Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 8, Episode 20 - The Unseen Wound - full transcript

ANNOUNCER: The following program

is brought to you in
living color on NBC.

(fanfare plays)

♪♪

- Morning.
- Morning.

You riding through
or do you plan

to stay awhile here in Concho?

Oh, I thought I'd stay
a day or two. Why?

You'll have to check your
rig over at the sheriff's office.

You can pick it
up on the way out.

That apply to strangers only?



No. Everyone.

No weapons allowed in town.

It's a law Sheriff
Rowen's a real stickler for.

Well, can't say it's a bad law.

Paul Rowen in town today?

He sure is.

You know the sheriff?

Yeah. I know him.

(door opens)

Ben Cartwright!

(chuckles): I'll be,
you son of a gun.

Been a long time, Paul.

It sure has. A long time.

Last time was when you
tracked that fella all the way down



to Virginia City,
that escaped convict.

Yeah. Good to see you, Ben.

What are you doing in Concho?

Well, I came to see you.

And Catherine. And Timmy.

Had some business
over at Menden,

so I thought I'd
swing by this way

before I headed back
to the Ponderosa.

Menden? 70-mile
swing just to say hello?

The miles went easy.

How is the family?

Fine. Come on,
find out for yourself.

Bill, we'll be back shortly.

Oh, uh, your gun.

Uh, sorry, Ben, no exceptions.

Put that with the
others, will you?

Cathy, when she sees you,
she's just gonna laugh and cry,

and then she's gonna give
me the devil for not warning her

- so she could've been ready.
- (both laugh)

I'll tell you
something... This, uh,

this town is sure
peaceful and quiet.

Good family town now, Ben.

Yeah, well, you've
made it that way now.

Well... Major Landers!

Hold it.

Right there.

Paul, what is it?

What's the matter?

You know what's the
matter. Hand me that rifle.

- Oh...
- I want the weapon!

Now, you know
what my orders are.

What did you bring
this into town for?

If you look, Paul, you'll
see the hammer is broken.

I was taking it to Charlie's
to have it repaired.

I'm sorry, Tom. I'm...

a little tired. It's
made me edgy.

Forget it.

Appreciate it the
next time though,

if you stop by my
office and let me know.

Next time I will.

Uh... Ben, this
is Major Landers.

Old friend of mine,
Ben Cartwright.

Mr. Cartwright.

Major.

I'm running a little
late. I'd better go.

You won't forget,
you and your missus,

an invite to dinner
Saturday night.

Ah, we'll be there.

Paul? You, uh...
you're working too hard.

Why don't you take a
couple of days off? Go fishing.

(laughs)

You sound just like Catherine.

Like I tell her, don't
you fret about me.

Come on, we're
keeping her waiting.

(theme song playing)

(Ben laughs softly)

Mm-mm!

That smells good.

Catherine, I'd be
hard put to tell you

when I've had a better meal.

Oh, thank you, Ben.

I must say, if Paul had
told me you'd be here,

I could've prepared
something special.

What did I tell you, Ben?

Well, on such short notice,
it's been a mighty fine meal.

I'll tell you, Hop Sing
couldn't do any better.

Well, I've had
plenty of practice,

doing things on short notice.

You mean to tell me
that after all these years,

you still haven't put that man
of yours on a regular schedule?

Not in 12 years.

His job runs 24 hours,
seven days a week.

Oh, come on, now.

A couple of Sundays
ago, we took the day off

and went on that picnic.

Darling, that was
two months ago.

Two months, huh?

You mean it's-it's been 12 years

since you've been
wearing that badge?

12 years.

And seven months.

Yeah, years go by.

Doesn't seem that long.

Maybe not to you, Ben.

But it seems like a
hundred years to me.

Good coffee, hon.

BOY: Bang, bang, bang!

Got you, Running Horse!

You and your braves
surrender or I'll kill you all!

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

Bang, bang, bang! Bang!

