Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 1, Episode 1 - Matt Gets It - full transcript

Good evening.

My name's Wayne.

Some of you
may have seen me before.

I hope so.

I've been kicking
around hollywood

A long time.

I've made a lot
of pictures out here.

All kinds.

And some of them
have been westerns.

And that's what I'm here
to tell you about tonight,

A western.



A new television show
called gunsmoke.

No, I'm not in it.

I wish I were, though.

Because I think it's
the best thing of it's kind

That's come along.

And I hope you'll
agree with me.

It's honest,

It's adult,

It's realistic.

When I first heard
about the show gunsmoke,

I knew there was only one man
to play in it,

James arness.

He's a young fella
and maybe new to some of you,

But I've worked with him,



And I predict
he'll be a big star.

So you might as well
get used to him,

Like you've had
to get used to me.

And now I'm proud
to present

My friend jim arness
in gunsmoke.

Gunsmoke...

Starring james arness
as matt dillon.

I try to remember that
if they'd argued a little,

They might not be here.

Arguing doesn't fill
any graves.

Take me,
I'm a u.S. Marshal.

How many times
I'd rather have argued

Than gone for guns.

Take dodge city over there.

"gomorrah of the plains"
they call it.

Jump-off spot.

People coming and going
all the time,

Good, bad and worse.

Tempers high.

A man'll draw his gun quicker
to prove a point

Than he'll draw on his logic.

That's where I come in,

Whether they like it or not.

When they draw their guns,
somebody's gotta be around.

Somebody on the law side.

And lord knows they hate that.

Dan.

It's me,
bird.

dan grat.

Dan.

Open up.

It's unlocked.

Dan.

You...

Been ridin'
pretty hard, bird.

You won't like
what I come to tell ya.

Wanna drink?

He died, dan.

Lay there
and bled to death.

A man deals
crooked cards to me,

Don't matter
how hard he dies.

Gave him a chance
to draw.

That's not it.

What you're
not gonna like is...

What?

He wasn't armed,
dan.

Hello,
mr. Chester.

Hello there,
miss jessica.

Welcome back,

After all the time
you shouldn't have taken.

Well...

I'm sorry I'm
so kinda late.

It's five miles
to fort dodge,

And five miles back.

I'm figurin'
the time you were gone,

You musta traveled
about two miles an hour.

Well, major hokum
kept me waitin'

For close
to three hours.

Why didn't you leave
the wanted posters

With the first sergeant?

Well, you told me
to leave 'em

With the major.

I should've
explained.

Aw, that's all right,
mr. Dillon.

Me and
the first sergeant

Spent close
to three hours

Enjoyin' a couple of beers
at the suttlers.

Oh, I trust
when it came to it,

The major didn't
mind waiting?

Huh?

No, it was me

That was waitin',
mr. Dillon.

me and the first sergeant.

You see,
when I got there-

Never mind,
chester.

It doesn't
matter.

After all,
it's been a pretty hot day.

Oh, hot.

That ain't
the word for it.

Comin' back
from fort dodge,

My horse's neck
was so-

Marshal dillon?

Here.

Jim hill, marshal.
From amarillo.

How do you do?
This is chester goode.

Pull up a chair.

What can I do
for you?

I'm lookin'
for a man, marshal.

Fellow called
dan grat.

Do you know him?

No.

Well, he's
comin' here.

He told one of his girls
in amarillo he was.

I'll wait for him.

You're waitin'
for any special reason?

Mm, kinda special.

Murder.

Murder?

This man's about as ruthless
a killer as there is.

I don't know how many killin's
he's done outside o' texas,

But he shot three men
in amarillo.

Two of 'em
in a fair fight.

But he made a mistake
on the last one.

You see, grat didn't know it
at the time,

But the man
wasn't even armed.

Was the murdered man
a friend of yours?

No, I didn't
know him.

Some gambler.

Why are you takin' it
on yourself to chase this grat?

I thought maybe
you'd heard of me, marshal.

I'm sheriff
of amarillo.

Oh.

Well, it's been some time
since I was in amarillo.

Now, you say this grat didn't
know the man wasn't armed,

Then what's he
running for, then?

Well, he found out
after he'd shot him.

That's a fine time.

They say
it shamed him,

Shooting
an unarmed man,

There's one thing
about grat, marshal.

He's no coward.

He's not
one small part

Of a coward.

He just likes
to go after a man,

And gun him down.

Uh, let me tell you
somethin', marshal.

Dan grat's
not very well-known,

But he's as 'bout
as handy with a gun

As anybody
in the state of texas.

Men that have
seen him say

He's the fastest
they ever saw,

Bar none.

That'll make you
pretty good

If you can
outplay him, then.

Won't it, sheriff?

That's not
the point.

Isn't it?

I'll help you
take him, sheriff.

No, you won't.

I only came here
to tell you

What I was doin'
in dodge, marshal.

