Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 4, Episode 16 - Song in the Dark - full transcript

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♪ Rim, rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ Nary a star shines down ♪

♪ Down in the ground she lies ♪

♪ Under an earthly mound ♪

♪ That's where her spirit lies ♪

♪ Rim, rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪



♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ She was young, so fair ♪

♪ Cheated and lied, you see... ♪

There he is, right
on time again.

Yup, the middle of the night.

You know, we can
thank our brother Adam

for bringing in that
singing troubadour

to give the whole
family insomnia.

Roams around all night,
strumming that blame guitar.

Reckon where he goes.

I know where I'd like him to go.

♪ Now every night he rides... ♪

Well, it ain't likely I'll
doze off again tonight.

Might as well get up.



♪ There in the sands so light ♪

♪ So he could see her face. ♪

Hey, Joe, come here.

Well, what's he doing?

Looks like he hurt
his arm somehow.

Well, he didn't
hurt it bad enough.

He can still strum that guitar.

Yeah. He keeps
playing that same song.

Yeah. It's a strange one.

You know, the boys in the
bunkhouse were telling me,

he found a coyote in
a trap the other day.

He strangled it
with his bare hands.

Think we ought to talk to
Pa about getting rid of him?

Well, either that,

or Adam's gonna have
to tie him up at night.

- I got to get some sleep.
- Yeah. Me, too.

♪ She was so young, so fair ♪

♪ Cheated and lied, you see ♪

♪ So with a deadly care ♪

♪ He set her spirit free. ♪

Morning, Adam.

Ah, good morning, Dan.

Hey, uh, you want that
we should get started

on the corral fence today?

Oh, yeah. As soon
as my, uh, brothers

finish their
leisurely breakfast.

Whoa. Whoa.

Well, morning,
Mr. Johnson, Mary.

- Good morning, Adam.
- Hello there, Adam.

- Let me give you a hand.
- Thank you.

Well, the missus finished
making them preserves for your pa

so we thought we'd
bring them over to you,

and return that plow you
were nice enough to lend to us.

- I thank you.
- Oh, you're quite welcome.

You know, Mary, if these
preserves are as good

as the ones you made last year,

why, I think we're gonna
praise you all winter long.

Well, I-I... I hope
you like 'em, Adam.

- Here, let me help you, ma'am, with these.
- Ah.

Thank you, Danny.

Hey, all of 'em at once?

You don't know his strength.

- Well, my goodness.
- Thanks, Dan.

Here, I'll-I'll show
you where they go.

I'll give you a
hand with this plow.

Hey.

Hey, careful!

Oh.

Oh, well, music,
instruments like that...

Tools of the Devil.

We drove through town
on the way in here, Adam.

The Devil sure worked
his will in there last night.

Oh?

Good morning, Mr. Johnson.

What's all this
talk about the Devil

on such a nice,
bright, sunny morning?

Well, I was just
telling Adam here,

there was a killing last night.

Oh, yeah? Trouble in the saloon?

No. This was a crime of passion.

The widow Baker was murdered.

Mm. But who would
want to kill her?

Poor woman.

They got any idea who did it?

No, not yet. The maid come in

to clean up the
parlor this morning,

and there she was, dead.

All she did was run a
high-stake card game

in a back parlor.

And an honest one at that.

Honest? Her with
her gambling cards?

The, uh, sheriff have any leads?

No, sheriff's out of town,

but the deputy, Jeff Sykes...

He says it must have
been a powerful man

with mighty strong hands.

Why do you say that?

Well, because of the
marks on her neck.

You see, the... the widow
was strangled to death.

Well, thanks again,
Mr. Cartwright,

for the loan of the plow.

Here, let me help you up, ma'am.

Oh, thank you, Little Joe.

Thank you for the preserves.

You're welcome.

- Good-bye to you.
- Bye-bye.

Howdy, Jeff.

Howdy, Ben.

You had some trouble in town.

Yeah, Ben. I, uh...