I have told you again and again

I don't want you
to do this anymore!

Do you understand?!

Don't do it anymore!

(crying): All the kids play
cowboys and Indians, Pa.

There are other
games you can play.

They ain't as much fun.

PAUL: "Fun."

"Games," huh?

Games.

That's who they learn
it from. Us... right, Ben?

See the grown-ups

fighting and killing each other.

Then they play it
doing the same thing.

And so it goes on and on.

Never stops.

(crying)

All right, Timmy, it's...

Come on, you go on upstairs

and... do your schoolwork.

Well, it looks like the
two of you were right.

I sure need that vacation.

Give this old head
of mine a little rest.

CATHERINE: Is the pain very bad?

PAUL: Oh, no. No,
not right now. Don't...

fret about me.

Give Ben some more coffee.

Catherine?

How long's he been like this?

Well, it, um...

it started about six months ago.

I just, um...

Got headaches, and lately
it's been getting worse.

No eating.

And the nightmares.

Has he been to the doctor?

(sighs): Ben, you know Paul.

The only time
he'll see a doctor is

to set a broken bone or...

take out a bullet.

Well, he's... he's tired.

He's overtired. He's...

Now, Catherine,
you've got to see to it

that he has a vacation.

It's up to you.

Oh... oh.

Oh, Paul, you still own that
piece of land south of town?

Owned and almost paid for.

Gonna raise prime
stock on it soon as I retire.

(laughs) When are
you going to retire?

I don't know exactly.

Shouldn't be too
long now though.

Well, that'll make
Catherine happy.

Soon as I get things
squared around here.

Always keep the family
happy is what I say.

(gunshots in distance)

That's ol' man
Bleeker all right.

Shooting up the
countryside again.

- (distant gunshots continue)
- I control the guns here

in town, but out
there it's different.

Out there, a man needs a gun.

Does he?

- (distant gunshots continue)
- Let's bring him in.

MAN: ♪ I know you of old ♪

♪ You robbed my poor
pockets of silver and gold ♪

♪ If the ocean were
whiskey and I was a duck ♪

♪ I'd swim to the bottom
and never come up ♪

♪ Rye whiskey, rye
whiskey, rye whiskey, I cry ♪

♪ If I don't get my whiskey ♪

♪ I surely will die. ♪

(Ben and Paul laughing)

Timmy likes it when I
bring the old-timer in.

He sits outside his cell
and listens to him tell stories

about how he was
a buffalo hunter

and how he fought the Indians.

You know, I kind of like to
hear those stories myself.

Well, go on, get him out.

And make sure he
doesn't have a bottle

under his shirt this time.

- Yes, sir.
- (Ben laughing)

Soon as I'm sure he
can do his job all the way

and keep Concho
clean the way I made it,

that's when I walk, Ben.

That's when I start
my Ponderosa.

(sighs) Ah. Had a bellyful of it

in my lifetime, I can tell you.

All right, son, let's go.

Well, you can't take
that gun into jail with you.

If I can't take Bess
with me, I ain't a-going.

All right, no more
nonsense, Bleeker.

Give me the gun.

You'll have to take
her from me first, son.

Now, I'm not fooling with you.

- Give me that gun!
- No!

I ain't a-gonna go without Bess.

For the last time,
give me that gun.

I better get in there.

(both guns fire)

(Bill gasping)

I'm sorry, Sheriff.

I... I didn't handle
it right, did I?

It never should've happened.

(groans)

♪♪

"Never should've happened."

They died for no reason.

Paul, why don't you go on home?

Your report can wait till later.

I'll do what has to
be done with them.

(horses whinnying)

(gunshots, horse whinnying)

You all right, mister?

(gunshot)

(horse whinnying, gunshot)

Billy!

- (horse neighs)
- (gunshot, woman groans)

- What's happened to him?
- I don't know.

He's gone mad, stark raving mad.