I don't need
your help.

Why take a chance?

Well, I'm
pretty good myself.

I'm not
afraid of him.

All right.

And...

If you run into
him first,

Save him for me?

I'd hate to have made
the ride up here for nothin'.

Well, I don't quite
make him out, mr. Dillon.

Well, sheriff hill is like
a lot of people, chester.

He's too proud.

Too confident
in himself.

It will get him into
a lot of trouble someday.

Maybe sooner than that.

You can
buy another,

Then come on over.

Sure, I'll buy
another...On you.

Uh, you wanna pay me
for these beers

Now or later?

Now.

What do you want,
matt?

Do you know?

Oh, maybe fishing.

I'd like to fish
more than I do.

It's about
what I figured.

At least you could
take me along,

Once
in a while.

Oh, I did
take you.

Sure,

Two or three
months ago.

I like fishing,
matt.

Next time I get a day off,
we'll fish.

Good.

That'll give me plenty
of time to get ready.

They tell me
over at the bar

That you're
marshal dillon.

That's right.

Well, I just rode
into town, marshal.

You're the first man
I want to see.

Any particular
reason?

Well, it-

It's like this.

I'm kind of free and easy
in my ways, and...

Well, sometimes people
just don't understand.

Don't understand
what?

That they shouldn't try
to stop me.

Nobody tryin'
to stop ya, mister.

You can do anything you want,
short of breakin' the law.

Well, it's the law
I'm talkin' about, marshal.

Well, then say it
plain, stranger.

Sure.

I get into a fight.

And I kill somebody.

I don't want
no trouble about it,

Is that
plain enough?

Where are
you from?

Texas.

Amarillo?

Yeah, how'd
you know?

The sheriff,
jim hill.

He's here waitin'
for you, grat.

Where is he?

Well, he'd probably be
in here after a while.

Why don't you
wait for him?

Well, I'll find him
myself, and then...

After I do, we'll talk
some more, marshal.

Grat.

What is it, marshal?

About breakin'
the law here.

That includes
resisting arrest.

Oh, yeah, well, y-you
explain that to me later,

But...Over a drink.

Um, for your sake.

You see, I'm kinda ever
so good with a gun, and...

I'm sure sheriff hill
must've mentioned it to you.

Friend of yours,
mr. Dillon?

It was
dan grat.

I don't think I
ever heard you men-

It was?

Go find sheriff hill
and tell him grat's in town.

Try the dodge house
and hurry.

Yes, sir.

What are you gonna do
about it, matt?

Well, I've been asked
out of it.

There's not much
I can do.

Not yet.

He's a killer,
isn't he?

Yeah.

Well, I guess I'd
better sit down

And finish that beer
with you.

You don't like
not being able

To do anything
about it, do you?

Outside,
mr. Dillon.

Grat found
the sheriff.

They're down
the street.

Stay here.
All of you.

Matt, it's not
your worry.

Stay inside.

I keep tellin' ya,
sheriff.

You want me,

You come take me.

I'm takin' you, grat.

You have to walk
right up to me.

Not comin' to you.

Mr. Dillon?

The sheriff's play,
chester.

Well, closer
than that, sheriff.

A lot closer.

If ya want me.

I'm comin' right up
to you.

Now, either you
turn around

And throw down
your gun,

Or I'm comin' right up
to you.

You come up,
sheriff.

You...

...Reckon...

...Now, sheriff?

I reckon...

...Now.

Kept tellin' ya.

Keep tellin'
everybody.

No, mr. Dillon.

He's faster
than you even.

Don't do it.

Been expectin' you.

Come closer if you wanna
talk to me, marshal.

I warned you
about resisting arrest.

He drew first.

But he ain't the second
or third man I've killed,

What drew first.

Jim hill
was a lawman.

He was here
to arrest you

For murdering an unarmed man
in amarillo.

I didn't know
that man was unarmed.

Your mistake.

I'd have killed him
even if he had a gun on me.

I-I can kill anybody.

Like you.

Right now.

There, you see,
marshal?

See how easy
it is?

Well...

One more of these
can't...Hurt.

Probably won't help,
but it can't hurt.

How is he now,
doc?

Well, how can
I tell, I-

Here. I can't
tell yet, chester.

Can you
tell me?

Kitty, if I could
tell you, I could...

I could tell me.

I see.

Doc, can't ya
do somethin'?

Something?

Chester-
I mean somethin' better

Than what you've
been doin'.

He was hit
in the chest,

And it creased
along the forehead.

Now, we'll know what damage
it did when he comes to

And not before.

I'm doin' everything
I can for him.

I know, but couldn't you do
just a little bit more?

Another fraction of an inch,
and he'd be dead.

Now, as it is, he may be
all right in ten days or...

Well, who knows?
I-I don't.

You want us outta here,
don't ya, doc?