I'd like a word with Adam.

Adam?

Morning, Jeff. What
can I do for you?

About this, uh, fellow
Morgan, Adam...

What do you know about him?

Oh... not much,

except he did me a little
favor a couple of years ago.

What, uh... what
kind of a favor?

Oh, like, saving my life.

Is that all you know about him?

What's to know?

Your friend, Danny,
was heard last night

singing around the widow Baker's

just about the time she
was strangled to death.

Yeah, well, we heard
about the widow.

He's been heard singing
at night all over the territory,

so what does that prove?

I want to see him, anyway.

As you say. Hey, Dan?

Danny, the, uh, sheriff
wants to talk to you a minute.

Sure. What about, Sheriff?

Roll up them sleeves.

Look at that arm.

Those are some
pretty deep scratches.

I think you'd better
come along with me.

What for?

Widow Baker didn't die easy.

She fought for her life.

We found bits of skin and
blood underneath the fingernails.

♪ Lonely as he can be ♪

♪ Riding on endlessly ♪

♪ Lonely as he can be ♪

♪ His spirit never free ♪

♪ Rim, rim, under
the red rock rim ♪

♪ That's where to look for him ♪

♪ Rim, rim, that's
where to look for him ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ Rim, rim. ♪

Widow Baker must
have had about $10,000

hidden around
that house of hers.

She never used a bank account.

That's a mighty good motive for
robbery and murder... $10,000.

Evening, Felix, Bubba.

Howdy, William.

You know, they should take
that guitar away from him.

He practicing for a harp.

Not where he's going.

A woman has just been
strangled to death, gentlemen.

I don't find that a very
humorous situation.

It's Adam Cartwright
we have to thank

for bringing a man like
Morgan into our midst.

Evening, Sheriff.

Got a lot of help outside.

Yeah, they got
Morgan tried and hung

before I even pressed
a formal charge.

Can I see him?

Oh, I suppose you can, Adam.

About the only thing

I can get out of him is
the words to that song.

- Oh, Adam?
- Oh.

- Let me know when you're ready to leave.
- Right.

Well... you're in
real trouble, Danny.

I-I ain't done nothing, Adam.

Where were you last night?

Riding. Just riding.

Looking at the stars
and... watching Orion's belt.

So now you hurt your
arm on Orion's belt?

My arm?

Oh, my horse stumbled, and I...

I sort of fell against
some thorny briars.

That's how it happened,
Adam. I mean, I...

I sort of stumbled.

You remember the
time your horse stumbled

when you were
crossing the Poker Flats?

Yeah... I remember.

Listen, Danny...

You were heard around
the widow's place last night.

And the card game there
broke up about 2:00 this morning.

When some of the
players were leaving,

they heard you singing
off in the night some place.

Well, she gave me a dollar

for fixing a fence
for her yesterday.

A whole dollar
for just that fence.

Well, singing a song
was the least I could do

for that whole dollar.

How long were you
outside the house?

Sheriff's been asking me
the same questions, Adam.

Have you got to, too?

Well, just trying to find
out what really happened.

I done told you, Adam...

I ain't done nothin'.

I ain't killed nobody.

All righty.

I may be a minority
of one, but...

I believe you.

Sheriff?

Hey, Adam...

when are they gonna
let me out of this place?

We'll see what we can do.

You get anything out of him?

No, just that... he
denies hurting anybody.

Well, that ain't enough
to prove him innocent.

It doesn't prove
him guilty, either.

Hey, singing man...
sing us another tune.

Yeah, we're tired
of that old one.

- Make it a new one.
- How about, uh,

dancing from the end of a rope?

Yeah, yeah, end of a rope.

They could get pretty nasty.

I can handle them.

Just sitting there stewing

and not eating your supper
isn't gonna help anybody.

Danny's locked in a cell

while the respectable
folk of Virginia City

stand outside his window

and tell him that he's
gonna be hanged...

and the sooner the better.