Get the wounded off the streets
before he starts shooting again.

Everybody! You, too, Tollar!

He's in there.

Got to go in, maybe
talking some sense into him.

(glass shatters)

(gunshots)

(gunfire continues)

(gunshot)

LANDERS: Hurry that wagon.

Get that wagon over.

Come back in the morning,
and I'll check that wound.

Be careful.

I'll tell you, Doctor, it's a
miracle no one was killed.

You're lucky that
bullet just grazed you.

(gunshot outside)

I j-just don't understand it.

I thought I knew Paul so well.

(mutters)

I was standing there and...

suddenly he was turning
on that horse and firing.

It was all so sudden.

Perhaps not so
sudden, Mr. Cartwright.

Those years in the war,

the horrible
responsibility of command.

I saw it happen with men who
had been in combat too long.

Did you ever notice that Paul
never talked about the war?

It was building up
inside him all the time.

Then he became a lawman,
it was the war all over again.

But he hated the
killing part of it.

I begged him to take a vacation,
but he said he didn't have time.

- (gunshot outside)
- Said he wanted to make this...

a safe town to live in.

Ben! Ben, are you all right?

Oh, y-yes, yes.

No, this is j-just
a... just grazed.

Uh, where's Timmy?

I-I left him with neighbors,
they told me what happened.

What are we gonna do?

Oh, everything's
gonna be all right.

- Ben, what are we gonna do?
- Don't worry about anything.

- But... I've got to find Paul.
- (stammers) Now, you can't go...

One of his shots ricocheted
off a wall, nicked me in the wrist.

All right, get over here.

Oh, Ben, I've got to find Paul!

- Catherine!
- I've got to talk to him!

Now listen, you're
gonna stay right here.

You can't go out
there, you understand?

You can't go out there.

You've got to take
care of Timmy.

Now, I'm going to take you home.

Doctor?

Where does that
door... that door lead?

The alley.

Use it... it's safer.

Come on. Come on.

No, no, no.

You-you stay.

I'm all right, I'm...
Please help Paul.

I'll help him all I can.

The others, they
want to kill him.

No, th-they don't want
to kill him, Catherine.

They just want
him to stop firing.

(wind whistling softly)

♪♪

It's a war.

Kill 'em all.

Cut them down.

It's a war.

Levering, check the ammunition.

Mullens, you all right?

Get your heads down!

Danforth, take
the rest of the men.

Tell them not to move
around too much.

(wind whistling softly)

♪♪

(insects chirping)

(footsteps approaching)

Anything?

It's been quiet.

He's still inside.

He's surrounded.

There is no way for him to
get out without us seeing him.

Good idea, Major, these torches.

He tries to break out,

we'll gun him down
before he goes two feet.

Shoot only if he shoots first.

Your gun, Mr. Cartwright.

We need all the help we can get.

There's got to be another way.

There ain't no other way.

We'll get a chance to
talk about it at the meeting.

You'll be there, Mr. Cartwright?

(sighs) Yeah, I'll be there.

Catherine!

CATHERINE: Paul!

Paul, it's me, Catherine!

- Paul, please come out!
- BEN: Catherine!

Paul, please, we
want to help you!

Paul!

(gunshot)

BEN: Now, get down!

(gunshots)

Hold your fire. Hold your fire.

He tried to kill me, Ben.

Why?

Now, Catherine,
Paul is-isn't well.

He... he needs help.

He's sick.

Now, I-I don't know
how I'm gonna help him,

but somehow I will.

But right now, I got
to get you out of here.

Come on.

It's a trick.

A reb trick.

(chuckles)

Reb dressed up as a woman.

Tried to make me
think she was...

Catherine.

No, she wouldn't be
part of this killing, it...

Catherine, stay back.

Watch the window now.

Timmy. (laughs)

Timmy, come here, boy.

Get down low.

Get down low, now.

Come on, stay low.

