Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 1, Episode 20 - Reunion '78 - full transcript

ANNOUNCER:

Starring James Arness
as Matt Dillon.

Night on Boot Hill gives a man
quiet to think in.

And something
to think about.

Lot of 'em are here.

The big talkers,
the fast guns, the braggers.

Shoulder to shoulder.

Keepin' each other company
under the prairie sod.

I'm a lawman with headquarters
over there in Dodge City.

Matt Dillon,
United States marshal.

A good many
of these Boot Hill men



were my customers.

Yesterday, the quick,
today, the dead.

Who'll be here tomorrow?

Did you see him?

Look...

no use takin' a load of trouble
on to yourself, Jerry.

There's plenty of trouble
in the world without-

You did see him.

How close?

Ten feet.

Was it him?

I don't know.

H- How can a man be sure
after ten years?

Look, it's all over
and done with, Jerry.



Let it be.

No use stirrin' it
all up again.

If I get ten feet
from him, I'll know him.

Where is he?

Long Branch.

Don't go in there,
Jerry.

That's no place
to start trouble.

You don't
know Dodge.

You don't know
Matt Dillon.

He just
went in there.

You don't want to
fool with him.

Go on back
to camp.

This is
my play.

Wait.

What if
it is him?

What are you
gonna do?

I don't know.

Kill him
maybe.

You don't want to get mixed up
in anything like that.

Come on, you need
some air, Chester.

Oh, Miss Belle.
Sometimes I-

I think you're
just after my money.

Chester,
you're right.

Know what
my mother told me?

"Never trust a man
with brown eyes."

Don't you believe her. There
ain't a word of truth to it.

You're a sweetheart,

I love to be with you,

and I'll see you
on payday.

Now scoot.

Oh, Miss Belle, uh-

I mean, couldn't we-?

Well-

Wouldn't you like
just one more drink?

Good night, Chester.

Well...

Chester.

Huh?

Go inside
and get my cape.

Why? What's
the matter?

A little too much rye,
I guess.

Go on, Chester. Get my cape.
You know where I left it.

All right.
Oh, and Chester-

Tell them I'm going home.
Tell them I don't feel well.

Hurry.
Well-

Well, thanks
for the drink, Andy.

Oh, it's
all right.

Good to see you.
Nice to see you again, fellas.

See you some more.

Yeah.

Nearly ten years
in the state of Kansas,

and each one bigger
than the year before.

Started out by drummi''
lamps and lanterns,

and small tools
and such.

And I took on
farm equipment.

Farmers' hardware,
barn paints and whitewash.

Excuse me,
Andy.

What'll you have,
mister?

Whiskey,
please.

Evenin'.

You new
in these parts?

Yeah.

You'll like it.

Dodge is a great
little town.

Great little town,
isn't it?

Seven years this month,
is it, Andy?

Yeah.

And this is only
the beginnin'.

Kansas is growin'
like a weed.

I wanna show you
somethin'. Heh-heh.

This here...

is gonna make
a fortune for me.

Wire with
barbs in it.

Fellow named Haish,
or Hyche, uh-

Fellow back East
invented it. Hm-hm.

I'm gonna have the franchise
of the whole doggone state.

I've heard about
this somewhere.

Yeah, you'll hear
a sight more

when Andy Culley
starts drummin' it.

Yeah. The sodbusters
are comin'.

The open range
is goin'.

And those sodbusters'll

fence up Kansas like a
checkerboard in ten years.

What do I
owe you, Sam?

I'll buy it,
Sam.

Well, that's real
generous of you.

I'm in
a generous mood.

Have another one.

Thanks.

Here's to you.

No, no.

Let's make it to
the old hometown, huh?

Good. To the
old hometown.

Let's see, uh,
that'll be, uh, Dallas?

Fort Worth?

San Antone?

No.

Lawrence.

Lawrence, Kansas.

Good. To Lawrence.

Thanks.
Now, wait, wait, wait.

Let's have
another one.

Come on.
This is my party.

To the old
hometown.

She's gone
to her room.

Huh?
Belle Archer.

She wouldn't even
let me walk her home.

She was feeli''
fine,

then just all of
a sudden took sick.

Not comin'
back either.

She's a strange one.

I said,
"She's a strange one."

Hm?

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

I wonder about her sometimes.

She never
talks about herself,

where she came from,
or what brought her here.

Now, why would she get up
at five minutes past 9

and go home?

I got one for you.

Why is that cowpoke
tryin' to start a fight

with the hardware
drummer?

Well, that's only
three, mister.

Have another one.