It's not the kind of stuff

you build an appetite on.

Well, they're wrong, of course,

but that doesn't
necessarily make you

all together right, either.

He could be guilty.

A voice in the dark,
and a scratch on the arm

is not proof.

He came here
looking for a stake.

Well, $10,000 make
a mighty big stake.

Look, when he saved my
life I was out of my head.

There was $3,000
in my saddlebags.

He knew it was
there. He told me later.

He could have
taken all the money...

left me there to die...

and no one would
have been any the wiser.

Hmm. Maybe you're right.

Some people are harder
to figure than others.

Yeah, he's different.

But that doesn't automatically
make him a dangerous killer.

What are you doing out of jail?

Well, I just couldn't
take it no more, Adam.

I was all closed in.

Nothing but walls.

I couldn't see the sky...

not even one star.

Well, how did you get out?

Well, uh, the sheriff,

when he brought me my supper...

well, I, I grabbed him.

Oh, Danny, you
didn't hurt him, did ya?

No, sir, I wouldn't hurt nobody.

I just grabbed him and
wrestled the keys away from him.

Where'd you leave him?

In the cell.

I couldn't think
of no other place.

Well, he's all right,
Adam. Honest.

I just couldn't take it no more.

Well, I ain't running
away, Mr. Cartwright,

nothing like that.

I, I...

I just couldn't stay
locked up no more, Adam.

Well, you're just
gonna have to go back.

Back to jail?

Yeah, back to jail.

Please, Adam, I...

All right, don't worry about it.

Go on out to the bunkhouse.

Why'd you do that?

Town's in an ugly mood.

Adam, he broke jail.

Look, it's gonna be
better this way all around.

Stays away one night, I'll
take him back tomorrow.

You're sure sticking
your neck out.

Way out.

It's my neck.

I'll take him some food,
he didn't have any supper.

Hey, how'd Danny
get out of jail?

He broke out.

He broke out? How
come you let him ride off?

What?

Yeah, I was coming out of
the barn, I seen him riding off.

If he's gone for good,

you're gonna be in a
lot of trouble, Adam.

If he'd wanted to escape, he
never would've come back here.

Here, take care of
that. I'm gonna ride in

and tell the sheriff
what's happened.

- I'll go with you.
- No, never mind.

Danny's my problem,
I'll take care of it.

Tell 'em we'll start as
soon as there's light.

We'll meet here.

Bob.

Well, your innocent
friend escaped.

Locked me in my own jail.

I know.

You know? How could you know?

My deputy just let me out.

He came out to the ranch.

Why didn't you bring him in?

He didn't stay.

Didn't stay? You
mean, you let him go?

I intend to bring him
back in the morning.

And believe me, he's
not trying to escape.

He just wandered
off, but he'll be back.

You're dang right he'll be back.

I'm bringing him
back with a posse.

I was gonna wait
till there's light,

but now that I know
where he's been,

I'm riding just as
soon as I get the men.

Jeff, give him till morning.
I know he'll come back.

You brought him
to this community.

You've been aiding and
abetting him ever since.

Now stay out of it, Adam.

From now on, I'll handle Morgan.

It's only me.

Danny Morgan, you...

you-you just don't touch
me. Stay away from me.

I wouldn't touch
you, Miss Johnson.

Just-just stay away from me.

You're afraid of me.

Don't be afraid of
me, Miss Johnson.

Well, I was riding
by, and I saw you

standing here at the well.

Just wanted a drink
of fresh well water.

Well, you're...

you're supposed to be in jail.

Oh, well... yes, ma'am, I know,

but I, I just couldn't
stay there no more.

I couldn't see the
sky, or the stars...

I just couldn't stay
there no more, ma'am.

Especially at nighttime.

I can't be closed
in at nighttime.

I've got to be out...

where I can ride them hills.

Yes, I... I've
heard you, at night.

Well, I hope I didn't
bother you none,

with my singing.

Oh, no, you didn't.

