Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 14, Episode 6 - Ambush at Rio Lobo - full transcript

The following program is

brought to you in living color
on NBC.

Vance?

Vance, wake up.

I'm awake, Stretch.

Someday you're gonna
come in here without signaling

and I'm gonna blow your head off.

Wait'll you see what I found.

Okay, Gabe.

Old friend of ours. Remember?

Well, well.



If it ain't the witness.

We was in the Rio Lobo saloon,

he come trotting in
asking where there was a doctor.

Looked right past me as if
he'd never seen me before.

Too bad he didn't look
that way five years ago.

Pointed us out
in the courtroom just like that.

Greatest little witness
you ever did see.

I saw them hit a man
from behind and rob him.

Forty lousy dollars is all we got.

That mouth of yours
cost us three years!

We're leaving here tomorrow.

You got until then to make up
for them three years.

Or you won't be needing no doctor.

Joe, I want you and Jamie
to ride on into Rio Lobo.



I'm gonna swing by
the old Barton place,

see if it's still for sale.

You want me to go talk
to Jennings about those horses?

Yeah, that's a good idea.

Remember, I'm not gonna pay
more than $35 a head.

Wouldn't pay him
a penny more myself.

I'll meet you in Rio Lobo
later this afternoon.

Right, Pa.

Whoa.

Whoa.

You've got yourself in a mess.

Boy.

Easy now.

Too hot a day for you to get
mixed up with some fencing wire.

What I don't understand is why
someone didn't get you out of this.

All right, all right.

Up you go, up you go.

Hello?

Anybody here?

Forgot to feed you, huh?

Thirsty too.

All right, up.

There.

Should be somebody around.

Hello?

Anybody here?

Hello?

Take better care of the house
than they do their animals.

"Found your calf snarled in wire.

"If you have to be away,
suggest you hire someone

"to take care of your livestock."

Hello? Hello?

There.

Feel a little better, huh?

I just fainted is all.

- Have another sip of water.
- Thank you.

- No, you just stay put.
- I'm all right now, honest.

I know you are. Just stay put.

Oh, I feel like a big, fat, old buffalo.

You don't look like a fat old buffalo.

Where's your husband?

Oh, he left this morning
before first light.

He rode into Rio Lobo
to fetch the doctor.

Mmm, kind of risky
leaving you alone, you know?

When's the baby due?

Land, not for a month yet.

Would you help me up, please?

I... I want to sit
in a straight-back chair.

Please?

All right.

Here, let me... Let me get
your feet around here.

- Oh, thank you.
- There we are.

Oh, thank you.

See, what happened was,

yesterday morning I got this
big long walloper of a pain,

and then it went away. Just like now.

Uh-huh. Was that the first time?

Oh, and then last night,
it happened again.

Mmm-hmm.

I think it's just this awful
heat wave we've been having.

- Yeah.
- But that is when Zachariah

decided to ride into town
and fetch the doctor,

and I was to stay in bed
until they come back.

Yeah, but you didn't.

Well, it got daylight.

I'm just carrying a little bitty baby,
so I ain't sick.

Now, your husband
was so worried about you,

he rode off
without even tending the stock.

Something wrong?

Anything happen to Bathsheba?

- Who?
- Bathsheba.

- The cow, our milk cow.
- Oh, no, no, no.

The cow's fine.

The calf got a little mixed up
with some wire fencing.

- That's Barabbas.
- Barabbas?

That calf, he's always
getting into things like that.

- Well...
- He all right?

A few little cuts.

I gotta put some
bacon grease on those cuts.

Now... I'll do it.

Where is it?

Over there, some dripping's
over by the stove.

Now, you just stay put,
you understand?

And don't you move.

You said that just like Zachariah.

I'll bet.

Well, so?

I'm thinking.

No. No, it's no good.

It's... It's too far out in the open.

We're gonna get outgunned.

That stage has never had
two men riding shotgun.

It will, tomorrow.

It's money coming in for the auction,
not just payrolls.

All the more reason
why to take a chance.

You ever see a dead man
spend money?

Gotta be, uh... another way.

- You promised to sit.
- I never.

Didn't cross my heart or anything.

Besides, when Zachariah
and the doctor get here,

they're gonna be starving.
I wanted to get this all...

And you're gonna be sitting
right in that chair.

- Oh, I'm all right.
- Oh, you're all right, are you?