I'm sorry, I gotta
get back to the hotel.

Wait a minute.

You don't want to
get insultin', do you?

If Andy says "no,"
he means "no."

Leave it there.

Now drink.

I said
I was goin'.

Drink it!

And get another
bottle, Sam.

Andy here's
gonna drink to

the old hometown
till he drops.

Let go!

Let go.

I was right!

I ought to
kill you.

Damn you!

What are you doin'?
Stand back! I'm not finished!

Man's crazy!

Yes, you are.

You keep out of this,
marshal.

I'm not through with him.
I got a ways to go yet.

Yeah, you got
a ways to go.

About 200 feet
to the jail.

Let's go.

Can you
beat that?

What's he got
again' you, Andy?

What do you suppose
was eatin' him, Andy?

Jerry Shand, huh?

Must be tough
where you come from.

You played it
real big in there,

roughin' up a paunchy
hardware drummer.

Real two-fisted cowboy, huh?

Real talkin' marshal too.

I got more patience
than some.

What's your outfit?

Lazy K,
Pecos Valley.

When did
you get in?

This evenin'.

What call you got to
pick on Andy Culley?

What you got against him?

You don't even
know, do you?

Just lookin' around
for a fight.

And you figured
he'd do as well as

somebody who could fight back.

That's what you
think it is, huh?

Well, you tell me then.

It's personal,
between him and me.

All right.

You got $25
bail money?

No.

Good.

Then you can
spend the night

in a jailhouse
bunk.

Maybe teach you
and your Texas friends

to keep your hands folded
north of the deadland.

Come on.

Evening.

What do you
want, Andy?

I don't want to
butt in, marshal.

I, uh...

just wanted to
tell him I was sorry.

You're sorry?

For startin'
the fracas in there.

I maybe said somethin'
I shouldn't.

Heh. You ain't bringin'
battery charges again' him

are you,
marshal?

'Cause I won't sign
any complaint.

Well, he roughed you up
in there, Andy.

You heard me, marshal.
No complaint and no charges.

I don't want no trouble.

Yeah, but disturbin' the peace
is a misdemeanor.

What's the bail?

Twenty-five dollars.

There you are.

Least I
can do, boy.

Just a minute,
Andy.

There's
your receipt.

Thanks.

Sorry I caused you
the trouble, boy.

Jerry.

Hold.

It's me,
Andy Culley.

Get down. I want
to talk to you.

What do you want?

What-

It's all over
and done with, Jerry.

I'm sorry.

All my life
I'll be sorry.

We were crazy-mad
then, Jerry.

We were out of
our heads.

I wanna make it right with you.
I wanna do the right thing.

I'll pay you.

Buy it back, eh?

Wash it all away
with money.

What else can I do?

Get out of Kansas!

I can't.

Gettin' fat off
Kansas now, ain't you?

Slap-on-the-back
Culley.

Fast-talkin'
Culley.

Everybody loves
Andy Culley!

I'll give you
$500, Jerry.

Maybe 6.

I'll make it 6.

Take you a couple of years
to make $600 wrangling cows.

I can't leave Kansas. Almost
ten years in business, and-

Ten years come August.

The 21st
it was.

Bright and early.
Don't talk about that!

I wonder how many Kansans would
buy your stinking barbed wire

if they knew they were doin'
business with a murderer!

Shut up!

I said, "Shut up."

Now then, we'll see
who's through in Kansas.

Let me through, boys.

Any of you men
see this happen?

There was nobody
here but them.

Well, one of you men
better go get Doc Adams.

We'll need an autopsy.

Listen. Listen,
wait a minute. I-

Aw, shut up!

Come on, men.
Let's get him.

All right,
now hold it.

Don't let's get riled up
without reason.

But he shot Culley down
in cold blood.

All right, if he did,
he'll hang for it.

After he gets
a trial.

All right, just stick
where you are, all of you.

Now scatter.

Go on back about
your business.

Fast.

But Culley was
a good man.

He wasn't a gunfighter,
he was our friend.

He didn't even
carry a gun.

You say he had a pistol.
Where did it go?

It was a silver-
model derringer.

Anyone in that crowd
could have picked it up

and made off with it.

He pulled it on me.

I drew and beat him.
That's all there is to it.

Why'd he pull it
on you?

Why'd he want to
kill you?

I told you, personal.

I think I know
what it was.

That tattoo
on his arm.

He was a Quantrill
man, wasn't he?

He was at Quantrill's elbow

when he rode into
Lawrence in '63.

His name ain't Culley at all.
It's "Bloody" Bill Ashley.