I... It, uh... it-it helps...

with the loneliness.

It gets lonely...
without children.

I guess I better get my pail.

I'll do it.

I like children,
too, Miss Johnson.

The little ones.

Now they, they see the trees,

and the grass... and the sky.

They really see
things when they look.

I think I, I understand
what you mean.

Thank you.

Good night, ma'am.

Good night.

Help him.

Who was that?

Was it that murderin'
devil, Morgan?

Answer me, Mary.
Was that Morgan?

- Well, uh...
- It was, wasn't it?

I'd recognize that white
horse of his anywhere.

He, he just stopped
by for a drink of water.

What's he doing out of jail?

They arrested him today.

I, I guess they
must've let him out.

Let him out? They
can't let him out.

He's a murderer.

I guess the deputy knows
what he's doing, William.

This is probably those
Cartwrights' doing.

They run this whole country
just to suit themselves.

Letting a disciple of the Devil
like that run around loose.

William, please...

Don't you realize the
danger you were in?

He could've done
the same thing to you

he done to that poor
widow woman last night.

Come on inside.

We'll go up and give
thanks to the Lord...

for sparing your life.

♪♪

Let us pray.

Thank you, O Lord,

for protecting my dear
wife in her hour of peril.

And may it please Thy will

that soon I may achieve
that state of grace

that will enable me to
devote myself full-time

in Thy behalf without
any interference.

Amen.

Mary?

Amen.

Dearly beloved, for eight years

this pulpit has
been in my keeping.

For eight years I
have treasured it,

brought it through
adversity and danger,

clear across this broad land.

I-It's not right to keep
that pulpit in this place.

It's, it's a sacrilege.

You ought to
give it to a church.

Church? Mary...

it will have its own church.

My church.

A church that I shall
build and I shall nourish,

whose sheep only I shall choose,

and, Mary, only the pure
and clean will enter the doors

because I will be standing guard

and keep the sinners out.

I thought churches
were meant for sinners.

You thought.

To let a woman like
that sinful widow Baker

or that Danny Morgan enter
a church, that's sacrilege.

Mary, when Morgan hangs...

then I think we can
begin my ministry.

I think we can start
building next week.

Next week?

But how?

Where is the money
going to come from?

Mary, Mary, you
leave all that to me.

You just pray that Morgan hangs.

I'm going to go to the sheriff
first thing in the morning

and I'm going to insist
they put Morgan back in jail.

But what does Danny
Morgan's hanging

have to do with
building the church?

Sinners must die so the
pure might prosper, Mary.

But what if, if he's not guilty?

Now, I, I-I don't think Danny
Morgan could kill anybody.

He's, he's too kind,
he's, he's too gentle.

You do as I say, woman.

Pray that Morgan hangs.

Lord...

suffer no interference in
the building of my church.

I have waited so long, Lord,

I have waited so long.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Mary...

I told you never to
come in here without me.

Where did all this
money come from?

$10,000.

It's her money, isn't it?

Hers?

No, no, Mary, no, it's mine.

Don't you see?

I did it for us,

to help us build our church.

That poor woman.

She was evil; the world
is better off without her.

You killed her.

No, Mary, no.

D-Don't you understand?

Bad people need killing.

God wants it that way.

You murdered her.

No, Mary, Mary, don't you see?

The money helps
us to do His will.

The more we prosper,

the closer we come to Him.

You're insane.

Don't say that,
don't ever say that!

Mary, I didn't want you to
know anything about this.

I didn't... but now that you do,

you'll have to understand.

I'll have to try and
make you understand.

I, I, I do, William,
I, I-I do understand.

No, you don't,
Mary, no, you don't.

I-I-I do, William,
honestly I do.

No, I can't risk anybody
finding out, Mary, not even you,

unless I'm sure they understand.

I-I do.

But you don't, nobody does,

and it's so simple...
Bad people must die.