- Yes.
- Is that why your husband

rushed out to get the doctor?

Now, come on over here.
Now, sit right down.

Careful now.

Zachariah didn't say
I had to be an invalid.

Now, I found you lying on the floor
because you wouldn't listen.

Now, it's about time
you started listening.

I ain't like that!

Am I?

You sure are.

What's your name, mister?

Cartwright. Ben Cartwright.

Teresa Burnside.

I'm right proud
to make your acquaintance.

Well, I'm right proud
to make your acquaintance, ma'am.

Your front name,
is it Ben like an Arab,

or is it Benjamin?

Benjamin.

Now, that ain't funny.

If your name is Benjamin,
then you should say Benjamin

instead of laughing about it.

Oh? Really? Why's that?

Well, folks should be
called by their whole names.

It's more respectful, that's why.

Never thought of it that way.

What is the point in naming a baby

iffin somebody's gonna
come along and change it

to whatever they wanna call it?

Yeah.

Yeah, I see what you mean.

Like, I'm gonna name our son
Ezekiel as soon as he comes.

- Ezekiel?
- Yeah, Ezekiel.

Same as in the Bible.

And better not anybody let me
hear them calling him Zeke.

The Bible don't go calling him
Zeke anyplace, does it?

I don't think it does.

See?

Like my own name... Teresa.

Do you know what they
used to try and call me?

Oh, it used to make me so mad,
those kids in school.

They used to try and call me Tessy.

Tessy! Can you imagine that,
calling me Tessy?

- You know what we're gonna do?
- What?

We're gonna get ourselves
some more coffee.

Oh, all right.
You know what I used to do?

I used to put my nose up
in the air and walk right by 'em.

That's one of the reasons
I fell in love with Zachariah.

He never once called me Tessy.

But you know,
folks keep calling him Zach.

Now, you know that ain't fitting.

- Of course not.
- Mmm.

I call him by his whole name
every time, Zachariah.

Excepting for love names, of course.

Just for each other.

You know what I mean, don't ya?

Yes, I certainly do, Teresa.

Zachariah. Mmm, got a music to it.

You know, all whole names
got a music to 'em.

Mister Benjamin Cartwright.

That ain't getting dinner ready, is it?

Uh-uh, you just stay sit.

Oh. I forgot.

Have some coffee.

Vance?

- Vance?
- I thought I told you

- to shut your face, witness.
- I don't...

I don't care what you do to me.

Good, 'cause I'm gonna
kill you anyway.

Look, they told you what
I was doing in Rio Lobo.

I was looking for a doctor.

Oh, wow, you just tell me
where it hurts.

We'll take care of that.

My wife is gonna have
a baby next month

- and something's gone wrong.
- Oh, your wife is having...

Shut up!

You're gonna be a papa.

Yeah.

Why didn't you say
something about that before?

Oh, well, I was afraid, um...

She's out there all alone, you know?

I got a farm.

I, uh... I can't let you go, kid.

What do you mean
you can't let him go?

Now, sh...
His wife is gonna have a baby,

you understand that?

Well, you should have said
something about that sooner.

- I mean, I just, uh...
- W...

Well, you know too much
about what we're gonna do tomorrow.

I won't tell a soul. I swear I won't.

No, you gotta stay here,

and we're gonna keep you here
until we leave.

That's the best I can do.

You're gonna leave him here?

He's the one that sent us to jail.

My wife didn't.

Couldn't you just send
a doctor out to her?

Yeah.

Um... But where... Where is it?

Maybe you could draw us a map.

Sure. Um...

Uh, north out of Rio Lobo,
and, uh, turn east at Table Rock.

- Yeah.
- And then it's a wagon route.

- Oh, yeah.
- Right through the willows.

And it's right in... Right in there.

Okay, witness.

I'll never forget you for this.

I know you won't, kid.

What are you looking at over there?

I just don't want to look
at a jackass, that's all.

Well, you must have
found a mirror, then.

'Cause what do you think
them shotgun riders is gonna do

when they come out of Rim Canyon...

And see a pregnant lady
with a busted down wagon?

Why, they're just gonna
drop their guns

and jump down and help her.

- No! Please!
- Gabe!

If he moves, shoot him.

Get back to that bunk.

All right, we can skip Rio Lobo.

Old Branch Road goes right
across country to Table Rock.

Go get her.

Please, a ride like that can kill her!

Well, that's just a chance
we're gonna have to take.