That's a boy, Timmy.

(laughs)

Don't worry now, son.

I'm gonna protect you.

You don't need to
worry anymore, boy.

You'll be safe with me, boy.

(chuckles)

Yeah.

Oh, well, I'm so
glad to see you is all.

Timmy.

Now I told you not to
play with these guns.

(insects chirping)

(wind whistling softly)

TOLLAR: I've had enough.

How many more
folks he got to shoot

before you figure
we should stop him?

BEN: I agree, I've
already said so,

that Rowen has to be stopped,
but not by the way you suggest.

Man's got a point.

Sure don't like the idea
of having to kill Rowen

lessen we have to.

TOLLAR: We have to.

You ever see a range
steer go berserk?

He stomps,

he hooks his horns into
anything that gets in his way.

Cows, calves,
makes no difference.

He just wants to kill.

Now, Rowen is like one
of them steers, for sure.

Tollar's right.

There ain't no way to stop him

except with a
bullet in the head.

Paul Rowen is no
range steer gone berserk.

He doesn't want to kill.

Why won't he come out?

- It's all he has to do.
- Major's right.

We've tried to talk him down
from there a half a dozen times.

All he does is cut
loose with that rifle.

You saw what
happened with his wife.

He's not coming out.

So we force him
out, same as we do

with a steer gone bad
who hides in the brush.

And, uh, just how...
how do you do it, Tollar?

We burn him out.

Well, I suppose that
would solve your problem.

I don't want any part of it.

Paul Rowen... put
his life on the line

I don't know how
many times for you.

He made this town a place
where you can raise your family

without danger... safe, secure.

I sure think you owe him more

than a bullet in his brain.

Mr. Cartwright, Paul
Rowen is our friend, too.

We served together in the army.

There's not a man in this room

who doesn't owe
him a debt of thanks.

But he shot five
innocent people.

We all live in this town.

We must protect our families,

'cause our families
are the town.

Now, what do you
expect us to do?

Wait.

Wait a little longer.

Why give him time
to do more damage?

Because I'm begging you to.

I'm begging for a
few more hours...

hours that might just

bring Rowen back to his senses.

Doctor, that is
possible, isn't it?

In a case like this,
anything's possible.

I don't see no harm in
waiting a spell longer.

Well?

Until morning.

(insects chirping)

♪♪

Catherine,

they've given us till
morning, that's all.

Sometime between now and then,

we've got to get
through to Paul.

We've got to make
him understand.

Un-Until the morning, right.

Now... the nightmares.

What about the nightmares?

What-what were they like?

Did he... did he
talk about them?

- Did he discuss them with you?
- No.

No, he, uh...

he, uh, always refused
to talk... talk about them.

Well, you... were you around
when he had the nightmares?

Or did he, did he...
well, did he scream out?

- Did he talk?
- Yes, he used to...

- He used to cry out men's names.
- Yeah?

- And then he'd shout, uh...
- Well, what? What?

Uh, m-military orders,
that had to do with battles

and-and then he'd wake up
in a cold sweat and trembling

and then he'd-he'd
stay awake until morning.

TIMMY: Ma? Ma?

Has Pa come home yet?

No.

He hasn't come home yet.

And what are you
doing up out of bed?

Do you want to kill my
pa, too, Mr. Cartwright?

Well, what kind of a
question is that, Timmy?

Don't be silly.

TIMMY: Because when
I was at Jody's house,

he said they were
going to kill my pa.

Now, Timmy, no-no...

no, nobody's
going to kill your pa.

Nobody's going to hurt your pa.

Why, we wouldn't, we
wouldn't let anybody...

anybody hurt your pa.

Of course not.

Nobody's gonna hurt him.

He's the... he's the
sheriff in this town.

Nobody hurts the sheriff.

No, Timmy.

Timmy, you, uh...
you go on up to bed.

Huh?

All right?

Up you go.