♪♪

♪ Now every night he rides ♪

♪ To that deserted place ♪

♪ There in the sands so wide ♪

♪ Hoping to see ♪

♪ Her face ♪

♪ Rim, rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ Lonely as he can be ♪

♪ Riding on endlessly ♪

♪ Lonely as he can be ♪

♪ His spirit ♪

♪ Never free ♪

♪ Rim, rim, under
the red rock rim ♪

♪ That's where to look for him ♪

♪ Rim, rim, that's
where to look for him ♪

- ♪ Under the red rock... ♪
- You killed her!

You murderer, you killed her!

Where you been?

Just riding, Adam.

I thought I told you to
wait in the bunkhouse.

Why'd you leave?

Well, I couldn't go to
the bunkhouse, Adam.

I know the way
they'd look at me.

The men think I killed
the widow woman.

Don't you have any sense at all?

What do you care
what they think?

What's wrong with your arm?

Nothing.

Boy, you've been shot.

Who did it?

Well, it's happened, Adam,
what everyone was afraid of.

You killed her, you killed her.

That'll be enough of that.

Easy, Adam, his wife's dead.

What?

Her neck's broken.

He stopped us as we
were on our way out here.

Murderer.

Oh, oh, no.

No.

Why, yeah, I-I saw her tonight,

but I just stopped to
get a drink of water.

I was out in the barn
tending a sick calf.

When I came back, he
was standing over her.

I shouted, "You killed
her, you murderer."

When he got on his horse,
tried to get away, I shot him.

You don't believe
me, look at his arm.

You killed my wife.

No, no, no, I, I-I ain't
never killed nobody.

Honest, Adam.

If he killed her, why
did he come back here?

Why didn't he light out?

Who can tell what
a killer will do?

Come on, you.

You'd better come along with me.

Better go with him, Danny.

You wouldn't put him
back in jail, would you?

No, no.

You got to play God.

How was the funeral?

Well, Mr. Johnson
got pretty emotional.

Guess you were wise, not going.

Whole town was there,
including the deputy.

You hear they're
trying Danny today?

They're sure in a hurry
to hang him, aren't they?

Adam, I know you
think he's innocent.

Thinking isn't, isn't enough.

There's got to be some,
some tangible evidence.

Well, I think I'm evidence.

He could have left
me out there to die,

and my money was just as
good as the widow Baker's,

but he didn't kill then and I
don't believe he's killed now.

Well, somebody
killed that poor woman.

She's dead and buried.

Well, you know,
there seems to be

just two stories
about all this...

Danny's and Mr. Johnson's...

And everybody assumes
that it's Danny who's lying.

You suggesting that
Mr. Johnson killed his own wife?

It's possible.

It could just be
that the upright,

Bible-spouting Mr. Johnson, uh,

hasn't told us
everything he knows.

Like you say, it could be,
but it still has to be proved.

You're gonna have to
prove it in a hurry, too.

Mr. Johnson won't be
around much longer.

He's got his ranch up for sale.

He's kind of in
a hurry, isn't he?

I wonder why.

God's will be done.

But they'll pay, Mary.

I promise you, they'll pay.

That money was for us.

But now I must go on alone...

rooting out corruption
wherever I find it.

The money will
help me in that fight.

The evil in the human soul

must be destroyed,

and I will be the instrument

that destroys it.

♪ She was young, so fair ♪

♪ Cheated and lied, you see ♪

♪ So with a deadly care ♪

♪ He set her spirit free ♪

♪ Rim, rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ Now every night he rides ♪

♪ To the deserted place ♪

♪ There in the sands so wide ♪

♪ To see... ♪

Where are you, Morgan?

♪ Rim, rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim... ♪

♪ Lonely as he can be... ♪

I saw him.

Sheriff, when did
you let him out?

Now, hold on, Johnson.

What are you talking about?

But you did; you let
him go, didn't you?

That sinner, that murderer.

Why?

Let who go?

Morgan, that's who.

Danny Morgan.

♪ Rim, rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim... ♪

You can hear for yourself.