Something's happened
to him, Mr. Cartwright.

- Oh, I... I don't think that...
- No.

You're thinking so too.

I can feel it.

He wouldn't have
left me alone this long

if he could have helped it.

Well, maybe...

Maybe something happened
to his horse

and it left him on foot.

Go and get him.

Please, Mr. Cartwright. I need him!

All right. All right.

Here, grab hold of my hand.

Squeeze. Squeeze hard. Hard!

Don't be ashamed
to cry out. Squeeze.

- Hey, Joe.
- Hey, Jam, how you doing?

Oh, pretty good. Is Pa here yet?

- Uh-uh. No. Where you been?
- I was over at the corral

taking a look at Jennings' horses.

- What'd you think of them?
- Oh, good. Yeah, all of them.

Yeah, wasn't a bad one in the string.

That was my feeling exactly.
That's why I bought 'em.

- No kidding? The whole string?
- Mmm-hmm.

Yeah, I was looking
for you in Jennings' office.

Wanted you to get an example
of some fine, fine horse-trading.

Really? Hey, what happened?

Well, I just went in, I told Jennings

he's gotta be the best horse
breeder in the country, and...

- Yeah?
- They just have to be

the best string of horses
I've ever seen in my whole life.

Got to be worth $40, $50 a head.

- What did Jennings say?
- Oh, he agreed with me completely.

But then I told him,
unfortunately,

I was only prepared
to pay $20 a head,

and that would be an insult
to those kinds of animals,

and so I just didn't
think it would be right

to even make an offer.

He spent the next
40 minutes telling me

he wouldn't be insulted
by $30 a head.

That's pretty good.

So, that's the price
you ended up paying for 'em?

Uh-huh, $30 a head.

- $30.
- $5 a head less

- than Pa was gonna pay.
- Mmm.

You know, Joe, I was, uh...

Kinda chatting
with some of Mr. Jennings' hands.

Oh, yeah? What'd they say?

Well, not much.

They just, uh,
mentioned that Mr. Jennings

was willing to sell
for $25 a head, but, well...

- What?
- That's the way it goes.

Who told you that?

I was just kidding, Joe. Honest.

- They said $35.
- Oh.

Little joke.

You got a great sense of humor.

Let's find Pa.

There's something awful wrong
with me, Mr. Cartwright.

No, no, you're fine.

My mama lost three babies...

Before she had me...

And another one after.

There was something
about the way she carried us.

We... We was...

We was turned wrong.

Breeched.

I won't lose Zachariah's baby,
Mr. Cartwright.

Well, of course you won't.

Doctor won't let you lose that baby.

Yeah.

Oh.

Now I'm acting like a baby
my own self.

Now, now, you just stay put.
I'll shoo 'em right in.

Ah, boy, sure glad to see you.

Who are you?

My name's Cartwright. Ben Cartwright.

I... I guess I really
should say Benjamin.

But your wife, uh...

Well, she needs you real bad.

She'll be just fine
now that you're back.

Who's he?

Aren't you her husband?

Well, I never said I was.

I'm a friend of Zach's.

I come to fetch ya.
Your husband's got himself hurt.

- Where is he?
- He's with the doctor, ma'am.

Well, she's in no condition to travel.

Well, that... That's up to her.

I'm just doing her husband a favor.

He needs ya.

Maybe you oughta let the lady
make up her own mind.

He... He's hurt real bad.

Oh, I'm going,
Mr. Cartwright. I'm going.

Oh... Oh, all right.
All right, all right.

We'll... We'll both go.
I'll go with you.

Now, just sit down. Come on.

Now, we, uh,
gotta get the buckboard ready

and we'll put the mattress
on top of that. Come on.

- Okay?
- Yeah.

There.

Put as much straw as we could
under the mattress,

but it'll still be a rough ride.

Now, if you feel any pain,

you just cry out and I'll stop.

I wanna get you to Zachariah
in good shape.

I mean, you... You and the baby.

- You'll be fine.
- Yeah.

- All right, pull up here.
- Huh?

No, no, she's all right.

We just go to the right here.

- Rio Lobo's straight ahead.
- You heard me.

Give me your gun belt.

I thought we was going
to my husband.

You'll see your husband, ma'am.

I'll take that gun belt.

This way.

Is this the old Barton place?

Yeah.

Sure a lot more run down
the last time I saw it.