Don't let them kill
my pa, Mr. Cartwright.

Don't let them.

Timmy, go up to bed now.

Timmy...

nothing is going to
happen to your pa.

All right?

You go on up to bed

and your mommy will be right up.

Catherine, what about
those nightmares?

Swale, Gray, check the rear.

Keep your eyes
open for a flank attack.

Jespers.

Jespers!

Take a look at Garland.

That leg wound's pretty bad.

Garrett.

Garrett!

Garrett.

Garrett!

It's no good.

You can't handle the job yet.

It's no good.

(chuckles)

No good.

Garrett?

Garrett.

Bleeker.

(sighs)

(wind whistling softly)

How do you take
a man's brain out,

repair the damage done to it

and then put it back?

Medicine's come a
long way, but not that far.

Like trying to fix
an unseen wound.

Yes.

You could call it that.

(gunshot)

(Ben sighs)

This town sure seems
to have a cure, doesn't it?

Doctor?

Does it have to be that way?

I was up all night asking
myself the same question.

Mr. Cartwright,
there's a hospital...

Hospital?

Oh, please don't tell me
about a hospital like that.

They're not hospitals,
they're prisons.

They're dirty, filthy dungeons.

I've seen what they do
to people like Paul in...

in those hospitals.

Put iron rings
around their neck.

They... they chain
them to concrete walls.

They throw food
through the bars at them.

They... they lie
there in their filth.

They die there in their filth.

They bury them in
unmarked graves.

God forgive me for saying this,

but Paul would be
infinitely better off

with a clean bullet
through his brain

than having to live out his
life in a hospital like that.

I received this medical
journal some time ago.

There's an article
I reread last night.

It was written by Dorothea Dix.

She was head of the
Army Nurses Corps.

Well, she knew
about those hospitals.

- She even worked in them for some time.
- Oh.

She finally went to the
President of the United States

and told him what was
going on inside those walls.

Well, the President
authorized Congress

to appropriate money
to build a hospital.

A hospital, Mr. Cartwright,
to treat those patients.

Did they build it?

It's just been completed.

It's in Washington, D.C.

It's called St. Elizabeth's.

According to that article,

they've already started
taking in patients.

Doctor...

if we could get
Paul in that hospital,

do you think they
could help him?

(gunshot)

Well, I think so.

I know they can do a lot more

than what this town plans
to do... that's for certain.

(gunshot)

(wind whistling)

Well, it's full morning,
and he's still in there,

and still shooting at
anything that moves.

We waited, mister.

Now what?

We do all we can for a sick
animal before we destroy it.

We could do at least
as much for Paul.

Anything more that happens

is on your neck, mister.

Major, I've been out
here most of the night.

I'd like to get some coffee.

- You know where it is.
- Yeah.

(gunshot)

(grunts)

TOLLAR: Wait?

Give him more time? To do what?

Put a bullet in all of us?

I've had it... and
you, mister...

Clean up to my throat.

I say we get him
and we get him now.

Well, Major?

Get the torches ready, Tollar.

Stay where you are.

What happens
next, Mr. Cartwright?

I can't let you kill him.

Just can't let you
kill him, Major.

Do you intend to kill all of us

in order to save him?

'Cause that's what
you're going to have to do.

Get the torches ready.

When I give the signal,
set fire to the warehouse.

Mr. Cartwright...

I respect your point of view.

In turn... respect mine.

Let's go, Johnny.

Get ready for an attack.

Remember, no surrender.

If this is gonna be it,

then take as many of
them with you as you can.

Fight like soldiers
and die like soldiers.

Paul will be killed before
he gets ten feet out of there.

We both know it.

That's it, Johnny.

You go first.

This is it!

Here they come!

Kill 'em! Kill 'em! Kill 'em!

(gunfire continues)

Kill!

Kill 'em! Kill 'em!

Kill 'em!

Kill!

Get that ammunition up here!

