ex-con.

I listen to you.

Ben Cartwright will listen to you!

They'll all listen to you
if you go back there and talk!

Is that what you're taking me
back there for?

To talk? More talk?

I'm not taking you anyplace.
You can go anywhere you like.

Listen to me!

Here, take this and go to Mexico.

Go to China.

Go to hell.

I know this could've
waited till morning,

but I wouldn't have slept very well
just thinking about it.

Came in and I wanted you to see it
as soon as possible, Ben. Lucas, too.

I know. Don't say a word.
I've already said it all to myself.

What happens now?

You'll be happy to know
we got the man.

New pistol, new rifle.

Even got himself a new horse.

That stuff that was stolen
from the store.

Two saddle bags full of money,
$50,000 worth.

I told you.
I told you I didn't do it!

That's right, you told us.

You told us all along it was Lucas.

Uh, Griff?

The, uh...

The man who, uh...
Who did it is in Carson City.

What?

Well, I knew damn well
it wasn't me.

Griff, uh,

why don't you get yourself
some good rest, hmm?

'Cause tomorrow
you're gonna be working all day

chopping wood.

Well, you got yourself a deal.

Listen, Lucas, I...

Boy, you cost me a lot
of money, you know that?

What do you mean?

I bet Tulsa a month's wages you did it.

You get any more bets
like that, you let me know.

Yeah, well, all he had bet
was a week's wages.

That's all right, I'll win it
back for you playing checkers.

Oh.

Oh, you couldn't win
with a winning stick.

What was in that package?

Oh, my mom over in Tucson
sent me a birthday cake.

When was your birthday?

Oh, about six weeks ago.

Don't you think it's kinda stale?

Well, it's the thought
that counts, ain't it?