Somebody's fixed it up.
Maybe somebody else bought it.

Joe, I don't see Pa's horse.

Maybe he didn't show up.
Maybe something happened to him.

Don't jump to any conclusions.
I'll check the house.

Doesn't look like anybody's home.

I'll check it. You look around out here.

Joe, what do you want me to look for?

Pa's riding Buck, isn't he?

- You know Buck's tracks.
- Yeah.

That's what you're looking for.

All right.

Anybody home?

- Nothing out there.
- Yeah, Pa was here.

He left a note chewing the people out
for not taking care of their stock...

Calf and a horse.

There's no horse out there now.

Well, they left,
and they left in a hurry.

Food's on the table.

Let's head back towards Rio Lobo.

We... We didn't pass anybody.

They might have gone off the road.

What's the lantern for, Joe?

Well, we just may have to
do a little night tracking.

Get your horse.

Whoa.

What are you doing?
Get back up there.

Look at her.

I'm all right, Mr. Cartwright, honest.

You heard what she said!
Move, get back up!

You wanna kill this woman
and her baby?

She ain't my woman, it ain't my baby.

You do as I say.

Please!

You might as well pull
that trigger right now,

'cause I ain't moving from here
while she's in this pain.

Get away from that woman.

You want to deliver her
to your boss dead?

I ain't got no boss.

What are you, a messenger boy?

We're partners.

Is that better?

Now, is this pain any different
from the other one?

I mean, can you feel the baby moving?

Hands!

Get me... to Zachariah, Mr. Cartwright.

He needs me.

Now what's the matter?

She just fainted, this time.

Anything happens to this woman,

I'll be coming after you
for the rest of your life.

You keep your mouth off me

or the rest of your life
could end right here and now.

They're coming.

About time.

Watch him.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Who's he?

He's some loudmouth,
found him playing nursemaid.

Uh-oh, here it comes.

- Come on, I'll carry you.
- No, if Zachariah's hurt,

I don't want to make it worse
for him by being carried.

Well, come on, let's get out of here.

Oh, Teresa.

- Here.
- Whew. Thank you.

- I missed you so much.
- Oh, I missed you too.

I really did.

You get over there.

Stay there.

Go on!

You're shaking.

Oh, I'm just tired, is all.

Gabe, take care of the horses.

Gabriel?

I thought that was your whole name.

Letting him call you Gabe.

Where's your self-respect?

Go on, kid.

Zachariah, this is
Mr. Benjamin Cartwright.

Mr. Cartwright, this here's
my husband, Zachariah Burnside.

Zachariah.

And, sir, my name is Stretch,

and Fetch, and Fish, and Catch.

And yours, sir, name must be Vance,
and Dance, and Fancy Pants.

Well, I sure am.

To your health, sir.

Yeah.

Cartwright...

Cartwright...

Oh, yeah.

Big spread up north.

The Ponderosa... right?

That's right.

Turned me down for a job once.

I don't remember you.

It wasn't you.

Some... big... lummox.

One of your sons.

He was a good judge of character.

Nobody judges me!

Whoa! Vance! Back up, back up.

Calm down.

Look, you can have those two.

I want this loudmouth.

Gonna follow me the rest
of my life, are you?

I'm gonna take you
out of here right now.

No!

No! No! Leave him alone.

- What's the matter with you...
- The little lady said no.

I changed my mind.

We can use him
just like we can use her.

Mr. Cartwright is our insurance
for tomorrow.

Zachariah, what's tomorrow?

That's why
they brought you here, Teresa.

They're gonna rob the stage.

He's holding back on you.

He said "they."
He should have said "we."

'Cause you're gonna stop that
stage for us tomorrow, Tessy.

Don't you call me Tessy!

I ain't stopping no stage
for anybody who calls me that!

Why, I wouldn't stop
no stage for you

even if you called me
by my whole name.

Your name is whatever
I want it to be, Tessy,

and you're gonna do like I tell you.

Because the first time you get barky,

friend Cartwright is gonna get
a bullet through his head.

And after that...

If you even look cockeyed...

That little old baby of yours...

Ain't gonna have no papa.

There isn't any way
to follow any tracks in this.

I don't think so.

Pa's?

Yeah.

What do you think, Joe?

I don't think they stayed on the road.

I think he dropped it here for a reason.

Let's cut across the creek.

I never should have told them
about you.

No.