Thank you,
kitty.

Thank you.

Come on,
chester.

Doc?
Yes?

Yes, yes?!

I wanted
to kill grat.

I still do.

Well, that wouldn't
help a thing.

It's a terrible thing
to see a man like mr. Dillon

Get shot that way.

I'll buy you
a drink, chester.

If mr. Dillon dies,
I-I'll get me a shotgun,

I'll kill grat.
I'll blow him in half.

Then we'll see
how fast he is.

Chester,
will you get-?

Kitty, take him
out of here.

Come on, chester.
I'll go.

I just...

Hate to think of grat

Standin' at some bar,
braggin'...

How he shot down
a u.S. Marshal.

Well, come in.

How is he, doc?

Fine.

Nice of you
to stop by.

There's your
answer.

Well, I- I was
gonna make you

Some soup
or something,

But I thought I'd
come by

And see what you
wanted first.

Well, I was hopin'
somebody'd come by

And save me
from doc's cookin'.

Doc's cookin's kept you alive
for more than a week.

Killin' me, but it
kept him alive.

He's beginning
to look human.

How much longer
will he be in bed?

Oh, about
five days.

Tomorrow'll
do it.

Hmph.

Keep resting,
matt.

You shouldn't dare go out
until doc says.

I hear grat
killed frank scarth.

Yes, he...

He slapped him and then
shot him down, like that.

Slapped him?

Grat was that
close to him?

As close as I am
to you.

And that
herd boss,

The one who came to town to see
if his outfit should stay here,

Same thing.

He walked
up to him,

Pushed him in the chest
to make him draw,

And then killed him
when he did.

Kitty,
get outta here.

Go away.

Why?

I gotta get up.

I gotta start
walkin' around.

Now, just you
wait a minute.

Matt, you're not thinking
of facing dan grat again?

Now, don't worry.
I'll- I'll handle him.

You're not goin'
anywhere.

Matt, I never thought I'd have
to say this to you,

But you're a dead man
if you try him again.

He's faster
than you.

Well, you head
what she said.

And she's right.

You just get me
walkin', doc.

That's all
I ask.

Where?

Up the street,
so he can see you?

I wanna walk
a mile a day,

Two tomorrow,
and three the next day.

By the end of a week,
I'll be off your hands.

Mm.

Whether you walk with me,
or you don't.

All right.

Somebody's gotta walk with ya.
Might as well be me.

Where's your gun,
marshal?

Leave it
at home,

Or...You just
rememberin'

That I don't shoot
unarmed men.

I've...

I hope you get well
real soon, marshal.

Eh, you and me,
we-

We shouldn't have
no more trouble.

Uh, I don't want anything
except to be left alone,

To...Do whatever
I feel like doin'.

Don't do it, matt.

Don't do it.

I know you're stronger now
than you were a week ago,

But...You're still
not ready to go out and-

Chester oughta be back
by this time.

You were no match for dan grat
when you were completely well.

Well, I figure things'll
even up this time.

Eh?

After the autopsy.

It's all pride with you,
isn't it? Just pride.

Somebody came into town
who's faster than you are,

And you just gotta
try to prove he isn't.

Only you're not
gonna prove it

'cause he is.

Now wait a minute, doc-
I won't wait a minute.

You're goin' down there
and get yourself killed.

And just because
of your pride.

He's a gunman, doc.

He has to be
eliminated.

Oh.

All right!

All right, go on.

Just go on down there
and meet him.

He blasted ya last time,
and you were lucky.

You lived.

This time
he'll do-

Mr. Dillon!

Clerk
over at the dodge house

Said dan grat's still
in his room.

Mr. Dillon,

Can I just
sorta follow?

I'll see ya
later.

Marshal.

Which room
is dan grat's?

Up there,

At the end
of the balcony.

Come out of your
room, grat.

It's me,
marshal dillon.

I've got a gun on.

I've come
for you, grat.

Come here, marshal.

Comin' down
to talk to ya.

Just stay
there.

That's right.

Now turn around
and drop your gun belt.

And then come down.

Now, marshal,

Ain't no reason why
I can't come down there

And talk things
over with you.

I told you
to stay right there.

And I told you,

I like to be left
alone.

I said stop
and turn around

And drop
your gun belt

And then
come down.

I gotta hand it
to you, grat.

You're the fastest
I've ever seen.

But you gotta
be close,

So close
you can't miss.

You don't
take time

To aim
and shoot straight.

Well,
you're wrong.

You know it.

All right,
marshal.

I give up.

I told you-

Now, marshal,

Wouldn't shoot a man
with his hands up, would you?

Just comin'
down there,

Surrender.

That's close enough.

Aw, marshal,

Givin' myself up.

You take one more step,
and I draw.

Don't matter.

I'm close enough now.

You don't know
whether you are or not.

I say you're not.

Well, I say...

I am.