He's been here right along.

Go on, take a
look if you want to.

♪ Down in the ground she lies ♪

♪ Under an earthly mound ♪

♪ That's where
her spirit lies... ♪

♪ Rim, rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim... ♪

That... I... I saw him
outside my house,

not a half an hour ago.

♪ Cheated and lied, you see... ♪

He couldn't get
back here before me

without his horse.

Now, Johnson,

why don't you just simmer down?

You don't believe me?

Well, I brought his
horse back with me.

Huh?

Hold on, I'll show you.

Come on, you can
see for yourself.

That's your horse,
ain't it, Johnson?

But... h-his horse was there.

It...

That big, white
horse he always rides.

I know, I brought
him here myself.

I tied him right
up to that rail.

Look, Mr. Johnson,
I-I know you been

under a terrible strain
with that awful thing

that happened to
your poor wife and all.

It can start a man
to imagining things.

It can happen to anybody.

I saw him, and I heard him.

Morgan's horse is in my
stable where he's been all night.

I put him there myself.

The trial starts tomorrow.

Morgan will hang;
there's no doubt.

And that will be the end of it.

I saw him.

I know I did.

I shot him right
off of that horse.

I...

No.

My pulpit, my pulpit.

Oh, I... I've got to get away.

I've got to get
away. He's the devil.

I've got to take
it to a safe place.

Help me. Help me...

build my church in a safe place.

What-what do you want?

What are you doing here?

I need your help.

Help?

I have doubts, and
I need your help.

Doubts?

What kind of doubts?

About all that's happened.

It's as though...

It's as though the Devil
himself were around tonight.

Are you against the Devil?

Yes, I am.

I'm afraid of him.

I need help to fight him.

I need your help.

Yes, yes, yes, then you, too,

sense the forces of evil
that are loose tonight?

Yes, there are forces
of evil loose here.

Yes, on this night of evil,

you come to me seeking help.

Adam, you shall
be my first convert.

I shall.

I shall be your convert.

Adam, do you see this pulpit?

- Yes.
- It's a miracle pulpit, Adam,

saved alone from a great fire.

Oh, yes?

Around it I shall build
my miracle church,

free of sinners.

Oh, yes, a miracle
church free from sinners.

A glorious church, Adam,
with magnificent windows,

and only the pure in
heart can enter there.

Yes, a glorious church
with magnificent windows,

- and only the pure in heart.
- Yes, yes.

But wait.

Huh?

How shall we build this church?

Don't you fear.

I can do it.

I have the strength.

I have the faith.

- Yes.
- I have the power.

Strength, faith and power!

But we have no money.

Don't worry about that.

No?

No, you can't build
a church on words.

There will be no glorious
church with magnificent windows.

Yes, yes, yes, I
have money, Adam.

No, no miracle
church free of sinners

because you only have debts.

- No, no, I have money.
- No, you don't have money.

Yes, I do. I have $10,000.

The widow Baker's $10,000?

Yes, yes.

No, no, I-I mean...

Yes, yes, you killed
for it, didn't you?

Yes!

No.

No.

It can't be.

It's holy.

It's done God's work
for a hundred years.

It-it can't... it
can't be broken.

But it is.

Now... Now I can't
build my church.

It's wrong.

It's all wrong.

I'm wrong.

Danny, come back to see us.

Thank you, Hoss.

Lots of luck, Danny.

Bye, Danny.

Thank you, Mr. Ben.

Well, I've got to
be going, Adam.

Sure you won't change your
mind and wait till tomorrow?

No, I...

I like traveling
best in the dark.

Well, if you ever need
anything, come on back.

If I do, I sure will, Adam.

Good luck.

Thank you.

♪ Rim, rim ♪

♪ Under the red rock rim ♪

♪ Nary a star shines down ♪

♪ Down in the ground she lies ♪

♪ Under an earthly mound ♪

♪ That's where
her spirit lies. ♪

This has been a
color presentation

of the NBC Television Network.