No place else I'd...
I'd wanna be excepting with you.

No matter what.

Could I... I have a drink?

Those pains you've been having...

- Oh, nothing, really.
- You've been having more of them?

- When was the last one?
- Oh, a while back.

Ain't enough water in here
to feed a mouse overnight.

Gabe, fill them buckets.

The storm is getting worse.

Sure is.

That girl, she needs a doctor now.

She can have a passel of 'em
after we hit the stage.

Now, you get back there
where you belong.

Her pains are getting quicker...

Get back there!

Stretch?

He can move a lot faster than me.

He'll get his tomorrow. They all will.

Now, this is where we make the move.

Yeah, take a closer look.

Watch it, stupid.
Can't you do anything right?

You see now, Gabriel?

You let him call you Gabe
instead of your whole name,

now he's calling you stupid.

You got something on your mind,
stupid?

My name ain't stupid! It's Gabriel!

You back talk me
and your name'll be mud!

You're stupid!

Oh.

He oughta be lucky
he didn't drown in the well.

You got something on your mind,
witness?

Zachariah, don't.

That's right,
you listen to your little mama

and you won't get hurt.

Now, get back to your bunk.

I said get back to your bunk!

I'm getting my wife a drink of water!

Easy now. Take it easy.

Her pains are getting
more regular and stronger.

But they were worse yesterday.

This is different.

She's going into labor.

Take your water
and you get back to that bunk!

You, with the big mouth,
you wanna talk, you talk to me.

Come on over here.

- Easy, Vance.
- Come on.

Vance, he's mine.

Oh, I'm not touching him.

Come on. You wanna talk? Spit it out.

You might as well forget about
that lady

in your plans tomorrow.

The pains are less than
15 minutes apart.

- She's going into labor.
- No, no, you said next month.

Babies can't read calendars,
and that ride sure didn't help her any.

Then I don't have to wait for you, do I?

Shut your face.

They've been gabbing over there.

She might be faking it.

- Suppose she isn't?
- Same game.

She gonna be in that road
with that baby or without it.

Now, listen.
She needs a doctor right now.

Odds are the baby will be breeched.

Then it won't be born
in a hurry, will it?

You...

Get back there. Come on, come on.

That was a crazy thing to do.
There was no chance.

They're gonna kill us anyway,
even if they get their money...

You gotta wait for the chance.

We're gonna wait to die.

All right, now, cut it!

I had enough of your whispering
and scheming.

This... This girl needs help.

Go on, get... Get up. Get over there.

You can't leave her just like this.

Get. Go on!

- She's in pain!
- Sit down!

Now, that's better.

And if you got
any bright ideas cooked up,

you just forget about 'em,
'cause you ain't gonna do nothing,

and I'm gonna tell you why.

'Cause just like Tessy's
gonna stop that stage

so you don't get hurt,

you're gonna behave
so that Tessy ain't... Ow!

Don't you dare!

And you were named for an angel.

Hurt him, Zachariah!

Oh!

This isn't like the others.

- I'm gonna have a baby.
- Oh, God.

Uh, here.

Take... Take care of those two.
Go ahead.

Go on, take care of them.

Well...

Pa? You... You all right?

Yeah, I'm fine. Fine.

We... We seen him running, and, uh...

I'll tell you all about it later.

We're just about to have a baby.

Uh, why don't you take this one
and his two friends over there

and put them in the back
there in the stable.

Make sure they stay there.

You just hang on tight.

Oh. Oh.

Hey, how 'bout this, huh?

How 'bout this?

Oh. Oh. Here's your mommy.

There's your mommy.

Oh, what a beautiful young fella.

Well, looks like you've been
pretty busy, Dr. Cartwright.

Yeah, just a... A little bit.

Yeah, just a little bit.

All the pains gone now?

Yes.

Why don't you take
those two fellas in to the sheriff

at Rio Lobo and I'll...
I'll meet you there soon.

Right. You take care.
It's a beautiful boy you got.

Good luck. Bye, Pa.

Bye.

Well, has he said "Mama" yet?

No.

How can I ever thank you?

Just by taking good care
of the little fella and his mama.

You know, knowing Teresa
has made me realize

how much I've missed
not having a daughter.

Ezekiel...

Ezekiel Benjamin Burnside...

Shh...

I would like you to meet your papa,
Zachariah Burnside.

And our very best friend,
Mr. Benjamin Cartwright.