I was only a kid, but I
remember it like yesterday.

My ma got me out of bed,
hid me in the woodshed.

And I saw that peace-lovin'
hardware drummer

kill my pop in cold blood
not 20 feet away.

And I saw that Quantrill
tattoo on his arm.

And I saw him
carry off my ma.

There was nothin' left
when they went.

Nothin' but
the bodies of men...

women...

children...

smokin' buildings.

You're sure he pulled
a gun, huh?

Yes, sir.

He pulled a gun.

Matt.

Hello, Kitty.

Lot of lynch talk
goin' on around town.

Yeah, I know.

The boy claims Culley
had a gun on him.

I guess one of those
lynch talkers

must have picked it up
and put it in his pocket.

Why'd he
do it, Matt?

Oh, he had his reasons.

He claims Culley
pulled a gun on him.

They have a hard time shovin'
that down their throats

after that fracas
in the bar.

The only thing can
save him now is a...

witness.

There just
aren't any.

Belle?

Belle,
you up there?

What do you want?

How long you been
up there?

It's important, Belle.

Not long.

Ten minutes maybe.

Did you see what
happened down here?

No.

Belle.

You must've seen it. You
couldn't have missed it.

You left the Long Branch
just before it happened.

Where did
you go?

Here.

You mean to say you stayed up
here all the while

and didn't hear anything?

No ruckus in the street?
No gunshot?

I don't know anything
about it.

You're lyin', Belle.

Why?

Give me time to think.

There isn't any time.

This Jerry Shand's
in real trouble.

I can't help you, Matt,
that's all.

I can't.

Why not?

Why can't you stand up
and testify

at that
inquest tomorrow?

All right, Matt!

All right, all right,
all right!

You wanna know?! I'll
tell you! I'll tell you.

I didn't see anything.

You're lyin', Belle.

You saw it all.

You saw whether Culley
pulled a derringer or not.

I didn't. I didn't.

What are you hidin', Belle?
What are you afraid of?

What do you got
against this kid?

What have I got
against him?

That's a wonderful joke.

I've got nothing
against him.

I saw nothing,
I heard nothing,

I know nothing.

Now get out!

Leave me alone!

Please.

Please, get out.

Belle?

Belle, you in there?
It's Marshal Dillon.

Belle!

All right
now, uh...

9:00 last night,
you say, uh,

you were sittin'
not over 10 feet away

when the accused rode up.
Is that right?

That's right, Doc.

You sure it was Jerry Shand?

Positive.

Someone he knew
was waitin' for him.

"Is he in there?"
he says.

And then this
other feller said,

"What are you gonna
do to him, Jerry?"

And then the accused said,
"I don't know.

Kill him maybe."

I remember them
exact words.

Ed Mayberry will back me up.

He was sittin' alongside me
when it happened.

All right.

All right, I did say it,

but I didn't mean it.

I was mad enough
to kill him,

but I never would have.

Just a minute now.

You'll, uh...

have your chance to
talk when the time comes.

Now, then...

two witnesses
testified

that they heard you say
you were gonna kill him.

And a whole bar
full of people

heard you pick
a fight with him.

And nobody found
that gun you say he had,

yet you're claimin'
self-defense.

Why would Andy Culley
want to kill you?

I told you

he was trying to shut me up.
Why?

He was a bushwhacker
with Quantrill.

You saw that tattoo
on his arm.

Tattoo doesn't make
a man a bushwha-

Well,
that one does.

I saw it on his arm when
they came after my ma and pa.

That's why I was sure.

They killed 'em both.

When they was done,
they went across

to where
my girl lived...

and they took her.

I never saw her after.

Hello, Jerry.

Ellie?

No.

I'm Belle Archer now.

Matt tells me either I talk
or they take you away.

If it weren't
for that,

I couldn't
do this to you Jerry.

The bushwhackers
did enough to you already.

I- I didn't want you
to see me now.

I mean-

I didn't want you
to see what happened to me

after they came to
Lawrence that day.

I can tell you all about
last night, Doc.

I saw it all
from my window.

They were
right below me.

Andy Culley...Jerry.

I heard
what they said,

I saw Andy
pull his gun.

Everything he told you
was true, Doc. I saw it all.

Marshal, I don't
know how I can-

It's over
and done, Jerry.

Forget it.

Yeah.

Well, you better
get goin'.

Yeah.

Ellie?

Ellie!

Ellie's gone, Jerry.

Yeah.

Good night, Belle.

Goodbye, Jerry.

Ellie, I-

Goodbye, Jerry.

Goodbye.