Get the ammo up here, Levering!

Timmy! Timmy!

T-Timmy! Timmy!

Pa, where are you?

Hold your fire!

Hold fire!

Levering, you keep
that ammo moving.

Collins, you all right?

Danforth? Kaufman?

All right.

Just keep your eyes open.

Please, Pa!

Please answer me!

Tollar, no, no!

Tom?

Tom, what's happened?

Tell me, I have a right
to know... is it Timmy?

Is it?

He's inside.

(flames crackling)

I won't let them kill my pa.

(whispering): Timmy,
come to the door.

Timmy?

Timmy?!

Timmy?

(flames crackling)

(clatters)

(whispers): Timmy?

Timmy?

Timmy. Timmy?

(rustling)

BEN: Paul?

It's Ben.

It's me, Ben Cartwright.

Paul?

(gun cocks)

(bullet ricochets)

Ooh!

(flames crackling)

(grunts)

Paul?

Paul?

It's me, it's Ben.

It's Ben Cartwright, Paul.

You know, from the Ponderosa.

Paul?

Come on, stop your hiding.

Come on out.

Ben?

(flames crackling)

Ben?

That's right.

Sure, it's me.

Hello, Paul.

(uncocks hammer)

Ben.

Good to see you, Paul.

When'd you become
a gunfighter, Ben?

What do you got to do
with those killers out there?

Paul, I'm not a gunfighter.

Well, you know
me better than that.

Nobody wants to kill anybody.

We're your friends.

Friends?

The friends that killed
those men up there...

Levering, Danforth, Kaufman?

Collins?

The friends that are
gonna tell their wives

and their families
and their kids?

Oh, Paul, y-you've got
it all wrong, there's...

there's nobody upstairs.

Those fellas, they...

they were killed
a long time ago.

In the war, Paul.

There's nobody up there now.

Now, come on, I'll show you.

They're up there, all
right, and they're dead.

They were killed
by them out there.

It's a killing world, and
they won't change it,

but I'm going to.

Paul.

Paul, I'm Ben Cartwright.

From the Ponderosa.

Remember, I was at your house?

Yesterday.

We had a wonderful meal.

Your wife, Catherine,
she made it.

Catherine, your wife.

Your beautiful wife.

And your little boy
was there, Timmy.

You remember Timmy.

Catherine and Timmy.

It's your family.

I brought Timmy
to say hello to you.

Yeah?

Timmy?

Timmy, say-say hello to your pa.

Timmy?

Say hello to your pa, Timmy.

Timmy?!

Pa? Pa?!

Timmy?

Timmy?

Timmy?

Tim?

- Paul, watch out for the fire.
- Tim?!

(gunshot)

Tollar, fire one more
shot without an order,

I'll kill you personally.

(gunshot, bullet ricochets)

All right, Cartwright.

It didn't work. It didn't work!

Now it's your turn!

First you, and
then the rest of you!

Pa?

Pa, I'm hurt.

Please help me, Pa.

♪♪

♪♪

Why...

Why, Daddy'll just have to...

fix that up, won't he, Timmy?

♪♪

BEN: Major!

Hold your fire!

LANDERS: Hold your fire!

(wind whistling softly)

♪♪

Well, I'll take along a
couple of books here

in case Doc's conversation
gets dull on the way.

It's a long trip to that
hospital in Washington.

See what I mean?

Two days' rest, and already
he's insulting his doctor.

(Ben laughs)

I'm sorry, Doc,
that you have to go

all the way back there
just because of me.

It's all right.

I can use the time off myself.

Well, uh... guess
I better be going.

What about, uh, Timmy and Cathy?

Are they going to
the stage with us?

No, I said good-bye upstairs.

I-I think it's better that way.

(quietly): Fine.

Pa?

You'll be coming
home soon, won't you?

You take care of your mom, now.

ANNOUNCER: This has
been a color production

of the NBC Television Network.